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Opening up the pool and need help! Dee5 06-05-2006
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Posted by Dee5 on June 5, 2006, 8:38 pm
I just bought a new house that has a large above ground oval pool in
the back. During the winter it was covered, no other winterization
techniques were applied.

I used a sharp vac to suck the excess water
off the cover but it must have had a small hole somewhere because I
noticed the water level in the pool dropping; it was leaking on to the
cover and I was sucking it out.

Well after I realized this I attempted to remove the cover but it was
so heavy from taking on water that I couldn't get it off without
dumping the excess water (and the leaves) into the pool. When I
initially removed the cover, the water wasn't that bad, slightly green
but still mostly blue. Now it is more green than blue.

I have started using the net to collect the leaves from the bottom of
the pool and am using the vacuum to remove them as well.

I bought sildate (I prefer it to chlorine) and an algaecide as well but

I don't know what to do with them. What is the step-by-step process to

getting my pool ready for swimming? Do I have to get all the leaves
from the pool before I start adding stuff to it?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.


Posted by David The HandyMan on June 5, 2006, 9:04 pm
Here is all that i find about clean your pool...



Cleaning your pool is a must to ensure bather comfort and protect your
equipment. How to clean your pool is simple, and we've asked pool
professional John Kistler to fill us in on the whys of pool cleaning.




Steps:
1. Use a manual brush and pool vacuum on all areas of the walls and
floor at least once a week, even if your pool is equipped with an
automatic system, says John Kistler of Sunflower Pool & Spa in Salina,
Kansas. There are some places in every pool that the automatic cleaning
systems miss.

2. Pay particular attention to corners, stairs and other
hard-to-reach areas that get little circulation.

3. Keep your pool maintained. A clean pool is also a function of a
working filtration system and proper pH levels. Use a sanitizer to help
fight bacteria, and shock the pool on a regular basis (see How to Shock
a Pool) to help keep it clean and crystal-clear.


Tips:
Pool brushes come with handles of varying lengths, and many have
telescoping handles - so a large portion of the work can be done from
poolside.

Frequently cleaning algae-growing areas keeps bathers more
comfortable, saves wear and tear on filtration systems and saves money
by preventing situations that require costly chemical remedies.



-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*


Let's face it--the only thing essential about a swimming pool is that
the water be fresh and clean. Let's face something else, too: Achieving
this can involve more chemistry than you may have seen since junior
year in high school--if then. Don't worry, though. Here are all the
important concepts and terms you need to know to keep your pool clean.
Just be sure to follow all manufacturer's directions on the package of
a chemical carefully.


Balancing the water

Steps:
1. Note: The three factors mentioned here--pH, total alkalinity and
calcium hardness--all affect one another, so it will take some trial
and error to get all three in the proper range at once. Also note that
before you add any chemical--especially an acid--to the water, you need
to first turn on the pool's filter.

2. Use a water-testing kit to measure the calcium hardness (how
"hard" or "soft" the water is). The proper calcium hardness is between
200 and 400 parts per million (ppm).

3. Following package directions, add calcium carbonate dihydrate to
raise calcium hardness; add sodium hexametaphosphate to lower it.
Carefully pour the chemical mixture into the pool at various spots a
foot or two (about half a meter) away from the sides of the pool.

4. Measure the water's total alkalinity. This figure should be in the
range of 80 to 150 ppm; 100 to 120 ppm is best.

5. Adjust the total alkalinity by adding sodium bicarbonate (baking
soda) to raise it or sodium bisulfate (dry acid) to lower it.

6. With a pH tester, measure the water's pH. The proper pH for a pool
is in the range of 7.2 to 7.6.

7. To lower the pH, add sodium bisulfate or liquid muriatic acid. To
raise it, add soda ash (sodium carbonate).

8. Add more chemicals as needed until the water is in balance.


Treating water with chlorine

Steps:
1. Scoop chlorine granules into water in a nonmetal container,
following package directions. Always wear goggles and rubber gloves
when handling chlorine, and always put the chlorine into the
water--don't pour the water over the chlorine.

2. Stir for about 30 seconds, and leave for 30 minutes to settle.

3. Turn on the filter. Reaching as far into the middle of the pool as
possible (perhaps by standing on a diving board), pour the chlorine
into the pool. Discard any sediment left in the container.

4. Add chlorine three to four times a week for a pool in heavy use.

5. Occasionally--no more than once a week--you may need to
superchlorinate (also called shock) the pool to burn any built-up
bacteria, algae and ammonia. Following chlorine package directions,
make a solution for superchlorination (it will be three to five times
as strong as normal chlorine).

6. Add the chlorine solution to the pool after sundown, if possible,
as the sun's rays break down chlorine.

7. Before allowing anyone to go in the pool, test the residual
chlorine level to make sure it has gone back down below 3.0 ppm. This
will take at least several hours.


Keeping the water dirt- and debris-free

Steps:
1. Remove any leaves from the pool with a leaf net each time you go
swimming.

2. Empty and rinse off the strainer basket of the skimmer once or
twice a week, and as often as daily during falling-leaf season.

3. Keep the deck clean by regularly sweeping and then rinsing it with
a garden hose.

4. Use a cover over your pool as often as possible.

5. Thoroughly clean your pool filter at least monthly. Clean a sand
filter by backwashing: Reverse the flow of water through the filter for
2 to 3 minutes until the wastewater is clear.

6. For a cartridge filter, remove the filter cartridge and wash it
with a hose with a high-pressure nozzle. Replace the cartridge.


Overall Tips:
Don't add harsh chemicals to the water through the pool skimmer, as
that could damage the equipment.

Take water samples for testing from at least a foot (30 cm) below the
surface for a truer reading.

Chlorine also comes in a more expensive but convenient liquid form,
and in tablets and sticks that you place in dispensers to slowly
dissolve.



here some links



http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=howTo&p=LawnGarden/MaintPool.html

http://www.poolandspa.com/page789.htm




Look into a company too some times is better to hide a company and let
they take care for you.


look here for a company http://www.superpages.com/



take care

David The HandyMan


Posted by Sacramento Dave on June 5, 2006, 9:04 pm

>I just bought a new house that has a large above ground oval pool in
> the back. During the winter it was covered, no other winterization
> techniques were applied.
>
> I used a sharp vac to suck the excess water
> off the cover but it must have had a small hole somewhere because I
> noticed the water level in the pool dropping; it was leaking on to the
> cover and I was sucking it out.
>
> Well after I realized this I attempted to remove the cover but it was
> so heavy from taking on water that I couldn't get it off without
> dumping the excess water (and the leaves) into the pool. When I
> initially removed the cover, the water wasn't that bad, slightly green
> but still mostly blue. Now it is more green than blue.
>
> I have started using the net to collect the leaves from the bottom of
> the pool and am using the vacuum to remove them as well.
>
> I bought sildate (I prefer it to chlorine) and an algaecide as well but
>
> I don't know what to do with them. What is the step-by-step process to
>
> getting my pool ready for swimming? Do I have to get all the leaves
> from the pool before I start adding stuff to it?
>
> Any help would be appreciated, thanks.
>

I would find a pool supply in your area, bring in a sample of water.
They can test your water tell you what you need. It takes awhile to learn
pool maintenance, but it's really not that hard. I have a in ground pool I
treat it the same in the winter as the summer. I do run the filter less and
it takes less chemical in the winter. If you keep on top of things your way
ahead of the game. I test my water every 3 days in the summer heat and have
it tested once a month. My only suggestion is find a pool supply your
comfortable with. From my experience with Leslie's pool supply I would will
suggest staying away from them. They did not become the largest pool supply
being honest. Pools are just like a boat but instead of Gas & $$$$ there
Chlorine and $$$$



Posted by buffalobill on June 5, 2006, 9:12 pm
you must remove all leaves and dirt.
chlorine arrives in our tap water in buffalo ny. but you will use a
shock or heavy dose of granular or even faster liquid or even chlorine
bleach daily and run filter pump continuously and vacuum daily until
green algae water is sparkling clear. once the water is beautiful then
you can oxygen shock it to eliminate chlorine and start using your
favorite sanitizer.


Dee5 wrote:
> I just bought a new house that has a large above ground oval pool in
> the back. During the winter it was covered, no other winterization
> techniques were applied.
>
> I used a sharp vac to suck the excess water
> off the cover but it must have had a small hole somewhere because I
> noticed the water level in the pool dropping; it was leaking on to the
> cover and I was sucking it out.
>
> Well after I realized this I attempted to remove the cover but it was
> so heavy from taking on water that I couldn't get it off without
> dumping the excess water (and the leaves) into the pool. When I
> initially removed the cover, the water wasn't that bad, slightly green
> but still mostly blue. Now it is more green than blue.
>
> I have started using the net to collect the leaves from the bottom of
> the pool and am using the vacuum to remove them as well.
>
> I bought sildate (I prefer it to chlorine) and an algaecide as well but
>
> I don't know what to do with them. What is the step-by-step process to
>
> getting my pool ready for swimming? Do I have to get all the leaves
> from the pool before I start adding stuff to it?
>
> Any help would be appreciated, thanks.


Posted by Richard J Kinch on June 5, 2006, 11:43 pm
Dee5 writes:

> I bought sildate (I prefer it to chlorine) and an algaecide as well but
> I don't know what to do with them.

How can you "prefer" something you misunderstand. You're ripe for the
taking when it comes to chlorine.

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