Re-starting an empty swimming pool.?

Question

We recently moved into a house that has an inground swimming pool. The pool hasn't been used in about 2 years. We drained the pool and were looking to re-open it with new water and equipment. We don't really know anything about pools. The pool is about 12 ft. deep at the deep end. About how much do you think it would cost to open this pool for the remainder of the season. And is it worth it.

Answer 1

Well... first things first... Some of the equipment might still be usable. IF your Pool Motor Starts when you turn it on, then it should be OK. Dont Fix it if it aint broke. New Motor/Pump is probably going to cost you at least 400 bucks, without even considering size of the pump you need. IF you have a 12 foot deep pool you might as well consider that you have 30-35 thousand gallons of water.

Check your filter, if you have a Diatomaceous Earth Filter, or D.E. as it is known, you will most likely want to replace the filter grid media, as the nylon fabric is probably going to have holes throughout the fabric, which means your water will not filter properly. If you have a sand filter, you are going to want to change the sand. That sand is probably dirty to begin with, and could have mold and or other growths in it from sitting for so long.

Now the most important thing is this. Your inground pool is like a boat, if you do not fill the pool with water you risk the pool "floating" on the groundwater in spring or Fall etc. I cant say definitively that this will happen, but this is one reason why an inground pool is never completely drained for long periods of time. IF this does happen, your pool could come up 1-2 inches from your decking, almost as if your pool decking has sunken around the pool, and it might only happen on one end, which means that you are going to have uneven water, so if your pool only has a skimmer, and its on the end that lifts and raises, you could have plumbing problems and also that your pool on the lower end will probably need to be filled almost to the brim of the coping stones, JUST to give your skimmer enough water to supply your pump. Being 12 foot deep, i would have to assume that there is a Main drain in the bottom, But i have seen them without on occasions.

Now. IF your pool is empty, and you have cleaned it out, you wont get every little bit and cranny of debris out, but if you have hosed it down, and gotten rid of almost all the water in the deep end, you can start filling it anytime. IF you have a main drain, and you have a shut off for the skimmers in the pump area, you can run the pool once y ou get about 2 feet of water in the deep end, and this way your water will filter as you fill it. This will speed up the process of cleaning the water.

Once your pool is filled, open the skimmers, and let the skimmers work as well. After a day of running <24 hours> since you have had the water filtering with the main drain, take a 20 ounce soda bottle, nad about elbows length with the bottle upside down with air filling the bottle, turn the bottle over to fill. (Make sure you rinse this bottle in the water a few times, you dont want any soda contamination in your sample).. Take this to your pool store, and yes, they are going to sell you every chemical you can think of, But remember, its new water, and hasnt been treated for swimming pool use yet. You are going to need lots of things to get it "pool Ready".
The advantage of doing all of this now is that when you open the pool in the spring you wont have to do too much to balance the water. Just make sure that when you take your water sample in, tell them its NEW water, as the pool was empty, so they can test for EVERYTHING.. Especially Iron, Copper, or Manganese. You dont want to add any chlorine to the water if these "metals" are present.

And once you get this done, you should be good to go.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

clean the inside of the pool as clean as you can then refill it with water while it is filling check your filter if it is a sand filter back wash it if paper filter replace it if diatomus earth replace the media whater ever type of filter you have it must be clean to filter the water after the pool is filled next turn on the pump and make sure it still runs also get to know your main control valve it has a selector handle that has diffrent positions on it they are usuallt marked filter -backwash-drain-vacume- or by some other name that means the same thing then you need to buy some shockit if you are going to use cholorine you can usually by this at walmart but i would suggest that you go to apool supply store if you measure the depth anddistance around the pool they can tell tou how many gallons it will take to fill it and everything else you will need to get iy going such as a test kit and the different chemicals that you wil needalso take a sample of your water with you so that they can test it you will need about aquart size contanier such as a mayo jar just make sure it is clean or you can call a pool mantance company and they will take care of everything and come by once a week and keep i in good shape thi is probably your best and cheapest alternative

Answer 3

It's really not a big deal..... and by all means, DONT ask a pool place for what all chemicals you need... they'll sell you the moon and sun and break your wallet..... I'll explain herein what you need, and it's not that expensive

Have you started the pool filter to make sure it works? If so, and it does, you're prolly not going to have to spend too much. Is it hard piped to the pool, or does it use hoses? If it is hard piped, look for any cracks, breaks etc. If it uses hoses, take them off and replace them. Make sure to note if you have 1.25" or 1.5" before you run to the store to buy them...

Go ahead and scrub the pool and get it reasonably clean....

Replace the sand or other media in the filter. Hook pump and filter all back up to the pool. Drop your garden hose in the pool and start filling.. it'l lprolly take an easy 24 hours to fill it with one garden hose, if not more.

Go to the store (I go to Walmart) and buy a bucket of chlorine ($60 for the big container I buy, but being this late in the summer, you can opt for the smaller bucket if you want). Then buy yourself some BIG boxes of baking soda. Then, buy one bottle of muratic acid (found at pool place or hardware store). You will also need a test kit and one, maybe two, chlorine floaters.

Once the pool is one quarter full, fill up your chlorine floater and go ahead and drop it in.... no reason to wait. Once the pool is full, test the pool for ph per the directions that come with the tester. If ph is low, add baking soda (Arm and Hammer actually has a table on their box that tells u how much to add per gallon(s) of water in the pool). If it is high, use muratic acid to bring it down. Wait a day, then retest. Allow 2 or 3 days for chlorine to dissolve in to water and then test. If you want to get the chlorine up in a hurry, toss in a bag of "Shock" (u purchase this at the pool place or at Walmart).

You can buy ph increaser and decreaser at a pool supply.... but it's the expensive way to do what I just told ya.

So, long story short, if filter and pump are ok, you can prolly do this easily for under $200.

Like I said, there are tons of chemicals out there, but chlorine, baking soda, and muratic acid is all I have used for YEARS, and my water is always crystal clear and very easy maintenance.....

Test your water about every 2 to 3 days thereafter, and add chlorine, baking soda (ph +), or muratic acid (ph -) as necessary!

Most people dont do this, but I do..... I go ahead and keep chlorine in the floater throughout the winter..... it doesnt take much to keep the pool clear... that way, come spring,, your task of getting the pool 'clean' again wont be so hard... usually, I can have mine up and useable within 4 hours, vs many other people I know that it takes them days, or even as much as up to a week or more.... ;) We've always chosen a Sat morning to open our pool, and by noon to 2:00, the kids are in swimming.....

Enjoy!

If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me direct....

Answer 4

My kids use the bathroom, but I tell them to go through their suits if I am not there to help. They do not swim alone but when they are at grandma's and it is hard for grandma to get in and out of the pool and hard for them to get their suits up and down (I don't let them wear bikini's). But the yard or in the pool is not an option as far as I am concerned unless you are swimming somewhere toilets are not available.

Answer 5

Prime is the term we use to state that the air has been mostly purged from the swimming pool water pump and that the filter pump is moving pool water. When you have lost the pump's prime, your pump is no longer pumping water through it. Sometimes it can be very difficult to regain the prime on the pump.

Answer 6

lots of money
call you neighbor
30,000 or 40,000 gallons of water
heat the water.
so many things to consider
why did they not give you this with the closing of the house