Q. We bought a house in January. We have never owned a pool. The water is black. Is that normal?? How do we treat it successfully?? PLease help I dont want to have to pay the pool company 500 to open it. Thanx a bunch
Ok apparently I p.issed someone off cuz I put this in the marriage divorce category But I thought that since alot of married ppl have pools this would be the best place to ask.
Ok apparently I p.issed someone off cuz I put this in the marriage divorce category But I thought that since alot of married ppl have pools this would be the best place to ask.
Answer
Well black water is not normal unless the pool plaster is black. Most pools have white plaster. Just FYI the sparkling blue water you see in your pool is actually the blue sky reflecting on the white plaster. Okay steps to open a pool.
1. If it has a cover on it take it off.
2. Locate your cleaning equipment ie: hoses, leaf rake, skimmer net, pool vacuum, pole(s).
3. Locate the skimmers (in pool deck) and make sure they are free of leaves and debris. They should have removable baskets in them.
4. If you have a lot of leaves in the bottom of the pool you will need to take your leaf rake (which is actually a net) and start getting the leaves out of the pool. Get out as many as you can.
5. Now you will need to see if the pool pump is working. Turn it on and see if water is coming into the pump and back into the pool at the "jets" located on the side of the pool.
6. I would try to get as much of the cleaning done with the sand that you have in your filter now. If the water flow is poor you will need to backflush the filter to get all of the large debris out of the sand. This is done by turning or pulling a large valve that will reroute the water to an outlet usually connected to a hose that you will run out to the yard or street. There should be a small clear PVC area that you can look at as the water comes out. It will be very dirty at first then it will clear up somewhat. After backflushing turn or move valve back. This should improve water flow going back to the pool.
7. Now you can hook up your manual vacuum to one of the skimmers. Make sure that the basket stays in the skimmer and place a vacuum plate over the skimmer basket so that the leaves you vacuum up don't actually go into the return lines to the filter. If you have 2 skimmers I would recommend plugging off the second skimmer so you have all of your suction going to the vacuum skimmer. If you can also shut off the main drain at the bottom of the pool. There usually is a valve that you can turn that will allow water to return to the filter by the skimmers or the main drain or both. Just turn that valve off to the main drain.
8. Now you can turn on the pump and you should be able to start vacuuming the pool. It will vacuum strong for a short while but then the suction will start to lessen. This is notifying you that you need to backflush to filter again and check the skimmer basket. Backflush and continue on.
9. Just be aware that as you start to vacuum the pool and if there is a lot of dirt in the pool it will become very cloudy and you will be unable to see the bottom where you have vacuumed. At this point you can keep going on the best you can or you can stop, disconnect and unplug the skimmers and let the water circulate for awhile (few hrs) and let the cloudiness settle. Then you can start up vacuuming again.
10. This will get the pool clean eventually and it will take some time. It will not happen overnight.
11. After or when you are pretty close to having the pool cleaned you will need to go to your local pool supplier and get a water test kit and the chemicals to help get your pool within the proper pH. You will probably have to shock it several times. Your local pool supplier will be able to help you on this part.
12. If you have the pool clean and you are still seeing a lot of black or green stuff on the plaster you probably have algea. Green is okay, black is bad. Again your local supplier will be able to help you with that.
13. Change the sand in the filter. This should be done every other season.
14. Invest in an automatic pool cleaner. I highly recommend Polaris. They have 2 types that will work in any pool.
15. If you have a pool company do your chemical treatments DO NOT USE GAS CHLORINE!! That stuff is highly acidic and will eventually destroy your plaster finish on the pool. Not to mention you really shouldn't swim in the pool for at least 3 days after treatment.
Well I'm sure this is long enough for you to read. If you have any questions feel free to email me or contact me on 360. I have had a pool now for 11 yrs including 2 major leaks, 3 pool pumps, many automatic cleaners etc. If I can help you let me know.
Well black water is not normal unless the pool plaster is black. Most pools have white plaster. Just FYI the sparkling blue water you see in your pool is actually the blue sky reflecting on the white plaster. Okay steps to open a pool.
1. If it has a cover on it take it off.
2. Locate your cleaning equipment ie: hoses, leaf rake, skimmer net, pool vacuum, pole(s).
3. Locate the skimmers (in pool deck) and make sure they are free of leaves and debris. They should have removable baskets in them.
4. If you have a lot of leaves in the bottom of the pool you will need to take your leaf rake (which is actually a net) and start getting the leaves out of the pool. Get out as many as you can.
5. Now you will need to see if the pool pump is working. Turn it on and see if water is coming into the pump and back into the pool at the "jets" located on the side of the pool.
6. I would try to get as much of the cleaning done with the sand that you have in your filter now. If the water flow is poor you will need to backflush the filter to get all of the large debris out of the sand. This is done by turning or pulling a large valve that will reroute the water to an outlet usually connected to a hose that you will run out to the yard or street. There should be a small clear PVC area that you can look at as the water comes out. It will be very dirty at first then it will clear up somewhat. After backflushing turn or move valve back. This should improve water flow going back to the pool.
7. Now you can hook up your manual vacuum to one of the skimmers. Make sure that the basket stays in the skimmer and place a vacuum plate over the skimmer basket so that the leaves you vacuum up don't actually go into the return lines to the filter. If you have 2 skimmers I would recommend plugging off the second skimmer so you have all of your suction going to the vacuum skimmer. If you can also shut off the main drain at the bottom of the pool. There usually is a valve that you can turn that will allow water to return to the filter by the skimmers or the main drain or both. Just turn that valve off to the main drain.
8. Now you can turn on the pump and you should be able to start vacuuming the pool. It will vacuum strong for a short while but then the suction will start to lessen. This is notifying you that you need to backflush to filter again and check the skimmer basket. Backflush and continue on.
9. Just be aware that as you start to vacuum the pool and if there is a lot of dirt in the pool it will become very cloudy and you will be unable to see the bottom where you have vacuumed. At this point you can keep going on the best you can or you can stop, disconnect and unplug the skimmers and let the water circulate for awhile (few hrs) and let the cloudiness settle. Then you can start up vacuuming again.
10. This will get the pool clean eventually and it will take some time. It will not happen overnight.
11. After or when you are pretty close to having the pool cleaned you will need to go to your local pool supplier and get a water test kit and the chemicals to help get your pool within the proper pH. You will probably have to shock it several times. Your local pool supplier will be able to help you on this part.
12. If you have the pool clean and you are still seeing a lot of black or green stuff on the plaster you probably have algea. Green is okay, black is bad. Again your local supplier will be able to help you with that.
13. Change the sand in the filter. This should be done every other season.
14. Invest in an automatic pool cleaner. I highly recommend Polaris. They have 2 types that will work in any pool.
15. If you have a pool company do your chemical treatments DO NOT USE GAS CHLORINE!! That stuff is highly acidic and will eventually destroy your plaster finish on the pool. Not to mention you really shouldn't swim in the pool for at least 3 days after treatment.
Well I'm sure this is long enough for you to read. If you have any questions feel free to email me or contact me on 360. I have had a pool now for 11 yrs including 2 major leaks, 3 pool pumps, many automatic cleaners etc. If I can help you let me know.
Question for Inground pool owners?
Dani
We are a family of 4 and wanting to buy a house with an inground pool. We have never owned a house with a pool before, so we are basically clueless as to what all it entails. I know we would use the pool a lot. So, we were wondering:
1. How much is upkeep (pool service, chemicals, etc.)
2. How much does it add to your house taxes
3. We live in Arizona, so would it be beneficial to have saltwater or chlorine
4. Anything else we need to consider / advice
Thanks in advance!!
Answer
1. I've found that upkeep costs differ from season to season; we'll spend far more on the pool during the swimming season than in the winter months. I have an in-ground gunite, and in the summer, ballpark cost figure I would guess would be $500 total. No pool service or hired cleaner; we do it all ourselves. Again, this is an estimate!!! It depends a lot on where you buy your supplies, how often you use your pool, etc.
2. I am not aware of any huge chunk it costs to our property taxes, if anything at all. Hell, our homeowner's insurance is only $8 a year more for our pool, and that's because we have a diving board.
3. I've heard some pretty great things about saltwater pools. Chlorine is derived from salt, so maintenance is supposed to be a lot easier and less time-consuming.
4. If you do get a pool, make sure you buy locks for all gates leading into your back yard, if they don't have any already. I use just a simple locker-combination lock on mine.
Pools can be time-consuming if you want them looking great day after day, so if you want a great looking pool but don't want to spend a lot of time on it, you should seriously reconsider. I don't consider cleaning mine a chore; I wanted a pool in my house so I consider myself responsible for it's care. It is a hobby for me, as swimming is my favorite sport.
Essential cleaning supplies: a brush, a vacuum (manual or automatic; automatic will wash hours of cleaning time off your hands), a hose that covers the length and depth of the pool, a skimmer pole, skimmer net; I have one flat one and one that's a basket, a chemical test kit to see how the chemcial levels in your water are, and a "backflow" garden hose attachment for possible clogs in your underground pipes. Depending on your pump system too, you might also require a backwash hose. Also keep in good supply of chlorine tabs (big duh, right?!), pH add and/or decrease, alkalinity plus, some filter aid (sand or DE, again depending on what kind of filter you have) and some bags of shock, just for extra measure. I don't do this myself, but I know some pool owners also keep algaecide handy, even though you only need to use that for an algae outbreak in your water. But that should only happen if you don't take care of it! And I tell you all of this because if you have to buy all that stuff at once, it will get VERY expensive. We specifically looked for a pool that already had all the equipment there; we just had to buy the chemicals and even then, the water was already in pretty good shape so we didn't have to buy every single chemical all at once.
I hope I didn't ramble on too much. But I enjoy my swimming pool immensely and enjoy entertaining my friends and family with it. It's a wonderful investment, as long as you don't consider taking care of it a problem. Happy swimming!
1. I've found that upkeep costs differ from season to season; we'll spend far more on the pool during the swimming season than in the winter months. I have an in-ground gunite, and in the summer, ballpark cost figure I would guess would be $500 total. No pool service or hired cleaner; we do it all ourselves. Again, this is an estimate!!! It depends a lot on where you buy your supplies, how often you use your pool, etc.
2. I am not aware of any huge chunk it costs to our property taxes, if anything at all. Hell, our homeowner's insurance is only $8 a year more for our pool, and that's because we have a diving board.
3. I've heard some pretty great things about saltwater pools. Chlorine is derived from salt, so maintenance is supposed to be a lot easier and less time-consuming.
4. If you do get a pool, make sure you buy locks for all gates leading into your back yard, if they don't have any already. I use just a simple locker-combination lock on mine.
Pools can be time-consuming if you want them looking great day after day, so if you want a great looking pool but don't want to spend a lot of time on it, you should seriously reconsider. I don't consider cleaning mine a chore; I wanted a pool in my house so I consider myself responsible for it's care. It is a hobby for me, as swimming is my favorite sport.
Essential cleaning supplies: a brush, a vacuum (manual or automatic; automatic will wash hours of cleaning time off your hands), a hose that covers the length and depth of the pool, a skimmer pole, skimmer net; I have one flat one and one that's a basket, a chemical test kit to see how the chemcial levels in your water are, and a "backflow" garden hose attachment for possible clogs in your underground pipes. Depending on your pump system too, you might also require a backwash hose. Also keep in good supply of chlorine tabs (big duh, right?!), pH add and/or decrease, alkalinity plus, some filter aid (sand or DE, again depending on what kind of filter you have) and some bags of shock, just for extra measure. I don't do this myself, but I know some pool owners also keep algaecide handy, even though you only need to use that for an algae outbreak in your water. But that should only happen if you don't take care of it! And I tell you all of this because if you have to buy all that stuff at once, it will get VERY expensive. We specifically looked for a pool that already had all the equipment there; we just had to buy the chemicals and even then, the water was already in pretty good shape so we didn't have to buy every single chemical all at once.
I hope I didn't ramble on too much. But I enjoy my swimming pool immensely and enjoy entertaining my friends and family with it. It's a wonderful investment, as long as you don't consider taking care of it a problem. Happy swimming!
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