Bought a house with an in-ground swimming pool...

[tk3000]

Hello Folks,

I purchased a house in Fort Wayne, IN, that happens to come with an in-ground pool. Pool was not really a requirement for me to buy the house, and I am not even into pools. Unnecessary to say, I know close to nothing about pools; but that it requires lots of attention and maintenance.

The seller left somethings pool related, like a skimmer, a cover (I guess), a robot cleaner, etc. And the pool has some fixed equipment which looks like a pump and filtration system and what seems to be a heater. The water has been standing still at least a couple of weeks since nothing has been on. Once in a while a duck swings by to swim.

Below are some pics depicting the situation:




Likely, I will hire a pool company at first to take a look into it.

Any insights would be appreciated!

 

[Snoonyb]

It's a learning experience.
There are min. standards set forth in your municipal codes, on line and any of the lic. pool svc. providers are well aware of.

Make sure your access portals close and latch, properly.

 

[slownsteady]

You probably know all this already, but just in case:

Looks like it was closed properly for the season. Water blown out of the lines and ends plugged so they don't refill.
The cover on the side of the pool is a solar cover, meant to keep the water warm during swim season. There should have been a winter cover on the pool. Either way, it's not surprising that the water looks green. A treatment of chlorine and maybe an anti-bacterial and the water will clear up.

 

[havasu]

I've had built in pools all my life, but every pool is plumbed differently. You are better off hiring a professional to evaluate your equipment, let you know what valve opens what intake, and ensuring that your filter is clean.

 

[tk3000]

You probably know all this already, but just in case:

Looks like it was closed properly for the season. Water blown out of the lines and ends plugged so they don't refill.
The cover on the side of the pool is a solar cover, meant to keep the water warm during swim season. There should have been a winter cover on the pool. Either way, it's not surprising that the water looks green. A treatment of chlorine and maybe an anti-bacterial and the water will clear up.

View attachment 32484

I did not know that the plastic cyclindrical thing was a chlorine feeder.

Yeah, it looks like they disconnected and turned off the equipment due to the offseason. I remember being there during the winter (temps below freezing) and there was not cover for the pool.

At first, I will hire a company specialized in pools to take care of it. Later on, once I get more used to it and learn more about the ins and outs of pool maintenance, I shall do most of the maintenance myself.

Thanks!

 

[nobes]

Hello Folks,

I purchased a house in Fort Wayne, IN, that happens to come with an in-ground pool. Pool was not really a requirement for me to buy the house, and I am not even into pools. Unnecessary to say, I know close to nothing about pools; but that it requires lots of attention and maintenance.

The seller left somethings pool related, like a skimmer, a cover (I guess), a robot cleaner, etc. And the pool has some fixed equipment which looks like a pump and filtration system and what seems to be a heater. The water has been standing still at least a couple of weeks since nothing has been on. Once in a while a duck swings by to swim.

Below are some pics depicting the situation:

View attachment 32479


Likely, I will hire a pool company at first to take a look into it Discover cash buying options.

Any insights would be appreciated!

The pool has been neglected for a while. The first thing you’ll want to do is test the water quality, as it may have imbalanced chemicals due to the stagnant water. You can take a sample to a pool store for testing, where they can recommend the right chemicals to balance it. Next, you should clean the pool by skimming debris from the surface and making sure the robot cleaner and skimmer are functioning properly. You’ll also want to check the pump, filtration system, and heater to make sure everything is working properly. If you're unsure about how to proceed, it might be worth hiring a professional pool service to handle the cleaning and ensure the equipment is in good condition. This should get the pool back in shape.

 

[tk3000]

The pool has been neglected for a while. The first thing you’ll want to do is test the water quality, as it may have imbalanced chemicals due to the stagnant water. You can take a sample to a pool store for testing, where they can recommend the right chemicals to balance it. Next, you should clean the pool by skimming debris from the surface and making sure the robot cleaner and skimmer are functioning properly. You’ll also want to check the pump, filtration system, and heater to make sure everything is working properly. If you're unsure about how to proceed, it might be worth hiring a professional pool service to handle the cleaning and ensure the equipment is in good condition. This should get the pool back in shape.

This is an old thread and lots of things happened ever since. As Heraclitus, an ancient Greek philosopher, said “a man cannot step into the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man”. Ever since, I learned quite a bit regarding pool’s chemistry, supplies, equipment, maintenance and operation.

The pool situation was brought to good standards about 5 or 6 months ago, it was closed with a cover about 3 months ago, and proper winterized about a month ago.

VIdeo:

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VID_20240708_131755382 by tk3000 tk3000, on Flickr

 

[PJB12]

About the only thing I know of in-ground pools is to never drain them in winter.

One of my brothers did that when he bought a house with a concrete (gunite maybe) pool. It didn't take long before that whole thing popped right up out of the ground!

 

[tk3000]

About the only thing I know of in-ground pools is to never drain them in winter.

One of my brothers did that when he bought a house with a concrete (gunite maybe) pool. It didn't take long before that whole thing popped right up out of the ground!

Yeah, that is very true. Your brother made a bad mistake.

At first, the water in my pool was really, really, really bad; with lots of contaminants, debris, bacteria, nastiness and algae bloom. Draining the water temporarily (to have it replenish soon thereafter) would be easier (chemicals and all the work involved can time consuming and expensive), but I did not have an easy way to dispose of about 40k gallons of water… The weight of the water is necessary to hold the pool structure in place.

 

[havasu]

Alot has to do with the water table under the pool. I've drained mine 2-3 times at each house ive owned, but by day 2 or 3, my forehead starts beading sweat.

 

[Snoonyb]

Alot has to do with the water table under the pool. I've drained mine 2-3 times at each house ive owned, but by day 2 or 3, my forehead starts beading sweat.

Well, you could employ several dozen additional neighbors to suck of the siphon hoses, in shifts, between beer and pizza breaks.