Question:
i have an indoor pool, a bag of sand got dumped into it and broke the filter/ pump….that is fixed now, but how do i get the pool ready to swim in, it has been unused for almost a year, and is very dirty, with some sand in it still and green algae on the bottom…called a pool cleaner to come clean it, but they said we would have to sign a contract for them to come once a week and i would rather do it myself if possible….please help
Answer:
Get as much of the debris and algae as you can out manualy (net, vacuum). You can also vacuum the sand, but make sure you vacuum to waste so it does not damage your pump/filter again. The next step will be to balance the water in the following order 1. hardness 2. total alkalinity 3. pH. The hardness may be fine right out of the tap (200 ppm + needed), and do not fill with soft water. Alkalinity and pH may also be good, test and adjust as necessary. There should be treatment charts available on the packaging or in the test strip package. The amounts for the various chemicals vary according to the particular chemical and concentration. They are not all the same. Once the balance is acheived, you would need to add a metal removing agent if there is any metal typically present in your source water before you add chlorine as once you add chlorine, the metals may oxidize causing further cloudy water and staining. Then you are ready to add chlorine, following the dosage chart provided on the chemicals you received. You will need to shock the pool first to establish a chlorine level, then keep it going with whatever chlorine you will use. Again, test and balance to make sure you have acheived the proper levels. Run the pump with all chemical additions, unless otherwise directed on the packaging. You can also search of pool calculators online where you can enter your test results and get a generic prescription to help with specific dosages.