Need ideas for cleaning a pool

[bobneedsapool]

Hello all. I have an above ground INTEX 26363EH Ultra XTR 24ft x 12ft with a Krystal Clear Sand Filter pump 26645EG. I've googled and sifted through a lot of these forums but after an overwhelming amount of info and/or some outdated stuff - I figured it'd be better to ask directly.

Super dirty. Somewhat large debris. I've tried a hose-powered vacuum into a mesh bag and it kind of works but would probably take me about a year. I have a little robot vacuum which is great for maintenance but it fills up in literally 10-15 seconds. I've tried a variety of different things and while I am open to advice (if I knew what I was doing... I wouldn't be asking for help lol) I've done a lot of the basics.

My latest attempt I bought a 40ft hose and a vacuum - but then discovered that the pump doesn't have suction such as in that 2015 thread and later discovered that's really by design and largely relies on water pressure to feed it and/or won't work if there's any air/lose prime. I've tried a method I found on Youtube that accomplished it without a pump just using a siphon but I cannot get mine going that route either.

I don't want to get a shop-vac that I have to constantly empty. Even a cheap "commercial" pool vacuum that doesn't need to be emptied as often and can discharge water to an outlet is very expensive.

Anyone have ideas that are affordable that can accomplish what I thought the sand pump could do? debris/water -> intake hose -> pump to waste (no filter) -> discharge hose -> drain

 

[PoolStored]

Can you post a picture of the pool so we can see the water?

You have about 8400 gallons, it is probably cheaper and easier to drain and replace water. Do you know your water rates?

 

[bobneedsapool]

That sounds about right. It will be around $100-200 to fill it.

Originally I drained it and refilled it. I've had it "clean" (as in the water was clear) but the amount of gunk at the bottom when it settled was a lot. The moment you touch it or stir it up it'll explode. I've stopped wasting chemicals on it so right now all you'd see is a big green mess. It's absolutely disgusting.

I'm worried if I drain it it will end up the same way - a bunch of gunk (some big chunks, some too small for a fine mesh that just turn into a cloud) - and I'm out a 3rd refill on the water bill and still have to buy something else.

However, if there's really no realistic way to do what I'm trying to do without buying a $700+ commercial cleaner - then I'll just need to do it and see what cleaning I can do when it's empty. I bought a cover that I'm going to keep on it during fall to keep leaves and stuff out of it but that's preventative for next summer. Been trying to get this thing ready all summer.

 

[TinFoilHat]

You could plumb a stubbed line into the suction side with a valve to open it when you want to vacuum as long as you can either plug the skimmer so the vac hose holds prime or you put another valve in to close the skimmer line. If you close your pool for the winter then you should already have a plug for the skimmer. For now you need to be adding probably a 1/2 gallon of chlorine each day to hold everything at bay until you get this ironed out. Many people following the TFP principles have brought gross pools back to life. You need to get a proper test kit such as a Taylor K2006 or a TF Testkits TF100 so you can measure the levels that we follow for proper chemistry. Don't add any other chemicals except for daily doses of liquid chlorine for now, and don't visit any pool stores for their voodoo fixes.

 

[Louis2024]

For solution, try using a manual pool vacuum that attaches to your pool's existing filter system. Connect the vacuum head to a long hose and attach it to the skimmer inlet. This uses the pump's suction to clean the pool without clogging quickly. Also, ensure your filter settings are set to "waste" to avoid recirculating debris.

 

[bobneedsapool]

For solution, try using a manual pool vacuum that attaches to your pool's existing filter system. Connect the vacuum head to a long hose and attach it to the skimmer inlet. This uses the pump's suction to clean the pool without clogging quickly. Also, ensure your filter settings are set to "waste" to avoid recirculating debris.

Unfortunately, that's what I tried and it doesn't pull anything at all. Tried backfilling the hose with water as well as submerging it to get rid of air but most likely messing it up during the transfer. I'd love to learn more about if/what I am doing wrong because that was my intended method was to use the pump straight to waste with the new vacuum head, adapters, and hose that I bought.

You could plumb a stubbed line into the suction side with a valve to open it when you want to vacuum as long as you can either plug the skimmer so the vac hose holds prime or you put another valve in to close the skimmer line. If you close your pool for the winter then you should already have a plug for the skimmer. For now you need to be adding probably a 1/2 gallon of chlorine each day to hold everything at bay until you get this ironed out. Many people following the TFP principles have brought gross pools back to life. You need to get a proper test kit such as a Taylor K2006 or a TF Testkits TF100 so you can measure the levels that we follow for proper chemistry. Don't add any other chemicals except for daily doses of liquid chlorine for now, and don't visit any pool stores for their voodoo fixes.

Should I bother with that or should I just empty it? I kept it relatively "clean" but wasn't able to successfully get enough stuff actually removed to keep it clean. I'll definitely dump chlroine in it if I need to per your instructions, but if I end up needing to just empty the pool water out and start over (how to get debris out once it gets super low before I refill). I've already wasted a few hundred$$ in chemicals, a couple fills, and some additional tools I bought so hoping that whatever the next method I go with I can commit to and get this thing up and running still this season.

Thanks all for the support and help so far.

 

[Louis2024]

Unfortunately, that's what I tried and it doesn't pull anything at all. Tried backfilling the hose with water as well as submerging it to get rid of air but most likely messing it up during the transfer. I'd love to learn more about if/what I am doing wrong because that was my intended method was to use the pump straight to waste with the new vacuum head, adapters, and hose that I bought.



Should I bother with that or should I just empty it? I kept it relatively "clean" but wasn't able to successfully get enough stuff actually removed to keep it clean. I'll definitely dump chlroine in it if I need to per your instructions, but if I end up needing to just empty the pool water out and start over (how to get debris out once it gets super low before I refill). I've already wasted a few hundred$$ in chemicals, a couple fills, and some additional tools I bought so hoping that whatever the next method I go with I can commit to and get this thing up and running still this season.

Thanks all for the support and help so far.

There is no other way. Search on Google Maps for a professional service company to come and handle it.