scorpster wrote:
"Oren" wrote in message
...
Leslie's pool store was mentioned. My local store has "mock-ups" of
pool filter systems. Find the gallons of water in the pool (figuring
the depth also). The web has calculators , but I don't have one in a
link.

I called Leslies service dept and the first thing they asked me was how
old the pool is, whether the existing water is clean, etc. Then they
said "it needs to be re-plastered" - based on what I told them on the
phone.

But the existing plaster looks fine as far as I can tell visually.
Should I be concerned with plaster for this project? I just want to
make it swimmable, not a showpiece. Is the downside to keeping the
existing old plaster that it will slowly lose water or something else
related to chemistry? If I have to replaster that would be way out of
my affordability to help my mom fix this thing up.

Actually it's new plastering that affects the chemistry.

Once you drain it you can acid wash it and repaint it if it needs it.
Leslie's sells the paint. Replastering will raise the cost by about
$5,000 in California for simple plastering, and by $9,000 for a pebbled
surface, without new tile or coping. You can look at the surface and
tell when it's all pitted and needs re-plastering. In Florida, where my
brother has a pool, re-plastering is only around $3000.

I know that when my pool's plaster was hopelessly pitted, it was also
very hard to keep the algae in check, but maybe that was for other
reasons than the pitted plaster. Back then, the pool stores were pushing
stabilized tablets and granules very hard, without fully understanding
how the stabilizer acid slowly built up and required higher and higher
chlorine levels to keep algae in check, they call it "chlorine lock"
where the cyanuric acid ties up free available chlorine. I drained and
refilled just a year ago, and already my cyanuric acid level is above
the optimal level (but below the maximum level) so I'm laying off the
tablets for a while until enough new water dilutes it. I've been in
Leslie's a couple of times to get my water tested, and have had people
in front of me get the advice to drain the pool to get rid of the
cyanuric acid. There is no neutralizer available on the market any more
(there was one for a while but it had side effects that were worse (and
more costly) than just draining and refilling).

Also, remember to factor in the cost of the electricity to run the pump.
Those pumps use a lot of power, and you have to run them many hours a
day in hot weather.

I wanted to take the pool out rather than re-plaster it, but that idea
was vetoed by SWMBO. Taking a pool out isn't all that cheap either.