My Annual Pool Cleaning

Here's some tips about cleaning your above ground pool:

1) Don't wait until the end of June when it's hot as heck outside to clean it:



Er.....and you should remember to have covered it up back when fall began......

2) Beware of these little guys that say they'll help, but are just walking around with cleaning stuff in their hands:



3) Don't just dump the decaying dead leaves outside of the pool. Put them in something so you can cart them off to a compost pile (they SMELL):



4) Watch out! You may find a LOT of these guys running around in the dead leaves....and I mean BIG ones! (Wolf Spiders):



I found plenty....often followed by me yelling, with WHACK WHACK WHACK of my shoe.

5) Catch the little guy that was running around pretending to work, and put them to work:



6) Make sure they keep working......they have a habit of running off on ya.....



7) Be proud of your work.......even if it seems that you still have a lot to do until you can start filling the pool again!



Cheers!

Awww, don't kill the poor wolf spideys. They are the good ones, they don't have a bad bite and kill other spiders that do. I always find them in my house and leave them be to take care of the other bugs.

Jesus.... it must cost you a fortune in water bills to fill that thing?

originally posted by: EnigmaAgent
Jesus.... it must cost you a fortune in water bills to fill that thing?

Only the electric bill. Well water. Sweet as can be.

Normally we don't empty the pool all the way (waste way too much water), but we had no choice this year as the liner needed a good cleaning.

You forgot Step 8, where you fill the pool with the tears of the complaining young one because he had to help you and didn't get his allowance. Well...that's what I was always told anyway...

bananashooter is right! Don't kill the wolfeys. Not only do they take care of business as far as eating the nasty bugs and spiders, they're harmless to humans.

Nice pool! Can I come over and jump in? It's hot here!

Cannonball !!!

a reply to: Shugo

No allowance for this work. He either helps, or he doesn't get in the pool!

Actually, he jumped in and went to work right away.

However, I have a lot of friends and family on FB that each year always tell me that they'll come help next year.....yet to see any of them, but they do come over to use the pool.

They bring beer though, so I give them a pass.

The only thing I would add is that you if you drain your pool and clean it, don't let it sit for days empty or you'll be running the risk of ruining your liner and they're not cheap.

a reply to: eriktheawful

This is why I live at the shore. Mother nature tends my "pool" for me. I've been swimming since before memorial day. (Southern Virginia)
We took down our above ground pool and left the bottom ring that held the metal walls up and filled in the circle with pavers and now have a round patio. Now all I need to clean it is a broom.

a reply to: theantediluvian

Another thing that will ruin your liner is an 80 lb Huskey jumping off the deck into the pool.
Which is why we had to take the pool down. But only after leaving it empty for a year. When a little tree started growing in it we knew it was time lol.

How did the liner get so dirty in the first place? Lack of maintenance?

No tarp and air pillow?

a reply to: eriktheawful

The fire dept came and filled ours. No charge and took half a day with the hose adjuster they used. They said if they opened it up it would knock the pool down. I don't know if they do that any more. It was over ten years ago.

a reply to: EnigmaAgent

You usually only fill it once then maintain the water cleanliness with chemicals and a filter. You only add water when splashing and evaporation take it lower than the filter intake.

originally posted by: EnigmaAgent
Jesus.... it must cost you a fortune in water bills to fill that thing?

*sarcastic humor ahead*

Na, just use the neighbors hose when they're gone. Just make sure to put it back like you found it.


Haha!

a reply to: AutumnWitch657

We have some beautiful lakes here that I wish we lived next to. Would save on pool maintenance!

originally posted by: eisegesis
How did the liner get so dirty in the first place? Lack of maintenance?

No tarp and air pillow?

It's my step mother's pool. She lives in her house here on the land, and back when my father was alive, he decided he wanted to put the pool at his place. Considering he was retired, it made more sense as he'd be using it more.

After he passed away, I've been trying to keep it going, mainly because all of the kids and grand kids that use it. My step mother drained all but a foot of water out of it last fall, and I didn't know about it, else I would have refilled it or told her to stop!
Add to the fact that the pool didn't get covered.....

And you have a stained up liner.

a reply to: eriktheawful

Leave the eight legged wolves alone. They are the best friends you can have when beset by other creepy crawlies.

Love those things. They are so beautiful. I used to have one that lived in my bedroom when I was a child. I do not mean in a box, I mean in my room. It had a web which used to span the fanlight section of my bedroom window, and the corner nearest to the window . It was very curious about me, and used to plop down on my computer table when I was playing on my old Amiga 600. It got rid of pretty much all the bugs that tried to get into my bedroom from outside. Handiest little critter I ever had the pleasure of sharing space with.

a reply to: eriktheawful

Well, that certainly answers that question!

Here's a setup from Amazon under $70.


Your pool looks a few feet bigger than 18ft, but the 15ft pillow should be more than enough. Purchase two smaller ones for the sides or you will be siphoning more frequently.

Wolf Spiders?! Pfft...

When I was a wee sprat, my weekly task, if needed, was to drain the water that had collected on our pool cover. I had left the pool hose on the ground last week (bad idea), and went about my business. I always used a sealed leg weight wrapped around the hose to keep it under and draw the water towards the inlet.

All set up, I began to suck on the other end, repeatedly huffing and puffing, wondering what the heck was going on. I finally gave it all I had and began to lower the hose. A few trickles came out so I thought I was getting somewhere.

Kneeling down this time I joined forces with gravity and during my last final attempt to start the siphon, something hit my lips. I dropped the hose and out came two large garter snakes that had became lodged inside.

The heeby, jeeby dance must have lasted over ten minutes and I was traumatized for a long period of time. I still don't know whether I kissed it on the lips or it's backside, but at that point, I just wanted to burn the house down in order to ensure it would never happen again!

Only spider I don't mind is the Daddy Long Legs. They can crawl on me all they want. Well....with in reason.

Anything else? As long as it's not where it's suppose to not be (in my pool), I'll let it be.......except Brown Recluse and Black Widows, both of which we have an abundance here in the woods where I live. Those die on sight.

I know Shaun at the SRS ecology lab would be giving me a stern lecture about it right now: but it doesn't change the fact that those two spiders are my arch enemy, heh. I've seen in person what the Recluse can do.

Plenty of snakes here too, but those I just chase off into the undergrowth, which they rarely come out of, except to try and sneak into my chicken run. But the Pit Vipers? Same thing as the Widows and Recluses. I've got too many animals and small kids here that could get killed or seriously hurt by them, and they have come out to visit before

a reply to: eriktheawful

That must have been an adventure. The spider pic made my skin crawl and almost made me spit coffee all over my screen. Thanks lol.