How do you other ponders handle these tasks? What equipment do you use, what should I not get?
Sump pump, bilge pump, or big wet/dry vac?, hps, attachments, what all?
thanks, Ella

Ella, good morning
You should have a pump and vacuum with the pool.
Just bypass the filter when you vacuum the pond and use the water to water your plants.
We have a well, so I replace the water with well water, which has it's own problems.
If you're going to use city water, then add enough declorinator (like Prime) to neutralize chlorine and ammonia in the new city water.

You're pool should have a drain, hooked up to your pool pump.
I don't drain and then vacuum. In the process of vacuuming, I will drain about 50% of the pond.

My hornwort tends to float, so I vacuum under it, then when I'm through vacuuming, I remove the extra hornwort I don't want.

I use a Alita 15 for the air pump. The air stone is hanging over the side of the pond about 1/2 way down. I don't want it on the very bottom because that keeps stuff stirred up all the time.

You pond shouldn't go green again "before cleaning", it might go green after cleaning because of phosphates in your city water. You just need to wait until algae cycles that phosphate out. Shouldn't have any smell at all.

You should have all that equipment with the pool now. Just bypass the filter when you vacuum it out. About the only thing I can think of that you need is something like Prime or CloramX (a lot cheaper) and a air pump.

Corrie

Tucson, AZ, Sonoran Desert 2700' elevation.
forecast below freezing temps at night for the next week--upper 20's. AND SNOW in Tucson! I just went and covered my baby Mexican Sunflower tree in the front yard.

Corrie,
Thanks for all your guidance.
I'm sure everything is there, and probably working. The day I saw the house the pump was humming and the water was sparkling.
Your explanation of what you do and how you clean makes a clearer picture for me. So when you are vacuuming, do you suck in any of the hornwort, or does it stay high enough in the water it doesn't get into the drain? I would guess the drain is in the deep end. Will the hornwort fill up that whole space, or does it stay in a more narrow band-like the top 2 feet or so of the pond?
I added the Alita 15 pump to my list, along with dechlorinators.

I spent yesterday looking at lilies, poppies, and floaters, bog, and marginal plants. Though I could probably have tropical lilies, I will buy only hardy ones.
It seems most plants are not really floaters, but need dirt and water less than 2-3 feet deep. So pvc is also on my list. I saw those fancy plant baskets, but I'll use the buckets I have.

Do you have any thoughts on how to add a shelf around the interior perimeter of the pool to set them on?

Another decision I think I've made is to not add any fish until I know more about keeping plants alive. So I will get Microbe-lift for mosquito control.

I plan to collect rain and laundry water to help replace pond water. Tap water is expensive here.
This house is going to keep me busy for sure.
Ella

Sounds to me like you're going to have a ball! This will be fun, you're going to have a great time playing with different plants and nothing beats waterlilies when they flower.

When you vacuum, the pool vacuum should be hooked up to the pump, not the drain. Most of my hornwort stays on the top, I pick up a few pieces of it when I'm vacuuming but not enough to bother with. It's real thin and brittle, so the pump just chops it up.

Vacuum slow, you'll get the hang of it. Think for a minute, I do it.... ;-)

I wouldn't add a shelf, I would just do the plant stands. Gives you a lot more freedom on what you can put where.

Problem with those baskets, you have to have enough nutrients in the water for the plants to take them up and use them out of the water. That defeats the purpose.

You're going to have a ball looking at all the plants you can buy. Take your time. If you're not sure about something, post it here. There's a ton of people on here that have had just about everything at one time or the other.

Good luck on your new house, congratulations!
Corrie

Ella, you need to get the company that installed the pond/pool to tell you exactly what you have. It would be a shame to have problems because you didn't have proper information. They should tell you how the drain works at the minimum. The cold temps probably won't stay around long enough to damage the concrete but it is worrisome if it isn't cured yet. You might look up spalling to see what I mean They need to be talking to you until you are more knowledgeable and comfortable. I'm sure they know how to protect the cement in the pond from the weather. I would think you would need to keep the water level as high as possible and make sure ice doesn't form to protect new concrete. I think they don't give it out so they can get more work if the owners have problems.

I would love to see photos if you can post them. You have amazing potential that I can only envy. Best of luck

Whoops, I mixed up two posters. I'm sorry. I should have gone back and read the original posts. While my info was correct for a new pond it doesn't quite fit an old one. As long as the pool was never left drained and exposed to the air for a long time you shouldn't have too many problems. Being constantly wet makes concrete stronger.

If you can't get into the water to see what is there, you may want to get someone to inspect it. I don't know what real estate laws are in effect there, but in most places someone had to inspect the pool to make sure it is working properly and is undamaged before the sale. You should have an inspection report from the seller.

I would paint it black. Algae on top of aqua makes an ugly green and a lot of pool paints have chemicals to kill algae which could affect your other plants too.

Tucson, AZ, Sonoran Desert, 2700' elevation, where it's still cold and rainy.

Hi, sleepless,
You said, "As long as the pool was never left drained and exposed to the air for a long time you shouldn't have too many problems. Being constantly wet makes concrete stronger."

I'm guessing, of course, that the pool has never been empty, except for maintenance, whatever that would be, very long. And again, a guess, it was probably built at or about the same time the house was in 1980. The same family owned it until 2006, when the woman who bought it, bought it because of the pool-she is a swimmer.

If you can't get into the water to see what is there, you may want to get someone to inspect it. I don't know what real estate laws are in effect there, but in most places someone had to inspect the pool to make sure it is working properly and is undamaged before the sale. You should have an inspection report from the seller.

After the property was prepared for sale in June, the price was way high. I don't know if the listing co would have any info on the pool company or maintenance.
I'm buying it through auction, as-is, and other than a "look-see" that I was lucky to get, inspections are generally not permitted here under those circumstances. I'm taking a chance on it because I knew the woman who bought it in 2006 and she never said anything negative about the pool--she loved it. I also know a little of the history of the house, so am somewhat confident that the pool is probably in working condition.
The property was sold AS-IS, so no warranties of any kind.

I would paint it black. Algae on top of aqua makes an ugly green and a lot of pool paints have chemicals to kill algae which could affect your other plants too.

It would be nice to see the maintenance schedule. I wonder if it's in the pump house. I doubt the previous owner (a lender) would have gone to the expense of painting it to sell it, though.

During the summer, a neighbor said the water was pretty bad. She wanted the city to do something about it. When I saw it a few weeks later, it had been cleaned up, and then when I saw it the second time in Nov, it was very inviting.

I'm to close on it in January. In the meantime, I am learning lots here. I'm still going back and forth on keeping the pool. I can't do any of the work myself, I have to hire it done. That's one reason Corrie's method is SO appealing to me. I know it's not totally work free, but it also appears to be not a lot of work.

If maintaining it takes a lot of time, ($$$) it would become cost prohibitive for ME, and at the same time, a beautiful water garden would be a marvelous selling point later, if maintaining it is not costly for the owner.

My original plan was to fill it in with dirt, because I didn't want a pool. Then I read more of watergardens. I'm still thinking I can possibly do a water garden.

I have plans to gather rainwater to replace what is lost, and am thinking of a bog area. Many marginal and bog plants are beautiful, and I'd rather look at them than the concrete apron that surrounds the pool. Fish? If I get any, they will be edible, and probably not in 2011.

Ella

Ella
I just googled "Converting swimming pools" Was amazed at thae amount of info that popped up. Not only on converting to a pond but pit GH's Moss gardens and several others. Several gave step by step instuctions,
gary

It seems to me the biggest concern you would have would be the current filter system. You haven't given us any info on that unless I missed it. What info can you give us? From what I have read, a pool filter isn't suitable for a pond. I wish I could see what you are working with.

Tucson AZ, Sonoran Desert, 2700' elevation
Still in freezing nights and cold days...

Hi, All,
Here's wishing you a safe journey through 2011.

I wasn't able to see any of the mechanicals close up, so can't tell you. We were able to look through the locked fence to see the pool, and the other locked fence to see some of the housings and plumbing(?) workings.

We're to close on the purchase in January. I hope that happens after it warms up!

I'll have it all inspected ASAP, but who do I contact for that, and what do they check? How do I determine if any of the system is leaking or not?
Ella

I finally closed on the house and have started moving things in. The pool was built by patio pools and spas. It looks similar to the bottom one shown on http://www.patiopoolsaz.com/pools.asp . It's about 28 feet long, about 15' wide, and 3.5' -5.5' deep, except the drain, I think. I'll call them to find out the gallons.
The pool guy is coming for at least 2 more weeks, and I'll have him tell me all about the workings --pump, filter, etc--when he's here. They've used just chlorine tablets, and whatever amendments that were needed.
The water is cold, but I'm looking forward to putting in my first plants. I need to watch for leaks. I guess I'd better mark the level today and watch it.