New Home with Above Ground Pool

You have just moved into a home with a new above ground swimming pool. Now you are wondering how to maintain and operate your pool. What does the pump do? How do you clean the filter? What chemicals do you need? The information we provide in this section will give you a better idea on how it all works and help you get the most enjoyment out of your swimming pool. We'll start off with the basics on what you need to make your swimming pool work, and then get into more advanced supplies that will make operating your above ground pools easier

Below is a list of the main topics for new owners of above ground pools. Click on the link to go to that topic.

Setup Above Ground Pools
All above ground pools need to have the following items for them to run properly.

• Pool pump
• Swimming Pool Filter
• Returns (Eyeball Fittings)
• Pool Skimmer (Suction Side)
• Pool Valves
• Piping

Below is a typical set up of most above ground pools. Please note setup will vary depending on pool size and construction.

Basic Above Ground Swimming Pool

You can also add a heater and or alternative sanitizer to your above ground pool. Below is the typical setup for this type of above ground pool.

Above Ground pools with Heater

Above Ground pools with AquaTrol Salt Chlorine Generator

Pool Skimmer and Valves

Water first enters you swimming pool system by entering the Suction Lines. On the majority of swimming pools these suction lines consist of your pool Skimmers. The skimmers are located along side the edge of the swimming pool. The skimmer is set up to catch the larger debris such as leaves so it does not get sucked into your system. Pool Skimmers get their suctions from the pool pump. The suction can be controlled by switching the Jandy diverter valves.

Above Ground Pools Skimmer
Pool Skimmers are located along the edge of the swimming pool. They are built into the side of your pool. As the pool fills with water it is sucked through the pool skimmer and sent back through the system with suction from the pump.

Water is first sucked through the Floating Weir. The Weir is the part that floats back and forth and acts like a door to allow a little water to pass through at a time. Next the water goes through the skimmer basket

Pool Skimmer Strainer Basket

The skimmer basket collects the large debris such as leaves. The basket need to be periodically cleaned to allow proper suction for above ground pools. You can take out the strainer basket by opening the access hatch. This is usually the round or square panel located on your swimming pool deck. If you need to replace the skimmer basket or floating weir please use our Pool Parts section. After the water goes through the strainer basket is continues on through the suction line and back to the multiport valves. There is a second Equalizer line that keeps the skimmer from drawing air into the swimming pool. The equalizer line leads back into the pool under the weir door.

Click here to see our available Hayward Skimmers

Jandy Diverter Valves

The skimmer and main drains are separated by the pump using multiport valves. These valve are usually 2 or 3 way valves. They divert the water from one area to another. So you can use the diverter valves to take some of the suction from the skimmers and put more into the main drain. You can also shut off one of the suction lines completely as needed.

Jandy 3 way Multiport Valve

Jandy Valves can be automated and controlled by a control panel. This will be discussed in more detail in a later on this web site. You will however need Valve Actuators that are connected to your multiport valves.

Jandy Valve Actuator

Click here for our Jandy Valves

After the water flows through the Diverter valves they are sucked into the pump.

Above Ground Pools - Pump and Filters

Hayward Super 2 Pump

After the water goes through the Jandy Diverter Valves it enters one of the Pool Check Valves. These valves help to check back flow of chemicals and prevents corrosion problems and damage to your equipment. After the check valves the water enters into pump through the pump intake. It is then discharged out of the pump and into the pool filter. After circulating through the filter the water enters the additional swimming pool supplies. These may include (but are not required) a heater, solar heater, and or pool sanitizer.

Hayward SwimClear Cartridge Filter

Above Ground Pools - Pumps
There are many pool pumps on the market, but they all do the same thing. The suck your water in and return it back to your swimming pool. The main difference between pool pumps is the horse power of the pool pump. The higher the horse power the more suction you will get out of your swimming pool. Chances are if you have just moved into your home the pump horse power is correct for your swimming pool. If you add more suction into your pool by adding such things like a pool cleaner or pool waterfalls you may need to purchase another pump or increase the horse power of your pump by purchasing a new one.

There are several things that are happening inside your pump, but here is the basics on how it is working.

The pump motor is used to draw the water in through the pump intake and into the pump housing. The water goes through the large debris basket where large debris is caught so it does not clog the pump system. This basket needs to be cleaned out for proper suction of your pump. The rate of debris that is collected will depend on your swimming pool and your pool surroundings. The basket can be accessed by opening the strainer cover after your pump is turned off. The Water then goes through the rest of the pump and is discharged out to the filter. If you are having issues with your pump please see our pool pump answers section.

Pump Basket

Above Ground Pools - Filters
After the water exits the pool pump it goes into the pool filter.There are three main types of swimming pool filter systems Sand, Cartridge, and D.E. filters. Water enters these systems and filters through the system using methods that is dependent on the type of filter. There is maintenance that is required for each type of filter. Each type of filter will have a tank, a lock, and a pressure gauge. The pressure of your filter will vary again according to your swimming pool and system. Here is a breakdown on how each filter looks like inside.

Hayward Cartridge Filter

A cartridge filter cleans the water using the cartridge that is found inside the filter. The cartridge needs to be cleaned and replaced depending on the use of your swimming pool. We recommend that the cartridge is replaced once per season however it can be extended using some Filter Clean or a Spin-N-Free Filter Cleaner.

Click here to see our available pool filter cartridges

Hayward Sand Filter

A sand filter uses either sand or Zeobest Sand Alternative. Sand usually lasts longer than a cartridge does, but still needs to be replaced depending on the use of the pool.

Hayward D.E. Filter

A D.E. Filter is cleaned using Diatomaceous Earth and Grids. The water enters through a multiport valve and goes into the valve depending on what the valve is set to. There are several types of multiport valves and each having different settings. Here is some of the settings for your multiport valve.

• Filter - For normal filtering and regular vacuuming
• Backwash - For cleaning filter sand bed of accumulated debris
• Rinse - Use after completing backwash cycle to ensure all dirty water is rinsed out of the filter to waste
• Waste - By-passes the filter for draining or lowering pool water level and for vacuuming heavy debris directly to waste line.
• Recirculate - Water is recirculated through the valve by-passing the filter
• Closed - Shuts off the flow from the pump to the filter
• Winter - For winterizing

After the water is filtered and cleaned it is discharged out the pool filter and into the next pool product. This part of the system will vary depending on what options you have put on your swimming pool. There are several options such as heaters, solar heating, and alternative sanitizers (chlorinators).

Click here to see our available swimming pool pump and filter

Above Ground Pools - Heaters

After the water goes through the Filter it enters an optional Heater. There are several types of heaters on the market. There are gas heaters, Heat Pumps, or Solar Heaters. You may have both a Solar Heater that combines with a Pool Heater or Heat Pump.

Hayward Heater	AquaPro Heat Pump	Solar Heater

Heaters and Heat Pumps

Heaters and Heat Pumps heat your swimming pool a little bit differently. The main difference is the pool heater uses either natural gas or propane gas to help heat your pool. The heat pump however heats your swimming pool uses the air from outside your home. If you have just purchased a home with a heater or heat pump little maintenance needs to be done to upkeep you heater. There will either be a single or dual thermostat that you can set at a certain temperature.

Click here for all of our available Pool Heaters
Click here for all of our available Swimming Pool Heat Pump

Above Ground Solar Heating

If you have a Solar Heater in your system it will be found in between your filter and either heater or alternative sanitizer. There should be diverter valves set up. This will allow you to change the flow of your water. If there is a time of the year where you are not getting much sun you may want to by pass the solar panel all together and continue on through the rest of your pool system.

Click here for all of our available Solar Pool Heating

Above Ground Pools - Sanitizers

After the water goes through the pump, filter, and heater system it enters the pool sanitizers. There are several types of Pool Sanitizers on the market. The Pool Chlorinator is the most popular sanitizer, but it is slowly being overtaken by ozonators and salt chlorine generators.

Chlorinators	Ozonators	Salt Chlorine Generators

Chlorinators
Chlorinators are the most basic of the the pool sanitizers. Chlorine or Bromine is placed in the chlorinator and it is slowly dissolved into the water. The chlorine / bromine is placed in the chlorinator in either tablet, stick, or granules form. Click here for all of our Chlorine. There are two main types of chlorinators on the market offline and online chlorinators.The difference between these two chlorinators is the way they are plumbed into your swimming pool line. The offline chlorinator is ideal for retrofitting existing pool systems. The inline chlorinator is for permanent installation into the return line of new or existing systems. Here is how each system is to be plumbed into your system.

Offline System without heater	Offline system with heater

Inline system installs after filter and heater

Chlorinators are pretty basic with how you use them. Make sure the pump is turned off before opening the lid. Fill the desired chlorine or bromine into the chlorinator. Close the lid. The Control is used to control how much of your chlorine or bromine will be dispensed into the pool. This can be changed to put more or less of your sanitizer into the pool. Adjustments will be made depending on your chlorine or bromine level of your pool.

Here are the Chlorinators we have available for above ground pools.

• Rainbow Chlorinator
• Hayward Chlorinator
• Floating Chlorine Dispenser

Salt Chlorine Generators
Salt Chlorine generators are slowly become the more popular of the sanitizers for above ground pools. The way the generators work is you pour salt into your swimming pool and the salt is used to sanitize your swimming pool. It takes place of the chlorine you place in the pool and also gets rid of the chlorine smell or irritation of the eyes. The control panel will let you know how much salt you need to put into your swimming pool. Please consult our owner's manual section to find out how to use your salt chlorine generator.

Ozonators
Ozonators use ozone instead of chlorine to sanitize your swimming pool. For more information on how to use your pool ozonator please click here Del Owner's Manuals

Returns
Once the water goes through the pool sanitizer system it is returned back into the pool. This is usually done using a return or jet. You can also use waterfalls or other water features that dump into your pool.

For more information on your pool please visit our pool answers section