nacho40

Hello all any help is appreciated, I am about to close escrow on a house with a pool and have no pool experience whatsoever, here are the details. Currently the pool is green with a multitude of algae, families of frogs, and who knows what else. I have taken the pool net and run it across the bottom and there doesn't seem to be any huge build up of debris. Leaves are not an issue as there are no trees relatively close. I would say the pool is on the smaller side roughly an oval about 12'X24' with a rock waterfall and slide built into it. From the record search it was built in 2004 and I believe it to be a salt water pool. The pool components all appear to be made by Pentair. The filter is a Model CCP320, has a Clearwater chlorinator LM2-40, Compool Equipment control panel LX-100/LX-100EZ, Whisperflo pump Model WFE6, and lastly a propane heater Minimax NT (this will be first to go as propane is outrageous). What I am wondering is if and how to "shock" this pool or if it needs to be emptied? Also are there benefits to saltwater pools as I have priced the replacement cell for this and found it to be about $500. I can do any repairs/work myself and am trying to save as much money as possible as it is better spent on the house itself right now. I am also looking into solar heaters as we live in an area that gets snow in the winter but also reaches the upper 90's in summer, so I would definitely like to extend the swim season to help spread out cost of having a pool. Also do I need to purchase a vacuum, if so what other maintenance items should I get? I know I have asked a lot of questions and there are certainly many schools of thought on saltwater/chlorine pools but any help is appreciated. I am very green when it comes to pools but learn quickly. Thank you