chessie

Hi, congrats on your purchase! I'm sure you'll really enjoy the Vista - my husband and I bought a new one four years ago and really like it. I like it's roominess and I use it more as an exercising spa doing bicycle leg movements and such. I buy all of my supplies thru spadepot.com - In my area, supplies are very expensive and spadepot has the best prices vs quality that I've been able to find. To clean your spa, use a spa cleaner flush product such as the one that spadepot sells. It's like $10 a bottle and you would fill up the spa with water and run this thru with both pumps on - it will clean the lines as well as the shell. Since it's a used spa, I would run the flush and let it sit overnight, run the pumps for another 15 min., then drain and refill it - and without using more flush, run the pumps again for 15 min. and drain it again. This will ensure a really clean spa and then now you can fill it and get it balanced to use it. Enjoy!

Thanks - I am planning to try the torch over the weekend. To the other person asking if my pool is SWG - yes, it is. I installed the system this year. By the way, worked like a charm - once I was able to clear the initial conditions (previous owner did not open the pool for several years!), I enjoyed crystal clear water all season long with zero chlorine additions. Pump was working for only 6 hours every night and there was no chlorine smell or miscoloration of the swimming suits. The neighbors, using the regular chlorine shocks were fighting algae all August and had chlorine smell so bad we could sense it when there was wind coming our direction. Hi netscorer, I had this same, exact problem just last week. While my husband was at work I decided to start taking out our ladders and get a head start on closing our pool (we are in CT also). I removed the bolts and couldn't get those ladders to budge. When my husband came home later on, I explained what I was trying to do and he told me that in order to get them out you have to start to remove the bolts until they are sticking up about 3/4" (you don't remove them) then tap the bolts with a hammer until the bolt drops back down even with the deck. This releases the wedge that is holding them in and you'll be able to lift your ladder right out. So for you, you'll need to screw the bolt back in somewhat and then tap it with a hammer. I watched him do this and it worked like a charm, and it's so easy. Please try this and let us know how you make out.