Timing could have been worse

Darren Wright

Administrator
Staff member
Messages
20,088
Location
Springfield, Missouri
Yesterday I decided to open the pool, but before I could fire things up I needed to patch the sand filter where it got cracked last year trying to move it back up on it's base. Patching went easy, but came out to check on it before bedtime to find water all over the patio and the sound of the pump running dry. As I walked past the pool I could tell the water level was low, about 2,000 gallons low.

It's looks like the pool cleaner sucked up enough dirt to clog up the filter and cause the patch to completely blow out, creating a little wash out next to the equipment.

2016-05-08 12.26.08.jpg 2016-05-08 12.26.14.jpg

So looks like I'm ordering a new sand filter this week, but could have needed a truckload of water too if the bottom drain had been open. Will also give me a chance to re-pipe it all and pour a new "level" base for the equipment.

We're supposed to get a bunch of rain this week, so will have some 4" pvc running from the downspout over to the pool for a free refill. ;)
 
Not trying to be crude, but when I hear of all these things from different folks it reminds me of why I never had a pool. I have enough problems usually without having one of those causing me more problems. But, as David said. It will feel good in the summer. So, there is always a plus side.
 
I've always enjoyed having friends who own pools!

Looks like quite a little project turned into quite a large one... Seems like that's all to often how it goes. :bang:
 
I've heard that a boat is a hole in the water into which you throw money. My experience with pools (1) is that they are holes FULL of water into which you throw money. Quoth the Raven, NEVERMORE
 
I have several friends that have lake houses and all the stuff that goes with it, but honestly they spend a good part of their weekends driving to and from, maintaining, and pretty much only get to use them on the weekends and vacation days. I can come home and relax in mine every night of the week if weather (and pool equipment :rolleyes:) is permitting. Not sure I'll have another in the future, but it's mine for now.

Got the new filter and valve ordered, may try to get the old one out tomorrow or Tuesday. Will get over to the pool supply place for pebbles and sand this weekend and try to get it all running again. Also have a new timer on order, the one I installed a couple of years ago seems to have gone out. Might be time to try and get an enclosure around all of it to help keep it out of the weather.
 
I had a pool at my house when I lived in Huffman, TX... when we leased the house and got ready to move in, the pool was just a shade lighter than midnight... I expected the creature from the black lagoon to emerge any minute... I scooped and dipped for a day and got a good portion of the debris out, but couldn't see the bottom to tell for sure... pool people said to put 40 lbs of shock in and let it work for a day or two... the water boiled like a tea kettle when I tossed the shock in, but cleared it up and I could see the rest of the junk kids had thrown in.. we found 2 chairs, a calculator, 2 or 3 lengths of pipe, 3 glass globes from the back of the house lights, a baseball cap and a few other things, but by the end of two weeks we were ready to swim.

Never did figure out why the installation people thought it was appropriate to put the pump and filter at the corner of the house, about 50 feet away, when the side drain and skimmer drain were on the side of the pool about 10 feet from the back of the garage, plus about another 15 feet away on the other side of the garage we had a small ditch that could have taken the backwash water from the filter right out out to the creek and lake... on the corner of the house the backwash ran into the neighboring lot.

Really enjoyed the pool for a couple of years, but in the end discovered we had a crack in the fiberglas and the return lines to the pump collapsed and we had to have all new piping put in, which dug up the yard ... really liked this house, and main reason we moved was the slab
had settled 4 inches at one end of the house and the cost to raise and level it was more than I wanted to invest in a house I didn't own yet. We were on a lease / purchase option.
 
I spent most of today installing the new filter. I simply cut out most of the old plumbing since there weren't any unions to take it all apart. After moving the pump and old filter out of the way I was able to move the plastic base and found that there was a decent concrete base under it. One corner of it was sitting about a 1/2" low. The plastic base had failed on the front corner where it split apart. Honestly for this a 1/2" wasn't that big of deal, the system works under pressure, but I decided to re-use the plastic base, but rather than trying to fix the split, I simply bedded it with fast setting concrete underneath. So mixed up two bag and piled it up on the concrete slab, then worked the plastic base down on the pile, then proceeded to fill it from above with some runny concrete until it was squeezing out the gap on the front side, leveling it out.

2016-05-14 16.00.05.jpg 2016-05-14 16.00.20.jpg 2016-05-14 21.49.11.jpg

Got it all buttoned up and am running the cleaner now, but also having to fill the pool a little off the hose to get enough flow coming into the skimmer. I also added a couple of unions for future work.

I did run some 4" pvc from the downspout over, but only got it up about 2" with all the rain we got on Thursday. We've got more rain predicted on Monday and Tuesday, so hopefully it will get it full off those two days.
2016-05-11 19.11.48.jpg

I did order a new multi-valve, but decided the old one was working and decided to stick with it. so will return the new one. Still need to install the new timer, which I may get done tomorrow.
 
Last edited:
Pool is almost full enough, getting the last of the rain for this week this morning. Of course it's in the 60's here now, 80's predicted next week, but takes a week or two to get warm enough even with those temps.
 
Top