Ahhhh ok. It looks so warm and sunny in your pics. Your ahead of the game then. Yes, we'll be shoveling snow while your splashing about.
Great job on the build...
BTW, your Aussie plugs sure look funny...
I might be wrong, but I think that the Hayward skimmer is 1 1/2" (38.1mm) and not 40mm.
Edit: It's NOT a case of nominal dimensions because Bunnings sells a 1 1/2" to 40mm convertor.
Not really a cheap option, Mermaid Mama.... Here's a link to the exact system I'm buying here in Australia.... Solar is an excellent option for me as we get heaps and heaps of sun, even though its cold.....
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/221063177768?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649
I don't have the option of solar panels for pools like you guys do in the us... They're too heavy to post and many won't send them to Australia anyway... :-(
This system sits directly on my stone tiles on my roof, so I will be getting radiant and solar heating... The pump that came with my pool originally, is the pump I'm using to run the solar... Its almost 1hp, so it will do the job...
My husband saw a rigged up system where someone just ran black hoses all along their roof and had the water running through them and back into the pool. Ha! I doubt it lasted long.
Would you believe MermaidMama, that I was going to do exactly that? Until I started pricing up all the peripherals I would need. For a pool my size I needed at least 1 KILOMETRE of black polytube on my roof..... For a 17000 litre pool..... That was going to add some serious weight to my house, plus the wood to mount it on, and the plexiglass to lay over it to make it more efficient.... In the end my homemade set up, was going to cost me TWICE the amount of the abovementioned premade system.... It was an easy decision....