Reviving out of service pool: FG & deck Refresh

Sounds like you have it covered. Nond anything you can at this point without going nuts ripping up a decent deck. Lots of older pools out there with no bonding, not ideal but they exist. Most important thing is proper GFCI on everything touching water. Lights are the top of that list
Only the pump has a GFCI breaker but everything else in the pad except the blower has a GFCI outlet ahead of it.

Thanks for the hand holding. (y)
 
Just check to be sure they all work. I'm not a fan of pool items behind a gfci outlet honestly. They can go bad and not trip being outside. Best way is a little sub panel and gfci breakers in it. I honestly test every reset on any repair job I do first thing and i test my own at least once a month.
 
Just check to be sure they all work. I'm not a fan of pool items behind a gfci outlet honestly. They can go bad and not trip being outside. Best way is a little sub panel and gfci breakers in it. I honestly test every reset on any repair job I do first thing and i test my own at least once a month.
New to GFCI, so regular testing sounds like a plan. (y)
 
For the equipment pad, I'll be tying the IntelliCenter, pump, and swg together with #8 solid copper. The blower will NOT be included in the bonding. I do not see a bonding lug on the PX300 transformer, so I'm assuming it is also not to be included in the bonding. The wire will just run between the equipment and not make a loop. All of this sound right?

Not to beat a dead horse, but had a thought as I'm about to order the Water Bonder. The basic purpose of bonding is to equalize the potential between the pool water and the deck so the swimmer does not get shocked entering/leaving the pool from stray voltages. Since I do not have a bonding grid for the deck, I'm having trouble seeing how bonding the water to the equipment in the pad provides any protection to a swimmer. @jimmythegreek, what am I missing here?

Edit: I guess what I'm really thinking is that the bonded metal on the pad may transfer stray voltages that the fiberglass shell would not. So by bonding the water to the pad equipment without a bonding deck grid, I might actually be increasing the shock possibility? :oops:
 
Last edited:
Its complicated when your doing pieces and not the whole thing. The consensus is to bond anything you can after the fact. The big thing is the handrails that's the most likelyhood of feeling static. I'd you dont have any even better. The rebar in the deck is what it is. I've heard of shock touching the handrails but ive only read on deck shock in a post on here that is still ongoing amd unresolved. You are just trying to equalize stray voltage we aren't talking about electrocution stuff that's what gfci is for and very important
 
Its complicated when your doing pieces and not the whole thing. The consensus is to bond anything you can after the fact.
Ok, I'll go ahead & get the Water Bonder then.

I don't have a handrail at this point. But if I add one, it'll be non-metallic. Edit: But I do have a SS ladder, so that would be the same class as a handrail... May have to think about replacement there.

Is my pad bonding plan as stated in my previous post correct?

Once again, many thanks. (y) (y) (y)
 
Last edited:
Ready to lower pool water level so I can replace ball valves in pad
Lower water level start.jpg
Pump setup to vac to waste
Pump setup as portable waste.jpg
Ended up taking a couple of days due to broken vac head pieces, leaky old hose (should have just used the new one I'd already purchased :hammer:), pain levels and super hot weather (9 of last 10 days at or above 100°). Hubby actually did most of the vac work to spare my hurtin' knees & hips (y) - after effects of having to do some irrigation repairs the last couple of days. (n)

Still have inhabitants. There are now 2 that I know of:
Snake pair.jpg
And a referee
Frog.jpg
Stopped yesterday because of heat & pain, but when I checked this AM, found the water level was low enough
Water level at pool pad floor shallow end jets.jpg
Water level at pool pad floor deep end.jpg
Ball valves are GONE now! Well, there is a handleless one still there, but it'll be cut off; the others were threaded connections that had to be unscrewed. So many things have been on hold awaiting this event. :kim:Pool pad ball valves removed.jpg
Tried to pull pool light cord ... and it moves. :kim:But looks like the niche (9-1/2" diam) doesn't fit new light (9" diam) as expected, so going to have to get an adapter or wedges or something to make it work.

Feel like I'll actually be able to start doing things "for real" now instead of mock-ups. Too bad we're in a super hot spell (105° today and tomorrow's forecast is 106°) which will limit how much time I can work outside. Things are lookin' up. (y)
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: GDN
Awwe.. all those poor displaced critters.. They will need to find a new biome!

Looking good!.. So this reminds me of my pad redoo... In concert with getting all new equipment I was going to move the pad about 30ft away from the old pad's location to an area that was more obscured. I planned to run new pipes from the old pad location to the new pad... I tried to plan for every contingency. I cut out all the old PVC, broke up the old pad, dug out the pipes, so I was left with a big hole where the old pad was... I trenched in the new pipe run to connect to the old pipes to the new pad.. Now I was ready to do the deed. I'm standing in my hole, hack saw in hand, ready to cut the old pipes off. After I was half way through the first pipe I realized I forgot to heed the lessons of Aristotle .. water seeks its own level! As the pool drained into my ditch, I scrambled around throwing my tools out of the hole. .. and screaming at my own duffusness... I was able to duct tape my pipe cut to stop the deluge. I unboxed new pump and jury-rigged it to drain my pool to below the pipes in my ditch before I could continue. whew!
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Flying Tivo
I would think about keeping the drain going. The less green water you have the faster it will get clear. Of course think about your water table. If it is very high then don't drain any more but if you know it is lower then drain away!

Kim:kim:
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
I would think about keeping the drain going. The less green water you have the faster it will get clear.
Think this is about as low as we're going to go - will put less concentrated demand on well. Will probably vac to waste some during slam.

Funny thing with pump: started off using the old hose but decided to bite the bullet and put on the new one the next day. Well, shortly after the switch, pump kept turning off for some unknown reason. After several episodes, found the pump was NOT off, just finished prime and was so quiet that we thought it was off. :LOL:

Saw that Austin reported 108° yesterday - no wonder I was hot. 🥵 Could only handle being out there until 10:30 today. :(
 
Finished tweaking mock-up in pad. Tomorrow tear it all out so I can put in the irrigation valves & relocate the water line that were delayed pending final placement of the equipment. Then will be ready to screw & glue FOR REAL. 🥳
Pad test 2 - 01 front.jpg
After the last small mods to the SWG area & filter waste line.
Pad test 2 - 13 swg-return-jets version 2.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: cowboycasey
Its also a good idea to do something to either mark the joints that you haven’t glued or the joints that you have glued as you go ... I was plumbing a large aquarium once and as I was gluing a T fitting I wound up putting one of the pipes in dry to hold the fitting in place as I glued in the other pipes, but then I forgot to go back and glue the first pipe.
Well I've joined you in that faux pas. Had a leak in the skimmer line entry into the pad before the new jandy ball valve replacement. One joint had to be glued after everything else was positioned... :oops: Good thing I was just adding a little water to the pool at a time for testing. :LOL:

------------

Still plugging away at least 3 hrs/day in 100+ temps. When you're young, everything seems to take forever; when you're old, everything does take forever. :LOL:

Actually have made a lot of progress, but it's little things that don't show much or not at all.
--Used leaf blower to check all pool lines into pad except main; used a pancake compressor for the main. All clear. (y)
--Screwed together paver stack used under filter and added filter positioning guide. (y)
--Added stopper block so filter joint band doesn't fall very far when loose. (y)
--Added more irrigation valves and finished rerouting water lines for hose bibbs on walls outside of pad. (y)
--Added hose bib & hose specifically for cleaning filter inside pad. (y)
--Reinstalled one of the irrigation timers. (y)
--Got pool water filler via irrigation valve & timer operational. (y)
--Finished all high voltage wiring except a distant outlet that's powered from the IntelliCenter. (y)
--Tidied up wiring runs. (y)
--Fixed the little fountain on outside of pad wall that will be relay-controlled. (y)
--Removed old pool light & pulled wire for new one. (y)
--Added 1 ft of clear pvc as a viewer to drain line. (y)
--Drain/waste module done, painted & and gravity tested. (y)
--Filter module done, painted and ready to install after skimmer leak fix verified. (y)
--Pump module being worked on. 🛠

Will have a nice set of pics hopefully in a couple of days.🤞
 
  • Like
Reactions: mguzzy and kimkats
Well I've joined you in that faux pas. Had a leak in the skimmer line entry into the pad before the new jandy ball valve replacement. One joint had to be glued after everything else was positioned... :oops: Good thing I was just adding a little water to the pool at a time for testing. :LOL:

------------

Still plugging away at least 3 hrs/day in 100+ temps. When you're young, everything seems to take forever; when you're old, everything does take forever. :LOL:

Actually have made a lot of progress, but it's little things that don't show much or not at all.
--Used leaf blower to check all pool lines into pad except main; used a pancake compressor for the main. All clear. (y)
--Screwed together paver stack used under filter and added filter positioning guide. (y)
--Added stopper block so filter joint band doesn't fall very far when loose. (y)
--Added more irrigation valves and finished rerouting water lines for hose bibbs on walls outside of pad. (y)
--Added hose bib & hose specifically for cleaning filter inside pad. (y)
--Reinstalled one of the irrigation timers. (y)
--Got pool water filler via irrigation valve & timer operational. (y)
--Finished all high voltage wiring except a distant outlet that's powered from the IntelliCenter. (y)
--Tidied up wiring runs. (y)
--Fixed the little fountain on outside of pad wall that will be relay-controlled. (y)
--Removed old pool light & pulled wire for new one. (y)
--Added 1 ft of clear pvc as a viewer to drain line. (y)
--Drain/waste module done, painted & and gravity tested. (y)
--Filter module done, painted and ready to install after skimmer leak fix verified. (y)
--Pump module being worked on. 🛠

Will have a nice set of pics hopefully in a couple of days.🤞
I have been checking for this thread. I can’t wait to see everything in action. This is amazing!
 
Finally getting back to the pics.

What I started with:
01 pool pad orig.jpg
After pool equip removed:
02 pool pad removed equip.jpg
Fresh start:
03 pool pad rebuild start.jpg
Did some electrical on the sides and ready for pool plumbing:
Pool Pad build - 01 pre pool plumbing.jpg
Added blower & air line (light blue), drain-waste line (tan) plus some more irrigation valves and water bibs line with hose:
Pool Pad build - 03 drain line.jpg
Added filter base with multiport, SWG and entry/exit plumbing on right wall
Pool Pad build - 05 filter & drain-waste module.jpg
Added Returns module (Returns=bright blue, seat jets water on wall=med blue, to solar=yellow, from solar=peach)
Pool Pad build - 06 returns module.jpg
Pump module (skimmer=lt aqua, main=dark aqua, mix= med aqua)
Pool Pad build - 07 pump module.jpg
The left side now:
Pool Pad build left.jpg


continued next post...
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.