I deleted a bunch of my SLAM pics after moving. I had a good one of the pool light as a 2 foot wide Light-Sabre blazing across the cloudy water, like high beams in the fog.
That’s a big word. Like Delicatessen.
Stupid Pool Tricks
- Thread starter mguzzy
- Start date
Charlie, a pool store will try to do things his own way and not mine. So I have to have a good sensible loving TFPer, one to whom I can tell all my most precious Chem testing secrets-while I am still alive....
OK.. all in one post.. all my chem testing tid-bits... First here is the TF100 reference card I made.. yes I use it, I made it. Is this blatant self promotion?, heck yeah. If anything I no longer glance at the other instructions and "fill the 25 ml vial" to 25 ml, when I am supposed to be filling to 10ml.
Here's a link to the thread with the PDF version of it for you:
www.troublefreepool.com
For years I tried different water sampling methods.. I got tired of sticking my arm in up to the pit or cogitating making some variation of a Nansen bottle out of PVC and tinker toys.. So this is how I suck up my water sample..
Its just a cheap 2 foot water squirter from the dollar store, with one minor mod. I cut the tip down so the hole is bigger and the water flows out on its own. I can suck it up like a syringe from the briny depths and then let it drain into whatever test vial(s) or sample bottle I want. There is more than enough in the tube to do a rinse and a fill. The only downside is it doesn't fit in my test kit box. Can you say one buck!
In this pic are my other test kit tweaks:
-Many of the caps for the TF100 reagent bottles I got were white. And since I preferred a case where the bottles stand up, I couldn't really see the label very well. So I added a colored dot with a Sharpie to the top of the bottle to indicate their test. It matches my Reference card too.
-I rubber band the reagent bottles together by their test.. that way If I am running just one test I grab just that bundle of bottles. If I run more than one test I usually grab the whole case. I found it more convenient than each bottle in its own foam hole or little divider. At least until I change my mind and do it another way.
-The cap to the little comparator always gets lost. I will set it aside to let things dry before I put it away and then I can't find it. Once I found it in the skimmer basket. So I used some clear packing tape to make a little pocket for the cap in the hollow of the comparator.
-Yes, the case is from dollar store too... that was another buck!
-I found my stick.. it was in the pool deck box. Its marked off in one pint increments for a gallon jug. I would put it next to the jug and copy the tick marks over so I had a ready measure of how much chlorine or Acid I was dumping into the pool directly from the jug. After a while I had a pretty good feel for how much was what and stopped using the stick.
Oompa Loompa Dupa-Teee Doo?
I've got a stupid pool trick for U!
Oompa Loompa Dupa-Teee Dah?
This is the stupidest thing I ever saw.
OK.. all in one post.. all my chem testing tid-bits... First here is the TF100 reference card I made.. yes I use it, I made it. Is this blatant self promotion?, heck yeah.
If anything I no longer glance at the other instructions and "fill the 25 ml vial" to 25 ml, when I am supposed to be filling to 10ml.
TF-100 kit quick reference guide testing instructions
Any chance you’d be willing to sell me a laminated copy of yours? Mine got wet and smeared pretty quickly since I don’t have a laminator. The quick reference card has been SO USEFUL for newbies like me to glance and go
www.troublefreepool.com
For years I tried different water sampling methods.. I got tired of sticking my arm in up to the pit or cogitating making some variation of a Nansen bottle out of PVC and tinker toys.. So this is how I suck up my water sample..
Its just a cheap 2 foot water squirter from the dollar store, with one minor mod. I cut the tip down so the hole is bigger and the water flows out on its own. I can suck it up like a syringe from the briny depths and then let it drain into whatever test vial(s) or sample bottle I want. There is more than enough in the tube to do a rinse and a fill. The only downside is it doesn't fit in my test kit box. Can you say one buck!
In this pic are my other test kit tweaks:
-Many of the caps for the TF100 reagent bottles I got were white. And since I preferred a case where the bottles stand up, I couldn't really see the label very well. So I added a colored dot with a Sharpie to the top of the bottle to indicate their test. It matches my Reference card too.
-I rubber band the reagent bottles together by their test.. that way If I am running just one test I grab just that bundle of bottles. If I run more than one test I usually grab the whole case. I found it more convenient than each bottle in its own foam hole or little divider. At least until I change my mind and do it another way.
-The cap to the little comparator always gets lost. I will set it aside to let things dry before I put it away and then I can't find it. Once I found it in the skimmer basket. So I used some clear packing tape to make a little pocket for the cap in the hollow of the comparator.
-Yes, the case is from dollar store too... that was another buck!
-I found my stick.. it was in the pool deck box. Its marked off in one pint increments for a gallon jug. I would put it next to the jug and copy the tick marks over so I had a ready measure of how much chlorine or Acid I was dumping into the pool directly from the jug. After a while I had a pretty good feel for how much was what and stopped using the stick.
Oompa Loompa Dupa-Teee Doo?
I've got a stupid pool trick for U!
Oompa Loompa Dupa-Teee Dah?
This is the stupidest thing I ever saw.
Last edited:
Jill F
Member
I plan to start using the hairnets as many TFP users recommend. Was looking at a skimmer angel and saw this. I just ordered one off Amazon and possibly this might solve the problem you describe. The handle simply twists off so you can replace the skimmer sock/hairnet. The Skimmie Sock Lock
Last edited:
Wobblerlorri
Bronze Supporter
- Apr 16, 2019
- 2,010
- Pool Size
- 4024
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Liquid Chlorine
I have a Stupid PoolMath Trick.
How to back calculate the percentage bleach you have (just in case it seems weak or not the stated %age, or doesn't have a stated %age, like household bleach):
1. Test your water as per usual.
2. Add chlorine in the amt PoolMath says.
3. Wait 30 min, with the pump running, then test again.
4. If the increase in chlorine is correct, you're done. If it's lower than expected (or higher), proceed to Step 5.
5. Enter the FC you got into PM. Hit the check mark.
6. Start entering different percentages of liquid chlorine in increments of 1, hitting the check each time, until the amt to add matches what you added.
And there's the true percentage of your liquid chlorine! I used this trick all last year and this year to check the percentage on the household bleach I was using. Never failed.
How to back calculate the percentage bleach you have (just in case it seems weak or not the stated %age, or doesn't have a stated %age, like household bleach):
1. Test your water as per usual.
2. Add chlorine in the amt PoolMath says.
3. Wait 30 min, with the pump running, then test again.
4. If the increase in chlorine is correct, you're done. If it's lower than expected (or higher), proceed to Step 5.
5. Enter the FC you got into PM. Hit the check mark.
6. Start entering different percentages of liquid chlorine in increments of 1, hitting the check each time, until the amt to add matches what you added.
And there's the true percentage of your liquid chlorine! I used this trick all last year and this year to check the percentage on the household bleach I was using. Never failed.
So all this talk of skimmer socks got me wondering as I was surfing the TFP site while I was watching "Bull Durham" and I had an epiphany.... And off to Vickie's I went to look for pool supplies... waddya think? Yes? No? I didn't think so.
![20210612_075503[1].jpg](https://www.troublefreepool.com/data/attachments/178/178392-f07fa4cbb5f2aaba528ce12e6077ad59.jpg "20210612_075503[1].jpg")
The rose goes in the front big guy
The rose goes in the front big guy
- Jul 8, 2013
- 317
- Pool Size
- 17280
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
one more vote for the reference card, I use it all the time and I have it laminated . thanksCharlie, a pool store will try to do things his own way and not mine. So I have to have a good sensible loving TFPer, one to whom I can tell all my most precious Chem testing secrets-while I am still alive....
OK.. all in one post.. all my chem testing tid-bits... First here is the TF100 reference card I made.. yes I use it, I made it. Is this blatant self promotion?, heck yeah.
Here's a link to the thread with the PDF version of it for you:
TF-100 kit quick reference guide testing instructions
Any chance you’d be willing to sell me a laminated copy of yours? Mine got wet and smeared pretty quickly since I don’t have a laminator. The quick reference card has been SO USEFUL for newbies like me to glance and go
For years I tried different water sampling methods.. I got tired of sticking my arm in up to the pit or cogitating making some variation of a Nansen bottle. So this is how I suck up my water sample..
View attachment 342095
Its just a cheap 2 foot water squirter from the dollar store, with one minor mod. I cut the tip down so the hole is bigger and the water flows out on its own. I can suck it up like a syringe from the briny depths and then let it drain into whatever test vial(s) or sample bottle I want. There is more than enough in the tube to do a rinse and a fill. The only downside is it doesn't fit in my test kit box. Can you say one buck!
In this pic are my other test kit tweaks:
View attachment 342096
-Many of the caps for the TF100 reagent bottles I got were white. And since I preferred a case where the bottles stand up, I couldn't really see the label very well. So I added a colored dot with a Sharpie to the top of the bottle to indicate their test. It matches my Reference card too.
-I rubber band the reagent bottles together by their test.. that way If I am running just one test I grab just that bundle of bottles. If I run more than one test I usually grab the whole case. I found it more convenient than each bottle in its own foam hole or little divider. At least until I change my mind and do it another way.
-The cap to the little comparator always gets lost. I will set it aside to let things dry before I put it away and then I can't find it. Once I found it in the skimmer basket. So I used some clear packing tape to make a little pocket for the cap in the hollow of the comparator.
-Yes, the case is from dollar store too... that was another buck!
-I found my stick.. it was in the pool deck box. Its marked off in one pint increments for a gallon jug. I would put it next to the jug and copy the tick marks over so I had a ready measure of how much chlorine or Acid I was dumping into the pool directly from the jug. After a while I had a pretty good feel for how much was what and stopped using the stick.
Oompa Loompa Dupa-Teee Doo?
I've got a stupid pool trick for U!
Oompa Loompa Dupa-Teee Dah?
This is the stupidest thing I ever saw.
This is the handle i made from stainless rod. fit the existing hole in the basket perfectly. no more surprises when pulling the basket out. although spiders do like to climb it. just a quick flick works. danged cicada's.
Attachments
Its Sunday! And time for another Stupid Pool Trick.
My skimmer basket has been replaced several times over the years. Some times it had a handle and sometimes not, but the handles were always underwater. I like the Skimmer Angel type handles, but it connects to what feels like a weak part of the basket that will eventually break. And they don't work well with a skimmer sock. So I used a really long cable tie to make a handle that long enough so the loop is above the waterline. If the tie attaches to the outside of the rim you can put you skimmer socks inside the basket and over the lip. And if it breaks? I just get another one.
My skimmer basket has been replaced several times over the years. Some times it had a handle and sometimes not, but the handles were always underwater. I like the Skimmer Angel type handles, but it connects to what feels like a weak part of the basket that will eventually break. And they don't work well with a skimmer sock. So I used a really long cable tie to make a handle that long enough so the loop is above the waterline. If the tie attaches to the outside of the rim you can put you skimmer socks inside the basket and over the lip. And if it breaks? I just get another one.
Last edited:
Pookie! Nice mod.. does the handle stay on the basket in your skimmer? It looks really long. Or do you connect it when you need to pull the basket?
stays on while in skimmer. yes it is long, far away from any creepies, not withstanding the climbers.
It almost looks like it would be sticking up above the deck!.. I might incorporate that idea and make my handle longer. well done.
One version I tried tied the basket into the skimmer lid.. that was just cumbersome and didn't work as expected.
One version I tried tied the basket into the skimmer lid.. that was just cumbersome and didn't work as expected.
There is nothing worse than reaching in the basket and thinking the dogs dropped a stuffed animal into the pool.. and finding out it was a gopher.
So in the midst of 57 chores over the weekend I needed a coffee boost. A couple of weeks ago the town flushed all the water mains like they do every spring, and the iron and silt apparently collected in my coffeemaker. 
Scrubbing didn’t make a dent but because of my good Pal Guzzy, I knew *just* what to do
with a 5 min soak she was good as new !!
Now, I can already here the nay-sayers complaining……… ‘But Newdude….. my pool is like 17k gallons bigger than your coffeemaker’
The answer couldn’t be more simple. Use more OJ.
Scrubbing didn’t make a dent but because of my good Pal Guzzy, I knew *just* what to do
with a 5 min soak she was good as new !!
Now, I can already here the nay-sayers complaining……… ‘But Newdude….. my pool is like 17k gallons bigger than your coffeemaker’
The answer couldn’t be more simple. Use more OJ.
- Nov 30, 2019
- 852
- Pool Size
- 8500
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
How does the basket seal in the skimmer with a zip tie attached outside the rim?
Not bad. there is a dash of padding from the skimmer sock (AKA Women's knee high socks on sale at Walmart) and the cable tie is flat.. what's that a 16th of an inch! If a piece of tree snot wants to wiggle through that gap, they deserve the journey to the filter.
So I looked closer at @pookiesunshine 's basket. It has nice holes on opposite sides of the basket to accommodate at handle. Mine has little slots at the edge just under the rim. I threaded the tie through that slot.
You know what time of the week it is kids... Stupid Pool Trick time! Today's episode is called "Fun With Your Venturi Air Intake Pipe That Sticks Up in the Little Garden Area Next to the Pool". But first I'd like to open our Variety Show with our musical guest... A big round of applause for The Late Great Don Ho!
Tiny bubbles
In my jets
Makes aeration
Makes my pH frets
Sometimes I don't need Venturi jets to be doing their Venturi thing.. I just want a little trickle of water to go through the spa so its gets some circulation. So I had this ball valve floating around in my box of PVC parts and pieces left over from another project long forgotten.. and I thought lets stick it there, on the spa air intake. Now I can turn off the air and the only thing that comes out of my spa jets is water. .
And as for the Don Ho reference.. did I just date myself? Well, I'll drink to that.. hic
In my jets
Makes aeration
Makes my pH frets
Sometimes I don't need Venturi jets to be doing their Venturi thing.. I just want a little trickle of water to go through the spa so its gets some circulation. So I had this ball valve floating around in my box of PVC parts and pieces left over from another project long forgotten.. and I thought lets stick it there, on the spa air intake. Now I can turn off the air and the only thing that comes out of my spa jets is water. .
And as for the Don Ho reference.. did I just date myself? Well, I'll drink to that.. hic
"Fun With Your Venturi Air Intake Pipe That Sticks Up in the Little Garden Area Next to the Pool, Part 2"
Kids: "DAAAAAAAAD! There are no bubbles in the SPA!... "
Dad: "Well BLOW on it!"
So my Venturi jets get flooded with water...dud.. its a pool its filled with water. But when I flip the valves over to spa mode they take a while to flush out and make bubbles. So I found if I put a pool noodle on the pipe and give it a good puff it blows out the line faster... the shop vac on blow is faster... the leaf blower is even more dramatic.
And BTW.. Happy Father's day to all ... Fathers and Mothers alike!
Kids: "DAAAAAAAAD! There are no bubbles in the SPA!... "
Dad: "Well BLOW on it!"
So my Venturi jets get flooded with water...dud.. its a pool its filled with water. But when I flip the valves over to spa mode they take a while to flush out and make bubbles. So I found if I put a pool noodle on the pipe and give it a good puff it blows out the line faster... the shop vac on blow is faster... the leaf blower is even more dramatic.
And BTW.. Happy Father's day to all ... Fathers and Mothers alike!
Are you missing a fin? I am...
Do you have the same problem with pool toys that you have with lost and orphaned socks? I do. And what is to be done about it? Well could just throw away the random fin or I could just keep looking.... (sorry I couldn't help it). Instead I decided to use it for something. Maybe I can make my own Whale Tale attachment for my pool brush... low and behold it works. Another iteration used a 1 buck kick board (pictured) from the dollar store and a cable tie. That worked too!
And BOY! What a workout pool brushing is with this thing connected!
Do you have the same problem with pool toys that you have with lost and orphaned socks? I do. And what is to be done about it? Well could just throw away the random fin or I could just keep looking.... (sorry I couldn't help it). Instead I decided to use it for something. Maybe I can make my own Whale Tale attachment for my pool brush... low and behold it works. Another iteration used a 1 buck kick board (pictured) from the dollar store and a cable tie. That worked too!
And BOY! What a workout pool brushing is with this thing connected!
Last edited:
- Jun 12, 2011
- 3,761
- Pool Size
- 19500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pureline Crystal Pure 60,000
1. Most of the ”tricks” in this thread and many, many more have already been suggested in a “Tips and Tricks” sticky thread at the top of the “Everything Else“ category.
www.troublefreepool.com
2. For those using hairnet, instead of skimmer angel handle use this one.
www.troublefreepool.com
www.troublefreepool.com
Tips and Tricks
Went over to a friend of a friend's house today to help him with his pool. He was seriously pool-stored and ended up with CYA over 100 in his first season. Showed him how to test and how to vacuum and explained the chemistry. Hopefully have him set up so I can help him over the phone for a...
www.troublefreepool.com
2. For those using hairnet, instead of skimmer angel handle use this one.
6B9969DB-25BE-4A74-A85F-A1E1F8FA9140.jpeg
www.troublefreepool.com
6B9969DB-25BE-4A74-A85F-A1E1F8FA9140.jpeg
www.troublefreepool.com
Last edited: