New equipment coming

[Kaylee34]

Well, I’m back. I deeply appreciate everyone’s thoughts and input this winter. It’s made things much easier for me. Been offline awhile with too many other things going on to mess with the pool so I shut it down and let it sit late this winter.

SLAM in progress and slowly clearing. Fired up the old equipment and had ZERO water flow. Deep cleaned the DE filter. Finally got good suction at the skimmer and vacuumed for about 20 hours this weekend. Had to deep clean the filter twice more. Back circulating nicely for now. As I suspected, some of the filter fingers are broken. Found no fabric tears so I’m running it for now. I want to get as clear as possible before the swap.

Emergency stuff this spring blew my planned equipment upgrade budget to shreds but the last items are arriving this week.

Circupool Universal 55 (got the $10 upgrade) 3hp VS pump, Jandy 3 way valves and new fittings for the black poly piping are here. New 425 sq ft cartridge filter due this week. Couldn’t swing the Pentair filter or the Circupool RJ SWG but it will be ok.

Hardware store in walking distance so replumb the pad and install next weekend as long as the filter arrives. I can’t wait!

 

[Texas Splash]

You've been busy. Welcome back!

 

[Kaylee34]

I have lights outside at the pool now! I got tired of hurting myself in the dark so I put my electrician hat on.
I need to update my poolmath and pick up a couple pounds of borax. PH is hovering near 6.8
Hoping the new filter arrives by the weekend. I need the pool chores finished so I can move on to other things.
Have to deep clean the DE filter again tonight. ugh.
Still have to dig up that one line and convert it from equalizer to return but that's going to have to wait til other chores are done.

 

[Kaylee34]

New equipment won’t be getting installed this weekend. Got word that my new filter won’t be here til next Thursday
Wont be next weekend either since it’s a holiday. The electrician I hired won’t be in town. I’m not confident enough to wire everything up myself.

Pool looks much better surprisingly. So far it’s taken 37 bottles of 12.5% LC but still clearing. I have 3 left so pick up more tomorrow. Estimate it will take at least another 30 gallons before this is done and I can finally get to TFP.

 

[Texas Splash]

Estimate it will take at least another 30 gallons before this is done and I can finally get to TFP.

Oh boy. Well, a big thumbs-up for all the hard work.

 

[Kaylee34]

Oh boy. Well, a big thumbs-up for all the hard work.

Thank you! I’m getting very tired.

 

[Kaylee34]

Robot up and running
Took a heat gun and fixed a few plastic pieces. Quick run to the hardware store for snap rings. New fine filter bag on the bot so I’m going to let that brush, filter and circulate for me while I get other things done. NO vacuuming today.

Pool clearing. Main drain clearly visible. Much less crud in the liner seams. No sign of green anywhere. FC was about 24 this morning. Tested twice, got 24 and 26 so 24 it is. Zero CC. Babysitting with the sun beating directly on it since 7am.

Time to retest. 12 fresh gallons of LC picked up yesterday so “maintain” is on! Also time to shut off the pump and deep clean the filter again.

Wish I was installing new stuff.

 

[Texas Splash]

Making progress.

 

[Kaylee34]

HOT outside. I can see screws on the main drain now but still a little cloudy in the deep end. Robot is making all the difference. Pulled, cleaned and tossed it back in. Retested FC twice. Still at 23. Added another gallon anyway so I can ignore it. Pulled the ladder, took the rungs off, scrubbed and have them soaking in a bucket of 25% bleach. Capped and filled the ladder rails with bleach water.

Scrubbed the skimmer, took the weir door off and fixed that. Thanks to whoever posted about replacing foam with a piece of pool noodle. No noodles but cut up an old foam lounge floatie.

Still need to take the eyeballs out and scrub really well. Still need to deep clean the filter. I’ll do the OCLT tonight and if it passes, up to mustard level it goes.

Scoping out plans for the equipment pad. Equipment is in a corner with privacy fence on 2 sides. I’d like to build a roof of some sort and possibly a 3rd side. Need to either frame and pour concrete or lay and level new substrate and add larger pavers.

 

[Texas Splash]

No noodles but cut up an old foam lounge floatie.

Resourceful! Gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[Kaylee34]

Almost there. Still a touch cloudy at the deep end and needs that sparkle. Some pollen on the surface. Poor old bot worked it’s tail off. FC just tested at 28-29 so super! No smell. CC at <0.5. Just barely the faintest pink tinge after 5 drops. Filter reassembled but sucking air so pump off and I need to recheck it in a bit. Storm coming fast so it will have to wait. Be interesting to see how much dust accumulates overnight.

Scoped the pad out fairly well. Lots of mostly buried pavers to come out. Regrade and add substrate for sure. Have an idea where to sink a post so I can do my planned shelter. Rethought how to relocate the electrical and have a better plan.

 

[Texas Splash]

Looking really good!

 

[Kaylee34]

Got up this morning and the pool is soooooo close to crystal clear. Passed OCLT. CC <5%. Wonderful! Cleaned the robot from yesterday (not much gunk) and tossed it back in. Cleaned the skimmer and put on a new hairnet.

Go to the pad to clean the pump basket and I have a mud hole. Leak at the top of the pump outlet. Not spraying but a steady flow of water and certainly sucking air.

Shut everything down, drained the filter and I can shift it a third of the way off the base and a quarter turn where it‘s plumbed by an elbow to the pump. Union to the filter is locked up so tight it won’t budge and it looks like it’s cross threaded to boot.

No idea how I’m going to fix this. I need to get the grass cut. I’ve got somewhere else I’m supposed to be right now. I’m tired, I’m sick of this pool I didn’t want in the first place and I have a million other things I NEED to do besides mess with this giant hole in the ground I have to keep dumping time, effort and money into.

 

[Texas Splash]

Union to the filter is locked up so tight it won’t budge and it looks like it’s cross threaded to boot.

Some time away should do you good. The pool (and mud hole) will be there when you get back. Temps are getting higher, so once the dust settles, you'll be glad you have that hole in the ground with crystal clear water.

 

[Kaylee34]

I’d love time away from all of it but not happening. I *might* actually use the pool once or twice this summer. I’d prefer to do a few things to it that I can’t mention here before I hop in a backhoe. But, I really appreciate all your encouragement and I mean that sincerely.

 

[Kaylee34]

Since I can’t find anything I actually need in my disaster of a garage (which is a major NEED to get done) I went and bought 2 more big pipe wrenches. THAT broke the union loose. Cleaned those up and lubed the O rings. Put it back together. Still weeping but tolerable at this point. It’s not spraying or pouring out.

Filter is sucking air around the lid and dripping. Tightened all that up again and got it a little better. I’m not taking that thing back apart. Not one more time. It can leak and suck air. Leak at that goofy flex hose that goes to the return lines. Tightened everything there that I could and said enough. Put about 6 pounds of DE back in the skimmer and let it go.

As much as I’ve had to fool with all that old stuff recently, I’m not surprised it’s leaking. I can deal with it for the next couple weeks. Just stay near slam level FC, run the pump the few hours a day I’m here and keep an eye on it.
Good news is, I have a mini waterfall coming over the skimmer weir door and the returns are outputting enough to make almost class 2 rapids.

 

[Kaylee34]

Old pump quit May 24th. Motor was smoking hot, grinding and barely pushing water. Good thing I’d already decided to upgrade. New filter finally arrived on the 26th.

Yanked all the old equipment and piping out and tore up the pad. Removed a dozen buried pavers, lots of trash, rocks, shells and junk. Removed all the old electrical back to the main panel. Cut down and removed all the massively overgrown shrubbery covering part of the deck.

Set footers, built an elevated base frame, framed in and roofed a 6 1/2 ft x 8 ft lean to pool shed. Tall enough to stand in. Dug a trench and ran the new electrical wiring out to the main panel. Sub panel, SWG controller and GFCI outlet hung and wired. Electrician came late Friday and started working. Replaced main panel, grounded everything, checked pool shed wiring. Unfortunately, something is broken at the new main panel and I have no power for at least a week until parts come in. Stuff happens.

Graded equipment pad, compacted, added paver base. Still need to set the new pavers, equipment, plumb and test. Then decide on siding for the pool shed.

Pool is still algae free with running the robot a few hours a day, brushing and a gallon of LC a day. Looking a little dull though.

 

[Texas Splash]

You've been just a tiny bit busy. Wow.

 

[Kaylee34]

You've been just a tiny bit busy. Wow.

Just a tiny bit. A good friend is being a huge help or I’d never get this done. It’s mostly hand work not knowing what might be buried where. No power right now = no AC = no go for me. I’ll be in a hotel until power gets back on so not much is getting done until then.

Plans have been changing on the fly throughout as more mess and years of neglect come to light. Main electric panel replacement was completely unplanned but absolutely necessary. It was a hazard. Wires connected to nothing just hanging and double taps everywhere. Things not grounded. Wrong size breakers.

The old junction box power switch for the pump and timer had been on fire in the past. So had the GFCI outlet in another junction box. The timer was the only thing unburnt. Even worse things with the electrical.

The “shrubs” were 12 feet tall 8+ . Planted within 3 feet of the deck, less than 10 feet from the pad and possibly directly over some return lines. Never should have been allowed to get that big. I carefully excavated and cut out those. Also some tree roots that were a good 6” in diameter running through the old pad area and up against the deck. Hit an old unknown 5” cast iron pipe. Don’t know if it’s abandoned or not so avoided that. There’s some shrub stumps on the other side of the pool that will be coming out. There’s a depression near there so either another bush was completely removed or that was a leak area.

Lots of grading and backfilling once the pool equipment is up and running. Maybe next week. Ha!

Still no swimming.

 

[Kaylee34]

Been a tad bit busy while waiting on electrical issues to get sorted out and getting over Covid. Still have a few minor punch list items but very happy to say this project is done!

Before: out in the open corner of the back yard and a muddy mess.



After:
Everything stays clean and dry, out of the sun and easy access.



Built with mostly repurposed material and what I had in the garage already. The fence will be replaced this fall which will square up the back wall. Framing, roof, pavers, door frame and rock were all salvaged. Fence pickets for the "walls" and some base material were about the only new items used to build the hut. Only "walled" the two sides since it was going in the corner anyway but I can easily wall off the others if needed later. Roof drains over the fence into a flower bed. Pole storage on the fence. New electrical trenched in behind the deck box, under the framing and up the center post as you can see. Repositioned the equipment to allow better and easier access. Pad drains well. Storage for the robot inside the hut, small shelf for the robot controller. Storage bin from Ikea to hold lube, hair nets, vacuum plate. Another shelf for whatever. A few repurposed storage hooks for brushes and nets. Vacuum hose hangs next to the filter. Since I ran the plumbing the way I did, I was concerned about the wiring for the SWG cell and flow switch. So, a bit of extra 2" PVC made a nice semi-buried conduit. Everything is plumbed and wired so it's all removable in sections and very easily. Since I didn't want to add a permanent fixture, I picked up a $20 battery powered on/off/motion activated magnetic LED light. Works perfectly, gives all the light I need where I need it and doubles as a flashlight.

SWCG controller, current sensing relay, new subpanel and GFI outlet all working correctly. Still dialing in settings for the pump and SWG. Current relay set for max time delay to allow pump to prime before switching on. Sensitivity set to the lowest point and will likely keep those that way. The robot cable won't stay how it is in the photos. I just tossed it in for the night.

Lesson learned: Never try to run PVC with a nosy 4 legged "helper" around. You'll have a purple and blue mess

Thank you everyone that contributed their know how and ideas!