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Ah, yes, I can see from the 'hover-over' enlargement of the picture how it fixes. Seems inevitable that you are going to get a little crud settling around the plate at the back, as the support fin will tend to act like a baffle. I'd just flush it out with a jet from a water hose every now and...

Looks quite solid, and a lot easier to manage circulation/cleaning wise. Just wondering, is the base of that 'fin-like' wall support at the back of the step also pivoting or raised/sloped in some way to clear the pool floor edge cove?

Which steps are they, out of interest?

Yeah, I also came across this suction cup for pool ladders: http://www.epools.com.au/Ladder-Suction ... medium=cpc Can only see Australian suppliers though. It's intended to fit into 1 1/2" (30mm) stainless steel ladder tube, but I guess it could be adapted as step feet if PVC pipe could be...

Why not seal the ends of the pipe, if you haven't done already? There must surely be some sort of end-stop plug for 3" pipe? That said, I'd agree, a bit of pipe is not really the ideal. Some kind of cushioned support would be better. Maybe strips of thick, heavy duty vinyl/silicone/neoprene...

Well, after more testing with the (BioVert) oxy-bleach I've pretty much come to the conclusion that: 1. It is very effective for loosening the 'grayed' wood surfaces resulting from physical wear and/or UV sunlight damage. The optimum solution (for my wood at least) is around 1/2 cup per 4...

Couldn't find any Oxy Magic in the local stores. Oxy Clean powder has some other minor components (ethoxylated ethanol, sodium metasilicate, sodium polycarboxylate), which no doubt improve it's efficiency as a laundry stain remover, but I thought it might be best to avoid getting into the pool...

There's also this cleaner - Wolman's Deckbrite: http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=186 But from the MSDS it appears to contain just sodium percarbonate. From what I've read, sodium percarbonate is a relatively poor cleaning agent on it's own and requires raised alkalinity in the...

Thanks. Yes, I've read that it can take several applications and a fair amount of elbow grease to get through grimed and well weathered decks - I guess that's where a power washer comes in useful. Mine is just beginning to gray in the more exposed areas, but is otherwise fairly clean, at least...

Well, renting a power washer with an adjustable pressure control is proving more difficult than I thought. All of the washers for hire in my locale are fixed pressure and at least 1800 psi. I'm planning on staining at the end of August, but if I've turned up nothing by then, I'm thinking to...

No problem. I'm OK with the mats I'm using for now.

Well I spoke to a Sikkens dealer today who assured me that pressure-washing is fine. Pretty much confirmed the contractors advice. Keep below 500 psi, use a wide nozzle at around 12" from the wood. Work with the grain not across it. Be careful around knots. Sure water is forced into the cracks...

Do you have a link for the Heavy Duty one? I'm in Canada and Walmart here don't always carry the same range as the US. The vinyl ones I'm using seem quite durable but I'm always on the look out for something a bit larger. Even with three (30" x 16") I don't get complete coverage of the base...

I've got three of these vinyl bathmats (with suction cups) under my steps (Lumi-O Festiva): http://www.homedepot.ca/product/vinyl-bath-mat/967654 The (natural) rubber bathmats I used last season, from Walmart, literally dissolved after a month or two and seemed to encourage algae. So far, so...

Actually, the more I read up on the subject, the more I'm coming to the conclusion that pressure-cleaning is not necessarily the best way to go and has the potential for damaging softer ACQ treated lumber (pine, in my case). More important is to test that wood is sufficiently weathered and dry...

Thanks for your replies. Yes, I'm inclined to wonder whether the 'chemical' preparation is really necessary. I don't see any obvious signs of mildew staining and the last think I want is corrosion of the deck bolts and fasteners. So, I'll maybe see how I get on with just the pressure washing...

Hi, I'm planning on staining the deck that I built from pressure treated wood about a year ago. I'll be using Cabot Wood Toned Deck Stain, a translucent oil stain, that was recommended to me as a good alternative to the more expensive Sikkens stains. I'm aware that success, in terms of...

Like the PVC pipe idea. Out of interest, how did you attach the pipe to the deck? From the photo, looks like brackets of some sort?

Here's a photo of what they look like with the stepper (4th photo in series), although, like I said, the cup would flatten out in use. http://innovaplas.com/products/aboveground/8005/ Looks like INYO Pools carry the cups, but $17.99 a piece :shock...

I phoned Innovaplas today before seeing your post, but they pretty much confirmed the information you received. A local pool store here does sell them for $10 a piece, but that's still quite pricey. For largish steps like mine, without a cut-away mid-section, they recommend six, with maybe two...

Sorry, didn't have time today. Will phone them tomorrow.

Je ne suis pas offensé du tout - je suis anglais :) I'll call them for you, to inquire about the riser height and whether there is a distributor in the US.

I did consider the suction cup feet myself, for similar reasons - the Lumi-O steps I have are designed for a level pool bottom and mine (vinyl AGP) has a slope, which resulted in the steps tending to lean forward and rock back and forth when used. I've got some vinyl bath mats under them...

I don't know where you are located, but Innovaplas (based in Quebec, Canada - they took over Lumi-O) do these suction cup feet: http://innovaplas.com/accessories/9060/ Just requires drilling 1/4" holes in the step base. There is also an optional spacer for leveling on sloped pool floors (see...

Well I did test CC the morning after the first overnight shock and it was still 0, but I guess any formed chloramines would have been burned off in the process.

Yes, the FC was 8.0 when I left and 0 (<0.5) ppm on return. I might add also that the CC on return (before any shock treatment) was 0 (<0.5) ppm. Just thinking, if there had been bacterial/fungal degradation of CYA to yield ammonia, wouldn't that have shown up as some residual CC? Edit...

BTW, one other thing I did notice is that the CYA was significantly depleted over the course of the 2 weeks. Before leaving it was definitely 40ppm. On returning, first thing I did was to top up the water level (which I had dropped a few inches before leaving), test the FC (0) and shock. When...

Yep, the insurance inspectors will be busy this week, not to mention the car body work shops.

Well, just reporting back on the "mid-summer vacation pool closing routine". Needs required that we took the 2 weeks vacation a month earlier than first planned. All very rushed and leaving me less than 24 hours to prepare and close the pool. Dosed the FC to 8.0 the evening before; the water...

Appreciate that. My inquiry was only how best to interpret the polyquat (preventative) dosing in the Buckman 'closing' procedure that ChemGeek cited. But just following on from your comment. What I find strange (objectionable, actually) is that many (if not all) of these Polyquat pool products...