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My pool and my photography are my two favorite things, aside from my family of course. I've been wanting an underwater camera, but haven't had the funds to get what I really wanted. I found an inexpensive Vivitar action cam that seems to take decent enough pictures. Here's one of my son:

My Intex sand filter died at the end of September last year. Over the winter I ordered a new filter and pump. I decided my meager budget (hubby had car and garage project going on) only allowed me to purchase another Intex brand. I patiently waited for them to drop in price and placed my order...

I limped through the end of the season with my Intex sand filter, and it finally bit the dust mid-Septemeber. It was a bit undersized for the 26 x 52" pool. (I originally bought it for my 18'). I don't think Intex makes a sand filter large enough, so I think I'm going to have to get something...

My son had loosened to lid on the pump basket the other day, (one drawback to TFP, the water is so clear the basket looks empty. Hubby thought the same before.) so I closed the valve in the hose so I could reposition it, as it was dripping. Well, I briefly turned the pump on before realizing I...

After a brief SLAM upon opening and tons of pollen, I was needing to backwash frequently. I didn't do a deep clean last year, as we only had the pool up 2 1/2 months last season because we upgraded. I'm guessing the fibrous stuff I found was the pollen. I had it in the pool and vacuumed some...

The property adjacent to our was handed down to my husband and two brothers. It was recently surveyed and they said our Intex pool had to be moved. I'm wondering if they didn't realize it was a "temporary" pool because we built a deck, that can also be moved. Both brothers were fine with us...

My son suffers from a condition called Hidradenitis Suppurativa. (Don't Google it if you are eating, lol.) he gets painful bumps and abscesses in several areas. The doctors have mentioned bleach baths., which my son was unable to do due to his height and our small bath tub. As his conditioned...

Winter has finally made an appearance here in PA. Yesterday was so nice out I was wandering around the yard dreaming about what I want to do to finish our pool area. Our deck was completed in August, so that left little time (or money) for the finishing touches. Here is where we ended: We had...

Since pool season is winding down, let's share some of our non-pool related pastimes! Mine is photography. I've made a little money at it recently, but it's still more of a hobby at this point. Here are some recent pictures I've taken: A recent wedding I did: Jalopy Drags: A family...

I am going to stain my AGP pool deck soon, not sure what color I want to use. Here is what the deck looks like: I also plan to stain the deck attached to our house the same color, though they aren't in the same area. I need some inspiration! These are the post caps/ solar lights we added...

My former brother in law does construction. He can build us a 12'X16' deck for the ultra frame, complete with stairs, railing and wooden lattice at the bottom for $2500. using pressure treated lumber. Does that sound reasonable? I can't remember how much we paid 15 years ago for the deck off the...

Please delete, I figured it out!

I finally got my water high enough to run the filter. I tied my sock full of CYA near the return. Being that I just got the pump running, I don't want to run it overnight in case there is a problem. Calling for storms tomorrow. :( Is it safe to leave the sock hanging without the pump running...

Finally got the pool up and mostly filled. Hope to start the filter tonight. It has taken a month to get it put up, lots of rain in central PA this summer. We started with a bit of ground leveling. (Traded old 18' pool for this! Was like new.) Then a base of modified 2A. Next was...

I have noticed many saying they put the CYA in a sock (correctly) but then putting it in the skimmer. (Thinking incorrect) Has the recommendations changed, as when someone mentions it, no one is recommending they place it near the return, as in the past. Just curious....

We are in the process of clearing ground for a 26' Intex ultra frame. Ground is leveled. We are on the edge of a field, so we want to make sure we do this correctly. Is it necessary to have a layer of crusher rock below the sand? We got many of the rocks out of the ground, but there is no...

We are preparing the ground for a new ultra frame pool. Upgrading from the 18' x 48" to either a 22' or 26' x 52" ultra frame. Had the old pool on a platform, relocating to a bigger, sunnier spot. Last year the water never got above 78. Son grew to 5'11", so we needed a deeper pool. We traded...

How has your pool held up? I have had an 18' X 48" for a few years. We are looking to go bigger. I was all for the 22', but my family is wanting the 26'. It makes me nervous! We are moving it to a sunnier area, as last season our pool water temp never got above 78 degrees or so. The ground has...

I had drained our pool to the halfway mark this fall. I had put the solar cover and another cover on, to catch the leaves. (They were floating on the top). We awoke this morning to find both covers away from the pool. What he heck!? Went out to find the muddy paw prints of the local bear all...

The water temperature is 65 degrees, (thanks to a ow of 46 last night, similar tonight, too.) with no temps forecasted above 80 for at least a week here in west-central PA. Looks like there won't be much swimming around here.:( I will just run the pump, add a little bleach, and call it a year...

Earlier today I watched the deep clean tutorial and decided it was something I should tackle. My filter is in its second season and I had never done it, only backwashed and rinsed. I didnt think it would take long, as it is only a 14". I was wrong.30 minutes or more wrong. 30 minutes in I could...

Since I started my pool out with the TFP, I haven't ever had a swamp to clean. (Brief mess this spring, but easily cleaned it up, as there was only 6" of water in it.) My neighbors pool has been green since last summer, and I think I talked them into letting me help them SLAM it. Will post the...

I normally take my18' x 48" Intex Ultraframe down each fall. Last fall I drained it with the intention of doing so, but some family emergencies prevented me getting any further than draining it to about 6" water depth. After the ice melted this spring, I climbed in and removed about 2" of...

For showing me how much more enjoyable a pool can be when you don't have to fight algae. Even though it's "only" an Intex ultra-frame, your expertise allowed me to save money and enjoy my pool more. I did not have any algae whatsoever this year, and taking down the pool was so much easier when...

I understand that a darker liner helps keep the pool warmer longer. Was very curious if it is harder to visibly discern the start of algae on the dark blue background? My neighbor got a dark liner and that was my first thought when I saw it! (It looks nice,though.)

I was pondering the BBB method as I was doing my weekly total tests. I was thinking if you think of taking care of your pool like you take care of your body, you will have a healthy pool. Just like we need blood tests to make sure we are healthy on the inside, even if we appear healthy on The...

A friend has an 18 x 33' pool they want to take down and give to me. Needs new pump and has small hole in the liner that is repairable. They have not opened the pool in 2 years due to a new business venture that requires a lot of their time. (Havent seen inside the pool to know if a new liner is...

Is the Intex Krytal Clear 1600 GPH sufficient for my 18 X 48" ultra frame? I hope so, lol, I just ordered one. They dropped the price $100. So I decided not to wait til next year to get one. It's almost half off!

Only got the HTH kit so far, (going to order a better one over the winter, for sure!) but here are the numbers I came up with so far: FC 3.0 PH 7.2 TA 110-120 (Have to get a better feel for when it changes) CH 150 I wanted to do the CYA, but it was getting ready to rain, again, so I didn't...

To not have to add chlorine every day? That might sound like a dumb question, but I went 2 or 3 days (pool wasn't used but I still checked the cl levels in the morning and evening) without having to add any of my 12.5% liquid chlorine. (Pool was covered) My PH runs about 7.2-7.3, CYA about...