It figures...

[NWMNMom]

I took a day off work to work on getting the pool open, amoung a few other items, but mainly for that as we are re-plumbing with pvc as we open. Well, got outside, started to take the cover off and it began to pour rain with gale force winds. Lovely. Taking a cover off is not something you stop half way (Arctic Armor micromesh flow through - looks solid but isn't) It is a bit time consuming but if done correctly nothing unwanted ends up in the pool and you open to a clear, clean pool. Ugh. We were soaked, someone dropped a corner and tree junk flowed into the pool, the deck was slippery from the rain and the wind was whipping the cover around where it had been pulled off.

Waiting for the rain to quit.......

 

[MikeInTN]

I wondered where Mr. Murphy had snuck off to!

Hope the rest of the season goes better for you, 'Mom!

 

[NWMNMom]

Yes, he practices law HERE. It finally quit raining late so we got some done - late enough I could have just gone to work anyway. I did get the cover off, cleaned the floor and sides, added 4gal bleach to open with a good start of a shock and metal sequesterant so we can top off once the plumbing is finished and put the solar panels up. Ran the Pool Rover Jr to get things tidy. The plumbing is about 1/3 done - hubby had to go to bed as he has to leave at 2:30am for an early overtime so called it a day. Nothing more on the pool now until tomorrow evening when he gets home. At least we had no holes and so far all of the equipment looks in good working order. Fingers crossed it all operates and no issues with the hard plumb job.

 

[MikeInTN]

Would you mind posting a pic of your plumbing after you're through? I'm thinking of hard-plumbing mine, and was hoping to get some good ideas from others. I'm not above shamelessly borrowing from others' designs...

 

[NWMNMom]

Well, I'm letting DH do all the design work and relying on him to provide a sturdy, leak free system that is easy to drain down in the fall and will hold up to wind all seasons. He seems to have a pretty darn good idea where he is going with it so when it's done, that will be photographed and posted.

My biggest worry was the wind. We have a 10' or so portion of the solar panels and pool at the end with the pump, filter and SWG that is exposed to straight north winds and we have had some real doosie winds here the last few years. It's rare when we DON'T have wind, but sustained 40-45mph and gusty 50-65 is ridiculous and becoming all too common around our parts these last few years. If we don't get rain one of these summers those winds will turn the Red River Valley into the new dust bowl - in the meantime, I'm just going to be proactive and build for gale force winds.

 

[NWMNMom]

We STILL do not have our pool open yet for the year - can you stand it!!!!! We have almost consisitantly had freezing or frost every couple of days. It is actually WARMER this morning at 34 degrees. I have never in the 30 years we have lived up here had to deal with a spring/summer that has come so darned late. I told DH that today, come heck or freezing, the plumbing gets finished and we will just have to run that pump all night to keep the water from freezing in the solar panels.

I'm starting to think a heater/heat pump should be something I should be saving up for (with the heater it would also have to be an extra $500 a year for the LP to use it) Maybe a heat pump would be useless when its so darned cold up here. Global Warming???? Humbug.

 

[orthofish]

Hey NWMNMom,
Not to change the subject,but I see you're from Waaay NW MN. From the 1st through the 6th grade I lived in way NW MN in a little town called Hallock. Do you know where that is????

 

[Rob]

Yeah, been a cold spring all over most places. The good news (maybe?) is they are predicting a hotter than normal summer at least in my neck of the woods (Southern Ontario)

 

[Kinguni]

25°F recorded at the airport here last night. 30°F according to my cheap backyard weather station. High was 52°F at the airport yesterday. Real nice pool weather.

Environment Canada says the weather should warm up later next week. I've heard that before. It's got to warm up sooner or later. Just hope it drives up fast too or the mosquitoes are going to horrendous.