Hello,
Last summer we found an old slide in the bushes between my house and the neighbors'. I suspect it belonged next door, and was pulled out and chucked when they converted the house to a group home for kids with severe mental/physical disabilities. The caretaker there helped me recover it.
After hosing it down and wiping out the huge ant colony that made a home in the broken handrail, I checked it out and it appears to be an old Aquaslide N' Dive (Duke, I believe).
The tubing was hard and cracked, so I bought some replacement pvc tubing at Home Depot and got the sprays going pretty well. It's missing one of the flanges that anchors it to the ground, but with my brother and me supporting it, we stood it up. Stupid move, but I tried it out with him holding it "steady" and noticed a bit of flex. I thought it was just the fact that it wasn't bolted down but on closer inspection the holes where the legs insert into the slide are cracked, allowing for some play at those points.
I'd like to be able to fix and use this slide, and as I see it I have two general possible approaches to use:
1. Repair the cracks, replace the ladder and handrails, and install as designed.
2. Remove the legs, build some sort of base out of 4x4's and place the slide on there. Build a shallow stair/pathway to the top. Perhaps spruce it up with a rock formation/waterfall?
Obviously option 2 is the bigger job, but definitely the nicer looking (at least the picture in my mind is). Also, it eliminates the danger of an open steep ladder.
So, what are your thoughts? Has anyone done one of these? Also, the water input is a standard hose connection. What is the best way to plumb this?
Thanks
Last summer we found an old slide in the bushes between my house and the neighbors'. I suspect it belonged next door, and was pulled out and chucked when they converted the house to a group home for kids with severe mental/physical disabilities. The caretaker there helped me recover it.
After hosing it down and wiping out the huge ant colony that made a home in the broken handrail, I checked it out and it appears to be an old Aquaslide N' Dive (Duke, I believe).
The tubing was hard and cracked, so I bought some replacement pvc tubing at Home Depot and got the sprays going pretty well. It's missing one of the flanges that anchors it to the ground, but with my brother and me supporting it, we stood it up. Stupid move, but I tried it out with him holding it "steady" and noticed a bit of flex. I thought it was just the fact that it wasn't bolted down but on closer inspection the holes where the legs insert into the slide are cracked, allowing for some play at those points.
I'd like to be able to fix and use this slide, and as I see it I have two general possible approaches to use:
1. Repair the cracks, replace the ladder and handrails, and install as designed.
2. Remove the legs, build some sort of base out of 4x4's and place the slide on there. Build a shallow stair/pathway to the top. Perhaps spruce it up with a rock formation/waterfall?
Obviously option 2 is the bigger job, but definitely the nicer looking (at least the picture in my mind is). Also, it eliminates the danger of an open steep ladder.
So, what are your thoughts? Has anyone done one of these? Also, the water input is a standard hose connection. What is the best way to plumb this?
Thanks
