thinking of emptying pool

[outdoorsgal]

This may or may not be interested for some: I did some playing with the hoses. Most of you prob already knew the answer but I had to learn the hard way (so maybe I’ll remember now) and maybe this could help someone else. I should’ve filled a gallon jug but I was in a rush so grabbed a watering can that was leaking and it was dark and headlight not working the greatest but here r my rough numbers for anyone who might be interested.

28 sec to fill watering can-hose with smaller hose attachments
37 sec- syphoned hose now
12 sec-current situation with the one hose w pump
7 sec hose straight from pool/pump without added hose w hose attachment= 8.6/min (couldn’t leave this scenario since it didn’t reach the street).

So, currently I have a hose outputting 12sec to fill the can and 28 sec to fill the can.
60/12=5 can/min
60/28=2.14 can/min

The one that outputted 7 sec to fill the can would have produced 8.6 cans/minute if I’m doing the math right, so if I would’ve kept the original hose (which is better for this I think than the one that is producing 7 sec/can) it would likely have emptied faster.

I’ll leave it at is as I have some unavailable time in the morning where I can’t be around taking care of this so I’ll wake up in a few hrs and see where it’s at and pull a hose out to make it go slower or if it’s too slow tomorrow I’ll go back to the original hose with the pump…

Now I know, hoses with kinks, curly hoses, I’m not sure about stretchy hoses, and hoses with nozzles on them that confine the amount of water that can come out can be significantly slower. Hence, I made the mistake by listening to the harbor freight guy didn’t I? In the end, should I have bought the blue pool hose as far as speed in concerned? I’d be curious if that would have allowed the full capacity of the 1600/gallon per hr. How would I have attached it to a hose attachment on the pump?

I’m not sure how those pumps work but seems like it’s sucking water out of the bottom and if it were to suck air I imagine it would burn up? I’ll want to plan things so that I’m around for the last part of the pool being emptied.

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The pumps flow rate is calculated with very little "head". Lifting water out of the pool will slow the flow rate as the height from the water surface to ground level increases. It's a common mistake to overestimate the flow rate when draining from a sump or pool in this case. Pumps also have a maximum lift capability at which point they will stop lifting water altogether. A sump pump with a five horsepower motor is what you need to make short work of the drain.

That's interesting. More factors to keep in mind. So I won't have to wake up at 2am either way to start the fill process. Good. I was wondering about putting the hose over the bottom rail of the pool fence or under where it'd be more of an angle after coming up and over the pool edge so I guess there's much to keep in mind! I think the pump I wanted was 2 HP but the guy at Harbor Freight said that one had a disclaimer to not use it in pools so I figured I wouldn't risk it. We'll see how this goes! I wonder what HP the ones from HD are?

 

[Karkas]

This may or may not be interested for some: I did some playing with the hoses. Most of you prob already knew the answer but I had to learn the hard way (so maybe I’ll remember now) and maybe this could help someone else. I should’ve filled a gallon jug but I was in a rush so grabbed a watering can that was leaking and it was dark and headlight not working the greatest but here r my rough numbers for anyone who might be interested.

28 sec to fill watering can-hose with smaller hose attachments
37 sec- syphoned hose now
12 sec-current situation with the one hose w pump
7 sec hose straight from pool/pump without added hose w hose attachment= 8.6/min (couldn’t leave this scenario since it didn’t reach the street).

So, currently I have a hose outputting 12sec to fill the can and 28 sec to fill the can.
60/12=5 can/min
60/28=2.14 can/min

The one that outputted 7 sec to fill the can would have produced 8.6 cans/minute if I’m doing the math right, so if I would’ve kept the original hose (which is better for this I think than the one that is producing 7 sec/can) it would likely have emptied faster.

I’ll leave it at is as I have some unavailable time in the morning where I can’t be around taking care of this so I’ll wake up in a few hrs and see where it’s at and pull a hose out to make it go slower or if it’s too slow tomorrow I’ll go back to the original hose with the pump…

Now I know, hoses with kinks, curly hoses, I’m not sure about stretchy hoses, and hoses with nozzles on them that confine the amount of water that can come out can be significantly slower. Hence, I made the mistake by listening to the harbor freight guy didn’t I? In the end, should I have bought the blue pool hose as far as speed in concerned? I’d be curious if that would have allowed the full capacity of the 1600/gallon per hr. How would I have attached it to a hose attachment on the pump?

I’m not sure how those pumps work but seems like it’s sucking water out of the bottom and if it were to suck air I imagine it would burn up? I’ll want to plan things so that I’m around for the last part of the pool being emptied.

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That's interesting. More factors to keep in mind. So I won't have to wake up at 2am either way to start the fill process. Good. I was wondering about putting the hose over the bottom rail of the pool fence or under where it'd be more of an angle after coming up and over the pool edge so I guess there's much to keep in mind! I think the pump I wanted was 2 HP but the guy at Harbor Freight said that one had a disclaimer to not use it in pools so I figured I wouldn't risk it. We'll see how this goes! I wonder what HP the ones from HD are?

I don't know the flow rate, but I rented one from home depot a few months ago and it drained my 12,000 gallon pool in roughly 6 hours. I'm not sure, because when I woke up at 3 am it was drained with the pump tipped over on its side when the water level got too low.

 

[Dirk]

Wow! Quite a project, right? You'll probably get this too late...

The size of the hose coming off the pump will make a difference. Probably a huge difference. A 1.5" hose would have been much faster than a 3/4" hose.

I didn't get though all your math. Keep in mind that the lower the water gets, the faster it'll drain, because the pool is getting smaller, so to speak. The water's not actually draining any faster, but the level will drop faster the smaller the circumferance.

Extra hoses to siphon was a good idea.

When you were talking about Spraying the pool about five or ten minutes before I hit bottom when draining are you saying to get the walls good and clean? do u get into the pool and use a skimmer to take out the leaves or is there a better method? Thx!

This is what I was getting at. If you were carefully spraying the plaster as it comes out of the water, that's good. If your schedule was every 15 minutes, great. As the pumping gets close to done, it'll happen fast, and you'll be busy with the pump and the meter. So I was suggesting you time the spraying a little ahead of the end of pumping, to keep the plaster wet, but so it had enough time for the extra water to drain down into the puddle. Then suck the puddle dray. Deal with the pump. Pull it out. Photograph the meter. Start the fill. Then start your spraying again. If that all goes well, you'd be able to maintain your every-15 schedule, while making the transition from draining to filling, keeping the plaster wet the whole time.

So it wasn't about cleaning the pool, just about maintaining your "keep the plaster wet" routine.

Regarding the leaves... Ideally you'd want the pool spotless, nice and clean, free of leaves and gunk, before you start your fill. But if that's not 100% doable, it wouldn't be the worst thing. As the water lowers, and the pool "shrinks," do what you can to clean it. You can hose and brush the walls, gather up the leaves with a net or broom if they remain on the exposed plaster, whatever. The less gunk the better. And after you record the meter and start your fill, you can continue the cleaning if you need to. Hose down the walls, net, sweep, whatever. Whatever you don't get to, the filter and vacuum will, sooner or later.

Some pumps have an auto shut off, some don't. If yours doesn't, then you need to be there for the finish.

If your plaster is in good shape, then you shouldn't have any problem walking on it. If it's old and weak, and without the weight of the water holding it in place, then I suppose walking on it might be a risk. Not sure how best to advise you on that. If you're not sure yourself, then play it safe and stay off it. You can just unplug the pump and haul it out after the fill. And clean the pool as you would have had you never emptied it.

Sorry, can't advise you at all about the filter. I don't know anything about that type, or how that fits your refill plan. If your process affects your math between the meter reads, just add or subtract a guesstimate of the gallons. Like you said, it's not going to matter all that much.

It's probably too late now, but I thought I read somewhere that it's slightly better for the flow if the pump's hose runs up the slope of the deep end, across the shallow end then out, as opposed to just going straight up from the pump. That doesn't make sense to me, since it's got to lift the water x amount of feet either way, but maybe there's something to it.

Hope that helps, and that it's going well, or went well!

Oh, and don't sweat the meter trick if this all gets to be too much. The other way to check your pool's volume is with Pool Math. If it says "add x amount of chlorine to get x amount of FC" and that consistently works, then you know your volume is close enough. If you keep coming up short, or over shooting, then you adjust your pool volume accordingly. Don't worry about that now, we can come back to that if the meter trick doesn't work.

Happy Filling Day!!

 

[outdoorsgal]

Dirk, Thankyou. It's not a happy filling day. Not yet anyway. I've only dropped a foot of water! 4 feet to go. There goes my emptying the pool overnight idea. I called a friend to see if i could borrow a sump pump and they started telling me that we're in a drought and I need to stop emptying the pool and go to Leslies and pick up something that will pick up the calcium and then it forms into particles that I would vacuum up off the bottom of the floor. He said Leslies has been in business for years and I should listen to what they tell me to do and I'm just listening to people on the internet. ugh. I now have a stomach ache and have to decide ASAP what to tell the pb about the tile. They want to come out tomorrow to fill in the air pockets and fix the broken tiles from settling or whyever they are cracked, I'm not sure. If they do that I do not think I will be able to spray down the sides every 15 minutes because I would have to leave the water level 3" below tiles for 24 hrs after the repair. If they come tomorrow it will get up to 85 degrees and 83 the next day and sunny (per weather.com-it's not like they haven't been wrong before).

By the way it's going, if I change nothing it could take another 40 hrs or more to empty my pool! I need to figure out how to get it emptied faster. Any idea how to attach the blue hose to a pump that is made for a garden hose? On my way to pool store in a bit to see what they have available but I'll check here first. I have to work tonight 6pm-9:30 pm or so. thx

 

[Phillbo]

You may be overthinking the plaster issue if I'm reading this thread right. My pool sat empty for 4 months while I completed a back yard remodel and had no damage when I refilled it. I never hosed down the plaster in that time frame. I think that is only needed for new plaster.

I may have missed it. Are you having the pool re-plastered?


As for finding the clean out, go stand in your front yard. Look on the roof for the closest bathroom vent to the front of the house. The clean out most likely will be directly in front of the vent about 12" from your front wall of your house. There may be a second cap about another 12" from the wall. If you can find it and it has 2 caps, use the once closest to the house.

Or ask a neighbor with the same model house where theirs is.

 

[triptyx]

Pool Plaster is not meant to be dry. If you didn't damage yours, you got lucky.

That said, having the water 4" below the tiles while it is as cool as forecast should be fine. As to emptying your pool, drive over to Home Depot and rent a submersible pump with a couple of lengths of hose. You'll have it drained in no time.

 

[Arizonarob]

Dirk, Thankyou. It's not a happy filling day. Not yet anyway. I've only dropped a foot of water! 4 feet to go. There goes my emptying the pool overnight idea. I called a friend to see if i could borrow a sump pump and they started telling me that we're in a drought and I need to stop emptying the pool and go to Leslies and pick up something that will pick up the calcium and then it forms into particles that I would vacuum up off the bottom of the floor. He said Leslies has been in business for years and I should listen to what they tell me to do and I'm just listening to people on the internet. ugh. I now have a stomach ache and have to decide ASAP what to tell the pb about the tile. They want to come out tomorrow to fill in the air pockets and fix the broken tiles from settling or whyever they are cracked, I'm not sure. If they do that I do not think I will be able to spray down the sides every 15 minutes because I would have to leave the water level 3" below tiles for 24 hrs after the repair. If they come tomorrow it will get up to 85 degrees and 83 the next day and sunny (per weather.com-it's not like they haven't been wrong before).

By the way it's going, if I change nothing it could take another 40 hrs or more to empty my pool! I need to figure out how to get it emptied faster. Any idea how to attach the blue hose to a pump that is made for a garden hose? On my way to pool store in a bit to see what they have available but I'll check here first. I have to work tonight 6pm-9:30 pm or so. thx

Ok, where do I start.
1. Go to Home Depot and rent the pump and hose and it will be empty in a few hours not days.
2. No offense but tell your friend to SHUT-UP!
Leslies has been in business for years giving incorrect information to people to sell products. They can’t even test water properly, what makes you think they can do anything else correctly?
3. We are not in a drought, if we were, you would hear and see water restrictions everywhere.
You are over thinking and over working yourself for no reason. Continue with your original plan and do the best you can. Luckily it’s nice and cool today, so that’s in your favor.

~Rob

 

[Dirk]

You've made 500+ posts here. You know what TFP is about. Don't lose faith. This is a curated site. That means the Experts here, which have a 1000 times more collective knowledge and experience than any Leslie's employee, let alone the one working at Leslie's this morning, are monitoring virtually every post here to make sure they only contain accurate information. They step in when someone is giving false info. And that's to make sure this forum doesn't turn into what most forums are, an argue-fest between a bunch of random strangers that may or may not know what they're talking about. Like, oh I don't know, your friend maybe? What does the amount of years Leslie's has been giving questionable advice have to do with how well the person behind the counter at Leslie's this morning can help you? You're doing fine. You've only made one, relatively small, very-correctable mistake, in the size of the hose of the pump. You already know what to do to fix that, which you just learned here, not at Leslie's.

For example, someone just made a comment here about how long you can leave plaster out of the water. That was quickly corrected, correctly by the way IMO, by a TFP Guide. Do the water swap as fast as you can. Arizonarob has also given you some good advice, and you can bet the Guide just read it, too.

And remember what I first wrote. I wasn't advising you on whether to empty or not. Just on "if you do." You can do partial exchanges and bring your CH down that way. And there are ways to exchange water without actually emptying your pool (three that I've read about here). All of these alternatives cost more and take longer and are somewhat less effective than a full exchange, so there are trade offs. Point is, all is not lost if you don't get your exchange done today, or don't want to do it at all.

Hopefully you are back from Home Depot by now, setting up a better pump, and feeling a little better about your day ahead...

 

[Dirk]

Regarding the tile... If there is a real concern about exposing the tile and the amount of plaster needed to fix it, but the problem with the tile is not a problem for your pool (like causing a leak or something), then you don't necessarily have to let the PB dictate the schedule. With the right pump, you can drop the water the few inches they need in an hour or so, any day, tomorrow or months from now when it's cooler. Is this warranty work? Is the PB going to guarantee his work won't affect the plaster? And fix it if if does? Let his answers (in writing) be your guide about how to deal with the tile and when it gets done...

Now would be a logical time to fix the tile, of course, but it doesn't have to be done now, does it?

Forget the meter trick if that's adding any unnecessary stress. Or keep it going if you want. Read the meter when you stop 3 inches down. Let them do their thing. Read the meter again when you restart the fill, and a fourth time when that fill is done. Same-same. Just a little extra math.

 

[outdoorsgal]

Called 2 Leslies and found out Rob was right and I should tell my friend to shut up and got into a convo with the guy at Leslies about water softeners and he made no sense as he said I'd still need to empty water every 2 yrs even if i got a water softener and the more he explained the more it didn't make sense. So, I ultimately continue to come here but sorry I am thrown off by folks and while I'm in the midst of my frustration I have to double check that I'm not nuts and is there a better way. I do hate wasting water so friend's argument made me wonder but drought or not drought I own a pool so I have to take care of it.

So I called Harbor Freight and the manager said for the hassle she'd take the pump back even though they're not supposed to and she would give me the original pump that I was trying to buy; 1/2 HP Submersible Sump Pump with Heavy Duty Vertical Float Switch 4400 GPH instead of the 1/6 HP 1600 gph that ONLY has a place to attach garden hose and she'd take back the garden hose, giving me the 20% discount for the new pump plus an extra discount. It does say to not put in a pool but all we could come up with by her reading the manual was it said it has not been tested for electric shock in a pool, so it strictly sounds like a liability issue to me. She said folks buy those all the time and use it with the flat light blue pool hoses. So if I buy the flat hose and this pump it should be about $90 or so then I'd own a pump and have an extra hose but I"m gambling again a bit. I'll call HD and see what size their pump is. U guys have been right before! Before we even started having any frustrations my husband was asking why we don't pay someone to empty the pool. Leslies charges $120. I guess we're not made of $ and I like to understand how things work... Next time this won't be this hard!! thx!

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As for the pool tile that needs to be repaired, with 85 degree weather tomorrow should I ask the pb to come out and lower water level in fall or should it be ok to have them fix it tomorrow morning and then sit 24 hrs with 3" visible pebble? someone mentioned putting tarps over areas visible to the sun but is it a sun issue, more of a heat issue or just not allowing it to dry up? that could heat up the area.

 

[Dirk]

I can't really advise you about the tile beyond what I did, above. The "in writing" being the take away. If the PB is OK with doing it now, and guarantees his work and any possible resulting damage from his work, and is willing to say so in writing, then that's a reasonable risk. If he hems'n'haws or wants you to sign a waiver saying it's risky and he's not going to be liable for damage to your plaster, then that might be your answer.

Others here will know more about the tile and plaster issues than I do.

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And, sorry, I may have misunderstood. Does he need the 3" while it dries, but needs the whole pool empty to do the work? Or can the entire job be done at the 3" level, work and drying or whatever?

 

[Arizonarob]

Called 2 Leslies and found out Rob was right and I should tell my friend to shut up and got into a convo with the guy at Leslies about water softeners and he made no sense as he said I'd still need to empty water every 2 yrs even if i got a water softener and the more he explained the more it didn't make sense. So, I ultimately continue to come here but sorry I am thrown off by folks and while I'm in the midst of my frustration I have to double check that I'm not nuts and is there a better way. I do hate wasting water so friend's argument made me wonder but drought or not drought I own a pool so I have to take care of it.

So I called Harbor Freight and the manager said for the hassle she'd take the pump back even though they're not supposed to and she would give me the original pump that I was trying to buy; 1/2 HP Submersible Sump Pump with Heavy Duty Vertical Float Switch 4400 GPH instead of the 1/6 HP 1600 gph that ONLY has a place to attach garden hose and she'd take back the garden hose, giving me the 20% discount for the new pump plus an extra discount. It does say to not put in a pool but all we could come up with by her reading the manual was it said it has not been tested for electric shock in a pool, so it strictly sounds like a liability issue to me. She said folks buy those all the time and use it with the flat light blue pool hoses. So if I buy the flat hose and this pump it should be about $90 or so then I'd own a pump and have an extra hose but I"m gambling again a bit. I'll call HD and see what size their pump is. U guys have been right before! Before we even started having any frustrations my husband was asking why we don't pay someone to empty the pool. Leslies charges $120. I guess we're not made of $ and I like to understand how things work... Next time this won't be this hard!! thx!

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As for the pool tile that needs to be repaired, with 85 degree weather tomorrow should I ask the pb to come out and lower water level in fall or should it be ok to have them fix it tomorrow morning and then sit 24 hrs with 3" visible pebble? someone mentioned putting tarps over areas visible to the sun but is it a sun issue, more of a heat issue or just not allowing it to dry up? that could heat up the area.

See! Leslie’s doesn’t have a clue on how to run your pool the RIGHT way. I bet the person behind the counter also moonlights as a pool boy, and tosses 3” pucks into peoples pools like he was popping junior mints into his face at the movie theater. Hence the “need to change water every 2 years statement”.

Everyone here can totally relate to your frustration, as we’ve all literally been there. But like Dirk said, everything being posted on this site is being monitored so there is no bad advice, only good advice from people that have “been there and done it”
Trust me, when you’re sitting by your pool this summer sipping your favorite beverage, you’ll look back at this adventure and laugh.

 

[outdoorsgal]

I can't really advise you about the tile beyond what I did, above. The "in writing" being the take away. If the PB is OK with doing it now, and guarantees his work and any possible resulting damage from his work, and is willing to say so in writing, then that's a reasonable risk. If he hems'n'haws or wants you to sign a waiver saying it's risky and he's not going to be liable for damage to your plaster, then that might be your answer.

Others here will know more about the tile and plaster issues than I do.

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And, sorry, I may have misunderstood. Does he need the 3" while it dries, but needs the whole pool empty to do the work? Or can the entire job be done at the 3" level, work and drying or whatever?

they only need 3" below tile. they think the temps r ok but they also know my warranty if over in june

 

[outdoorsgal]

See! Leslie’s doesn’t have a clue on how to run your pool the RIGHT way. I bet the person behind the counter also moonlights as a pool boy, and tosses 3” pucks into peoples pools like he was popping junior mints into his face at the movie theater. Hence the “need to change water every 2 years statement”.

Everyone here can totally relate to your frustration, as we’ve all literally been there. But like Dirk said, everything being posted on this site is being monitored so there is no bad advice, only good advice from people that have “been there and done it”
Trust me, when you’re sitting by your pool this summer sipping your favorite beverage, you’ll look back at this adventure and laugh.

I try to look at these experiences as learning lessons. I still haven't learned to not do things the hard way. It made more sense to me to own a pump than rent one even though I don't want more stuff in storage. I called HD and it's $30 for 4 hrs- 2/3 HP. I've got 4 feet to go in the deep end 2.5' in the shallow then it bumps to 24 hr rental for $50- 2" hose-he said most pools take 5-6 hrs to drain. Aces is $40 for 4 hrs and then u pay accordingly- 3" hose and should empty 3k gallons/hr- 1/2 HP. It sounds like the same pump I could get at harbor freight but I don't need to own it. I'll take your suggestions and rent it. I'm curious which would empty it faster- Ace's 3" hose or HD's 2/3 HP 2" hose. I'm going to make a decision with that and pick up a rental as I don't like the looks of the sun on my pebble. I have until 6:30 to get to work so sounds like a better plan to me. I know if it gets close to when I have to go to work I'll want to return it even if there's water left and that will be frustrating.

as far as the tile, i can't see my pool being filled by tomorrow morning anyway. My hopes is to have this done before work. I can't remember how long to fill a pool. More than a day usually, right?

 

[triptyx]

How long to fill depends entirely on your water pressure. I can fill mine in about 6-8 hours running the autofill and two hoses.

Leaving the water 3" below tile - I'm just not sure. My gut says it's ok for an afternoon, but I also don't want to say it'll be fine and then it's not! You really want it to stay moist to keep it from drying out.

 

[Dirk]

Just brainstorming...

Everything is negotiable! Express your concerns about the plaster and the sun etc to the PB. Ask him to acknowledge and agree to (IN WRITING!) the tile issue was discovered and reported within the warranty period, but the repair is to be executed at a later date. This is contrary to advice I gave someone else in your shoes, about getting repairs done asap and not gambling with the PB disappearing or reneging or dying or whatever. But that was a few months ago when it was cooler. It's a possible alternative if the collective thinking here, or even your gut, is telling you that now is not the time.

If the pool doesn't have to be empty to make the repair, you can drop the water a few inches pretty quickly, any time/day, with the right pump. EZPZ.

 

[Arizonarob]

I try to look at these experiences as learning lessons. I still haven't learned to not do things the hard way. It made more sense to me to own a pump than rent one even though I don't want more stuff in storage. I called HD and it's $30 for 4 hrs- 2/3 HP. I've got 4 feet to go in the deep end 2.5' in the shallow then it bumps to 24 hr rental for $50- 2" hose-he said most pools take 5-6 hrs to drain. Aces is $40 for 4 hrs and then u pay accordingly- 3" hose and should empty 3k gallons/hr- 1/2 HP. It sounds like the same pump I could get at harbor freight but I don't need to own it. I'll take your suggestions and rent it. I'm curious which would empty it faster- Ace's 3" hose or HD's 2/3 HP 2" hose. I'm going to make a decision with that and pick up a rental as I don't like the looks of the sun on my pebble. I have until 6:30 to get to work so sounds like a better plan to me. I know if it gets close to when I have to go to work I'll want to return it even if there's water left and that will be frustrating.

as far as the tile, i can't see my pool being filled by tomorrow morning anyway. My hopes is to have this done before work. I can't remember how long to fill a pool. More than a day usually, right?

You should be fine with the 4 hour from Home Depot with the amount of water you have left in the pool. Now if you're worried about the plaster you can always do this...
Go to Wally World and pick up a cheap Rotary Sprinkler, A 97 cent swim noodle, and a large garden kneeling pad. Slip the noodle over the garden hose so the hose will float in the pool, place the sprinkler on the kneepad, and there ya have it. The sprinkler will water down the plaster as the pool fills up. You'll have to fiddle with the adjustments on the sprinkler head to get it angled down, and so it does a 360 degree sweep.

 

[Dirk]

Or is there no neighbor/relative/friend to help you out while you're at work, in exchange for future swimming rights? It's not really that big of a favor to ask of someone...

 

[outdoorsgal]

you all make everything sound so easy! here's what happened: Tile guy came over. We went back and forth a bit and I decided to have him do the tile repairs. He said he thought it'd be ok if a bit of water got on the tiles on the sooner side and should be dry by tonight at some point in our convo. He really wasn't sure in the end. I rant to Home Depot and we got the pump back with 2 minutes to spare for the 4 hr fee with still a foot or so of water in the pool. I left the syphon and Harbor Freight pump in the pool the whole time. I ended up working until 10:30 and when I got back the harbor freight pump was burnt out and water was just 5 inches or so. I forgot to snap a pic and almost forgot to take a pic of the meter but after a couple minutes of filling I got a pic. I got 3 hoses and the auto fill on the pool. I hesitate about the auto fill and putting a hose on the baja so to not make a calcium stain but I figured that would at least help the baja to stay wet. Leslies told me over the phone there can't be a speck of calcium in the salt cell for them to check it so I'll clean it again tomorrow (just a few days after it was last cleaned but there's a bit of calcium in it) and bring it to have it checked out.

Next time I'll know to rent a pump overnight and do this job a bit earlier in the season and I'll know how high CH #s can be and better plan ahead. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Dirk]

Great job!

Post all the pic's of the meters, and one of the leftover water in the bottom of the pool when you started the fill, if you have it, and I'll calculate your pool's volume for you, if you like...