Help please!

pinkusfloydus · Sep 20, 2012

I am new. Obviously. If I am posting in the wrong area please let me know.

I just bought a home with a play pool (12,500). I have been taking care of it for about a month and thought I was getting fairly experienced with it...however....tonight I just learned that I still have a lot to learn....about human nature.

I have been trying to get the skim perfect on it so I have been paying more and more attention to the skim, etc., Well, I noticed the other night that there were a lot of leaves, etc., in the handle area of the skim basket. I popped the top and emptied them and with the leaves, rocks (which puzzled me, but hey, I'm new) came a 1/4 inch x 6 inch stainless steel rod. Weird. Ok. Well, my basket handle and basket are totally clean so I am good to go.

Two nights later I go to check it (not pumping) and the basket is kinda floating. AHA! That was what the steel rod was for. Ok. I put the rod back in and put the top of the handle back on. (anyone know where this is going?)

Two nights later (tonight) I go out and the skimmer has a bunch o' Crud. Great, pull it out and empty it and the top of the handle pops off and the stainless steel rod goes "bloop" right down the skimmer suction.

Well, kind people on this forum, how edit: Butterfly bad is it?

I know there are a lot of bends, etc., and this thing ain't gonna travel.

What am I looking at?

Thanks again for allowing me to post on your forum.

jblizzle · Sep 20, 2012

Welcome to TFP!

I use a rock that is larger than the skimmer hole ... May want to go that route

In any case, you obviously need to get it out. If the pipe is hard pvc below the skimmer, the rod should not make it past the first bend. It also likely does not go down much before it turns. Can you see it with a flashlight? Hoping you can just grab it with a snake or something. Are you sure it was stainless and not magnetic?

If it is flex pvc with gentle curves, this could end up being a larger problem as the rod may move a long ways and be tricky to grab.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

Bama Rambler · Sep 20, 2012

The good news is that you're probably not in too bad shape. Given the size of it, it most likely won't cause too much of a problem even if you can't get it out. I would however try everything I could to remove it.

Is this an inground or aboveground pool?

P.S. I moved your topic to a better location.

pinkusfloydus · Sep 21, 2012

Hi!

Thanks for the suggestions and help. I have been working late lately so I am going to try and take a look at it this weekend. I REALLY hope I can get the thing out. I just start envisioning scenarios of the occasional leave going down the pipe and hitting the bar. Then another and another and another and pretty soon I have a block. Cold sweats.

I don't know for sure if it was stainless (looked it) but that is a VERY good point! What could I find that could fit down it to maybe "attract" it??

Well, again, I thank you all and I will let you know what happens.

y_not · Sep 21, 2012

You could try an automotive magnetic grabber. There are long flexible ones, as well as ones with pincher claws on the end, pretty big, heavy duty models are available.

pinkusfloydus · Sep 22, 2012

Ok. I will check my local auto parts store. Thank you!!

duraleigh · Sep 22, 2012

I don't think stainless is magnetic.

y_not · Sep 22, 2012

duraleigh said:
I don't think stainless is magnetic.

Somewhat, depends how much Ferrous Fe2+ it has in it.
But usually it's not very "sticky", unless it's very low grade stainless.

Also, stainless, despite popular belief otherwise, isn't entirely rust proof. It does and will rust, in fact it can completely disintegrate given enough time, just like pure iron or normal steel.
This process is accelerated in salt water as well as other electrolytic solutions, alkaline and acidic, even more so when current is applied and it becomes the anode in a non-power generating, but power consuming arrangement.