First pool Tampa area - Plumbing question
- Thread starter TampaKathy
- Start date
I've got that on my phone...I'm ready to go
Minor rant first...It makes no sense to me that Pool School isn't the day the pool finishes filling with water...mine was scheduled for 12 days later...is the pool supposed to magically not need any attention by the homeowner in that time?! I asked why so late and got the usual, "that's how we always do it."
Anyway, to the point of this post...it's raining today...so far it's just a light rain so the overflow pipe is keeping the water at 1 1/2 inches below the coping. The start-up guy told me if we get a hard rain the overflow pipe won't be able to keep up and I'll need to manually drain...how high do people usually let the water get before draining? I watched a youtube video and draining looks easy enough.
Anyway, to the point of this post...it's raining today...so far it's just a light rain so the overflow pipe is keeping the water at 1 1/2 inches below the coping. The start-up guy told me if we get a hard rain the overflow pipe won't be able to keep up and I'll need to manually drain...how high do people usually let the water get before draining? I watched a youtube video and draining looks easy enough.
poolnoobgrandma
Gold Supporter
- Sep 15, 2018
- 938
- Pool Size
- 17000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
If it is almost touching the coping, I'll drain. I think with the rain we're getting now and this weekend, your overflow pipe should keep up or catch up quickly. I'd let it go, and watch. Our pool has ony actually overflowed twice since we had it. I'll bet you'll be fine, and your pool builder is just covering...
It shouldn’t matter for most storms. It won’t matter if it takes a 5 inch-er several hours to drain. You’ll lose skimming while it’s almost full, but no biggie.
That’s not to say you’ll never overflow, only that it would be very rare.
That’s not to say you’ll never overflow, only that it would be very rare.
do you have any deck drains? I do not have an overflow pipe and the pool has only overflowed twice to my knowledge and 1 was doing a hurricane/tropical storm in which I even drained it partially before the storm. My deck drains worked well. You do lose skimming efficiency so you do want to get the level down but not critical if it gets a little high to the coping.
Since you are still waiting on pool school, are you OK with regard knowing which valves to turn to manually drain?
I do have a deck drain...seems like between that and the overflow pipe it will be ok. First pool...still learning what I need to worry about, lol. Based on the youtube video, I think I just need to roll out the flat hose and then turn the red handle until the water level drops where I want it and then turn the handle back...is that right? 
Yep. Although I would not call that a backwash line. It should be labeled DRAIN as you are not really cleaning the filter. It is just nomenclature but thought I would comment.
As said above, you got it. But how does the yard look 100ft and less from the drain valve ? If you needed to drain in a monsoon, you’d need the yard to be draining also or else you’d just be making a bigger puddle, possibly flodding the pool from the muddy yard.
This was one that the yard flooded the pool. Draining nearby in this situation would be robbing Peter to pay Paul. So scope it out before it’s an issue and have a clear downhill way for the water to leave if you need it to. Thanks Ida
poolnoobgrandma
Gold Supporter
- Sep 15, 2018
- 938
- Pool Size
- 17000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
100ft away is my neighbor's yard so sounds like he's going to have a problem.
Kidding...even though I had a tight area to work with for putting the pool in, I have a large yard (1.5 acres) so I can move the hose around and my property drains well.
Put a sticky note on the timer in case you don't remember why you set the timer.
I've heard different opinions, but in my last house I drained the pool once into my grass and it killed the st augustine sod
There's very little chemicals in my pool yet so the weeds will probably survive unfortunately
Ok, I'm unsure what to do now. Of course the pool guy that was going to come by today didn't (actually, I'm 0 for 2 on pool guys today). I was getting ready to put CYA granules and liquid chlorine in b/c according to my tests, my CYA is 0 and FC and CC are .5. So I opened the skimmer and saw this...soooo multiple questions...
1. Can anyone tell what this is from the picture? Trichlor? Cal hypo? (Whatever it is I'm pretty sure the skimmer isn't the recommended location).
2. Should I raise CYA and FC based on what pool math told me to do anyway and leave this here? remove it?
3. Leave pool alone until pool guy maybe comes on Monday?
Thanks for any help...sorry for being so needy today, lol.
P.S. I washed my hands after touching this b/c it occurred to me that maybe I should have worn gloves.
1. Can anyone tell what this is from the picture? Trichlor? Cal hypo? (Whatever it is I'm pretty sure the skimmer isn't the recommended location).
2. Should I raise CYA and FC based on what pool math told me to do anyway and leave this here? remove it?
3. Leave pool alone until pool guy maybe comes on Monday?
Thanks for any help...sorry for being so needy today, lol.
P.S. I washed my hands after touching this b/c it occurred to me that maybe I should have worn gloves.
Looks like a chlorine puck to me. Typical for weekly service... They drop in a jug of chlorine and then leave one of those in the skimmer and hope the chlorine stays high enough through the week that they don't get called out for algae.
There's not really any harm in it being there. Especially if you have no chlorine and no CYA.
If you do add anything, make sure the company is aware when they do show up. They *should* run tests, but they might also assume that they just need to add it and not actually test.
You can *always* add chlorine. Just don't get to shock levels right now... I kept mine around 3 by sprinkling a little in every other day. And I mean a *little*! It took me two weeks to work through a single jug. No algae and as far as I can tell no effect on the curing plaster.
There's not really any harm in it being there. Especially if you have no chlorine and no CYA.
If you do add anything, make sure the company is aware when they do show up. They *should* run tests, but they might also assume that they just need to add it and not actually test.
You can *always* add chlorine. Just don't get to shock levels right now... I kept mine around 3 by sprinkling a little in every other day. And I mean a *little*! It took me two weeks to work through a single jug. No algae and as far as I can tell no effect on the curing plaster.