My "Giant Pond" is Almost a Real Pool! And Some Questions...

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WaterWoman said:
...She will be the primary swimmer anyhow, and the house will be hers someday, so she might as well learn. I'm curious... How old is your son?
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I usually do delegate housework when I can, but for some reason, I really enjoy working in the yard, including the pool and the landscaping. I work hard all week at a motorcycle dealership and the pool and the yard are my only real talents, so I enjoy it as much as I can. My son was 16 yo when we built it... he's 26 now. I also have a 21 & 16 yo, all three + the daughter-in-law and grandson still live with me. Needless to say, the pool gets used a LOT!

No rain here! :D We've got 100+ temps for the next few days (and dry as a bone -- it won't rain again, other than maybe a sprinkle or two, until October).
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We too have had the triple digit temps here lately, but the last three days have been an onslaught of really terenchal rains! It's sort of a blessing, since 100 degree temps with 90% humidity drive me nuts!

Happy anniversary by the way!


-Rich
 
Wow, big family! I bet it does get used a lot! :D

I enjoy working in the yard, too. We planted over 20 trees this spring (there were NONE when we bought it -- we put in fruit trees: citrus, avocado, peach, cherry, apple, etc.), and then there are the flower and veggie gardens, too. It takes two of us -- the hubby and I -- just to water it all each day! So, if she wants to take care of the pool, that would certainly help. But we'll see. I have to learn how to do it first.

Oh, I remember those days like you described -- the heat and humidity (I used to live in the South). But right now, I've got 102 degree sand 14% humidity (I think it's a little higher than that here because we keep the yard very moist when it's this hot). It's not this hot all the time in the summer, but we're having a heat wave right now.

Thanks for the anniversary congrats! :)

~Julie
 
The new replacement motor is wired up and in place. (Yay!) And the pool is very close to being full (about halfway up the skimmer box, right?). I am thinking tomorrow morning will be the big test. Wish us luck! And thanks so much to all of you for your help! I don't think I could have figured this stuff out without you.
 
Well, you've done it! I'll definitely be taking my computer and air card with me tomorrow. I HAVE to know the next turn in the saga!

I think I'd get a big hose and hold over the returns for the first few seconds when the pump is started and direct it out of the pool.

Here's hoping it starts up and runs like a million. :goodjob:
 

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Got any pics? Of the pool, of the equipment, etc.

Is the valve leaking where the top meets the body?

Do the (formerly) capped pipe, the angled pipe, and the one with the reducer all shoot out water?
Did you ever remove the cap inside the skimmer? Have you tried playing with the valves on the manifold near the fence?

Sorry for all the questions, but so many couldn't be answered before the start up and they can now.

Adam
 
launboy said:
Got any pics? Of the pool, of the equipment, etc.

Is the valve leaking where the top meets the body?

Do the (formerly) capped pipe, the angled pipe, and the one with the reducer all shoot out water?
Did you ever remove the cap inside the skimmer? Have you tried playing with the valves on the manifold near the fence?

Sorry for all the questions, but so many couldn't be answered before the start up and they can now.

Adam
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Hi Adam :) I will have pics. The valve seems to be leaking around the handle, and maybe where the cover is screwed to the body. It's missing something called a nonmetallic bearing that goes under the handle. When we took it apart to see what was going on, we found it broken into 3 pieces. Can't tell if the water is just coming from there, or if it's coming from the other spot I mentioned as well.

The angled pipe and the one with the reducer both shoot water (a LOT), but there's no movement at the center one that was capped, so we replaced the cap on that one. The water is moving well enough to see it moving. There is flow into the skimmer and it appears to be working right.

The valves on the manifold seem to all be open, but no, we haven't played with them yet.

The worst problem right now is all the debris that came out of the pipes when we started it up. We need a vacuum, I suppose. Don't have one. Will have to see what I can do about getting one tomorrow. Maybe one of those vacs that attaches to the skimmer? That may be what I need to do, since they seem to be fairly inexpensive and we've about blown the budget on the pool for this month. Can someone explain to me how to use one of those? I know it attaches to the skimmer somehow. Does it just plug into the skimmer's pipe? Is there anything special about attaching it? Does the pump need to be on or off when I attach it?

No problem on the questions! Glad you asked them! :)

~Julie
 
Also, could someone tell me which tests I need to run now? I think Ph, TA and CH? Anything else? I need to test the water and see what we have, and figure out what I need to add. I did a preliminary test before starting the equipment just so I could familiarize myself with the testing procedures. The Ph seemed high (8.0) at that time.
 
With the manual vac, you just take the vac head and attach it to the hose - buy a head for concrete pools, not vinyl. The cheaper vinyl one will get stuck to the pool - the concrete head has wheels and is not flexible. Now with the hose attached to the head and the pole attached, dump it into the pool. At the other end of the hose - take it over to the return and cover the return with it. This will fill the hose. You'll see air coming out of the hose and it will start to sink.

Once the hose has sunk and all the air is out, take it off the return, cover the end with your hand to make a seal and bring it over to the skimmer. Put the hose through the skimmer and plug it into the hole inside, it'll suck right in, but push it a little further to make sure it's seated well.

I would probably go over to the pump now and turn it off for a second, switch to waste, and then turn it back on. If you have a bunch of nasty stuff, better to vacuum to waste. Vacuum from high to low as quickly as you can, but not fast enough to disturb the dirt and make it dissipate.


-Rich
 
I would run a full set of test results and post them here. The experts will get you on the fast track to a perfect pool in no time. :-D

Using a manual vacuum is simple enough. As long as you make sure to get all of the air out of the hose before connecting it to the skimmer you should be good. The easiest way to do this is to submerge the vac. head and hold the other end over the return until bubbles stop coming from the vac head. This will fill the hose with water. Then, while keeping the hose submerged, connect the hose to the vac plate and put that in the skimmer. Also, if the hose has a swivel cuff on one end, make sure that end is connected to the vac head or you could suck air.

I just had a thought about that capped pipe. I'd actually bet money that it connects to the pipe that it open next to the pump inlet. I'm not sure what it would be for, maybe the PO planned on having a suction side cleaner at some point? I would stick a hose in the end by the pump and uncap the other end, I bet water comes out.

**EDIT - I see BigGuy beat me too it.**

Adam
 
Yeah, your PH is really high... think acid. Chemicals and balancing is definitely not my forte! That's why I have to manage my pool every day :cool:

Best bet is to go back to pool school! Post all of your test results and someone will answer it.


-Rich
 
Thanks you guys! That sounds simple enough. I should be able to pick up what I need for one of those vacs at Lowe's in the morning.

I will post test results tomorrow. How long do we have to wait after adding chemicals until we can swim?

Have I said today how much I appreciate all this help and advice? :) THANK YOU!
 
Hubby wants me to ask if it's normal for the motor to put out a lot of heat. ? He's a mechanic (used to have a shop for sports cars years ago) and worries about motors... he says he's as worried now as he was when he rebuilt a double overhead cam on a Jaguar and fired it up for the first time... ;)
 

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