CJadamec
TFP Expert
Best to run the pump during the daytime hours when the air is warmest. Evening and nighttime running of the pump will cool your pool down.
Nervous and excited about my first AGP install
- Thread starter MrBfromNC
- Start date
It ends up being a personal choice really.
I'll tell you my method, other members choose differently. I have 3 kids + their friends that swim in my pool and kids do things that kids do. Like track dirt, grass, odd stuffed animals (toys) and swim for hours without getting out. We have a no-P policy for the pool but you never know. I dose my chlorine bleach through a Stenner pump in the evening around 9pm. This is almost always after the last swim for the day and will be when the pool will be it's dirtiest. This allows the FC to work it's magic overnight without any loss to the sun. I use a solar cover overnight. This really helps keep the heat in at night.
My electric rates don't change based on time of day. I know I don't need to, but I typically run my pump on low speed 24/7 regardless. It makes my wife happy to know that the filter is cleaning all the time. For the extra $10 a month, it's worth it to her. I’ve never done any testing to see if the pump off overnight helps retain heat better.
I'll tell you my method, other members choose differently. I have 3 kids + their friends that swim in my pool and kids do things that kids do. Like track dirt, grass, odd stuffed animals (toys) and swim for hours without getting out. We have a no-P policy for the pool but you never know. I dose my chlorine bleach through a Stenner pump in the evening around 9pm. This is almost always after the last swim for the day and will be when the pool will be it's dirtiest. This allows the FC to work it's magic overnight without any loss to the sun. I use a solar cover overnight. This really helps keep the heat in at night.
My electric rates don't change based on time of day. I know I don't need to, but I typically run my pump on low speed 24/7 regardless. It makes my wife happy to know that the filter is cleaning all the time. For the extra $10 a month, it's worth it to her. I’ve never done any testing to see if the pump off overnight helps retain heat better.
Little by little, my setup is getting completed. We finally got my Intermatic timer from Amazon yesterday. Hooked it up so now I don't have to run out there and manually turn the thing on and off every day. And I also found the time to add a few more sections of the safety fence. That's 8 down and 4 more to go.
I'm hoping to get the rest of my river rock hauled over to the back yard this weekend and perhaps start to strip off some of those old deck boards so it'll be ready when we begin our new deck extension in 8-10 days. "Walking the plank" to get into our pool hasn't felt entirely safe so I'll be quite glad when that thing can go the way of the dodo bird.
And I wasn't too thrilled seeing my wife hanging all our noodles and floaties on my new fencing but she DID vacuum the pool floor yesterday so it all evened out in the end game.
Also, I got a great idea for a new towel rack from a few posts here on TFP but I'm trying to gather all the parts I'll need to install it so for now I'll just say, STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER DETAILS.
Also, upon closely inspecting my Pentair pump, found out that my pool dealer sold me a 1.5HP model 340210 rather than a 1HP pump that was originally on my purchase invoice. Hooray!!
I'm hoping to get the rest of my river rock hauled over to the back yard this weekend and perhaps start to strip off some of those old deck boards so it'll be ready when we begin our new deck extension in 8-10 days. "Walking the plank" to get into our pool hasn't felt entirely safe so I'll be quite glad when that thing can go the way of the dodo bird.
And I wasn't too thrilled seeing my wife hanging all our noodles and floaties on my new fencing but she DID vacuum the pool floor yesterday so it all evened out in the end game.
Also, I got a great idea for a new towel rack from a few posts here on TFP but I'm trying to gather all the parts I'll need to install it so for now I'll just say, STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER DETAILS.Also, upon closely inspecting my Pentair pump, found out that my pool dealer sold me a 1.5HP model 340210 rather than a 1HP pump that was originally on my purchase invoice. Hooray!!
Finally got my surfboard towel rack done but wanted to make a separate thread for it in case I get lots of questions concerning how much it cost / where I got it / how I made it.
https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/165689-Surfboard-beach-towel-rack?p=1463689#post1463689
https://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/165689-Surfboard-beach-towel-rack?p=1463689#post1463689
Hayseed
Bronze Supporter
What is the name brand of steps and where did you you get them? I like that they are not solid white like every other set I've seen
Hayseed
Bronze Supporter
i thought on the low setting I would let my pump run all the time too, so do you need or use a timer? Don't you think running pump that long will really reduce your pumps life?
They are confer steps.
I have them as well. 2nd yr with them and love them. Ebay (link above) actually is the cheapest place I was able to find them.
Running the pump 24/7 doesn’t reduce it’s life. They are typically rated for continuous duty.
But pumps don’t need to be run 24/7 to effectively keep your pool clean & sanitary.
Hayseed
Bronze Supporter
Thanks for your help, my wife picked out a different style confer steps from link given, I guess I will need to order that timer for the pump then. Since pump does not need to be run all the time, should save wear and tear and electric.
Sorry Hayseed, yes. Confer steps we bought at the pool store that sold us the pool.
And yes, we find that so far we only need to run the pump about 4 hours in the afternoon and about 2 hours at night. With that schedule, it stays pretty clean. Again, that is just SO FAR. Two weeks is hardly proof that it will work from now until eternity.
Well, the latest update on my new pool setup, y'all. I spent all that time and energy hauling most of that 4 cubic yards of river rock to the back yard and carefully placing it around the walls of the pool. Looked great so far until.....
The electrician showed up and said, "Uh, you've got a lot of rock down here. I need to have access to at least four verticals so I can add the bonding clamps."
DOH!!!
Well, I felt like I'd really jumped the gun there because there I was, kneeling down shoveling all that nice new rock around to get it away from the lower screws so he could open them up, run the clamp from the inside of the columns and then attach them to the #8 copper going around the entire pool. When he got done, he slyly said to me, "Uh, please don't cover those up because the electrical inspector will need to see them for it to pass." We both laughed because I may have actually done just that.
Oh, and in the good news department ---> My son-in-law confirmed he will come up to Fuquay on Sunday and help me begin the new deck!!
Hot derned it!! Now we are cooking with peanut oil.
And yes, we find that so far we only need to run the pump about 4 hours in the afternoon and about 2 hours at night. With that schedule, it stays pretty clean. Again, that is just SO FAR. Two weeks is hardly proof that it will work from now until eternity.
Well, the latest update on my new pool setup, y'all. I spent all that time and energy hauling most of that 4 cubic yards of river rock to the back yard and carefully placing it around the walls of the pool. Looked great so far until.....
The electrician showed up and said, "Uh, you've got a lot of rock down here. I need to have access to at least four verticals so I can add the bonding clamps."
DOH!!!
Well, I felt like I'd really jumped the gun there because there I was, kneeling down shoveling all that nice new rock around to get it away from the lower screws so he could open them up, run the clamp from the inside of the columns and then attach them to the #8 copper going around the entire pool. When he got done, he slyly said to me, "Uh, please don't cover those up because the electrical inspector will need to see them for it to pass." We both laughed because I may have actually done just that.
Oh, and in the good news department ---> My son-in-law confirmed he will come up to Fuquay on Sunday and help me begin the new deck!!
Hot derned it!! Now we are cooking with peanut oil.
What a fun place you have and it is only getting better!
LOL on "don't cover that up" nice of him to mention that and save you some work!
Kim
LOL on "don't cover that up" nice of him to mention that and save you some work!
Kim
Update on my pool deck build.
It was the first LOOOOOONG weekend of work for our new deck extension. The first pic is my old deck before any work was done at all. So, over the past two days we've torn up all the existing deck boards, buried about 11 new 4x4 posts and extended several of the joists out to our new location on the left side of the new pool. And because the deck was going to be in some seriously ragged shape over the next couple of weeks, we went ahead and built the new staircase on the far right hand side. Even though it was in the mid-nineties both days, I feel like we made really good progress.
Next weekend we plan on digging the post holes and setting the remainder of the 4x4 posts (on the right side of the pool) and then laying the first half of the decking. We decided to go with heavy duty 2x6 PT boards rather than regular decking boards because of the extra strength they will provide. Hand rails should probably come last along with possibly some type of lighting for the stairs and edges of the deck. My buddy at the office mentioned it would probably be smart for me to go ahead and drill the holes in all the joists that I might need for the wiring BEFORE we lay the deck boards down. So I'll try to take care of that during the next 2-3 days.
It was the first LOOOOOONG weekend of work for our new deck extension. The first pic is my old deck before any work was done at all. So, over the past two days we've torn up all the existing deck boards, buried about 11 new 4x4 posts and extended several of the joists out to our new location on the left side of the new pool. And because the deck was going to be in some seriously ragged shape over the next couple of weeks, we went ahead and built the new staircase on the far right hand side. Even though it was in the mid-nineties both days, I feel like we made really good progress.
Next weekend we plan on digging the post holes and setting the remainder of the 4x4 posts (on the right side of the pool) and then laying the first half of the decking. We decided to go with heavy duty 2x6 PT boards rather than regular decking boards because of the extra strength they will provide. Hand rails should probably come last along with possibly some type of lighting for the stairs and edges of the deck. My buddy at the office mentioned it would probably be smart for me to go ahead and drill the holes in all the joists that I might need for the wiring BEFORE we lay the deck boards down. So I'll try to take care of that during the next 2-3 days.
Thanks Jamison. Actually, the most fun part of the weekend was the very beginning when we got to dig holes and destroy stuff. We took out all the existing screws and nails with help of my 43" pry bar. The hand rails came apart pretty easily after we took the 4lb engineer's hammer to all the balusters. And my new post hole auger and digging bar came in really handy when it came time to dig all the holes. Man, oh man, that 20 lb digging bar will really give you a work-out after 20 or 30 minutes!!
My son-in-law said he really loved all my "tools of destruction".
He loves them so long as you do not use them ON him or because of him. You know if he upsets your daughter! LOL
Well done sir! That is a lot of work and it looks like you did it right!
So here comes my "Kim/girl" question......digging bar? You had a machine to dig the holes. WHY would you need/want to use the digging bar? Just let the machine do the hard work.
Kim
Well done sir! That is a lot of work and it looks like you did it right!
So here comes my "Kim/girl" question......digging bar? You had a machine to dig the holes. WHY would you need/want to use the digging bar? Just let the machine do the hard work.
Kim
Hayseed
Bronze Supporter
Mr b from how did you come to the hours of running the pump? Can you run the pump in the evening with the solar cover on the pool?
He loves them so long as you do not use them ON him or because of him. You know if he upsets your daughter! LOL
Well done sir! That is a lot of work and it looks like you did it right!
So here comes my "Kim/girl" question......digging bar? You had a machine to dig the holes. WHY would you need/want to use the digging bar? Just let the machine do the hard work.
Kim
Actually, I get along better with my son-in-law than I do with some of my own flesh and blood relatives!! But yeah, he knows not to mess with my oldest daughter or else.... :rambo:
Thanks for the compliment also. Well, we really needed the digging bar because I was afraid of hitting something like the bonding copper wire that runs around the perimeter or one of the existing posts or my brick sidewalk/path near the new staircase. It just makes much more precise digging with the bar vs. the UBER POWER AUGER!! You know??
I have not bought a solar cover yet because my evaporation is pretty minimal so far and the pool water is usually above 90 degrees. I'm sure I'll get one sooner or later but for right now, I just run it enough to keep the water clean. For me, that's about 4 hours in the afternoon and another 2 hours overnight (around 2 am to 4 am).
Update on the new deck build. After a grueling Sunday and Monday working on my new deck in 95+ degrees, I can honestly say that this is the most exhausting project I've ever had the opportunity to work on. I feel that we got a lot accomplished, but it really feels slow going when it's nothing but joists and posts and brackets hour after hour after hour.
However, just before lunch on Monday we actually felt like we were going to get some FUN worked into our endeavor. Because about 11:00am yesterday, I looked across the back yard and saw everything finally ready for decking boards!! So we cranked up the Skill saw, grabbed a boat-load of 2.5" decking screws and went to town. By the time my son-in-law had to begin his trip back home to Myrtle Beach, we had about half of the deck completely covered.
So next Sunday and Monday we will finish covering the deck, build all the handrails and install the gate. I found some really nice looking black aluminum balusters to use for all the rails and we decided to top them off with regular 5/4 decking boards because I want folks to be able to put a beer or plate of food on top of the rail while you're talking to other folks. And I found a really secure looking magnetic lock for our gate that will extend up an additional 12" above the top rail. That's mostly for my two g-kids who are two years old and 1 year old.
The black and white puppy in the foreground is Sadie. She found new smells in her old, familiar back yard when we opened the underside of the deck so she's been having a good time exploring around down there.
You can see here in this second picture where we joined the old octagon shaped deck to the new joists and extended them out about half way down the circular pool wall. I was really lucky that the 12 year old wood was still intact enough to use again for the new decking boards. I think we ended up replacing maybe 4 boards in total across the entire space.
However, just before lunch on Monday we actually felt like we were going to get some FUN worked into our endeavor. Because about 11:00am yesterday, I looked across the back yard and saw everything finally ready for decking boards!! So we cranked up the Skill saw, grabbed a boat-load of 2.5" decking screws and went to town. By the time my son-in-law had to begin his trip back home to Myrtle Beach, we had about half of the deck completely covered.
So next Sunday and Monday we will finish covering the deck, build all the handrails and install the gate. I found some really nice looking black aluminum balusters to use for all the rails and we decided to top them off with regular 5/4 decking boards because I want folks to be able to put a beer or plate of food on top of the rail while you're talking to other folks. And I found a really secure looking magnetic lock for our gate that will extend up an additional 12" above the top rail. That's mostly for my two g-kids who are two years old and 1 year old.
The black and white puppy in the foreground is Sadie. She found new smells in her old, familiar back yard when we opened the underside of the deck so she's been having a good time exploring around down there.
You can see here in this second picture where we joined the old octagon shaped deck to the new joists and extended them out about half way down the circular pool wall. I was really lucky that the 12 year old wood was still intact enough to use again for the new decking boards. I think we ended up replacing maybe 4 boards in total across the entire space.
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Your poor everything-back, hands, head, arms, etc................that is a LOT of good work done there! Not fun but the outcome is awesome! You scored with the SIL and being able to use most of the old deck's boards!
Kim
Kim