New User - Doing first drain - What do I need to know?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
I have been pleasantly surprised with how easy a SLAM is at cooler water temps. I am sure you are just fine, but with the warmer temps coming (fingers crossed) just be mindful that any pockets of dormant algae will love the warmer water. I am not saying you have any algae remaining and i may missed it in earlier posts but once the water is warm be sure to clean out any light niches, skimmer and anywhere algae can hide. If you start to notice a large increase in FC use you can always bump to (and still swim) SLAM levels for a day or two to be sure.

That is one giant tarp and I imagine expensive. I have a large hill in the backyard and I always tease my better half of a giant slip and slide. Ahh to be a kid again!
 
Pool Tool said:
I am not saying you have any algae remaining and i may missed it in earlier posts but once the water is warm be sure to clean out any light niches, skimmer and anywhere algae can hide. If you start to notice a large increase in FC use you can always bump to (and still swim) SLAM levels for a day or two to be sure.
Click to expand...

I have not put the ladder back in yet, because I noticed there was some algae behind the rubber stops that rest against the liner. So, I will clean that up Saturday, and put the ladder back in. I have not removed the lights, and looked behind them, because I was not going to get in the water with it at 64. But, now that I'll have that in the 80's this weekend, I'll probably look behind the lights. I know the cold water has really helped me not have a FC loss, but it is so low, I don't expect to find much.

I also plan to hook by LC pump up to my chlorinator this weekend. I have removed the DiChlor, and tested the pump, but just have not put the 2 together yet. Once I have the pump hooked up, I'll change my signature, and stop saying it uses DiChlor. With my high CYA these last few years, and only keeping my FC around 5, I now know why my pool liner felt like it had "slime" on it sometimes. I think I always had hidden algae all year long. My chlorinator would keep feeding chlorine that would continually be attacking the algae, but never really getting rid of it. The pool cleaner ran every day, so algae would never take hold and be visible, but gave the slime feel. This meant that my water still looked nice last year, but really wasn't, and I had high FC use with Algae just eating it up. I expect a MUCH lower pool upkeep bill this year.
 
Yep, low pool cost and no more draining for you. I have never drained any water from my pool since it was filled in 2012. My largest expense each year is 32 bucks for the TF100 refill kit. Then a little CYA, some acid and some bleach. Nice work and nice pool! :thumleft:
 
SmartJack,

Just finished reading all 8 pages of this thread! Awesome work! I'm getting ready to embark on a similar journey to lower my CYA significantly! If you find yourself near a post office, go ahead and ship that tarp overnight to Cincinnati ;)

Wish me luck!
 
bschnur said:
SmartJack,

Just finished reading all 8 pages of this thread! Awesome work! I'm getting ready to embark on a similar journey to lower my CYA significantly! If you find yourself near a post office, go ahead and ship that tarp overnight to Cincinnati ;)

Wish me luck!
Click to expand...

It is a MUCH easier process than it appears to be. If you decide to go this route, don't worry about it too much, as you will find how easy it is. I wish we lived closer, because I would have no issue letting you use my tarp, and then this would be a no-brainier for you to do.

But, before you try to go this route, let me hit on a few pros and cons. I plan to cover these in the video I am doing about this, but I have not had time to do this yet. So, the tarp works REALLY well, and from and ease of use, and time issue, I would recommend it. The con is the cost. I needed a 40 x 60 tarp to do my pool. Based on the size you list, you could probably get by with a 30 x 50. I found a 40 x 60 online for only $80, but the kicker can be the shipping. That 40 x 60 tarp weighs 60 pounds, so depending on how far it ships, shipping can range from $20 to $60. That is pricey for some. Now, you can weigh that cost against the cost of filling a pool, and that varies by how you will be filling. Truck method, well water, or city water. Depending on your cost per gallon, based on the method chosen, you can decide if the tarp saves you any money.

So, let's say you can only replace 40% of your water, in order to protect your liner. If you are starting at a CYA of 225, it would take 4 partial drains to get you to a CYA of 48. So, doing four 40% drains on a 21k pool means you would go through 33,000 gallons. Or, using the tarp, you could replace 80% of your water at once, getting you to a CYA of 44, and only need 17,000 gallons of water. So, does the cost of the tarp save you more money than the additional 16,000 gallons of water? Then, there is also the time factor. 1 drain at 80% is way faster than doing 4 drains and refills. I didn't care about the cost, and went this route for less time. I didn't mind spending the money for the tarp, verses all the time to drain and refill. Another cost to consider is the hose to drain with. I ran my hose 150 feet, and it was just a garden hose, so drain time took a very long time. I could have drained way faster, it I used a larger hose, but that was also a additional expense. Since I was filling with a garden hose, and draining at the same time, I didn't need to go that much faster.

So, since I didn't care about the cost at the time I decided to do this, I didn't look at lower costs to acquire a tarp, like seeing if I could rent one. So, I would look in your area, and see if that is possible. If you are like me, and just want to go the fast route, you can buy a 30 x 50 tarp at Home Depot for about $120. It would be cheaper online, but then you add the shipping.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. If you go the tarp route, I will be with you to help you through it.
 
Smartjack,

I don't mean to hijack your thread, but thanks for responding to me! I'm definitely considering the tarp method based on your success. I plan to drain by using my pool pump since I can bypass the filter and I have a 50ft-1.5 inch hose that will run to the street. That should speed up the drain process, however I'm only able to fill with a garden hose from city water. I'll need to check in with our water company to see how expensive it will be so I can compare the two options knowing the cost of an appropriately sized tarp. I'll also look into renting a tarp.

Looks like I could get a 50ftx30ft on Amazon prime for $63 - free shipping and could have it soon. :)

I'll reach out to you if I have any further questions!
 
This thread was basically closed, so it really could not be hijacked. It should be used as reference for you.

But, since you already started your "need help with pH" thread, you should continue with that one, and not post in here anymore. You started that thread about your pH issue, and several people weighed in to help. A drain was suggested. No matter how you decide to drain, partial or full, you should give that status on there.

You don't want 2 threads going with similar information. Let this one stay closed as reference, and continue with yours. I will be following that. If you decide to do the tarp, and have questions about that, I will answer in there for you.
 
BattleOfYakima said:
If you dichlor feeder to bleach pump conversion works good I wonder if it will work out cheaper than the available bleach pumps, or perhaps technologically superior. Perhaps you have a new invention in your future: the better bleach pump
Click to expand...

Well, I'm sorry to say that it will be another week until my conversion will be done. I've had the pump working for a while now, and have been searching for a good tank choice. I found the PERFECT one last night, and just ordered it. But, it is not due to arrive until Friday. So, I will hook it up next weekend.

When done, it will be a very affordable way to add bleach. Depending on how people would like to do it, the whole thing could be done for around $200. A system that lets you add bleach remotely while on vacation, or at work, would be around $200, while a system that monitors ORP, and adds bleach only when needed would be around $400. I could do a system that adds a daily amount (not on demand) for around $250. So, if you currently add a half gallon of bleach every day, this would do that for you.
 
Oh, and By The Way..........

Wife was sitting out by the pool this morning, while I was checking pool levels. She said "In the 8 years we have owned this pool, I think this is the best it has ever looked."

I can thank everyone here for that!!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
:sun: That makes it ALL worth while! shhhhh but does she know you are using :shock: bleach in it?? hehe

Bruce I would love for you to do a new thread just about your bleach system. That is something I would like to learn about BUT am too lazy to pick the pieces out of this thread. (there I said it out loud..........I am lazy! Typed after I shoveled dirt into dog holes, mowed 2.5 acres, picked up many branches, etc LOL)

Kim:cat:
 
kimkats said:
:sun: That makes it ALL worth while! shhhhh but does she know you are using :shock: bleach in it?? hehe

Bruce I would love for you to do a new thread just about your bleach system. That is something I would like to learn about BUT am too lazy to pick the pieces out of this thread. (there I said it out loud..........I am lazy! Typed after I shoveled dirt into dog holes, mowed 2.5 acres, picked up many branches, etc LOL)

Kim:cat:
Click to expand...

Kim,

I wouldn't expect anyone to pull the bleach system out of this thread. I mentioned things about it in this thread, because a few people asked about it. Just like I documented my sheet method, I will document what I am doing with the chlorinator. I will probably do a video of what I am doing, then post a thread on it in the automation section. After people watch the video, they can ask questions in that thread. I wanted to keep this just about the drain, but you know how threads can lead to many tangents......
 
This is a brilliant invention! Gets the job done fast and eliminates drain risk. Seems like poolies would love this. Wow!

I think polyethylene film would work for this as well. Greenhouse operations replace their poly before it fails so that it won't fail at a crucial time. Some nurseries give it away or sell it for a small price. We used to sell our used stuff to concreters and farmers - $30 for 45' x 200' and $20 for 45' x 100'. We folded it up nicely and it was reasonably clean because greenhouse poly has to be changed on a nice day. Even new stuff might be a cheap alternative, because you wouldn't have to buy the UV inhibited stuff. We used 4 mil mostly, and it would easily do this job. If there's any small holes, they can be temporarily patched with packing tape if everything is dry, or even better, that red "100 MPH" tape. Caveat for used stuff is that it will have dormant algae on it somewhere, and if I did this, I'd hose it off to remove any chemical residues.

Just food for thought in case someone can save a buck. This invention is a great one. Way to go, SmartJack!
 
needsajet said:
This is a brilliant invention! Gets the job done fast and eliminates drain risk. Seems like poolies would love this. Wow!

I think polyethylene film would work for this as well. Greenhouse operations replace their poly before it fails so that it won't fail at a crucial time. Some nurseries give it away or sell it for a small price. We used to sell our used stuff to concreters and farmers - $30 for 45' x 200' and $20 for 45' x 100'. We folded it up nicely and it was reasonably clean because greenhouse poly has to be changed on a nice day. Even new stuff might be a cheap alternative, because you wouldn't have to buy the UV inhibited stuff. We used 4 mil mostly, and it would easily do this job. If there's any small holes, they can be temporarily patched with packing tape if everything is dry, or even better, that red "100 MPH" tape. Caveat for used stuff is that it will have dormant algae on it somewhere, and if I did this, I'd hose it off to remove any chemical residues.

Just food for thought in case someone can save a buck. This invention is a great one. Way to go, SmartJack!
Click to expand...

Great idea Needsajet,

4 mil thickness would work great for this. I'm guessing greenhouses in the states would do similar to what you are saying was done in Sydney, but I'm not sure. I'm also wondering if it would be specific to a certain time of year?

But, I am most curious where the place you worked for bought a 45' x 100' plastic sheet? When I was looking for those, to use instead of a tarp, I couldn't find anything wider than 20'. If I could have, I would have originally gone that route. I also considered buying the thinner visqueen like Swampwoman mentions, and taping it together. The problem I had with that, and I think most people would have, is a large enough place to tape the 2 sheets together. When you are dealing with 2 mil to 4 mil sheets, you would need a clean flat surface to walk on, and tape together. Most people would not have that. My yard was big enough to lay that out in, but taping a good seem on grass, would just not work out. The hassle of taping a good seam on a $40 or $50 roll of visqueen said that I would rather get the $80 tarp, and have something that could be used again.

But, if I could have gotten my hands on a $20 to $60 4 mil plastic sheet that was 45' x 100', or even 45' x 60', I would have been all over that. Do you know of a source where those sheets were ordered from?

Thanks,
Bruce
 
I bought some here for a different project, but my greenhouse time was in Canada and the US. When I retired, we were buying sheets up to 48' wide. We used them to cover 32' wide quonset shape greenhouses, with the poly clipped on at ground level on each side. When I started in 1980 we could only get 40' wide. For used, you'd need to look for nurseries with that style of greenhouse. Some would take it off in the autumn to eliminate snowload on unheated houses, others would re and re it likely in late summer. We always had it stored and available. As far as new stuff, I'd look for a horticulture supply house, but if they only sell UV-stabilized or anti-condensate types, it might be just as expensive. Definitely 4 mil would be thick enough though.
 
One last picture I needed to share. In past years (before TFP), I had several times that I thought my pool looked great during the day. The water was very clear, drains very visible, etc. But, at night with the lights on, the water never looked that great. At night, any small particles in the water that were not visible during the day, showed up with the lights on. The lights reflected off those miniscule particals, and looked very cloudy when the lights were on. While using the pool last night, I took this picture with the lights on. No small particals to reflect.......

image.jpg
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply