Uncovered pool April 1, 2017. What a mess! Lots of decomposed leaves and muck but I anticipated as much from Hurricane Matthew. Had to pressure wash both sides of the solar blanket to knock the grunge off as bleach and a ordinary garden hose were ineffective. Plastic tube from skimmer to outlet rotted brittle. Leaf picker upper (with garden hose to produce suction) was my first go. The mesh bag caught some slime and muck, but mostly I just stirred the water into an opaque brown. When vacuuming blindly, the brown particles were so fine they went right through sand filter and came back out into the pool. Nasty! Been backwashing every day and each day the water is noticeably clearer. Had to add CYA today. pH is low and I forgot to buy Borax today. Keeping FC around 7 until such time as I get the opportunity to vacuum pool properly now that I can see the bottom again,. Temperature is in the low 70's so I'm not too thrilled to be getting in it to vacuum. Yee haw, ain't life grand!
Pool start up March 2015 - just for posterity's sake.
- Thread starter Vince-1961
- Start date
Uncovered pool April 19, 2018 earlier than anticipated b/c John & I had taken day off work to go offshore but too windy, so we had nothing better to do. Water accumulated in solar blanket rolled up on roller over winter. Had been running filter and SWG for a few weeks b4 uncovering. Water was clear but sides and bottom were thickly covered with something very dark. It vacuumed easily except for a few spots where had to scrub a little. Clogged sand filter enough to cause SWG to beep. Backwashing many times output dark green water. Continued filtering but was putting tiny brown particles back into pool. Should have vacuumed to waste. Didn't do much with the sides. Added some chlorine, covered with solar blanket. Weather has been nasty this April. Cold and windy. Water temp was 65. Started pump on timer for solar heating via garden hose.
Not sure if SWG is working. Had it constantly running, but unknowingly w/o cya. Added that yesterday. This afternoon FC = 8, after tossing 2 bags of dichlor in this morning (+ 1 hockey puck of trichlor) and last night. Water is white, but still better than the green it was last weekend. Ordered a 2nd swg for $160 after shipping. Got 2 leaks in liner.
Vince how did you find the leaks?
How old is your SWG?
Kim
I put on scuba mask and some weights and went straight to some old, previously repaired leaks. Replaced the vinyl patches. Problem solved.
Original finding of wholes in the liner was a bit more difficult, either by swimming around with scuba mask or following the wetness on ground back to point of original, which method only works when it hasn't rained in a long while.
Old SWG is as old as the pool, so 4 or 5 years. Installed new swg, also an Intex, so I'm now running two swg's. Pool has stayed crystal clear with me just vacuuming up the crud from the trees that falls in. (Wish I could say as much about Elks pool. Been going thru chlorine like crazy, but can finally clearly see grate in deep end.)
Our one hole was on the OTHER side of the pool from where the wet area on the ground was LOL No finding it without outside help! It was also tiny!
Good job on the seeing the main drain.............pools that size with that amount of people=headache!
Good job on the seeing the main drain.............pools that size with that amount of people=headache!
Metal frame rotted. So, this winter, I drained the pool. The only thing holding it together was the 4 wraps of garden hose zip tied to the top where it was serving as a cheap solar heater. It collapsed inward when the hose came off. I have now rebuilt the frame using pressure treated wood for a total cost around $200, much cheaper than buying replacement parts or a whole new pool. It's still a work in progress . . . . .
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2x4 was too big to fit into the loops, so I won't. Not sure what will happen when I fill it, but I am not anticipating any difficulty with the 2x4 legs getting pushed outward. Might sling a cable around the legs at the height of the loops. Dunno.
I am, however, anticipating movement at the upper ring when it gets filled. As you can see in the middle photo, I had to use string to keep everything from falling inward until the circle of the upper ring was completed. What you can't see in these pics is an "outer ring" supporting the 1x6 decking shown in the right photo. This outer ring consists of 36" 2x4's screwed into the upright 2x4 leg at the 18" center mark with ends cut at an angle to meet a few inches away from the center of the crossbar inside the sheath. Where the two 36" pieces meet, they are joined by two screws. It's those two screws that will experience the most stress when the upper ring expands upon filling to form a nice round circle. (Until it's filled, the upper ring is squiggly and less-than-perfectly circular.) I'll probably back all of those screws out to disconnect the 36" pieces from each other before filling and then screw them back in once it's filled. I am not anticipating undue stress where the 33" 2x3 crossbars going through the plastic sheaths are attached to the 2x4 legs. In the pic on the left, you can see where I started the crossbars as 2x2's with 1 screw. I switched them to 2x3's using two screws on each end for the extra strength.)
I am, however, anticipating movement at the upper ring when it gets filled. As you can see in the middle photo, I had to use string to keep everything from falling inward until the circle of the upper ring was completed. What you can't see in these pics is an "outer ring" supporting the 1x6 decking shown in the right photo. This outer ring consists of 36" 2x4's screwed into the upright 2x4 leg at the 18" center mark with ends cut at an angle to meet a few inches away from the center of the crossbar inside the sheath. Where the two 36" pieces meet, they are joined by two screws. It's those two screws that will experience the most stress when the upper ring expands upon filling to form a nice round circle. (Until it's filled, the upper ring is squiggly and less-than-perfectly circular.) I'll probably back all of those screws out to disconnect the 36" pieces from each other before filling and then screw them back in once it's filled. I am not anticipating undue stress where the 33" 2x3 crossbars going through the plastic sheaths are attached to the 2x4 legs. In the pic on the left, you can see where I started the crossbars as 2x2's with 1 screw. I switched them to 2x3's using two screws on each end for the extra strength.)
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cfherrman
TFP Guide
I would just strong zip tie the legs to the loops.
Never trust a screw to hold weight, the second row of wood should do the job as pictured but I would buy some sort of metal strapping or joist strap and install them where your 2×4 and ring meet.
Very fun project
Never trust a screw to hold weight, the second row of wood should do the job as pictured but I would buy some sort of metal strapping or joist strap and install them where your 2×4 and ring meet.
Very fun project
Cfherrman, last summer, when the pool was full, but most of the metal where the crossbars joined with the upright legs had corroded and the "circle" of the upper ring was no longer intact, which left maybe a third (there are 22 total) of the upright legs actually providing vertical support, it never seemed in danger of collapsing. I suspect the physics of a circle makes the liner itself sufficiently strong to hold the weight and outward pressure of the water and that the legs and crossbars really don't do much except provide vertical support for the liner. I guess what I am trying to say is that I suspect the upper ring and the legs actually don't support the weight of the water.
As to the loops, I think I've figured out that their function relates to the pool being empty. I pumped out the last inch or so of water thinking I would clean all the leaves and crud out.. Big mistake. The wind keeps blowing the bottom of the liner inwards. If the legs went through the loops, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The result is wrinkles in the floor that are probably going to be a major P.I.T.A. to flatten out once it's time to refill. That last little bit of water was holding it all down. Might be zip tie time!
As to the loops, I think I've figured out that their function relates to the pool being empty. I pumped out the last inch or so of water thinking I would clean all the leaves and crud out.. Big mistake. The wind keeps blowing the bottom of the liner inwards. If the legs went through the loops, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The result is wrinkles in the floor that are probably going to be a major P.I.T.A. to flatten out once it's time to refill. That last little bit of water was holding it all down. Might be zip tie time!
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I agree with previous poster about adding/using support brackets on the rails 
You (may) might have swimmers that "lean/hang" on the railing.
They aren't expensive either.
You (may) might have swimmers that "lean/hang" on the railing.They aren't expensive either.
cfherrman
TFP Guide
These pics are the best I can get without deconstructing. The 36" "outer ring" 2x4's are screwed to the legs at center and also to the 33" 2x3 crossbars a few inches out. Additionally, all that garden hose around the top does add considerabl;e strength. With most of the metal supports corroded, the hose was literally keeping the pool from collapsing once I drained it.I agree with previous poster about adding/using support brackets on the rails
They aren't expensive either.
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![20190224_094214[1].jpg](/data/attachments/76/76569-51316be9f07f1ed7ae575f9c1de92856.jpg)
Yeah, totally get that, the concern is the lack of structural integrity, the wood rails that are actually holding up the liner (through the slots), are supported by screws only (the weight is not being supported by the wood leg post). I've circled the point in question
cfherrman
TFP Guide
The double ring and then the top cap looks great all though you should check it for looseness probably yearly
The screws are supporting the horizontal beams though
The screws are supporting the horizontal beams though
All for nought. Removing the last inch or so of water, letting it dry out and getting moved around a lot by wind has created kajillion cracks in the liner.
cfherrman
TFP Guide