Hey Goose - glad your back 
sorry to hear about your misfortune but you are an inspiration....
sorry to hear about your misfortune but you are an inspiration....
Returning after a lengthy absence - now handicapped...
- Thread starter Gooserider
- Start date
Thanks... Making progress, though I still cant actually get in the pool... Haven't gotten the lift back to the pool area yet, and the vendor hasn't been able to do much yet to get me a battery and charger for it. Seems like SR Smith wants a really extortionate amount for the parts, so I'm trying to figure out how to create a home brew solution if the vendor can't / won't do anything...
Slowly getting the pool chemistry in order, though it is very difficult - next time get the numbers right BEFORE putting in the borates...
Todays tests gave me an OTO Cl of 0.5, pH still stuck at 7.8, but the TA has dropped down to 200. I suspect that the high TA is because of the borates, and is what's keeping the pH from dropping. The CSI is getting better though, now it's only 0.52, which is at least below the "trouble" number.
Dumped in a bunch more Cl, and another gallon of Muriatic Acid. Will see what it does tomorrow. I also found that the CYA really wasn't dissolving at all in the chlorine tab floater, so I moved the sock over to the skimmer basket to try and get the CYA level up a bit faster.
Gooserider
Slowly getting the pool chemistry in order, though it is very difficult - next time get the numbers right BEFORE putting in the borates...
Todays tests gave me an OTO Cl of 0.5, pH still stuck at 7.8, but the TA has dropped down to 200. I suspect that the high TA is because of the borates, and is what's keeping the pH from dropping. The CSI is getting better though, now it's only 0.52, which is at least below the "trouble" number.
Dumped in a bunch more Cl, and another gallon of Muriatic Acid. Will see what it does tomorrow. I also found that the CYA really wasn't dissolving at all in the chlorine tab floater, so I moved the sock over to the skimmer basket to try and get the CYA level up a bit faster.
Gooserider
Wow, those are some expensive batteries!
I'm with you, set up a pair of batteries in series for 24VDC, weatherproof as needed. The trick is charging the batteries in series, the charger would need to be 24VDC. You could charge them individually at 12VDC if you broke the batteries out of the circuit.
Walmart sells motorcycle batteries, little ones with 4 amps that oughta do the trick, $30 each. Might be able to pull it all off for $100!
I'm with you, set up a pair of batteries in series for 24VDC, weatherproof as needed. The trick is charging the batteries in series, the charger would need to be 24VDC. You could charge them individually at 12VDC if you broke the batteries out of the circuit.
Walmart sells motorcycle batteries, little ones with 4 amps that oughta do the trick, $30 each. Might be able to pull it all off for $100!
ob1quixote said:
We may have found a solution of sorts, We complained loudly to the seller, with strong implications about negative feedback and possibly talking to the Ebay buyer protection people (an advantage of Ebay, that reputation system gives a really big stick to hold over the heads of vendors...) The vendor is going to buy us a new battery if we pay for the charger (and the vendor found a place that only wanted $80 for the charger instead of $105, Waiting for the stuff to arrive now. Also we had a "build day" on Saturday to rebuild / repair a couple of buildings that had collapsed in the winter snows, and as part of that I was able to get the lift moved around to the pool area - however the guys moving it said there MIGHT be a problem with the linear actuator that moves the seat up and down - will have to wait to see how it works when the battery gets here.
Otherwise the pool is getting better,
All the numbers today were at least reasonable (except for the Cl which I'd let go for a couple days because of the weather and waiting for the parts to fix the pool cleaning robot.) CH of 250 is a tad low for a plaster pool, but tolerable, and TA is still high at 110, but it's closer, and the pH has dropped to 7.2 so I will let that ride for now. I also finally played with the numbers to get my Cl adjustment values so that I don't have to run inside to check the pool calc. every time. Seems that 16 oz of 12.5% Cl will give me an about 1.0 boost in my Cl levels... Water looks a bit nasty this evening, but I think it's because I just got the Polaris fixed (see my thread on it in the Cleaner area) and started it on the pool, so it's stirring up crud that hadn't been bothered previously. I expect it will look fine tomorrow.Gooserider
If the linear actuator gives you trouble, let me know.
Pictures, size of the mounting holes, length of the body, length of the stroke would be the info I need. I have a 24VDC linear actuator in the shop...
Pictures, size of the mounting holes, length of the body, length of the stroke would be the info I need. I have a 24VDC linear actuator in the shop...
ob1quixote said:
Thanks, will keep you in mind if it does give me a problem. It looks like a fairly basic unit aside from being weatherproof. I'm guessing about a 24" stroke from eyeballing it,
I didn't see the reported problem, but it sounds like the issue was the inner drive bits coming out of the tube when one of my friends lifted up on the seat. There is a sort of plug in the end of the body tube that the ram comes out from, which looks like it might be stripped. However in normal use, there would never be any pulling forces on the actuator, as it works a linkage that would always be putting the actuator under a compression load.
Will have to see what it does when I get the battery so I can test it.
Gooserider
You could test it with a 12 volt battery. It will run at 1/2 speed, with 1/2 torque. Not enough to lift folks, and would probably overheat the motor if you tried, but plenty safe to run the lift unloaded.
Ought to do an update... seems the actuator is working OK, though I may look into getting it overhauled once the pool season is over. If I pick up on the seat, or otherwise put a "pull" load on the actuator, the rod starts to pull out along with some of the other "guts" of the unit. However the Linak website says that most of the actuators are designed to work only with "push" loads, which is all that the lift would see in normal use. As long as I stick to pushing, it seems to work fine.
I tested the motors by taking the 24VDC power supply box that I built to power my Hyperion charger out to the lift and doing jumper wires onto the plugs that went to the actuator and the boom rotation motor. Took a bit of fiddling, but both worked fine after a while. The actuator has two speeds depending on how you connect the three contacts on it's plug. The boom motor just has one, and reversing the leads on either plug reversed it's direction, as expected. It did seem like the seat travel was really not useful, as it went way up in the air, but only a few inches into the pool. However I observed that there were several different pivot point holes in the boom, and did some rough looking at the geometry and realized that I could re-arrange the pivots and make the chair end up with different ranges of travel. After doing so, I ended up with the seat travel range from a few inches above my wheelchair seat, to a couple of feet deep in the pool.
The control box didn't work when I connected the battery to it, but it did make a bunch of funky buzzing noises - I opened it up and found that it was wet inside. I took it apart, and cleaned the board as best I could, though there wasn't a lot of corrosion as it had a pretty thick layer of "conformal coating" on it. After cleaning it and letting it air dry for a while, I put it back together, and all the relays in it seemed to work when I pushed the buttons on the remote control. I put it back together and attempted to use it on the lift.
Despite working fine the day before, I found that the boom motor would only swing in one direction.
Opened the box back up, and tapped on the relays with a screwdriver handle, and it started working again... I transferred onto the seat and cycled the actuator up and down multiple times, it handled my weight with no problems. With the GF standing by to watch me, I finally swung out over the pool and went in. Did a bit of swimming, and different floats - no real problem other than it being a lot more work (more or less as I expected)
However my experimentation was interrupted when the lift started making noises and small movements with nobody touching the controls... :? I decided that I should get out while the getting was good, and got back on the seat and lifted up most of the way, but couldn't get the seat to go up all the way like it should have. However since I was above the pool deck, I swung back over, and with some difficulty, and help from the GF, was able to get back in my chair. Eventually found that the remote had also lost its waterproof seal, and taking it into the pool with me had caused it to get water inside, resulting in erratic operation...
As I wasn't sure of my ability to get the remote sealed back up properly, and knowing that conformal coating would make it difficult to replace the sticky relays in the control box, I decided to obtain replacements for the control box and remote... I found a place that could get me the parts for a sort of reasonable price, and have them ordered - hope to get them soon so that I can actually use the pool...
Gooserider
I tested the motors by taking the 24VDC power supply box that I built to power my Hyperion charger out to the lift and doing jumper wires onto the plugs that went to the actuator and the boom rotation motor. Took a bit of fiddling, but both worked fine after a while. The actuator has two speeds depending on how you connect the three contacts on it's plug. The boom motor just has one, and reversing the leads on either plug reversed it's direction, as expected. It did seem like the seat travel was really not useful, as it went way up in the air, but only a few inches into the pool. However I observed that there were several different pivot point holes in the boom, and did some rough looking at the geometry and realized that I could re-arrange the pivots and make the chair end up with different ranges of travel. After doing so, I ended up with the seat travel range from a few inches above my wheelchair seat, to a couple of feet deep in the pool.
The control box didn't work when I connected the battery to it, but it did make a bunch of funky buzzing noises - I opened it up and found that it was wet inside. I took it apart, and cleaned the board as best I could, though there wasn't a lot of corrosion as it had a pretty thick layer of "conformal coating" on it. After cleaning it and letting it air dry for a while, I put it back together, and all the relays in it seemed to work when I pushed the buttons on the remote control. I put it back together and attempted to use it on the lift.
Despite working fine the day before, I found that the boom motor would only swing in one direction.
Opened the box back up, and tapped on the relays with a screwdriver handle, and it started working again... I transferred onto the seat and cycled the actuator up and down multiple times, it handled my weight with no problems. With the GF standing by to watch me, I finally swung out over the pool and went in. Did a bit of swimming, and different floats - no real problem other than it being a lot more work (more or less as I expected)However my experimentation was interrupted when the lift started making noises and small movements with nobody touching the controls... :? I decided that I should get out while the getting was good, and got back on the seat and lifted up most of the way, but couldn't get the seat to go up all the way like it should have. However since I was above the pool deck, I swung back over, and with some difficulty, and help from the GF, was able to get back in my chair. Eventually found that the remote had also lost its waterproof seal, and taking it into the pool with me had caused it to get water inside, resulting in erratic operation...
As I wasn't sure of my ability to get the remote sealed back up properly, and knowing that conformal coating would make it difficult to replace the sticky relays in the control box, I decided to obtain replacements for the control box and remote... I found a place that could get me the parts for a sort of reasonable price, and have them ordered - hope to get them soon so that I can actually use the pool...
Gooserider
Just a quick update - I have gotten the new control box and handset - and the lift works reasonably well - there is one area in it's rotation that it acts a bit like the gears in the base aren't meshing quite right, but I can push past that spot well enough to get into the pool. I may tear everything apart after the season is done and see just what the problem is, but for now it works...
I am finding that swimming is a lot more work when trying to do it on my front, but it isn't a lot worse if I float on my back. I am also finding that I seem to be able to move a little bit more in the water than I can on land, but it is very hard to tell how much of it (if any) is because I'm getting weak control over new muscles, or just getting some movement from existing muscle control that doesn't show on land because I am supported differently... At any rate it is good exercise...
Gooserider
I am finding that swimming is a lot more work when trying to do it on my front, but it isn't a lot worse if I float on my back. I am also finding that I seem to be able to move a little bit more in the water than I can on land, but it is very hard to tell how much of it (if any) is because I'm getting weak control over new muscles, or just getting some movement from existing muscle control that doesn't show on land because I am supported differently... At any rate it is good exercise...
Gooserider
I am going to ask a nosy question. You can tell me it's one of my business.
When you get in the pool, is someone there with you or are you on your own? If you need help, how do you deal with that?
In fact, this might make a good thread—not meaning to hijack yours:
How many people swim when there's nobody around? What kind of emergency preparedness do you have in place if you need help?
When you get in the pool, is someone there with you or are you on your own? If you need help, how do you deal with that?
In fact, this might make a good thread—not meaning to hijack yours:
How many people swim when there's nobody around? What kind of emergency preparedness do you have in place if you need help?
Reasonable question, and a legitimate topic...
The first time I went in after being hurt, I was very careful to be sure that my GF was there, and had one of the pool cleaning poles handy, as I was very unsure about how well I would be able to deal with it... Since then I've mostly gone in by myself, but only because I have proven to myself that I can get around in the pool OK.
I would be far less casual about going in alone if I was going into a lake or ocean where it is easy to get a long way from shore or other support, but in a pool I don't see it as being as much of an issue... Our pool isn't terribly big, I'd estimate that I am never more than 8-10 feet from the nearest edge, and probably not more than twice that to the farthest edge... I figure that if I can't get that far, there is a really serious issue. In addition I have experimented, and found that I can float on my back with no problem, or do the front float "drown-proofing" technique (which uses only the arms)
That said, I was never all that worried about swimming alone before I got hurt, either in the pool, or in the lake where we had a summer cottage when I was growing up... I would have been more concerned about ocean swimming, but only because I hadn't had as much practice at it. I think the key thing is to have thought about it, and come up with a "self rescue" plan about what to do if you have a problem.
My "worst case" would be a failure of the lift, which I could deal with by either sitting in the pool on the lift seat or the pool steps until rescued - or possibly crawling out of the pool to get to the cell phone that I keep on the wheelchair... (The lift is parked about 10' from the steps)
Gooserider
The first time I went in after being hurt, I was very careful to be sure that my GF was there, and had one of the pool cleaning poles handy, as I was very unsure about how well I would be able to deal with it... Since then I've mostly gone in by myself, but only because I have proven to myself that I can get around in the pool OK.
I would be far less casual about going in alone if I was going into a lake or ocean where it is easy to get a long way from shore or other support, but in a pool I don't see it as being as much of an issue... Our pool isn't terribly big, I'd estimate that I am never more than 8-10 feet from the nearest edge, and probably not more than twice that to the farthest edge... I figure that if I can't get that far, there is a really serious issue. In addition I have experimented, and found that I can float on my back with no problem, or do the front float "drown-proofing" technique (which uses only the arms)
That said, I was never all that worried about swimming alone before I got hurt, either in the pool, or in the lake where we had a summer cottage when I was growing up... I would have been more concerned about ocean swimming, but only because I hadn't had as much practice at it. I think the key thing is to have thought about it, and come up with a "self rescue" plan about what to do if you have a problem.
My "worst case" would be a failure of the lift, which I could deal with by either sitting in the pool on the lift seat or the pool steps until rescued - or possibly crawling out of the pool to get to the cell phone that I keep on the wheelchair... (The lift is parked about 10' from the steps)
Gooserider
Good for you that you made the lift work and be able to go into the pool alone.
@AnnaK: As a swim-instructor I am well aware of the problems that can occur in a pool, or even a tub. But the same goes for driving on a highway. It all has to do with recognising the possible danger and think about a solution. However, often you take risks you don't even realise. Having a phone at hand will be helpfull with most of the trouble you can get into.
In my hottub I don't take any precautions, but when swimming from my parents house to my sisters (about half a mile) we always call that we made it to the other house if we swim alone.
@AnnaK: As a swim-instructor I am well aware of the problems that can occur in a pool, or even a tub. But the same goes for driving on a highway. It all has to do with recognising the possible danger and think about a solution. However, often you take risks you don't even realise. Having a phone at hand will be helpfull with most of the trouble you can get into.
In my hottub I don't take any precautions, but when swimming from my parents house to my sisters (about half a mile) we always call that we made it to the other house if we swim alone.