What did you do to your pool today?

[kne]

Hopped in the pool fully clothed after work as usual.

I'm picturing "casual", maybe polo shirt, dress slacks, nice loafers?

Then i ran some errands

Then hopping in the car, soaking wet, water draining out the door, leaving a trail as you drive away.

 

[Newdude]

I'm picturing "casual", maybe polo shirt, dress slacks, nice loafers?

Shorts or jeans and a company polo. I take my work boots off but not my socks. They need the bath as much as I do.

 

[Mdragger88]

Added a little cya today and confirmed we are running fc hot just in time for the onslaught of wild teenagers.
Laid another skimmer basket bull frog to rest.

 

[Pauls234]

I just cleaned my filter. Arms are a little itchy from the fiberglass. I always wear gloves but it is what it is. Maybe I shouldn’t hug it when putting the belt back on. It’s kind of unavoidable somehow. Anyway, no biggie and glad it’s taken care of!

Kul, I used to have the same issue with the fiberglass filter housing so I painted it and no more itchy. Plus it now blends in with the trees, shrubs, grass, etc. since I painted it green.

 

[Dirk]

Hey, did you guys know that if you let your CYA get low your FC won't hold as well?


So I'll be testing CYA today to see if what I added brought it back up...

 

[Dirk]

Finished my expansion joint and am now breaking down the tool set I used. I had mentioned that my DeWalt multi-tool saved the day. I started with a "wood-with-nails" blade. Here's the before and after. I only used one blade, because as the concrete and stone filed my blade down to nothing, it actually worked just as well. I think it was being sharpened into a knife, which cut thought the old goo just fine.



The sand didn't match the old grout perfectly, and had some grains that were too big, but definitely close enough. When it wears down a bit and more of the grey joint goo shows through, the match will improve. I'm happy with how it turned out, now we'll see how long this batch lasts.

 

[Newdude]

Hey, did you guys know that if you let your CYA get low your FC won't hold as well?

Yup .

Any harm at running SWG at 100%?

Could also be easily proved by Overnight Chlorine Loss Test Good news. Passed OCLT. FC=9.5 CC=0 both during evening and morning test. Tested twice each time. You may find that the cell will develop scale much faster when running at 100% even when accounting for run time. I see what you mean...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Dirk]

With the expansion joint done, it was on to the filter cleaning. I clean 'em once a year, and sometimes lie about that. It was two years this time! I think I better stick to one year, they were pretty bad. Got to use my cleaning station. It's "down the hill," so all the gunk just "returns to nature!" I've posted about this before, but I can't help myself, because it's one of my favorite projects. The stairs were to get down the hill, but the platform at the bottom I built specifically for pool filter cleaning!



I forgot to take an "after" pic. I got 'em white again!

 

[needsajet]

I sense that someone has played music while sitting on that stool.

Love the cleaning station!

 

[proavia]

Shorts or jeans and a company polo. I take my work boots off but not my socks. They need the bath as much as I do.

TMI

 

[Dirk]

I sense that someone has played music while sitting on that stool.

Love the cleaning station!

Good catch. It's a drum seat that I used while playing keyboards (in another life). It's about 40 years old now! The seat's leather finally gave out, but the foam was still good, as is all the metal, so I had a local guy reupholster it for a few shekels. Now it's my work bench stool (and part-time pool filter cleaning stool) and I might get another 40 years out of it.

Oh geez, I gotta clean those dratted cartridges another 40 times?!?

 

[AUSpool]

Good catch. It's a drum seat that I used while playing keyboards (in another life). It's about 40 years old now! The seat's leather finally gave out, but the foam was still good, as is all the metal, so I had a local guy reupholster it for a few shekels. Now it's my work bench stool (and part-time pool filter cleaning stool) and I might get another 40 years out of it.

Oh geez, I gotta clean those dratted cartridges another 40 times?!?

Yes, a loud music seat… That’s what I was thinking.

But about all that cartridge cleaning. Think about adding a cyclone. You probably wouldn’t need the bypass.

 

[TinFoilHat]

I'm shocked that you can hose-clean two year old cartridges. I'm not selling this so let me know if these links aren't allowed but I just found out about this company that is in Tempe, AZ near me. FilterClean LLC and WATCH: Tempe company's water-saving method for cleaning your pool filters They use an automated machine process to clean cartridges and then they re-band them. Interesting. Our large cartridges are $21.25 each to clean which takes about an hour total. I've never used them as I just found out about them and I replace my cartridges every season without any cleaning. They claim 2500 gallons are used when you clean them with a hose and they also claim that they recycle the water they use so that they only use 7000 gallons per year. Hmmm. I doubt how much water is used with a hose though I remember some very long hours and a flooded yard when trying to do so in the past which is why I just replace them every year.

 

[needsajet]

might get another 40 years out of it.

Make it 48 for a total of 88

 

[Dirk]

I'm shocked that you can hose-clean two year old cartridges. I'm not selling this so let me know if these links aren't allowed but I just found out about this company that is in Tempe, AZ near me. FilterClean LLC and WATCH: Tempe company's water-saving method for cleaning your pool filters They use an automated machine process to clean cartridges and then they re-band them. Interesting. Our large cartridges are $21.25 each to clean which takes about an hour total. I've never used them as I just found out about them and I replace my cartridges every season without any cleaning. They claim 2500 gallons are used when you clean them with a hose and they also claim that they recycle the water they use so that they only use 7000 gallons per year. Hmmm. I doubt how much water is used with a hose though I remember some very long hours and a flooded yard when trying to do so in the past which is why I just replace them every year.

What a great idea, and I would use such a service in a heart beat. But they're a little out of my way!!

I know I'm using a ton of water. Probably not 2500 gals, but easily half that. I can somewhat justify the water I'm using because it drains to an oak tree that I cherish (if it died, me, my yard and my privacy would be devastated). I'm planning a channelling gutter that will put even more of the water central to the tree, right now it's only watering one side of it. I use to "wash to waste" and that was bad, which was part of the inspiration for my cleaning station and its location.

I can get away with once a year (and I've now gone two years, twice), because my pool is very clean. Most weeks, I find about an inch of leaves in my pump basket (and that's using a suction-side vac). Some weeks my skimmer basket is full, but most weeks it's only about 1/2" deep, if that. Knock on wood!!

I could clean them more often, but I doubt I'd use less water. And I have it in my head that it's the cleaning that wears out a cartridge, at least as much or more than normal use does. I've set a reminder to measure the water I use next time, by observing my water meter. I should have done that this time! I'll report next year...

 

[Dirk]

Make it 48 for a total of 88

That's a pretty obscure joke. How many will get it? Should we give them the key to the riddle?

 

[needsajet]

I think it already fell flat.

 

[Dirk]

I think it already fell flat.

Well, it's the middle of the night here... they'll be sharper in the morning.

 

[Newdude]

They claim 2500 gallons are used when you clean them with a hose

They must be claiming that people clean them often/monthly. Mine take about 20 mins at a rough estimate of 5 GPM. Even at 60 mins it's only 300 gallons with large carts that need cleaning once a year.

In my case it would take me longer to load them up and bring them to/fro.

The closed system is a neat idea but whatever they're using to filter their water then needs to be cleaned.

 

[Dirk]

The closed system is a neat idea but whatever they're using to filter their water then needs to be cleaned.

Right. I hear there's a filter cleaning service in that area!

I was about to suggest the "Culligan Man" approach. Where a service stops by (pool maintenance companies could offer this) and just swap out your cartridges. But I supposed there are too many different kinds, and then there's transferring g-knows-what from pool to pool. Could a filter be cleaned to be 100% pathogen/algae free?