Pool is 30’x100’ and geothermal heated because when you accumulate so much money, at some point you just start lighting it on fire. Had to get 1 of 3 UV sanitizers back online that I noted was out at last inspection.
the equipment cost alone here is easily equal to or greater than the average pool build cost for residential pools.
It creates its own set of problems that way, mainly 2x filter, pump, and heater to keep operational and eventually replaced. Great job security for me when people go through the expense to do that.
Wetsuit about to go on, will be spending 2 hours in a 60* pool replacing 4 light fixtures. $300 cold water dive fee on top of the price for the lights. It is not enough and these asshats should have heated their pool instead. Just in case any of you guys pass on getting your lights fixed during swim season and decide to do it in the off-season, be prepared for these options: a) heat pool/spa to comfortable level (for standing still working, not swimming) b) drain pool or spa to level where hip-waders can be worn and refill after (not possible in some cases due to light position in a deep end or drainage issues with property) c) pay for cold water dive on top of the repair d) search until you find an idiot that will risk illness getting in cold pool without any additional charge e) wait until next swim season when water is warm (I rarely charge any additional during swim season to get in a pool for light repairs as I schedule it at end of the day an it is a way to cool off and partially knock of sweat/grime before heading home. Thanks for being an active listener in today’s ted pool talk.
So this was the first part of the job with the lights today. New filter system installed. FNSP 60 DE filter with a Separation Tank. What is a Separation Tank? Glad you asked. In short, a big piece of shit that I try to eliminate if at all possible. A Separation Tank is used when you have a filter that requires backwashing (DE or Sand) but are not tied into a waste water line and have local ordinances in place that prevent you from backwashing into the open. How they work is, you backwash into the tank, which has a fine mesh bag in it, and the return of that tank goes right back into the pool. So yes, you are backwashing into your pool. The bag will never catch all the debris and your pool will slightly cloud up as a result every time you backwash. In addition to that, if you pay to have your pool serviced, it is an almost guarantee that your filter is not going to be maintained properly and that you will spend more $$ to keep the filter up and running over its lifespan than should be required. What do I try to do when I encounter this? Either try and convince the customer to plumb into the properties waste line or sell a cartridge filter(s). Most the time there is a separation tank for a reason (cost to plumb into waste very costly if concrete or structures block the path) so selling on plumb to waste is almost impossible. So that leaves cartridge filters. If the debris load is great, install multiple. So why did I install one? Glad you asked. The original owner/builder of this pool decided it would be super fucking neat to have a sunken pool. This pool sets in the lowest part of the property on the lowest lot on the block. To skim off extra water, which usually runs over in an alley or front street, is not even possible due to the depth it is at. So this fucking stupid ass pool empties into a very deep sump, that also services french drains in the yard. If the rainfall is heavy enough, the sump is overwhelmed, and the pool fills up to overflowing, to the point that it has even ran down and into the back room of the house . If the sump fails, not only will it fill and start backfilling the pool, it will take all the yard debris (grass clippings, mulch, mud) from the french drains with it and empty back into the pool . So needless to say, cartridge filters can not even begin to handle that type of clean up effort when that occurs, which is on average 1-2 times a year since this pool was built. So in short, if you are going to try and get really cute when building a pool, do your research. And if you are buying a house with a pool with conditions that do not look normal, make sure to pay the money to have a pool inspection and more importantly, talk to someone that knows something because this pool passed a home and pool inspection last go around and it will pass it this time as well. Thanks for being an active listener in today’s bonus ted pool talk.
Looking to put an above ground pool in next spring, what does everyone recommend for size, shape, brand, filter etc.
My only experience with above ground is from growing up. We had a large oval with sand filter. The oval shape was great as it allowed for a large above the ground deck that did not require crazy angles to build. Also, kids love swimming races and whooping my friends’ asses swimming length laps was the pinnacle of summers.
Where are you located? Doughboy is the highest quality above ground pool on the market, but not the only quality option. I can likely send you to a good dealer once I know where you are.
So redneck pool is finally rounding the corner to completion. Equipment moved and plumbed in today. 400k btu heater up and running. Electrical situation is temporary and hopefully will have my permanent supply done by the end of the year, waiting on my electrician buddy to make it up from Austin for the weekend. Next weekend will be running the conduits and wires from pad to pool/deck for the sheer descent LED, pool LED, and under deck rope lights. Also, heated from 68 to 95 in 15 minutes and have already enjoyed the sex and the beers.
My man a.tramp. I have an aqualink rs6 unit that my toddler can finally reach . If I activate the lockout feature, will my existing programs still run and will my guy be able to do his thing from the box outside for cleanings and whatnot? And will the freeze protect still work? I'm really hoping to not get a power bill and see that my pool had been heated for a month
Lockout freezes the item until it is unlocked. See if you can do the heater only to prevent heater usage when not desired. Or you can turn the gas shutoff to the heater off. Or turn the actual heater off. There are other options available as well but the cost money. Final option, put the rugrat on a leash.
Just got a call from a guy that wants a chiller bid. It is going to be in the teens this week. Does he have a polar bear enclosure or what?
He’s trying to buy during off peak season. Kinda like buying a jet ski in Michigan in February. I like the way this guy thinks. No body is buying chillers these days. Probably going to save him at least tens of dollars.
So, any southerners with pools that are in the path of this storm, best thing you can do. 1. Make sure all pumps that have not been winterized are on freeze protection. If you are not sure if freeze protection is working or pumps are on freeze protection, run them non-stop until storm passes. 2. If there are any leaks at the equipment, try to minimize them or stop them before the real cold arrives. Water will freeze on the outside of plumbing/equipment and will spread to the inside. Yes, even if water is moving. Don’t believe me, then how do rivers freeze solid? 3. In event of power loss, immediately trip breakers so if power is restored, equipment will not turn back on. Then, remove every single drain plug and open every single lid. You want water out of all the equipment. If you have a below grade equipment set (equipment is lower than water level) best bet is to contact a pool professional to determine how to best salvage your system. Most likely will need to close all valves on suction and return manifolds and focus on protection equipment and plan on some plumbing loss (cheaper than equipment). *if you lose power in the middle of the night and determine that it is too cold to deal with and will wait until light, this is your warning. Be prepared to replace everything. It is that simple. Any questions, send me a direct message on here. That way it will not get lost in other notifications. Godspeed pool bros.
a.tramp does your breaker advice assume a certain duration of power loss? If it just cuts off due to demand, is there a certain timeframe when I should cut it, or does that need to be immediate?
If it was my pool, and power went out, and we were in the middles of this spell, I would winterize immediately and trip breakers. Who is to say how quickly power will be restored. I am already seeing backwash lines frozen solid that were not properly vented after the last backwashing. It is your pool & equipment to gamble with.
So this storm is actually worsening the closer we get. So with that in mind. Adding an additional thing to this. This comes after talking with some pool professionals that were around during the big freeze of ‘83. In that event, equipment/pluming froze while running. *if you have one, turn pool heater on Sunday as the temps really start to plummet. Leave it on minimally until temps start get back above 20 degrees. That will most likely be sometime Wednesday. Yes, it is most likely going to cost several hundred in natural gas to do so. But, a new heater alone costs from $3200-$5000 depending on who you have installing it. This will give your pool equipment and plumbing a fighting chance. The increased water temperature, ever so slight ambient air temperature increase around the equipment, and increased ground temp around the plumbing from the heated water should help. Do not set the heater to a really low setting. You do not want the heater cycling on and off because the rapid heating and cooling of the heat exchanger and header can cause damage. I apologize if this is not the information that you as a pool owner want to hear. The truth is, this is pretty unchartered territory for most. All areas that have climates such as what we are going to see over the next fully winterize/drain their pool equipment once swim season or shoulder season is over. Just the past 2 days, we were forecasted to be well over freezing at some point in the day and it never materiaized.
I would add that placing a blanket/moving blanket/something over your exposed plumbing and filter is not a terrible idea. If you choose to do so, some ground rules. 1. Do not have it covering heater if you are using it. 2. No not have it in contact with any motors. 3. Secure the cover with something (multiple bricks, cinder blocks, large rocks) that will not move, it will be quite windy at times and you can not have the cover shifting into contact with motors or shifting over heater. 4. Use buckets or gardening frames (such as tomato ladders) to clear motors.
Why not just close and winterize these pools for a few weeks? Drain, blow out the lines, hope for the best without a cover.
I think you underestimate how many pools there are in the DFW metro. The forecast changed and we have already been below freezing for 48 hours straight when we were supposed to be in the 40s both days as a high. That means backwash lines are frozen already. You can’t empty 15-50k gallons into the yard/street/alley x tens of thousands of pools. That is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Not really. Dallas has some of the worst soil there is for pools. It is clay and wildly fluctuates. Without the weight of the water keeping opposing pressure on the soil, bad things happen fast here. It really is the worst of all scenarios. Bottom line is it is going to suck for a lot of people. But I am going to do my part to make sure the customers that reach out make it through it as best as possible.
I think someone must have done that in my alley, because we now have a 50 foot runway of ice. Probably isn't going to save money if you create a bowling alley for fences back there. This is going to be such a disaster
I wonder what kind of business we could throw a.tramp's way after this. My man is gonna be living next to cuban