On 5/28/2014 10:58 PM, Danny D. wrote:
gonjah wrote, on Wed, 28 May 2014 19:34:55 -0500:

I have a small backyard with a 10,000 gal pool and deck.
I think it's easier to care for than grass.

The maintenance task is a bit more difficult than most for me.

For one, I don't know why pill bugs LOVE my pool so much!
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3742/1...ccf7a462_z.jpg

And, for another, I don't have any of the right tools.
For example, this is the only "pool vacuum" I own:
https://c2.staticflickr.com/4/3775/1...e40a3c18_c.jpg

And, this Craftsman sump pump just impotently dribbles!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2930/1...d92c725c_z.jpg

It drives me crazy that 1/2 horsepower takes about an hour
to fill up a 5-gallon bucket when the inlet end is immersed
in water the entire time!
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2902/1...e1770d6b_z.jpg

You'd think Craftsman tools would work better than that!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/98287134@N02/14101828108/

Another maintenance task is applying the huge amount of
chlorine to the pool in various forms:
https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2908/1...5922732f_b.jpg

So, all in all, I wouldn't wish pool maintenance on my
worst enemy; but maybe I just need the right tools.

NOTE: If you have any idea WHY that 1/2 Horsepower Craftsman
pump sucks so badly, please let me know (because it makes
maintenance manual when it should be automatic!).

Your problems all feed on each other. If you fill the pool in one day
you don't need to be adding chlorine or CYA or calcium as you go along.
Do you have "city water" or just a well? It costs a lot to fill a pool
with "city water" but there are some advantages.

Where I grew up, in Florida, most houses had wells for sprinkler systems
but no one used that water for pool filling. And you couldn't really
drain your pool completely because it would pop out of the ground
http://realestate.aol.com/blog/2013/10/11/pedraza-family-pool-pops-up/.