Here's a picture of the walls of my pool I just drained:
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8195947.jpg

What is that white stuff?

It's sandy. It's scratchy. It's smaller than sand but pretty prevalent.
It's even on the metal ring of the pool light.

Is there a 'chemical' test I can run to identify the culprit?

On 5/5/2012 5:56 PM, Arklin K. wrote:
Here's a picture of the walls of my pool I just drained:
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8195947.jpg

What is that white stuff?

It's sandy. It's scratchy. It's smaller than sand but pretty prevalent.
It's even on the metal ring of the pool light.

Is there a 'chemical' test I can run to identify the culprit?

Nice pool.

I dunno, but out of curiosity, did you check the hardness regularly
before you drained it? I'd be concerned it's the plaster.

On Sat, 05 May 2012 18:02:01 -0500, gonjah wrote:

I dunno, but out of curiosity, did you check the hardness regularly
before you drained it? I'd be concerned it's the plaster.

Leslies always tells me that the hardness is on the low side.

Here's my last report:
5 ppm Free available chlorine (HIGH, should be 1-4ppm)
5 ppm Total available chlorine (HIGH, should be 0.2 difference)
140 ppm Calcium hardness (LOW, should be 200 to 400 ppm) == add 28
pounds 4 ounces of Calcium Chloride
55 ppm Cyanuric acid (OK, should be 30 to 99 ppm)
90 ppm Total Alkalinity (OK, should be 80 to 120 ppm)
7.2 pH (OK, should be 7.2 to 7.8)
1 Base Demand (no test results) == add 1 pound 4 ounces of Soda Ash
0 ppm Copper (OK, should be 0 ppm)
0 ppm Iron (OK, should be 0 ppm)
500 ppm Total dissolved solids (OK, should be less than 2,500)
100 ppb Phosphates (OK, should be below 100 ppb)

On Sat, 05 May 2012 18:02:01 -0500, gonjah wrote:

I dunno, but out of curiosity, did you check the hardness regularly
before you drained it? I'd be concerned it's the plaster.

Leslies always tells me that the hardness is on the low side.

Here's my last report:
5 ppm Free available chlorine (HIGH, should be 1-4ppm)
5 ppm Total available chlorine (HIGH, should be 0.2 difference)
140 ppm Calcium hardness (LOW, should be 200 to 400 ppm) == add 28
pounds 4 ounces of Calcium Chloride
55 ppm Cyanuric acid (OK, should be 30 to 99 ppm)
90 ppm Total Alkalinity (OK, should be 80 to 120 ppm)
7.2 pH (OK, should be 7.2 to 7.8)
1 Base Demand (no test results) == add 1 pound 4 ounces of Soda Ash
0 ppm Copper (OK, should be 0 ppm)
0 ppm Iron (OK, should be 0 ppm)
500 ppm Total dissolved solids (OK, should be less than 2,500)
100 ppb Phosphates (OK, should be below 100 ppb)

On 5/5/2012 6:33 PM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sat, 05 May 2012 18:02:01 -0500, gonjah wrote:

I dunno, but out of curiosity, did you check the hardness regularly
before you drained it? I'd be concerned it's the plaster.
Leslies always tells me that the hardness is on the low side.

Here's my last report:
5 ppm Free available chlorine (HIGH, should be 1-4ppm)
5 ppm Total available chlorine (HIGH, should be 0.2 difference)
140 ppm Calcium hardness (LOW, should be 200 to 400 ppm)== add 28
pounds 4 ounces of Calcium Chloride

How long has it been that low? Hard to tell but it looks like the
plaster might be in poor condition. Might be the residue. But it's just
a guess. If the water lacks hardness it will leach it out of your
plaster. Or so I'm told.

55 ppm Cyanuric acid (OK, should be 30 to 99 ppm)
90 ppm Total Alkalinity (OK, should be 80 to 120 ppm)
7.2 pH (OK, should be 7.2 to 7.8)
1 Base Demand (no test results)== add 1 pound 4 ounces of Soda Ash
0 ppm Copper (OK, should be 0 ppm)
0 ppm Iron (OK, should be 0 ppm)
500 ppm Total dissolved solids (OK, should be less than 2,500)
100 ppb Phosphates (OK, should be below 100 ppb)

I try to keep my phosphates at zero.

On Sat, 05 May 2012 18:41:19 -0500, gonjah wrote:

How long has it been that low?

I don't know. It's normally OK (last summer) but it was left alone all
winter so it turned green so I drained it.

Do you think I should wash it with vinegar?

On 5/5/2012 7:02 PM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sat, 05 May 2012 18:41:19 -0500, gonjah wrote:

How long has it been that low?
I don't know. It's normally OK (last summer) but it was left alone all
winter so it turned green so I drained it.

Do you think I should wash it with vinegar?

I dunno. I'll have to reserve comment. Someone with more experience will
chime in eventually.

Maybe if you take a sample to the pool store they will know for sure
what it is and how to clean your pool. Is the plaster rough like rough
sandpaper?

Jim

"gonjah" wrote in message
net...
On 5/5/2012 7:02 PM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sat, 05 May 2012 18:41:19 -0500, gonjah wrote:

How long has it been that low?
I don't know. It's normally OK (last summer) but it was left alone all
winter so it turned green so I drained it.

Do you think I should wash it with vinegar?

I dunno. I'll have to reserve comment. Someone with more experience will
chime in eventually.

Maybe if you take a sample to the pool store they will know for sure what
it is and how to clean your pool. Is the plaster rough like rough
sandpaper?

Jim

Maybe it's volcanic ash or dust blowing in from Africa or the steppes of
Asia or even the plains of Texas (I don't know where your pool is). Dust
travels -- especially the fine stuff.

Tomsic

"Arklin K." writes:

On Sat, 05 May 2012 18:41:19 -0500, gonjah wrote:

How long has it been that low?

I don't know. It's normally OK (last summer) but it was left alone all
winter so it turned green so I drained it.

Do you think I should wash it with vinegar?

I don't think draining in-ground pools is a good idea.
Something about them popping up.

Refill it, turn on the filter.

Don't worry about a little crap on the sides of the pool.
It's outside, it gets all kinds of crap in it all summer
long.

--
Dan Espen

On 5/5/2012 8:56 PM, Dan Espen wrote:
"Arklin writes:

On Sat, 05 May 2012 18:41:19 -0500, gonjah wrote:

How long has it been that low?
I don't know. It's normally OK (last summer) but it was left alone all
winter so it turned green so I drained it.

Do you think I should wash it with vinegar?
I don't think draining in-ground pools is a good idea.
Something about them popping up.

Refill it, turn on the filter.

Don't worry about a little crap on the sides of the pool.
It's outside, it gets all kinds of crap in it all summer
long.


It depends on the water table in your area. You don't dare drain your
pool in Florida. Here, no problem. But you're right, he should know the
level of the water table prior to draining.

On Sat, 05 May 2012 19:10:55 -0500, gonjah wrote:

Is the plaster rough like rough sandpaper?

Yes. Just like sandpaper. I'm assuming it could be calcium deposits but I
have no idea if that 'is' what it is.

Is there a chemical test?

On Sat, 05 May 2012 21:24:30 -0500, gonjah wrote:

It depends on the water table in your area. You don't dare drain your
pool in Florida. Here, no problem. But you're right, he should know the
level of the water table prior to draining.

I don't know the level of the water table but out here our wells are all
in the hundreds of feet range (like 500 feet deep) so if 'that' is any
indication, then the water table is deeper than the pool.

On 5/6/2012 12:02 AM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sat, 05 May 2012 19:10:55 -0500, gonjah wrote:

Is the plaster rough like rough sandpaper?
Yes. Just like sandpaper. I'm assuming it could be calcium deposits but I
have no idea if that 'is' what it is.

Is there a chemical test?

Nah. What ya got is pitted plaster because the water has leached out the
calcium. It leaves the plaster rough like that. My pool is the same way.
Previous owners didn't take care of the pool at all. The only cure I
know of is a new plaster job. On a pool the size of yours it's probably
going to be expensive too. Right now might be a good time to get
estimates because there are a lot of contractors looking for work.
That's what I ascertained from your info and the picture at least. I
don't know how to clean it up. I guess it depends on if you want to
leave it in the condition it's in.

On 5/6/2012 12:04 AM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sat, 05 May 2012 21:24:30 -0500, gonjah wrote:

It depends on the water table in your area. You don't dare drain your
pool in Florida. Here, no problem. But you're right, he should know the
level of the water table prior to draining.
I don't know the level of the water table but out here our wells are all
in the hundreds of feet range (like 500 feet deep) so if 'that' is any
indication, then the water table is deeper than the pool.

I'd like to say don't worry about it but I don't want to be responsible.

On Sun, 06 May 2012 00:14:30 -0500, gonjah wrote:

Nah. What ya got is pitted plaster because the water has leached out the
calcium. It leaves the plaster rough like that.

Interesting. It 'could' be that as it was a foreclosure. And, the pool is
big (I'm not sure how you figured that out since the picture showed only
about 3/4 of it as the rest still has water I'm pumping out).
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186118.jpg

The water doesn't seem to be too high in Calcium - if anything, I have to
constantly add calcium according to Leslies.

So, maybe it 'is' pitted. I wish there was a test. I tried some vinegar
today but I wasn't sure if it worked or not.
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8195867.jpg

On Sun, 06 May 2012 00:17:27 -0500, gonjah wrote:

I'd like to say don't worry about it but I don't want to be responsible.

One thing I found about water lifting the pool out of the ground like a
boat was there is something called "hydrostatic plugs".

What would a hydrostatic plug look like so I can open them up?

Here's the pool - would the hydrostatic plugs be in here somewhere?
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186118.jpg

"Arklin K." writes:

On Sun, 06 May 2012 00:17:27 -0500, gonjah wrote:

I'd like to say don't worry about it but I don't want to be responsible.

One thing I found about water lifting the pool out of the ground like a
boat was there is something called "hydrostatic plugs".

What would a hydrostatic plug look like so I can open them up?

Here's the pool - would the hydrostatic plugs be in here somewhere?
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186118.jpg

Still can't figure out why you are draining the pool.
Fill it, turn on the filter. You're done.

--
Dan Espen

On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:10:15 -0400, Dan Espen wrote:

Still can't figure out why you are draining the pool.
Fill it, turn on the filter. You're done.

It was a green swamp!
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186117.jpg

I shocked it with $150 in chemicals and ran the two pumps (filter +
cleaner) for days until I finally gave up and figured I'd just replace
the water.

Once I drained it - I figured I'd clean it while I could for maintenance.

"Arklin K." writes:

On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:10:15 -0400, Dan Espen wrote:

Still can't figure out why you are draining the pool.
Fill it, turn on the filter. You're done.

It was a green swamp!
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186117.jpg

I shocked it with $150 in chemicals and ran the two pumps (filter +
cleaner) for days until I finally gave up and figured I'd just replace
the water.

Once I drained it - I figured I'd clean it while I could for maintenance.

It shouldn't have taken $150 in chemicals.
Just liquid chlorine. A few gallons and you're done.

I've dealt with green pools this way more than once.
Sometimes it takes a while. If that happens, more chlorine.

How much is the water to refill the pool going to cost.

Oh well, water under the bridge.

--
Dan Espen

On 5/6/2012 9:34 AM, Dan Espen wrote:
"Arklin writes:

On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:10:15 -0400, Dan Espen wrote:

Still can't figure out why you are draining the pool.
Fill it, turn on the filter. You're done.
It was a green swamp!
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186117.jpg

I shocked it with $150 in chemicals and ran the two pumps (filter +
cleaner) for days until I finally gave up and figured I'd just replace
the water.

Once I drained it - I figured I'd clean it while I could for maintenance.
It shouldn't have taken $150 in chemicals.
Just liquid chlorine. A few gallons and you're done.

I've dealt with green pools this way more than once.
Sometimes it takes a while. If that happens, more chlorine.

How much is the water to refill the pool going to cost.

Oh well, water under the bridge.


It's hard to tell from pictures but yeah a good filter system and some
chemicals would have fixed it right up. I

On 5/6/2012 3:38 AM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 00:14:30 -0500, gonjah wrote:

Nah. What ya got is pitted plaster because the water has leached out the
calcium. It leaves the plaster rough like that.
Interesting. It 'could' be that as it was a foreclosure. And, the pool is
big (I'm not sure how you figured that out since the picture showed only
about 3/4 of it as the rest still has water I'm pumping out).
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186118.jpg

The water doesn't seem to be too high in Calcium - if anything, I have to
constantly add calcium according to Leslies.

Sure. The calcium that's in the water probably came from the plaster.
You have to maintain the calcium level to keep it from damaging the
plaster and other things too.


So, maybe it 'is' pitted. I wish there was a test. I tried some vinegar
today but I wasn't sure if it worked or not.
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8195867.jpg

I don't know how to clean it. I've never done that. Looks interesting.

On 5/6/2012 9:19 AM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:10:15 -0400, Dan Espen wrote:

Still can't figure out why you are draining the pool.
Fill it, turn on the filter. You're done.
It was a green swamp!
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186117.jpg

I shocked it with $150 in chemicals and ran the two pumps (filter +
cleaner) for days until I finally gave up and figured I'd just replace
the water.

In *extreme* situations you can use floc, let the particles settle, then
vacuum.

http://www.zearth.com/products/PoolC...ero_124298.jpg




Once I drained it - I figured I'd clean it while I could for maintenance.

On 5/6/2012 3:39 AM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 00:17:27 -0500, gonjah wrote:

I'd like to say don't worry about it but I don't want to be responsible.
One thing I found about water lifting the pool out of the ground like a
boat was there is something called "hydrostatic plugs".

What would a hydrostatic plug look like so I can open them up?

Here's the pool - would the hydrostatic plugs be in here somewhere?
http://www5.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186118.jpg

I don't know but nice pool.

On May 6, 10:34*am, Dan Espen wrote:
"Arklin K." writes:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:10:15 -0400, Dan Espen wrote:

Still can't figure out why you are draining the pool.
Fill it, turn on the filter. *You're done.

It was a green swamp!
*http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186117.jpg

I shocked it with $150 in chemicals and ran the two pumps (filter +
cleaner) for days until I finally gave up and figured I'd just replace
the water.

It shouldn't have taken $150 in chemicals.
Just liquid chlorine. A few gallons and you're done.

I was thinking the same thing. I hope some of those
chemicals were for other than shocking. When I open
a pool I dump in 5 gallons of liquid chlorine. Cost
$18. Pools here, NJ are usually a mess when opened
for the first time, with algae, leaves, etc. The chlorine.
brushing it, plus 3 days of filtering and it's cleaned up.

On Sun, 6 May 2012 08:38:08 +0000 (UTC), "Arklin K."
wrote:

So, maybe it 'is' pitted. I wish there was a test. I tried some vinegar
today but I wasn't sure if it worked or not.
http://www4.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8195867.jpg

Does your filter have white particles, small pieces of plaster in it?
Chances are the plaster is failing.

This is the best article found on the web. Long, but detailed with
nuggets of information.

http://www.truetex.com/pool.htm

Nah. What ya got is pitted plaster because the water has leached out the
calcium. It leaves the plaster rough like that.

What you have on the walls of that pool is a coating of Cocaine. Some
druggie must have drowned in the pool. You'll probably find the bones
in the pump or filters. The value of the cocaine should exceed the
repair costs. Figure about $250 per gram. You'll need to scrap it off
the pool walls and take it downtown where all the whores, addicts, and
gangbangers hang out. That's where you sell it. Be sure to take a
loaded gun along.

On Sun, 06 May 2012 08:21:52 -0700, Oren wrote:

Does your filter have white particles, small pieces of plaster in it?
Chances are the plaster is failing.

The filter has a ton of green scum on it (from the swamp) so it's hard to
tell. It's slimy stuff. Almost like a thin lime-green paste.


This is the best article found on the web
http://www.truetex.com/pool.htm

Thanks! I'm reading it now!

On Sun, 06 May 2012 13:15:47 -0500, inspections wrote:
What you have on the walls of that pool is a coating of Cocaine.

Here's a better picture of the coating, I just took today:
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8203136.jpg

The white part by the upper tile is soft and smooth.
The white part by the lower plaster is rough and sandpapery.

I can't tell what the white stuff is. If it's calcium, I've read that
acid washing isn't really for that (acid washing is to remove a thin
layer of plaster for refinishing or painting).

Also, the blue splotches are confusing me. I can't tell if the white is
covering the blue or if the blue has flaked off revealing white.

Can someone look at these pictures and give me advice as to what's
happening with the blue paint?
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8203361.jpg

On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:04:03 -0500, gonjah wrote:

In *extreme* situations you can use floc, let the particles settle, then
vacuum.

One problem with the aluminum flocculent in my pool is there is no
vacuum. The pool is designed to be 'self cleaning' (yeah, like high
school kids are self policing).

Anyway, maybe I 'should' have used the flocculent and then 'rented' a
pool vacuum to get the stuff off the bottom ... but that's too late now!

http://picturepush.com/public/8203391

On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:34:36 -0400, Dan Espen wrote:

How much is the water to refill the pool going to cost.

I don't know yet.

I can either fill it from the well (paying for electricity at California
rates of 45 cents / KW hour) or pay someone to deliver 38K gallons.

For anyone who has had water delivered ... how much is 38K gallons anyway
in cost?

On Sun, 06 May 2012 08:10:28 -0700, wrote:
I hope some of those chemicals were for
other than shocking.

The blue algaecide was about $50
The chlorine shock was about $50 for a 24 pound box at Costco.
The bucket of 3" tablets was about $50 at Costco.
The muriatic acid was about $25 for a few gallons.
The clcium supplement was another $25 at Leslies.
And THEN there was the liquid chlorine from Home Depot at about $50 for
12 gallons.

I've rounded all the numbers for the easy math but that's about $250
already, of which more than half was put into the pool - so that's where
the rough number came from.

Not to mention 24/7 use of two 10-amp 240v 1.65HP pumps to clean the pool
(since one pump can't work alone - this pool requires two due to the
lousy self-cleaning system).

http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8203391.jpg

On 5/6/2012 3:46 PM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:04:03 -0500, gonjah wrote:

In *extreme* situations you can use floc, let the particles settle, then
vacuum.
One problem with the aluminum flocculent in my pool is there is no
vacuum. The pool is designed to be 'self cleaning' (yeah, like high
school kids are self policing).

Anyway, maybe I 'should' have used the flocculent and then 'rented' a
pool vacuum to get the stuff off the bottom ... but that's too late now!

http://picturepush.com/public/8203391

It doesn't have a skimmer? I thought I saw one. My vacuum works through
the skimmer. It's a pretty simple operation.

http://www.americasbestpoolsupply.co...d/skimvac2.gif

http://media.photobucket.com/image/r...umWithHose.jpg

On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:05:48 -0500, gonjah wrote:

I don't know but nice pool.

I'm still unsure if the white is calcium or if the white is the lack of
blue.

For example, here is a closeup of the blue and white.
http://picturepush.com/public/8203361

The white on the tile must be a deposit of something.
The blue below it must be the pool plaster.
But what's the white below the blue?

On 5/6/2012 3:41 PM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 13:15:47 -0500, inspections wrote:
What you have on the walls of that pool is a coating of Cocaine.
Here's a better picture of the coating, I just took today:
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8203136.jpg

The white part by the upper tile is soft and smooth.
The white part by the lower plaster is rough and sandpapery.

I can't tell what the white stuff is. If it's calcium, I've read that
acid washing isn't really for that (acid washing is to remove a thin
layer of plaster for refinishing or painting).

Also, the blue splotches are confusing me. I can't tell if the white is
covering the blue or if the blue has flaked off revealing white.

Can someone look at these pictures and give me advice as to what's
happening with the blue paint?
http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8203361.jpg

You know it's hard to tell but I'd guess it's (the blue stuff) dead
algae that is imbedded in the plaster. If it is, it's impossible to get
out without removing the plaster. It's hard to say because the previous
owners could have done (or not done) so many things.

On Sun, 06 May 2012 15:56:18 -0500, gonjah wrote:

It doesn't have a skimmer? I thought I saw one. My vacuum works through
the skimmer. It's a pretty simple operation.

Nope. The skimmers (both of them) are wholly unfiltered!

Other than the skimmer basket and pump basket, anything sucked up by the
skimmer goes right BACK into the pool! I know. It's weird. IMHO, it's
stupid - but that's the way Lifetime and Paramount build pools.

Here's a brochure describing the Paramount PCC2000 "self-cleaning" pool
system:
http://www.1paramount.com/products/pcc/

Basically, the skimmers only skim the huge stuff. Everything else goes
back into the pool, unfiltered so that the dozen rotating pop-up heads
push the crud to the deep end of the pool.

Once at the deep end, it's soooo steep (45 degrees!) that the crud can't
get back out. The filter pump pulls the crud from the bottom of the deep
end and that is the only filtered water.

Here's a picture of the shallow end leading to the deep end.
http://picturepush.com/public/8203391

And, here's a picture of me failing to remove one of the pop up cleaner
heads:
http://picturepush.com/public/8203134

I can't seem to understand HOW these things remove, even taking into
account the special tool and the fact they're reverse threaded.

Here's a picture of the two cleaner heads that control the dozen pop up
rotating spray cleaners:
http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186945.jpg

In theory, it should keep the pool clean - but in reality, it stinks.

The problem is there is no way to hook up a vacuum that I can figure out
as the vacuum hooked to the skimmers simply blows the crud right back
into the pool via the pop up cleaner heads!

On May 6, 4:52*pm, "Arklin K." wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 08:10:28 -0700, wrote:
I hope some of those chemicals were for
other than shocking.

The blue algaecide was about $50
The chlorine shock was about $50 for a 24 pound box at Costco.
The bucket of 3" tablets was about $50 at Costco.
The muriatic acid was about $25 for a few gallons.
The clcium supplement was another $25 at Leslies.
And THEN there was the liquid chlorine from Home Depot at about $50 for
12 gallons.

I've rounded all the numbers for the easy math but that's about $250
already, of which more than half was put into the pool - so that's where
the rough number came from.

Not to mention 24/7 use of two 10-amp 240v 1.65HP pumps to clean the pool
(since one pump can't work alone - this pool requires two due to the
lousy self-cleaning system).

http://www3.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8203391.jpg

No way I'd be paying $$$ for algaecide and $$$ for shock.
I put 5 gallons of 12% liquid chlorine into a 48,000 gallon
pool and it kills everything. There are algae that are harder
to kill, but I don't believe the common green one is one of
them. Even if you put 15 gallons of liq chlorine in, I could
do that for $54 and it would have the chlorine up at 20+ ppm
unless the pool is olympic size.

On May 6, 4:48*pm, "Arklin K." wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 10:34:36 -0400, Dan Espen wrote:
How much is the water to refill the pool going to cost.

I don't know yet.

I can either fill it from the well (paying for electricity at California
rates of 45 cents / KW hour) or pay someone to deliver 38K gallons.

For anyone who has had water delivered ... how much is 38K gallons anyway
in cost?

I don;t know, but it's impossible that it's going to be
cheaper than running a well pump. 1 hp well pump
is probably around 7 amps, 240V, or 1.5kw. That's
75 cents an hour. If it pumps a typical well rate of
15GPM, that's 900GPH. I could fill my 48000 gallon
pool for $40 even at your electric rate.

On 5/6/2012 4:28 PM, Arklin K. wrote:
On Sun, 06 May 2012 15:56:18 -0500, gonjah wrote:

It doesn't have a skimmer? I thought I saw one. My vacuum works through
the skimmer. It's a pretty simple operation.
Nope. The skimmers (both of them) are wholly unfiltered!

Other than the skimmer basket and pump basket, anything sucked up by the
skimmer goes right BACK into the pool! I know. It's weird. IMHO, it's
stupid - but that's the way Lifetime and Paramount build pools.

Here's a brochure describing the Paramount PCC2000 "self-cleaning" pool
system:
http://www.1paramount.com/products/pcc/

Basically, the skimmers only skim the huge stuff. Everything else goes
back into the pool, unfiltered so that the dozen rotating pop-up heads
push the crud to the deep end of the pool.

Once at the deep end, it's soooo steep (45 degrees!) that the crud can't
get back out. The filter pump pulls the crud from the bottom of the deep
end and that is the only filtered water.

Here's a picture of the shallow end leading to the deep end.
http://picturepush.com/public/8203391

And, here's a picture of me failing to remove one of the pop up cleaner
heads:
http://picturepush.com/public/8203134

I can't seem to understand HOW these things remove, even taking into
account the special tool and the fact they're reverse threaded.

Here's a picture of the two cleaner heads that control the dozen pop up
rotating spray cleaners:
http://www2.picturepush.com/photo/a/...40/8186945.jpg

In theory, it should keep the pool clean - but in reality, it stinks.

The problem is there is no way to hook up a vacuum that I can figure out
as the vacuum hooked to the skimmers simply blows the crud right back
into the pool via the pop up cleaner heads!

Makes me appreciate my mess.

"Arklin K." writes:

On Sun, 06 May 2012 15:56:18 -0500, gonjah wrote:

It doesn't have a skimmer? I thought I saw one. My vacuum works through
the skimmer. It's a pretty simple operation.
....
Once at the deep end, it's soooo steep (45 degrees!) that the crud can't
get back out. The filter pump pulls the crud from the bottom of the deep
end and that is the only filtered water.
....
In theory, it should keep the pool clean - but in reality, it stinks.

The problem is there is no way to hook up a vacuum that I can figure out
as the vacuum hooked to the skimmers simply blows the crud right back
into the pool via the pop up cleaner heads!

Clearly, you are not supposed to vacuum the pool.

I read the web page, all the crap heads to the deep end, then
the filter sucks it in leaving the large debris in a canister.
Clean water re-enters the pool.

Sounds like it would work.

When opening the pool, you might have to clear the filter
multiple times.

--
Dan Espen

On Sun, 06 May 2012 14:45:56 -0700, wrote:

I could fill my 48000 gallon pool for $40 even at your electric rate.

Very interesting calculation!

I think I'll fill it with the well. The main problem is the well can go
dry - but I will check for that and only put in a few thousand gallons a
day. I can probably get away with a thousand gallons a day so it would
take a month to fill.

If I can get away with 2,000 gallons, then it will only take a few weeks
to fill this up ... but I'm still siphoning the green water out as we
speak!
http://picturepush.com/public/8204345