Pltybx

So the wife and I want to resurface the pool and started to think about removing the attached spa.The reasoning behind this is because the spa is kind of in a weird spot that doesn't allow for much deck space between the house and the spa. We hardly ever use it and it doesn't filter very well anyways. We have pigeons all over and they make a real mess of the spa regardless of what I do to deter them. I was thinking about extending the jets since they act as returns and fill in the spa and have decking over it. Has anyone ever done anything like this? Any advice or experiences would be appreciated. Thanks.

So MyOldPool, any pics of your remodel. I know it's been some time since the thread was discussed but was looking for an update from both you and DLCramer.

Well it seems that after some regular brushing with a wire brush and running the pump after adding the algaecide has seemed to clear it up. Slowly but surely it's looking better. I'll keep up the regimen and see if I can get a handle on this. If not, then I'll probably plan to drain the pool a bit. Thanks for the advice guys.

Good idea on the test kit. I've been using the pucks. How can I dilute it without draining the pool? The algae is a light yellow. I'll keep working it on the brushing and taking it easy on the chemicals until I get the test kit. Thanks.

So I've had my pool for two summers now and last summer it was great. This summer has been okay too but after July we had a pretty rainy monsoon season here in Phoenix, AZ. Half of my pool is shaded as is the spa and that side seems to be getting algae all the time. I've attempted to brush it with a nylon brush and a wire brush but it is very stubborn. I took a test sample of my water to the local pool store and they said everything is fine, I may need to add some acid. They also recommended an algaecide. So this last Sunday I put in some acid (1gal), 32oz of the algaecide and 2lbs of shock and let the filter run 24 hours. It seems to have gotten better but still is very apparent and is starting to worry me. Is there anything else I should be looking out for? I didn't have any phosphates as I use a phosphate remover (2oz) usually once a week.

So I hacksawed the wood pole as close to the floor as I could and over the course of 4 days (30 mins to 1 hour) I got most of the wood out. Funny thing, I got the core of it out but the sides seem to have adhered itself to the side of the umbrella hole in the pool floor. I see a bit more minor work ahead but not too worried. Thanks for the help guys.

Maybe just a little bit at a time then?

So I was looking at the stuck pole (stewing is more like it) and I think I am just going to take a hacksaw to the wood as close to the bottom as possible and try and chip away the rest to relieve pressure and remove the rest. Anyone think this is a good/bad idea?

I was thinking the same thing about waiting until it's winter. Then I can drain the pool and have the calcium cleaned on the tile at the same time. Either that or hopefully the wood would rot out enough to remove. Or try to chisel out under water. Do you think it would hurt the plaster at all?

So my wife purchased a wood umbrella and put it in the umbrella hole in our pool. Obviously it swelled and now won't come out. Any ideas on what to do? I kept telling her we needed an aluminum one but she insisted a wooden one would be fine. Seriously need some help here. I'm guessing we just have to leave it and then try and chip it out later.

I'll have to check on that. It's an A.E. Smith or something like that.

So I've had my new (to me) home since April at which time I had all the DE grids replaced as they were crushed and for the most part everything has gone okay. Pressure is holding at 10lbs since replacing the grids. Then this week the pressue was too low and found that maybe my impeller on the motor was clogged so I disconnected the pump and removed the face and difuser and found some gunk, pine needles and even a small peice of stone was in one of the impeller vents. reconnected the pump, primed it and turned it on and the pressure returns to 10# and sounds nice steady. Since I'm out I decide to backwash the pool. I unroll the hose to the lawn and make sure the valve is positioned to backwash and turn on the pump. water starts coming out. The water is dirty as expected but at least 20 minutes go by and it's not getting much better. Is this normal? It had been about 2 months since the last backwash. Needless to say, the level of my pool water got low enough to where the skimmer wasn't filling up fast enough consistently pressurize the hose. I ended up stopping the backwash and just added some DE to the skimmer just in case and went back to normal SOP. Pressure is good at 10#. So like I asked, is this normal for the water to be so dirty for so long? Also, my pressure hasn't risen like I though it would from the pool being so dirty. I do clean the pump skimmer basket at least 3 times a week so I don't know. Thanks.

That's great to hear. Maybe I'll try that first before drilling. Thanks.

Congrats on the solution. I may have to look at the Pool Sand Shark if it continues to work for you. Not all of my pop ups are working but I'm not terribly worried about that. Let me ask you this, do your pop ups also act as the return to the pool or do you have a separate return to where you could shut the pop ups off and just use the shark?

I feel your pain. If I had to do it over again, I would probably go with a different cleaner than my Hayward. I'm not familiar with the shark so I can't tell you if that will go over the pop ups or not. My Hayward has the suction hole that is the perfect diameter of the pop ups and ends up getting stuck on the pop up head. I was told to just remove the pop ups but I'm thinking I would like to leave them in there to prevent larger debris from falling into the pipes. My solution will be to remove the pop up heads and drill holes in the top to relieve the water pressure that would otherwise make them rise. I just have to get the tool to remove them.