Groo

well, when I did the install, I upgraded to 2". the only small stuff left is the bottom of the skimmer itself (planning on a new skimmer with a new liner next year), and when it divides into 2 runs for the outlets. 2x 1.5" has more area than 1x 2", so thats not a problem. I can't do anything about the size of the fittings on the old skimmer without replacing it. I wonder if I should look into larger nozzles too? Its not blowing bubbles, so I wont worry about it. This new 1 hp setup is sure moving alot more water than the old 1hp pump. the presure gauge on the filter reads 10psi if that matters.

well, I'd probably rent a concrete saw to open up the area over the leak. If you use a jack hammer or sledge, you find a leak there even if there wasn't one in the first place. drain the pool down below the nozzle, then use your pool vacuum to draw up the water to the skimmer to see if its fixed or not before repouring the concrete. you may have to run a garden hose into the skimmer to keep it suction while the water level is low. I used this method to drain my pool for the winter, and it had no problem drawing water up over a foot below the skimmer.

I just replumbed the pool, Changed to a pump and filter, plus added in a Heatpump. I am finding a disheartening amount of small leaks, and those will be delt with, but I'm not sure if I have another problem or not. The new pump, a Hayward Tristar is pumping great, but the air pocket on top of the pump basket is remaining. with the old pump, it would fill up with water in a minute or so. Do I have another leak I am not aware of? or is this just the way this pump works? I did also mount this pump about a foot higher than the old one if that makes a difference (but then the water level was almost a foot high when I first fired it up too).

you can patch some pretty big holes with a patch kit. I'd just go crazy with the patch kit(s) and see how it goes. at 10 years, you are ready for a new liner. I'd put that $600 towards a new one, but it might be worth patching to see how much you really like having a pool, and to see if there are any other problems.

how hard would it be to swap conections on your pump? and put the filter on recirc or whatever bypasses it. we usually leave the filter basket in. I've been considering adding a dedicated vac port when I put in a new liner next year. I supose I'd need an inline basket or I'd clog up the pump basket every time I used it.

The old-school outdoor boilers were very smoky and inefficient because they burned at such a low temperature. modern designs use high temperatures, and a secondary burn to get very high efficiencies. As a pool stove would have no need to sit and smolder all day to provide a constant level of heat, it would be much easier to make a high efficiency type heater. We currently heat our house with a wood furnace, andI've been researching outdoor boilers for the next place. seams to me that a well setup wood fired pool heater could move the water through convection and not even require a pump if set up below the water level

well, I'm an idiot. the gasket fits on a grove on the pump I didn't see at the time. The lack of instalation instruction didn't help. I did of course figure that out after I used vegtable oil to get the gaskets smashed inbeteween the the 2 pieces. Luckily the gaskets weren't harmed.

The new pump came with a couple of threaded union style fittings. they just through the part in a bag, and I cant get the rubber o-ring style gasket were it needs to go for the life of me. any tricks?

Our pool has done several different types chemical releases. Started with bromine in a foating thing. It didn't do it good enough. then when with the bromine in the tower, very incisistant.' then liquid chlorine, now chlorine tablets in the skimmer. I never noticed any differences in corosion. the PVC of the skimmer and tower look very similar to me. the basket and the metal handle of the basket seam fine. I am not noticing accelerated aging of the liner near the skimmer. we generally run our pool 4 hrs a day.

when we did our liner pool years back. we did pressure treated sides with 1" insulating foam for sides. we also did the foam on the floor, but the instructions said just sand. If you are looking at concrete floor and deck with fiberglass walls, why not just get a concrete pool? we get just over 10 years of life from a liner (and we probably stretch out out too far), but its open less than 6 months a year. I've got to think all the extra sun you'll be getting will wreck your's much quicker. I'm not sure I'd bother with a light if I were you. I assume you'll have some sort of pool shed. just stick a flood lamp on it if you want. a 10x10 patio and 3' suround sounds a bit on the small side, if the fence will be right there. if you have it in a fenced back yard, it would be ok. maybe even skip the patio if it helps take some of the sting out of it. in addition o the extended warantee thing. often pumps and filters are sold as a set at a mild discount. I recently purchased a new filter. I was leaning toward a cartridge, but couldn't justify the price jump over a sand filter.cspeaking of filters, be sure they don't stick you with too small of a filter.

We did Vinyl years back. the folks were told concrete would crack in the winter here (colder than your local). not sure if it true, thinking it isn't. The liners last about 10 years. draining down too far then refilling streatches them bad around the ports. There will be some folds somewere (we have 1 rea bad spot were we hit bedrock, so the whole thing is "dented"), and we have spots were the retainers don't hold the liner as well as we'd like. pluss you really got to watch for dogs. thier nails can tear it up quick if they try to get out were there isn't a ladder. ours learned to use the ladders quick, but visiting dogs have wondered in when nobody was around (our gate isn't the best, but its being replaced thi year. They MUCH safer in a shallow dive incident, especially if you have foam pannels ouderneith like ours. and they are smooth to walk on.

well, the plumbing isn't really underground, just under a deck for the most part, so changing it out isn't a huge deal I've been looking into it, and I might be able justify a variable speed pump. I assume that would cancel out most of the good of a larger plumbing, but the heatpump is most efficient at 40gpm, so I think the added pump efficiency below that would be cancelled out by the decrease in heatpump efficiency.

When the pool was built, it was all 1 1/2" pvc. (over the years, some has been replaced with the semi flexable black pipe) The pump shed is near the skimmer, and I was thinking of upgrading the the plumbing to 2" to the point were it tees to the 2 outlets. I figure since there are 2 pipes there the carry the flow, upgrading wouldn't do much, if anything. I will be redoing all of the plumbing inside the shed. I noticed some of the equipment I am looking at is set up for 2" pipe, and figured now would be the time. I was also thinking up upgrading to a 1.5 hp 2 speed or multi speed from a 1 hp single speed. the pump needs to be replaced, and that should help with vacuming. any other upgrades worth considering while I've got it all in pieces?

you said yourself once it drops down, it looses power, so it is looses suction. the lower level suction cant draw the air into the system. small cracks or leaks will let air in under suction, but not let water drip out.

I don't know DE filters, but this doesn't sound like a filter problem you are getting air sucked into the pump. usually the water comes from the skimmer, to the pump, then the filter. assuming you pool water level is high enough, it sounds to me like you have a crack letting air into the system between the skimmer and the pump. could also be the skimmer or the pump. do you live were it ever freezes? you could have lots of leaks