Anka Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 I have to be gone for a few days and do not know what to do about the pool. This is like a living thing, like my garden and my dogs. It needs TLC. I don't know anybody around here well enough to ask them to come over and turn the pump on in the mornings and off at night. The way it's wired I can't find any sort of timer to connect to it. If I leave the pool alone for four days, I fear it'll be green sludge when I come back. I can let the pump run on 'filter' and not worry about the thousand Japanese beetles which will get caught in the skimmer, but what about water chemistry? I check this every day and add what needs adding, if anything. What if the pump quits for some reason? What if it pours rain and the pool overflows? What if the sky falls????? Really, what do you do when you have to leave for a while? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Posted July 7, 2006 Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 A timer is the way to go. I've seen some pumps that have a timer on the end of them (under a flip panel at the end of the pump.) Did you check that? However, most pools that I've seen, have a timer installed "in line" (between the outlet and the pump...follow the electrical conduit wire and look for a box has a timer wheel in it) If your pool doens't have a timer, they do sell some aftermarket ones that can be plugged into the outlet and are rated for outdoor use. Such as this site.... http://www.nextag.com/outdoor-timer/search-html The timers above are a temporary fix. I don't think they are as durable or as reliable as some of the major timers your dealer and electrician can set you up with. But they are a cheap easy fix. But all in all, a few days vacation, (as opposed to a week or longer) may not be too bad. Unless you've had major problems in the past, I think you are being a bit over protective (which isn't necessarly a bad thing) Me? I'd make sure the pool is clean (vacummed and filter backwashed, all skimmers cleaned and the water chem balanced) and maybe add a bit more chlorine to the pool before I left. If a timer is out of the question, and you are concered that you could loose your water I am sure you could hire a pool maintence/cleaner to come by and check on it or your local pool place might be able to offer help/suggestions. Or this might just be the excuse for you to have an proper timer installed ? My pool water is pretty good, so a few days isn't critical. I am lucky enough to have pool knowleageable family close by to check on things. The worst case would be major rains flooding the pool. If the water was very bad I could usually get it back in line in a day or so. But I only have a 21' above ground round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anka Posted July 7, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2006 Thanks for the timer URL. The pump is hardwired and a plug-in timer won't work, and there isn't time to hire an electician or have the pool installer come do it. I really should have thought of installing a timer when we initially put in the pool. When you said, "I'd make sure the pool is clean (vacummed and filter backwashed, all skimmers cleaned and the water chem balanced) and maybe add a bit more chlorine to the pool before I left " do you mean you'd not leave the pump running and just count on having well balanced water for the duration? That's probably what I'll do because I don't want to take a chance on the pump burning out for one reason or another. Plus, we do tend to have a lot of power outages here and if that happens, the pump won't come back on, anyway. Thanks for your input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Posted July 10, 2006 Report Share Posted July 10, 2006 Yes, get the pool clean, get your chlorine levels up, shut off the pump and go on vacation and relax. 4 days shouldn't cause a problem. Enjoy your vacation! Yor pool will be fine! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anka Posted July 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Yes, get the pool clean, get your chlorine levels up, shut off the pump and go on vacation and relax. 4 days shouldn't cause a problem. Enjoy your vacation! Yor pool will be fine! You were right The pool had some dead Japanese beetles on the bottom and a few clumps of dog hair, and it was VERY full from the rain, but the water was clean, clear, and sparkling. A minor spot of green algae in a liner wrinkle, that's it. I appreciate your advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hey Anaka! I hope you enjoyed your vacation. For the most part, keeping an above ground pool clean is easy. Glad to here you came home to a pool in decent shape. Here in MA, the beetles are very bad this year. Every day my skimmer basket is filled with them! I wonder why this year it's so bad? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anka Posted July 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2006 Yep, vacation was really good. I had a chance to swim in a Baquacil pool and I didn't like it. The water felt weirdly oily, hard to describe, and the pool steps were so slick that they were dangerous. This is an inground liner pool with concrete steps. As to the beetles, they're really horrible here in PA as well. Those little suckers are great swimmers and seem to enjoy the ride in the skimmer's vortex Luckily, my dogs leave a fair amount of hair in the pool; the hair seems to trap the beetles in the skimmer basket. Oh, speaking of skimming . . . I found a new net for scooping debris. This is a rectangular job with a net bag attached, looks sort of like what you use when fishing to haul the fish out with. It's a little heavier than the flat skimming gadget but I find it more useful. Bottom as well as surface debris gets caught down in the net bag and you can work it longer without having to empty it all the time. Of course, getting those dang beetles with their sticky legs out of it is not a whole lot of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trigger Posted July 24, 2006 Report Share Posted July 24, 2006 The beetles seem to be dimishing a bit up here. Maybe thier season is coming to an end. The skimmer you have sounds like what is more commonly refered to as a "leaf bag" . They are great for scooping our leaves and heavy stuff off the bottom. They hold a lot but can be a bit of a pain to empty. I have a small hand held (about 14" total leagth) hand skimmer. I give it to one of my nephews when the go swimming and put them on "bug patrol". They have a ball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnightEagle Posted October 19, 2006 Report Share Posted October 19, 2006 Have leared alot from this post. And I will not let my new pool pump Run More than 12 hrs or so. As I did in the past It I let run 24/7 I had the cleanist water in town. Only the darn pool Vac would get tangle with the ladder. Unless I pulled it out of the pool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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