55
Not the answer you are looking for, but:
Loud Alarms are What You Really NEED
Assuming that the premise is a sound one, that people need to be warned of unexpected/unauthorized entrance to the pool area, a loud alarm is the right answer, not an electronic notification. A few examples:
It is all too easy to ignore texts/notifications/etc. "If my boss/...
46
Ask your insurer and defense lawyer
Lawyering on whether this rule is really a mandate is probably a waste of time. It's a "best practice" and one easily implemented. Which will create civil and criminal liability for you if you don't implement it.
"I'm willing to lump the risk", does your insurance company also agree to lump the risk? I bet they don'...
35
PV panels are ~15% efficient. Hot water panels are much more, and probably much cheaper.
Way more efficient to just heat the water, rather than convert to electric and then to heat. Maybe with the exception of a heat pump... $$$
20
Based on your link, I'm assuming you live in Florida. The relevant statutes are 515.29 Residential swimming pool barrier requirements and 515.27 Residential swimming pool safety feature options; penalties.
515.27 list a few options to secure a pool: "In order to pass final inspection and receive a certificate of completion, a residential swimming pool ...
19
2000 gals is a lot for a couple of 1" tabs to chlorinate. I put one to two tablets into a 350-gallon hot tub and sometimes even that isn't enough to maintain proper chlorination. I'd be looking at one to two 3" tablets for pretty much anything you'd call a "pool".
The short answer to your question is, yes, you want to put a "start-up" dose of chlorinating ...
16
You are looking at a union, with an elbow to the left and a valve to the right.
Put one wrench on the biggest "nut". Put the other wrench on the smaller "nut" immediately to the right of it - you'll notice both of them are more worn than the other ones.
Hold the smaller one still while unscrewing the larger one.
Here's a cutaway view, if this image link ...
14
...natural gas...
...I'm not sure what the different parts are here...
Those two statements together equal "call a gasfitter".
Removing the appliance will leave the gas line unsupported, and that will lead to failure at the supported end off to the right.
The cap you want to install must be properly sealed or it will leak. Maybe now, maybe later. If ...
13
In my experience, most horror stories of pool maintenance are usually the result of neglect, or not paying attention to the instructions. It's not that hard, but expect to spend an average of 10-15min per day checking on your pool, adding chlorine, clearing out leaves in the skimmer, etc. Also, once a week, expect to spend some extra time brushing/...
13
This has already been said in one answer - but I want to say it again so that it is very clear. Generating electricity from solar only to then turn around and run electric heaters for the pool is not an efficient way to go at all. Overall such system will likely be less than 10% efficient in terms of solar energy conversion. Go with a solar water heater ...
10
How much energy do you need?
In four months you spend $7500, so assuming you heat using natural gas, that would indicate a consumption of about 19,000 cubic meters. At 10.8 kWh per cubic meter, we're talking 200,000 kWh; in four months that's an average power requirement of 70 kW.
Can the Sun help?
Reasonable solar output in New York is around 5 kWh/m2 ...
9
There are many different solutions depending on how much you'd want to spend, how much DIY you want to do, and what exactly you are trying to achieve. I would not try to directly switch this load: inductive loads generate voltage spikes when switching them, which can damage electronics and such that are not designed to handle it. They also have high in-rush ...
9
I'm not clear on how some milk jugs are going to heat the pool. Most of the light will have scattered before it reaches the submerged jugs. Plus the surface area is going to be minuscule compared to the pool area, unless you have thousands of jugs.
Finally, I thought one of the main benefits to a pool cover was to reduce evaporative heat loss. Underwater ...
9
As others have said milk jugs are too small and much of your heat loss is due to evaporation.
An alternative would be to build these "lily-pad-pool-warmers".
They are basically hoola hoops with black plastic sheeting stretched across them. You make a bunch of them and then float them on the pool. How much good they do will depend on how much of the ...
9
If you are really decommissioning it, a truckload of stone (or multiple truckloads of stone) will do nicely and comparatively inexpensively. Ain't nobody going to fall into it or drown in it.
If you have doubts about ever using it again (or some future homeowner doing so) then leaving water and freeze damage prevention (if a freezing climate) pillows in it ...
9
Probably the easiest method to deal with a swimming pool that is taken out of service and not deconstructed is to fill it up with dirt after opening large holes in the bottom for drainage. Leaving a large pool shell in the ground with nothing inside of it is not recommended as it could pop up in case of very wet ground or in freezing conditions.
A cover ...
8
I believe the pressure loss depends on the flow rate. There will be some loss of pressure.
To avoid it you need 2" copper pipe or multiple parallel 1/2" pipes (probably more than 16).
8
From my personal and professional experience with Saltwater Pools with "Salt Chlorine Generators" on them has always been positive. I will bullet point some information to help you ensure it's a positive experience:
Correct Installation:
The Salt Chlorinator Systems have 2 main parts.
A "Salt Chlorine Generator Cell" that is spliced into the return side ...
8
You have a pretty big pool by residential standards but I still am surprised it is costing you that much... almost $2k per month!
Assuming a price of $.90 / therm (average in the NY area, according to some random site I found) and the numbers on this US Energy Star page, that's more than double what you should be spending for a 1800sf pool in New York.
...
7
Your iron fence, like this:
... Is the more traditional choice. A fence like this is going to be very durable, generally only requiring a coat of oil paint every few years and replacing minor touches like the caps on the posts. These are also generally more aesthetically pleasing as they are typically installed as part of the overall decor of the pool. ...
7
I would expect more water to flow unless you have extremely low water pressure. You have a 3/4" line and all the water pressure of either a municipal water system or a water pump. Splitting that into two lines will not likely double the flow rate as there is a pressure drop, but it should increase the total flow rate considerably. I would expect it to almost ...
7
O-Rings are (or should be) cheap - if they are not, try to establish exactly what size they are and shop around; you should be able to find them for a pretty low cost, and replacing them is the right approach, even for "one more year."
While you can try to get a little more life out of them by greasing them up with a pretty stiff silicone grease (typically ...
6
In general the point is to filter your water. If you want to be sure about it, check the volume of your pool, and the flow rate of your pump. Run it long enough to go through that much volume 1-2 times a day. In practice, that's probably around 6-8 hours.
Make sure your chemistry is good, and then try it. If it looks nice for a few weeks, try lowering ...
6
To repair cool deck flaking (not cracks in concrete):
Step One:
All of the flaking or cracked texture needs to be removed. This is accomplished by using a scraper in conjunction with a high pressure washer. If the flaking is excessive and severe it may not be necessary to use the pressure washer. Bottom line is the old patch needs to be removed to expose ...
6
If you do not have trees or other things that put debris in the pool, it is not necessary to run the pump all the time. You can install a timer on the electric line to the pool pump and set it to run less. This will save on your electric costs and increase the life of the pump. The amount of time you have to run it a day depends on the conditions.
6
This is the link you need: http://thepoolcalculator.com/ It describes basic chemistry, and has a calculator you can specialize for your pool.
I personally maintained my pool with bleach, borax, baking soda, and stabilizer for years. This is the cheapest way to go, but it's a significant time commitment.
Any pool supply store can help you get started, ...
6
The contractor should have busted up the top of the pool sides and cracked the concrete basically everywhere else. I have filled a few pools. We jackhammer the crap out of everything. There are holes punched every foot or two everywhere. You then totally chop off the first couple feet on the sides - especially on the downslope side to allow drainage.
...
6
May not suit your needs, but if you could find a trampoline just smaller than the pool, it can be fitted and secured to the concrete.
That way bouncers (trampoliners?) could get on without having to go up a ladder.
Downside the pool below will still catch rainwater, so a sump pump could be required. Or a compromise with the other suggestions. Also ...
5
I removed our pool cause the maintenance just wasn't worth it - especially when the liner died and I learned it would take about a grand to replace it, but this is what I do remember.
Any local swimming pool supply store will sell testing kits and the necessary chemicals. They will also be able to tell you what chemicals are used depending on the results ...
5
I'm not totally sure about salt water, but I don't think it poses any special problem. I would give the threads 2 or 3 wraps, then also coat the female threads with pipe joint cement, not plumber's putty. Save the plumber's putty for drains and escutcheons.
5
This is a popular way of remotely controlling a dust collection vacuum in a wood workshop. Sounds like what you are looking for.
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