Pool’s open… don’t everybody jump in at once

Yesterday we finally uncovered the big concrete hole in the backyard. The water looks pretty good, but due to my neglect over the spring, I’ve got a bigger problem with surface-clinging algae than in past years. There was the usual green stuff on the bottom which easily vacuumed out, but the steps and the diagonal hopper walls have this better-established stuff that doesn’t want to come off. However, the stuff on the steps cleared right up when I flooded it with 12.5% hypochlorite from my siphon hose, so I superchlorinated yesterday evening. This morning I noticed that the areas I had brushed yesterday were clearing up, so I went ahead and brushed the entire pool (clouding it up beautifully, of course). Cl was 8.8ppm. Tonight I’ll add more, until all the muck is gone.

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Still haven’t started the coping repair project. Today (Friday) I picked up a 7″ dry-cut diamond blade for a cool $50, and I’m going to see how it does at cutting the concrete decking. It’s not big enough to cut through the entire slab, but the hope is I can make a cut around 2″ deep and then knock the rest of the piece off with a cold chisel. If it works well, I’ll go ahead and rent a larger saw to do the complete job. Whether it works or not, I’ll still end up with a nice diamond blade I can use for future projects.

The fun never ends..

6/12: The crap clinging to the diagonal hopper walls is proving to be very tenacious. It will not brush off easily in spite of repeated superchlorination. I can’t seem to get enough force on my brush to attack it effectively. I think I’m going to need a stainless steel brush for this. Before I try that, though, I’m going to try flooding the area with chlorine. It worked with the steps, so hopefully it’ll work with the hopper walls. Only problem is, I could reach the steps easily with my siphon tube, but not so with the hopper walls. So, I’m going to try a slightly different approach. I went to Home Depot and bought 20′ of food-grade tubing (1/2″ O.D.). I’ll use wire ties to attach 4′ or 5′ of hose to the bottom of my telepole, then put the pole in the water and start a siphon. I should then be able to siphon chlorine from my jug and direct the flow wherever I want. I will probably want to do this with the pool pump off, and somehow attach the tubing to the chlorine jug so I don’t inadvertently pull it out. We’ll see how it works.

6/14: Tried the above last night. It works, but it’s a little cumbersome. Attaching the siphon tube to the chlorine jug is an absolute must. I used an Irwin Quick-Grip clamp. Still, I lost my siphon and had to re-prime several times. It would also be handy to have some way to easily interrupt the flow while I move the hose to different spots. I suppose it would work to pinch the hose, or I could use a spring-loaded clamp. Still, this whole thing seems like too much hassle compared to using a steel-bristled brush, assuming the brush will work. I’ll try to get to a pool store and pick up a brush in the next couple of days.

Back from Vancouver

Welp, faster than a blink, I’m back from Vancouver. Unfortunately, on my second night there I came down with this nasty GI thing that dragged me down for the rest of the trip. I managed to get out and do some walking along the Coal Harbor Seawall and in Stanley Park. But, my planned recreational activities were severely curtailed. The conference was good, although I missed a couple of meals and sessions due to the illness. Bummer.

Verdict on American Airlines is neutral. check-in difficulties and a delayed connecting flight on the way out were offset by a perfectly smooth trip home.

Hopefully, JA-SIG will continue to have occasional conferences in Vancouver. Next time, I’d like to take the whole family.

Anyhow, now I’m back home and back to the daily grind. I’m slowly working through my beer stash. Tonight I tried Magic Hat Humble Patience, which purports to be an Irish Red. It’s a very good beer, but it seems a little chocolaty for an Irish Red. Then again, I very rarely drink this style (it’s not as common as other styles around these parts), so I’m not really an authority on it. Wharf Rat used to brew one; maybe I should get out there and try one for comparison.

Magic Hat is all over the place around here. It’s interesting that it’s so ubiquitous, given that it’s brewed in Vermont. They must have a very good distributor network..