The Home Improvements Thread (2)

[Steamy Tom]

Anybody else use Activator D product for their swimming pool before?

We've been struggling to get and keep our pool nice and blue and clear with Blu52 for a month and also products recommended by The Pool Team shop.

Wife reached out on her Vleisboek for advice and quite a few people recommended Activator D.
So we got some on Saturday after work and emptied the 2 x bottles into the weir as instructed.
Ran the pump for about 6 hours before switching off.

Woke up and the pool looked a million times better. Ran the pump again for about 3 hours in the morning while we went shopping.
Best the pool has ever looked.

And can't explain it but the water feels softer. Even the kids saying the water feels different and no irritation to their eyes.

Here is hoping it will last the month they claim on the bottle.

Before and after.

View attachment 995976

View attachment 995978

heard about it, wanted to try it but i am concerned about staining. for me a month mate and the chlorine from the pool team shop works a treat.

 

[Steamy Tom]

On the topic of pools though, I had my old pool fiberglassed about 5 years ago. However, I've noticed some spots where the top layer of fiberglass has come off - size of a R5 approx. Mostly on the stairs and 4 other places. It's not leaking or anything though, I think it's just a top layer (about 0.5mm). Is this something that can be fixed easily or how would you guys approach it?

you can patch fibreglass imo, if it were me and the pool wasnt leaking and it wasn't too bad i would wait it out a bit and then redo a top coat in a few years

 

[Lupus]

Anybody else use Activator D product for their swimming pool before?

We've been struggling to get and keep our pool nice and blue and clear with Blu52 for a month and also products recommended by The Pool Team shop.

Wife reached out on her Vleisboek for advice and quite a few people recommended Activator D.
So we got some on Saturday after work and emptied the 2 x bottles into the weir as instructed.
Ran the pump for about 6 hours before switching off.

Woke up and the pool looked a million times better. Ran the pump again for about 3 hours in the morning while we went shopping.
Best the pool has ever looked.

And can't explain it but the water feels softer. Even the kids saying the water feels different and no irritation to their eyes.

Here is hoping it will last the month they claim on the bottle.

Before and after.

View attachment 995976

View attachment 995978

Hmm must give that a try, I tried this stuff from Tevo called Final, it actually made things worse.

 

[APoc184]

heard about it, wanted to try it but i am concerned about staining. for me a month mate and the chlorine from the pool team shop works a treat.

I'll give feedback on it regularly.

But so far very happy.

We are very new to the pool game. Never owned a pool or even family with pools.
Only moved into the new house with pool over 2months ago, so still learning a lot.

 

[APoc184]

Day 2.

Pump has not run again since Sunday 12h00.

 

[Steamy Tom]

Day 2.

Pump has not run again since Sunday 12h00.

View attachment 996026

nice, as a general tip you want to turn the water over in the pool (i.e run it all through the filter) once in a 24 hour period, i would suggest running the pool for at least 4 hours a day over the hottest part of the day, so between say 10/11 and 2/3

brush the steps once a week and backwash and rinse at least every 2 weeks but sooner if the creepy is sluggish (or suction is low in other words)

 

[APoc184]

nice, as a general tip you want to turn the water over in the pool (i.e run it all through the filter) once in a 24 hour period, i would suggest running the pool for at least 4 hours a day over the hottest part of the day, so between say 10/11 and 2/3

Thanks. Yes it will be running from 14h00 this afternoon again.

Had loadshedding this morning and wife is at the office.

Must just get another Sonoff Smart Switch so that I can switch it on and off remotely and schedule times.

 

[GrootBaas]

Thanks. Yes it will be running from 14h00 this afternoon again.

Had loadshedding this morning and wife is at the office.

Must just get another Sonoff Smart Switch so that I can switch it on and off remotely and schedule times.

Replaced my timer with a Sonoff few years ago, game changer.

 

[powermzii]

Replaced my timer with a Sonoff few years ago, game changer.

I'm keen to do this as well - have a number of Sonoffs but only for lights etc. Which would be the best one to get and how would one go about installing it?I've also seen chat about the CBI Smart switch?

 

[ChuckNorris]

On the topic of pools though, I had my old pool fiberglassed about 5 years ago. However, I've noticed some spots where the top layer of fiberglass has come off - size of a R5 approx. Mostly on the stairs and 4 other places. It's not leaking or anything though, I think it's just a top layer (about 0.5mm). Is this something that can be fixed easily or how would you guys approach it?

What did it cost you to do the conversion? Did they do the fiberglass over the marbalite?

Want to do the same, just want to half the size of the swimming pool we have now. Must have been build when cement was free.

 

[GrootBaas]

I'm keen to do this as well - have a number of Sonoffs but only for lights etc. Which would be the best one to get and how would one go about installing it?I've also seen chat about the CBI Smart switch?

I installed a Sonoff POW R2 which also gives visibility on the power consumption. Just disconnected the old timer and hooked up Sonoff - pretty simple as long as you know the difference between live, neutral and earth.

 

[GrootBaas]

What did it cost you to do the conversion? Did they do the fiberglass over the marbalite?

Want to do the same, just want to half the size of the swimming pool we have now. Must have been build when cement was free.

The total cost was around R35k for my pool which is about 8x4m - heavy expensive. Yeah they just did it over the marbalite.

 

[ElixirCoder]

On the topic of pools though, I had my old pool fiberglassed about 5 years ago. However, I've noticed some spots where the top layer of fiberglass has come off - size of a R5 approx. Mostly on the stairs and 4 other places. It's not leaking or anything though, I think it's just a top layer (about 0.5mm). Is this something that can be fixed easily or how would you guys approach it?

My pool has been blistering like that as well. At first (about 2 years ago) there were a couple of them, and now there’s probably about 50 or so. I’ve checked with a few pool companies and experts and they reckon I’ll need to reline the pool in about a year.

 

[ToxicBunny]

I installed a Sonoff POW R2 which also gives visibility on the power consumption. Just disconnected the old timer and hooked up Sonoff - pretty simple as long as you know the difference between live, neutral and earth.

I did similar, I have a Shelly 1PM heading up the Pool circuit, and then at the Pump there are 2 Sonoffs, 1 for the Pump and 1 for the light.

As for pools being tricky, I must have lucked out properly with my pool, it is an absolute breeze to maintain. Hell even when the pump and sand filter were completely shot about 4 years ago, I left the pool for about 6 months cos I had no cash to replace. The pool looked absolutely horrid (dark dark green, proper frogs living in it and all that), but I got a new pump and sand filter, plumbed everything in and then used a seperate pump to vacuum the bottom 20cm of the pool sludge out. Fired up the new pump up and did the Clear4Weeks thing with 2 shock treatments and the next day water was blue and I just had a bit of sediment at the bottom of the pool to vacuum up.

In saying all of that though, the minute my pool actually starts to suck up lots of my time to maintain and starts to cost me big money to fix. Chop holes in the bottom and fill the fscker in.

 

[SAguy]

Any ideas of how to properly check the gradient/fall of a sewerage line?

The architect specified a fall of 1:60, so over a lenght of 9 meters I need to check that I've got a 15cm drop.
All I can think of is using a line from one end to the other with a line level clipped on, making sure that the line is straight (although keeping a line taught over 9m may be a challenge)?

Then all I'd need to do is measure down 15cm from the end of the line to the pipe, or check that it is 15cm.

Is there a better way?

 

[ToxicBunny]

Your practical method is good... But I would partially ignore the architect and get the sans 10400 standards for plumbing and make sure your falls are accurate to the standards.

 

[RonSwanson]

Any ideas of how to properly check the gradient/fall of a sewerage line?

The architect specified a fall of 1:60, so over a lenght of 9 meters I need to check that I've got a 15cm drop.
All I can think of is using a line from one end to the other with a line level clipped on, making sure that the line is straight (although keeping a line taught over 9m may be a challenge)?

Then all I'd need to do is measure down 15cm from the end of the line to the pipe, or check that it is 15cm.

Is there a better way?

I have a laser level similar to this, dirt cheap at China Malls

 

[Smokey mcpot]

Any ideas of how to properly check the gradient/fall of a sewerage line?

The architect specified a fall of 1:60, so over a lenght of 9 meters I need to check that I've got a 15cm drop.
All I can think of is using a line from one end to the other with a line level clipped on, making sure that the line is straight (although keeping a line taught over 9m may be a challenge)?

Then all I'd need to do is measure down 15cm from the end of the line to the pipe, or check that it is 15cm.

Is there a better way?

Do you plan on doing this yourself? I think you’ve got my number, pop me a message on whatsapp for some advice

 

[SAguy]

Do you plan on doing this yourself? I think you’ve got my number, pop me a message on whatsapp for some advice

Thanks, I'll do that. I just want to double check their calculations/measurements. I don't trust the fkrs with a fork right now

 

[TedLasso]

Anybody else use Activator D product for their swimming pool before?

We've been struggling to get and keep our pool nice and blue and clear with Blu52 for a month and also products recommended by The Pool Team shop.

Wife reached out on her Vleisboek for advice and quite a few people recommended Activator D.
So we got some on Saturday after work and emptied the 2 x bottles into the weir as instructed.
Ran the pump for about 6 hours before switching off.

Woke up and the pool looked a million times better. Ran the pump again for about 3 hours in the morning while we went shopping.
Best the pool has ever looked.

And can't explain it but the water feels softer. Even the kids saying the water feels different and no irritation to their eyes.

Here is hoping it will last the month they claim on the bottle.

Before and after.

View attachment 995976

View attachment 995978

I don't know, the only thing I have ever thrown into my pool in my 3 years of ownership is HTH chlorine and the HTH floater + things. Oh and a clarifier maybe every three months . There was some acid thrown in by the coping repair guys last year when pool was half emptied and due to concrete and other **** in it but then I stuck to my stuff. I have never opened my soda ash or acid bottles (which I was told to have when I started 3 years ago).

Never had a green pool even with a wild oak tree above it trying to destroy it as much as possible. And it's a big pool 10.5 x 6m

Guess I am just lucky. This forum told to me to stay away from blu52 , etc and HTH chlorine is all that I ever needed.