Rain and swimming pools

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 14:58

Absentee owners of overflow swimming pools should be aware that this heavy rain we have had and continue to experience, is causing pools to overflow and overfill their balance tanks. Once full, unless there is a high level overflow pipe in the balance tank, the excess water finds its way over the top of the partition wall and into the pump room. This could flood and cause lots of damage.

Get your balance tanks emptied and leave your pools on main drain!

everon


Joined: 18/04/2009
Posts: 956

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:00

this has happened to us during the recent storm, our pool company have had to take out our pump as the pump room was flooded!!!!!!

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:09

This is a design fault in most pools (not ours) which could have been so easily avoided at the construction stage. Half a metre of 63mm pipe and 2 holes in the shuttering before pouring the concrete.

Simples!

Geoff1131MK11


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 396

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:12

Its a fault that can also be rectified after construction. Granted with a little more effort.

smithy


Joined: 17/07/2008
Posts: 5301

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:17

its a good job that you are looking after our pool then Vaughan along with Octopus of course.

Whoopee for the rain though

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:20

Drilling a 65mm hole through 2 pieces of wooden shuttering, 3/8" each, or 10" of steel reinforced concrete - just a little more effort.

It's the lack of such simple aforethought that makes you realise some of the builders here either don't know or could care less. :-(

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:25

Hi Sheila,



Your pool is one of the ones that has a high level overflow in the balance tank.

Sleep easy.

Geoff1131MK11


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 396

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:30

Vaughan, did one a couple of months ago, the owner dug up outside the balance tank and i drilled a hole in the tank and fitted the pipe onto lower level ground. It took me about 2 hours, as i said 'a little effort'

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:34

When we drill through the wooden shuttering it takes about 2 minutes and it doesn't knacker either the drill or the driller

Geoff1131MK11


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 396

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:37

Yes, i agree with you, its better to get the pipe in situ before the pool is poured, what i am saying is there is a solution to the problem.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:43

Nothing to do with poor design of the pool but thought I might share this one with you.

A few weeks ago the rain storm in Esentepe caused a mud slide to gallop down a road there. Unfortunately, it didn't make the corner and went straight through a customers gateway, down his drive, across his garden and filled his pool, pump-room and balance tank with mud and stones. To the brim.

We had just emptied the pool, pump room and balance tank and cleaned them of mud and stones and were about to replace the pump, control panel and Watermaid when it belted down again yesterday and filled them all up again.

Oh the joys of owning a pool.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 15:49

Hi Geoff,



You are right. There is always a solution for most things - As Einstein said "A clever man solves problems, a wise man avoids them".

Ozbey


Joined: 04/03/2009
Posts: 304

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 17:19

Hi Vaugan, re msg 11,



Would it not have been better to have prevented a recurrence (maybe an interceptor drain or water deflector by the gateway) before doing all your cleaning up work?



Whatever would Einstein have thought of you? Not clever or wise?



Regards and respect to you, as always,



Ozbey.

waddo


Joined: 29/11/2008
Posts: 1966

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 17:58

TRNCVaughan,

Wish I had bought that big bag of "Hindsight" that was in Mr Pound last week, then I would have avoided the floods through my garden this week and could even have given you some for your pool work at Esentepe. Its always easy looking back mate, the hard bit is to look forward at what is behind you - never works for me either!



GOod luck with the pool - again - maybe blame it on the roads, why not?

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
29/10/2009 19:26

Hi Ozbey,



msg 11.



We do pools, not roads.



Hi waddo,



msg 14.



Ditto

crofter


Joined: 16/12/2008
Posts: 1035

Message Posted:
31/10/2009 09:58

We have a skimmer pool, the pool company took away the pump 3 weeks ago and have not returned it yet???? The rain has filled the pool to overflowing. The water will run into the pump room below and damage all the electrics, would this be the pool companys fault?.

How do I get the water out of the pooll without the pump, a bucket I suppose or suck it out. Any advice would be welcome TRNC Vaughan.

cyprusairsoft



Joined: 22/06/2009
Posts: 2066

Message Posted:
31/10/2009 11:53

good advise from vaughany



after it rains pump out some of the level in the pool and unload the balance tank the sad thing is all summer we are desperate to keep water in come winter we are pumping it out by the cubic meter



its a pity there is not a storage facillity for this pool water then it could be reused at a cheaper rate just for pools

MarkVPiazza


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 530

Message Posted:
02/11/2009 14:35

Cofter



I think a submersible pump is an essential tool for a swimming pool owner - get one of these to bail-out your pool.



Mark

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
02/11/2009 15:59

Underground pumprooms are very vulnerable to flooding from all sorts of reasons. Having a sump pump with a float switch is always a good idea. Might cost you a few quid but could save you lots more.

newscoop


Joined: 23/12/2007
Posts: 2197

Message Posted:
02/11/2009 21:25

Excellent sump pumps cost around 100tl.



Worth every kurus.



One for Vaughan; why leave main drain open?

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
03/11/2009 08:41

If your pump is to run you must have water flowing through it. The main drain allows water into the pump, through the filter and back into the pool. This allows you to drop the level in the pool and empty the balance tank in order to avoid flooding.

racoonchic



Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3223

Message Posted:
03/11/2009 08:47

i have a solution for this problem that were testing just now any one interested call me on 05338384636 this service will be chargable

Geoff1131MK11


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 396

Message Posted:
03/11/2009 09:03

Vaughan, re message 12, would'nt a wise man avoid the possibility of the balance tank flooding the pumproom a second time, by fitting an overflow to the tank, as the clever man suggested?

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
03/11/2009 09:25

Hi Geoff,



Avoiding the balance tank flooding by emptying it is a no-cost fix. Forming a drain is a two hour job (msg 8) which would be chargeable. The choice rests, as always, with the client.

Geoff1131MK11


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 396

Message Posted:
03/11/2009 09:43

Vaughan, just draining the balance tank is no sort of 'fix' unless you have someone there to pump the tank out every time it rains. I agree with you that the tanks should have been fitted with an overflow pipe when the tanks were under construction. The fact is that there are a lot of tanks out there with no overflows and the only way to be sure of stopping the problems of water ingress into pumprooms from the balance tanks is to have an overflow fitted. There has been a suggestion that fitting a submersable pump to drain the tanks, but when it rains, a power cut is normally not far behind, so this is not a solution either.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
03/11/2009 09:55

Geoff,



We visit our clients pools weekly in winter and if the balance tanks have accumulated any water since the previous visit, we pump it out again. If any of our clients want a high level overflow forming in their balance tanks, we are happy to do this. As I say, the choice is the clients.

yorkie58


Joined: 16/09/2008
Posts: 245

Message Posted:
03/11/2009 19:46

If you are going to send water to waste or use a submersible to lower the amount in the balance tank then why not vac to waste then and get something positive from it.

magicart


Joined: 05/10/2008
Posts: 985

Message Posted:
12/11/2009 07:50

We have just had a pool overflow system installed by Chris Carty-works perfectly.



You can contact him on 0533 8717615.



Very pleased with the end result.



Art