Labor Day and Another Season Winding Down.

[CarlD]

Labor Day:
Up in the Northeast it means the final weekend of barbecuing, pools closing, and kids going back to school. And, of course, most of the college kids have already gone back for their fall semester (unless they are on the trimester/quarter system).

When I lived in North Carolina, the schools opened in August--still do--and the pools stayed open till the end of September.

And, of course, the saddest sign of all: Traffic falls off here at the Pool Forum. :sad:

Every season we seem to face a different set of problems. Some years everyone has metals in their pool. Some years algae blooms seem to be everywhere. Other years it's pump and filter failures. And some years there are some real head-banger problems.

I think this year was the algae bloom year--but with a head-banger flair. My impression is we had a lot of them, and a fair number of newbies learning the BBB philosophy who had been "pool stored".

We've lost some old friends who've moved on, but have many new ones. Hopefully people will have an easier time winterizing their pools!

[Watermom]

A couple of years ago, EVERYONE who bought an Intex pool filled from a metals-contaminated well. That wore us out! We have also had years where everyone seems to open to a pool where the CYA has biodegraded over the winter and they are left with a pool full of ammonia and the resulting high chlorine demand.

We'll still swim for another month or so. Mid 90s here. School kids have been back in school since Aug. 11 around here.

Carl is right, Pool Forum traffic will slow down. It already has but it will surge one more time as people close their pools. I'd like to encourage people to read the closing stickies at the top of this section of the forum as it will go a long way towards answering pool closing questions. :)

[Phillbo]

I'm waiting for my pool to cool down to an enjoyable temp :)

107* today.

[BigDave]

... 107* today.In the water?:eek::p:eek:

[CarlD]

In Arizona? With a solar cover and solar panels? Sure! It's possible. I've gotten my pool up to 97 in NJ! (not THIS summer, though!)

[Phillbo]

In the water?:eek::p:eek:

No, not the water.. no clue what the water temp is. I just know it's warmer than I like it.

[JimK]

After a colder than usual August our swim season got a boost after almost record heat the past few days. Pool temp has jumped from 80 to 85-86! :)

Stupid work keeps getting in the way of my pool time though! :sad:

[CarlD]

Today was our last swim day and I started emptying the pool for the re-build. Water was 86! Love those solar panels!

[JimK]

It makes me sad when I close the pool. :(

[CarlD]

Me, too. Especially this year when I see days of hard, heavy work ahead!

[JimK]

Me, too. Especially this year when I see days of hard, heavy work ahead!


I hope your rebuild goes smoothly. :)

Will you be sharing pics here on your progress?

[CarlD]

Already have! And, yes, I will continue.

[JimK]

Thread link? :)

[CarlD]

Here, in the Above Ground Pool Construction & Repair section.

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php/25948-Starting-to-Rebuild-on-my-FantaSea-Pool.

[robbym70]

Getting cooler here in southern New England too. My goal every year is to swim in the pool at least once in October, regardless of the temps. THEN...and only then...do I close.

Thanks to all you admins and regulars who have helped me out over the past 4 years. What was once daunting is now easily manageable.

[CarlD]

Getting cooler here in southern New England too. My goal every year is to swim in the pool at least once in October, regardless of the temps. THEN...and only then...do I close.

Thanks to all you admins and regulars who have helped me out over the past 4 years. What was once daunting is now easily manageable.

That is one of our goals, here: To make the closing easier and less painful.

I wonder: How many people are still swimming?
Who has closed?
Who is ready to close?
Who won't be closing for a while?
and
Who plans on staying open and, hopefully swimming all winter?

Obviously, unless I can find Scotty's "Transparent Aluminum" from Star Trek, my pool is done for the season! ;)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-N50ZBl85xFI/VBhBTP7js5I/AAAAAAAAAHg/QAb0ltCasQE/s800/OpenPoolFramework.jpg

[FormerBromineUser]

Kid comes home from college for fall break in mid-October. Planning to close after. I usually wait until mid-November, but with a broken heater, there's no sense in staying open. Drat! Replacing my roof instead of my heater...

[CarlD]

Go solar! It's cheaper to install and cheaper to run. Who wants to swim on rainy days anyway?

[FormerBromineUser]

I would love to, but my homeowner's association would not approve it. When I was ready to give up and fill-in the pool, Ben suggested that I use my new dark-brown opaque auto-cover as a tarp to cover my roof. Still get a chuckle over that one!

[CarlD]

We swore off ever living in a home with an HOA 21 years ago for just that reason. You may want to look into a heat pump for a replacement. They have a bad rep for home heating north of Georgia, but it's undeserved for pool heating. Or you could look into those far more compact solar domes--tell your HOA they are modern abstract lawn art! :D

[FormerBromineUser]

Awwww, I was kinda hoping for a repeat of the farmer and his roof leaking story.... Made me laugh!

I should probably research alternative pool-heating methods but right now, I'm not in the mood for another project... To tell you the truth, I am hoping that so many things break down in this house that my hubby will decide to sell and retire! And believe me, there are a lot of things breaking down. Remember my huge tax bill? It's more than I make in one year! Silly.

[CarlD]

Awwww, I was kinda hoping for a repeat of the farmer and his roof leaking story.... Made me laugh!

I should probably research alternative pool-heating methods but right now, I'm not in the mood for another project... To tell you the truth, I am hoping that so many things break down in this house that my hubby will decide to sell and retire! And believe me, there are a lot of things breaking down. Remember my huge tax bill? It's more than I make in one year! Silly.

"Cain't fix it. It's raining."
"Why don't you fix it when it's not raining?"
"Don't leak then."
Classic!

I hear you! Houses are in a constant state of break-down and repair. Furnaces, A/C, boilers, roofs, large appliances, doors, windows, screens, latches, decks, plumbing, electrical, phone...and now cable, internet, networking....then there's the cars, phones, tablets, computers.....and it ALL breaks down or fails sooner or later!

[PoolDoc]

Remember my huge tax bill? It's more than I make in one year! Silly.

Yes, but if you leave Illinois, who will pay for all public worker pensions?

[FormerBromineUser]

Hahaha! NO ONE!!! Almost every revenue generator has hightailed it out of IL. Moved to IN or TX, lands of the free.... Great to hear from you, Ben!