Above ground pool question....you don't even want to know why!

[aylad]

I learned it, too!

My pond is about 3 1/2 feet deep with a 1 foot deep shelf around the perimeter. My fish tend to stay at the top of the water, sometimes even crawling over the lily pads, but when the temps are extremely hot or cold they do tend to go deeper--I assume it's because the water temp changes more slowly there.



Janet

[AnnaK]

They go deeper when it's hot because the deeper water holds more oxygen.

Sandy, I love your idea of turning the pool into a fish pond. With the deck built around it the landscaping possibilities are endless. I envision lily pads, clumps of various grasses, vines, a waterfall, hidden lights . . . an oasis in your backyard.

I would probably start with the external landscaping and let the pool freeze over winter to get rid of the CYA. Mine ends the season with around 60 ppm and is at zero when it's finally thawed out the end of April. To the best of my knowledge all 48" or so freeze solid. We don't have a deep end.

But that would mean continuing the chlorine maintenance for the rest of this season and you probably don't want to do that.

[SandyDittmer]

Hi Anna,

I will continue the chlorine for this summer. My son's graduation party is in a week, so hopefully it will get some use then. I am working on my husband, who will probably be less than thrilled with my idea. But it just seems logical if I can get the right type of filtration going. We spent a lot of money for this pool and deck, and I don't see why we would just tear it down because we don't use it anymore. In a world where everybody is "repurposing", I can't think of a better time to go for it. I'm continuing my research. I don't want to do something that will end up even MORE work for myself. But if there's a do-able way, I will find it! I have always loved fish, and our home is too small for a nice sized aquarium. Imagine a 13,000 gallon one!

Thanks everybody for the comments.

Sandy

[waterbear]

If you have a sand filter then you have the filtration you need. Sand filters are the usual on ponds like that!

[BigTallGuy]

You might check with Your local utility company and ask them what the freeze depth is for your area. They should be able to answer this as that is the minimum depth for Water Pipes, Fire Hydrant lines etc. to be buried in the ground. You mentioned that 1.5 - 2.0 feet of your pool is below ground. I would think that portion would not freeze. (Says the BTDG from Arizona where it doesn't freeze).

[Poconos]

Sandy,
Here in northeast PA there there is a good size pond down the road that the owner aerates all year. He has to have a pretty big air pump and substantial piping because he has three areas he bubbles. Keeps the water oxygenated for the fish and ice free for the ducks. You could do the same on a smaller scale. Not sure if he does any filtration but I suspect not. Been doing it for years so the system works.
Al

[virangos]

Interesting idea. I'm in the north east of PA and my pool (15 x 30) freezes about 4 inches
thick during the coldest winters.

[Poconos]

4" is that all? I think the record thickness on my IG was around 17" with around 9 being average. I weight down a couple of 5 gallon Home Depot pails with a smaller bucket inside full of stone so they just float, then let them freeze in place. Pull out the stone bucket then yank on the handle and the buckets pop out leaving a hole in the ice. Measure the thickness through the hole and also drop a line in to see what I can catch. So far nothing.
Al

[CarlD]

I've had 9-12" of ice in my pool over the winter. I don't have to try ice fishing like Al ( ) because there's always a gap between the ice and the pool wall. I DO try to keep the winter fish out of my pool....

[SandyDittmer]

Okay, here's another question. I need to plug the main drain in my pool. After much research, I won't be using it for the pond.

I do not own scuba gear, nor do I know what I will be seeing once I get the main drain cover off. So......does anybody know what the internals of a main drain look like? The pool store guy said there should be two screws holding the main drain cover on. Once I get those out, I should see a 1.5" PVC pipe coming in from the side. He said to just use one of those rubber, expandable type plugs to plug it. I was hoping something threaded would work. Thought that might be more water tight. He didn't know if there would be threads or not.

Either way, I need to be able to sink down 6.5 feet, unscrew two screws, plug the pipe, and screw the cover back on without an air tank. I know I can make several dives and not have to do it all in one. I am thinking of trying to just use a garden hose to breathe through (like a long snorkel) and trying to rig up some kind of weight to keep me down easier. Maybe I could just have my husband keep me down with the vacuum pole.

No wise cracks, please.....I know I'm asking for it though! Any suggestions would be appreciated! I definitely don't want to drain the pool...that would be bad for the liner and a waste of water. And I'd rather not hire somebody if I can manage this on my own, which I think I can.

Thanks,
Sandy