Vacuumed the pool this morning and like an idiot I forgot that the basket still traps gook so I spent 1/2 my time pushing around dirt at the bottom instead of vacuuming it to waste. I'm an idiot.

So vacuuming is done for today and my filter is running now. I'll test here in a bit and post up once things have been stirring for awhile. Upside is it is a BEAUTIFUL day out today in VA Beach and our on again/off again duck friends are having fun in our pool. We don't mind them and our daughter loves feeding the ducks.

I guess now I'll have to find a source for baking soda. Arm and Hammer is FINALLY selling big bags in our area, but our local Walmart only had one bag. From pre-emptive searching I'm gonna need a butt-ton depending on how low the level is. Thanks for the washing soda tip, but they sell no such creature in VA Beach it's Borax or Oxyclean only here. Looks like I might have to go to another wallyworld or Sam's and last case to the damned pool store.

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Our Penta? sand filter's top is solid plastic and the gauge that screws into it is metal. See where I'm going??? Last year it started leaking so I unscrewed it, cleaned it, put teflon tape on the threads and towards the end silicon RTV. Whilst HAND TIGHTENING it down, I heard the crack of doom...the plastic "tit" that holds the gauge cracked. So I applied plastic epoxy to the gauge threads two days ago and screwed it in. When it cured, I applied Muffler Mud AKA two part epoxy that is like Playdough and wrapped the whole shebang in it. NO leaks now and $8 in epoxy saved me an expensive repair. If the gauge gives up the ghost I'll need a whole new top but I would have needed that anyways.

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