Filters and liners

#1

Two related questions:

During May’s storms our pool liner got damaged by hail and a couple of tears have developed in one corner.

By luck I’d a pic of the pool taken a few hours before the hail hit and one taken next day, so had timeous evidence. And the insurers also knew our veranda roof had been peppered by the cherry sized hail so had no quibbles.

Now the insurers want a quote to either repair the tears or install a new liner. One will be a difficult job because of the location of tears, the other tres expensive because of the pool size.

A local pool company doesn’t want to know - they prefer to deal with rigid pools. So can anyone recommend a company in the rough Barbezieux-Jonzac-Pons area of 17. I can find the names of companies, I’m just wondering if anyone local has dealt with one they can recommend.

Second: the filters are starting to churn sand into the pool, presumably it needs changing, although I won’t discount the laterals.
We’ve had the property just under 5 years and not changed it - and from what we have discovered in the last 5 years the previous UK owners are unlikely to have done anything in the previous ten!

The trouble is we don’t know which filter is producing the sand - one is, one isn’t since half the outlets are working normally In an ideal world we’d switch off one filter and check but for some unfathomable reason the filters have been wired as one . So if anyone has any ideas I’d be glad to hear them.

The filters take 300kg of sand each and I can’t do them both together so I’d rather do the problem one first and the other later in the year.

#2

sounds as if you need to chat with @John_Withall :slightly_smiling_face::slightly_smiling_face:

#3

If the liner tore that easily, it suggests that it is old and lost its natural flexibility. Time to change it.

Can you post a picture of the filter plumbing? I would first check the multiport valve if fitted before tearing down the filter. Gaskets don’t last forever.

#4

Not that easily! Hailstones literally the size of cherries. Cars locally had windscreens cracked and a neighbour shelled out 2k to get the dents removed. We are having to replace 9 veranda roof panels.
Neighbouring vineyards literally were stripped of all leaves etc.

A retired pool installer, with 20+ years experience, had never seen a tear like that. Its in the corner which would have borne the full brunt of the hail. He also said there was no signs of brittleness etc in the liner.

Anyway I’ll leave the issue of repair/replace to the insurers especially since the guesstimate from the retired guy was that it could be in the region of 10K to replace.

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#5

That looks like an old, and quite complicated system. I doubt they hold 300 kg of sand each, maybe 75 or 100 max looking at the pump and pipework. It should be reasonably simple to isolate each pump, then you could work out which filter has a problem, but after 15 or so years, the sand is long overdue for change. More modern sand filters have a 4 or 6 way valve on top, one input and 2 outlets.

#6

Fair enough George, if someone has looked at the liner that’s better than the guess of someone behind a PC. The corners of liners doesn’t usually fit tightly (radius corners are better) and therefore slightly more vulnerable. How big is the pool, 10k is quite a bit unless you are considering armoured liner?

So it looks like you have a pair of 750mm dia Cantabric filters? yes they do hold 300kg each. and side mounts are preferable and not old, I can clearly see the two multiport 6 way valves. They would be where I would start, if the gaskets are hard after all those years they could easily have broken up allowing sand through, it’s not always the laterals. If you are changing the sand, swap to AFM glass from Dryden Aqua, far better filtration and never needs changing, whilst doing that of course you can inspect the laterals which maybe worth changing anyway after that length of time. What are the two pumps rated at? Are the three pipes from skimmers and the other two main drain and vacuum?

#7

Depends on how you define old - these Astrals are 11 years old and do take 300 kgs each, stated on both the filter casing and handbooks etc.

As I said earlier it’s not that easy to work out which filter is off since for some reason they have been wired to operate, both manually and on auto, together. So not being able to switch only one off you can’t work out which filter works which of the six outlets on the pool.

#8

Yes, whilst the pool walls are felt lined tween liner and wall, and as you say the corners are the vulnerable part.

Its Astral filters, six outlets on the pool and two drains in the pool.

The pool is 11 years old, about 20m x 8m in size, about 7ft at the deep end. It also has a Zodiac heat pump.

However I’m not sure about pump rating etc - there’s 4 skimmers, and since my technical advisor (aka my wife) is in England working, and for some reason the pool docs we got on purchase are in Scotland, so your answer will have to wait!

#9

Sorry, had no idea of the (enormous) size of your pool.

#10

Astral cantabric, distinctive shape?
4 skimmers, two main drains strangely plumbed` And 6 returns from two smallish pipes?
Surely you can isolate each pump via the breakers in the fuse board?

#11

I guess we are dependent on input or the return of your technical adviser before any more help? What length are the tears?

#12

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Sorted the filter issue, managed to isolate/switch off the filter emitting sand.
The remaining filter should be able to cope until we change the sand.

In the meantime we may hang off doing that work until we can find someone to give an insurance estimate to repair or reline. We’ve tried a couple within 50k but they are not interested.

So we’re still looking for recommendations if anyone knows of companies !!

#13

Why are these people so reticent when it comes to doing the job which they are supposed to be able to do as pool people? Bizarre to me, still it is repairable as that looks about 6" high but as the colour of the liner has faded it will show. Patch behind and in front for durability. Replacement around 8,000.

good that you have closed off the leaking sand filter, I would still checkout the multiport valve gasket, it’s not always the laterals.

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#14

I don’t know if it is a problem elsewhere but in this part of the world firms seem reluctant to quote for work, and not just poolwork.

I need some stonework done - nothing outrageous but way beyond my capabilities - and had two firms come out. They never said there was problems etc and seemed happy with the work (we are talking about a stone mason). 18 months later and still waiting for devis and I’ve given up reminding them.

When doing the filter I’ll also check the gasket.

#15

Reluctance of French artisans to quote for work crops up enough that one wonders whether there is subtle racism at play.

#16

hole2
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patch2

Earlier this year I successfully patched a degraded liner using an off cut of liner material with some special liquid PVC solution. After a few weeks you could hardly notice the repair.

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#17

Promising myself a pool refit soon (shhh, O/H maybe listening) :grin: I will most like install an armoured liner of the new textured finishes, if people haven’t seen these they should take a look, stunning finishes

#18

Do tell John…do tell. Link?

#19

Hi Carl,
Several manufacturers, here’s one.
http://www.renolit-alkorplan-touch.com/

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#20

I’ve only now managed to find someone willing to look at my liner - and he’s said the hole caused by May’s hail storm is not repairable. And I’ve had a 13k quote to replace it …… the insurance company’s reply will be interesting