Two years ago, my husband and I purchased an Easy Set pool from a local retailer at the beginning of summer. The pool was the largest size the sold at that time in stores (Intex Easy Set metal frame pool 20' X 4' round). The kids loved it and it quickly became the centerpiece of our backyard entertainment.
Well, as the end of June approached, the heat was increasing daily. We live on the Coast in Mississippi so the heat can be unbearable at times; before long the water temperature in the pool was a stifling average 85 degrees during the day and 82 degrees at night. The pool water felt more like bath water! Of course with the temp hike, the pool quickly became a large water source for the local birds and less of a relief as a swimming pool.
I suppose we gave up on praying for a cooler pool water temperature and fought another battle; the water stayed cloudy, the algae quickly spread and engulfed the pool despite all the chemical treatments, shock, chlorine, muratic acid, etc. We knew our swimming days were over and decided to give up on the treatments and drain the pool. The only way we were going to win this battle to was to start over and it would be costly. So, we did it. We drained the pool, cleaned it thoroughly and refilled. Within two weeks, we were back battling the temperature spikes and algae.
School was to start soon and we knew the cooler temps were coming in the next few months. We decided to end the swimming season for the family; the pool was covered and shut down until next year. We knew we had some time to figure out the "why" our pool water was getting so hot and "how" to come up with a solution. In the end, we decided the standard issued pump that came with the pool was insufficient and would replace by the summer time.
Summer 2012
Because our current filtration system was not equipped with a "winterize" feature, our pool water was the darkest shade of green I have ever seen. I consulted with family and a pool center who all suggested to drain, clean, and refill the water in the pool. So we did that and purchased a new sanded filter pump; which by the way was Super easy to install. Total cost for pump was $325.00 and worth every penny! This sucker had a great intake and return pressure along with a very necessary winterizing and backwash setting. We figured, problem solved - and then June hit.
We thought "here we go again" because the pool water was 83 degrees and climbing again. We had to come up with a solution and fast! We were NOT willing to have the repeat battle from last summer. We decided that if we could not come up with a viable solution then we would take down the pool for good.
So, the research began....
Everything we read and everyone we talked to said the same thing "you need a fountain for the pool". The next step was to research the type we needed and pricing. The prices were okay - starting around $50 for what we needed, but we weren't sure of some things; if we hooked it up, how will it stay in the center of the pool, how easy is it to hook up and take off, etc. So we waited a little while longer to shop locally. Well, no one had any to view and we would have to order online and I am skeptical. Finally, in the end my husband decided to make our own fountain.
My first thoughts were - oh lord he we go and felt sorry for the pool!... Well, he sure as heck showed me in the end.... He built a pool fountain (later added a bypass feature) for a total of $10.00 and 30 minutes of labor.
Since the installation of our DIY pool fountain, the temperature in the pool has stayed in the low to mid 70's! LOVE IT! LOVE my husband for being the patient DIY'er he is!
Supplies Needed and pictured:
(1) Piece of PVC pipe - 1 1/2"
(1) PVC Cap (to fit 1 1/2" PVC Pipe)
(2) Zip Ties (large enough to wrap over PVC Pipe and pool frame)
(1) 90 degree PVC fitting
(1) Male threaded PVC fitting (2" to 1 1/2" pipe - used to screw into return hose fitting)
- PVC pipe cleaner (had on hand)
- PVC pipe glue (had on hand)
* From the first picture you can see where we fitted the male threaded end and screwed into the return hose (the gray piece into the male threaded white end)
* We cut a small piece of the PVC pipe to size to fit between the male threaded peice and the 90 degree peice and glued all together
* We measured how long we wanted the pipe to extend on the inside portion of the pool railing (from bend to bend).
* Then we glued and attached the 90 piece to the PVC pipe portion that would be our fountain
* We finished the pipe with a PVC cap (glued to end of cut PVC pipe)
* Once that was done we secured with Zip ties
* Lastly we randomly drilled small holes all over the pipe.
Below is a picture of our pool before the installation of the fountain
This was the pool temp late afternoon before installation - we had a lot of rain and the temp was not that bad at the moment but was just under 80 degrees
The picture below is so you can see what type of hookups were on the pool for the water return.
Pictured is the sanded filter we purchased 2 months before this water fountain project (I took this picture when the fountain was almost complete)
Pictured Here is the return hose hooked up to the male threaded piece, a small piece of PVC glued into the top of it and glued to the 90 degree peice
This is a picture of where the 90 degree piece is attached to the PVC pipe that has holes in it for the fountain (don't drill the holes until in place so you know the direction your water will come out!)
This is a picture of the water fountain in action! We kept turning the pump off and adding more holes as needed.
This is the completed water fountain project in action. We set our pump to run from 7:00 pm until 7:00 am.
This is the water temperature 12 hours later.... Woo hoo!
Total project cost and time was less than $20.00 and total time 30 minutes. We had the glue and cleaner on hand so it really only cost us $10.00 total!
As you can see from the pictures the pool temp is in the cool 70's at the end of June in the smoltering summer Mississippi Gulf Coast heat!
