Tips

swimming pool

How to repair a swimming pool leak

Pool plumbing leaks are just one element of pool maintenance that might make many pool owners somewhat nervous. Most people would immediately dial for the plumber. However, these days, with PVC pipes, installing a replacement or new gear to the pipes is relatively simple. Most tools and materials are available at any hardware or home store. Doing your own pool plumbing fixes can sometimes be a simple weekend project that can save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Here are some tips.

Repairing Pool Leaks

Pool Leaks come in several types, from little trickles to massive gushers. For smaller drips, you’ll find that it won’t empty the pool, and unless it is dripping on the pump, or causing noticeable difficulties, it’s not considered an emergency but you do need to attend to it.

But bigger pool plumbing leaks may cause difficulties and have to be repaired by replacing poor adhesive joints or cracked fittings – by cutting out the aged and gluing in the brand new PVC pipe and fittings.

 

Suction Side Leaks

The suction side pipes near the swimming pump impeller, which includes water under vacuum or suction. This is actually the skimmer and main drain suction pipes, valves and fittings, which terminate at the front of the pump. Check that the impeller is unclogged first.

Suction side leaks can be repaired with pool putty or silicone for a temporary fix, but will generally have to be cut out and replaced with new fittings or pipe for best results.

Suction side valves could be damaged or cracked, or leaky – finally needing replacement.

However, it may be challenging simply to replace one valve on the suction side, oftentimes it is essential to replace the whole suction manifold, or the majority of the pipes in the bottom up, in the pump.

Stress Side Leaks

The water flows under pressure, and some small crack or emptiness will flow water once the pump is operating, and frequently when the pump is off also. Pool equipment, such as the pool filter, pool pump, pool heater, pool chlorinator, and other pool cleaning equipment, can leak water from time to time, but here we’re talking about leaks on the pipes or fittings and pipes that join the pool and each piece of pool gear.

Suction side flows can be remedied with pool putty, or other sealants on the exterior of the pipe since the sealant is drawn to the fracture under suction. But pressure side pool leak repairs can’t be patched effectively from the exterior.

Underground Leaks

Pool pipes which are underground are not normally the reason behind pool leaks, but they can sometimes break from freeze damage, tree roots, settling decks or shifting soil. Replacing underground bend PVC pipe using stiff PVC pipe is a common fix on 30-year-old pools.

If you’re sure the flow is underground, then the next step would be to stress test the line(s), then use technical equipment, to ascertain the precise location of the flow.

Alternately, if the pipe run is extremely short, or when the whole pipe is badly damaged, then you may opt to replace the whole pipe and leave the old pipe, then leaving it at the floor.

For pools with a small pool deck of around 4 feet diameter, you might select the choice of tunneling below the deck, rather than cutting the deck and digging. A couple of hours of digging, you can get the skimmer pipes fully uncovered, or dig where a return meets the pool.

Alternately, the other choice is to cut the swimming pool deck with a concrete saw, bust the deck up, dig the dirt and also expose the leaking pipe or cracked pipe fitting. In any event, it is a great deal of dirty work – however, if you are up for this, keep reading.

The Way to Repair a Pool Leak

For complex fixes, create a diagram to be aware all of fittings and gear. For easy fitting replacement, you’re going to want enough space to have the ability to join the new fitting into the pipe using a coupling. Create a good strategy of re-connection, before you begin cutting on the pipes.

When cutting the pipes, then make a straight cut, then clean up the trim edge with sandpaper or emery cloth. Don’t forget to leave enough pipe to produce a good link, about two inches.

It is possible to pre-cut pipe segments, but it is more precise to reduce on the new PVC pipe bits as you want them, which means that you may step again before cutting.

Use PVC primer on fittings and pipe around 30 seconds before adding copious quantities of clean PVC glue. Primer cleans and softens the pipe, heating the plastic up to earn a wax weld.

This can help you to find the angle right, for the precise direction the matching should confront.

For threaded male PVC fittings, then smear a silicone sealant such as Blue RTV above the threads, then wrap the threads a couple times with Teflon tape, then in a clockwise direction (holding the threaded side of this matching towards you). Tighten a threaded fitting by hand, then give another 1 to 1-1/2 revolutions with a big pair of pliers.

Here are more tips on how to find a leak in your swimming pool. If this sounds too hard? Hire a professional plumber to do the job.

trade show

Trade show marketing tips

Trade shows can be a valuable resource to your business and a profitable venture. However, you do need to plan to make sure that you get the most out of any trade show.

The most typical reason trade show exhibitors do not obtain the ROI from their investment in trade shows is they lack a game plan. A plan is an important ingredient to provide the best opportunity for success.

Don’t leave everything to the trade show promoter. The promoter’s job is to look at the big picture. As an exhibitor, your job is to make sure that the people who come to the trade show are interested in your product.

Make sure you are equipped to provide everything your potential customers will need to put your company on their radar.

Some essential components to consider when preparing for a trade show are:

1. Establish quantifiable objectives. Are you really there to take orders? Create business leads? How many? These questions can allow you to decide your booth layout, marketing collateral, and staffing demands.

2. Make a checklist. Make a list of things to bring along with you, and action items which will need to occur at each stage of the event. The list ought to be comprehensive enough that you could hire someone else to come in and implement the program if something should happen to you.

3. Create a staffing strategy. Determine how many people you need on the stall and if you’re able to use temporary assistance to offset the expenses of traveling.

4. Rehearse. If you have a brand new booth screen, place it up on your stand prior to getting to the show floor. Put your books, products, staff and furniture from the booth and be certain you’ve got your design just the way you need it.

5. Start early. This way, if you are not on a potential buyer’s list before they get there, then you will have the advantage over other exhibitors for their attention and time. Get the attendance list and be proactive: invite folks to come to visit your new merchandise on your booth. Do not forget to encourage your present customers too.

6. Follow-through. As amazing as it seems, many exhibitors never follow together with all the leads they get out of trade shows. Assign the job of earning telephone calls for your prospects beginning the day you go back to the workplace and make sure your team has a call report on every person who came to your booth.