We installed this step unit in the summer of 2003.  As arthritis runs in my wife's family, we thought that the steps would be a lot easier for her to use than the ladder that came with the pool.

Also in the picture are some of the toys provided for friends and family to play with when they come to visit.

The device at the left of the steps is an "Ick-Stractor skimmer.  It does a great job of catching most of the stuff that gets past the pool skimmer.  It is particularly useful in the spring and fall when the trees are dropping  seeds or leaves.  Sometimes we detach if from the edge of the pool where it is anchored and use it as an over-sized hand skimmer.  Works great!

Aquadroid Robot

This pool cleaning robot in the pictures above is another work saver.  During the summer of 2003, we had a lot of rain in Rochester, NY which seemed to promote algae growth.  It did a great job of cleaning the bottom  and  also helped prevent getting the algae stirred up as I went about my work.  All I had to do was clean the walls, places that it could not reach and touch up spots that it missed.

This Sun Coast solar heater puts out 80,000 btu of heat. On a sunny day the water temperature can rise as much as two degrees Fahrenheit per hour. By using the solar heater in the daylight hours, using a bypass valve arrangement at sundown and covering the pool with the solar cover, a comfortable water temperature can be maintained as long as the overnight air temperature stays above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. The net result is that the swimming season can be extended about a month over what would normally be possible.

The reel for the solar cover was added during the 2004 swimming season. Before we installed the solar reel we had to pull the cover off onto the lawn then fold it up. This task is not easy to do because some of the water remains trapped in the folds making it very heavy. It was too heavy for my wife to move it. After I folded it, I would drain as much water as possible and store it on the picnic table when it was not in use. The other bad thing is that grass clippings would get into the pool.

However, there is one precaution that one must take when storing a solar cover on a reel. The solar cover can be damaged if left in full sun without being covered by an opaque sheet of plastic or something to reflect the heat that builds up inside the solar cover. I solved the problem by folding the bottom side back over the reel since it has a silver finish and reflects the sunlight. After I folded it back I used a bungee cord at each end of the reel to prevent the wind from unfolding the cover. Notice the introduction picture at the top of this page for this method.

In this photo are some of the smaller accessories that are useful in pool maintenance. The items on the right end of the table are used during the months that the pool is closed. See the Fall Closed page for how these items are used.

• The winter pool cover that is rolled up for summer storage is leaning against the left edge of the table.
• A thermometer is sitting in the coil of vacuum tube hose. It gets used almost daily when the pool is open.
• The extension pole that is at the front edge of the table may be connected to the vacuum head or the hand skimmer (shown in front of the robot) which would allow one to remove maple seeds, bugs and leaves without entering the pool for either cleaning job. The round object next to the vacuum head is an adapter that is inserted into the skimmer and the vacuum tube is connected to it.
• The small bungee cords that are used to restrain the solar cover are displayed at the left of the robot.
• The small round plug blocks the pool inlet and the square plastic Aquadoor blocks the skimmer opening during the winter season. These items prevent the loss of treated pool water.
• The large black bungee cords are connected between the auger shown in the picture at the left and a cable that is threaded through eyelets in the pool cover. These items prevent the wind from blowing the pool cover off of the pool.
• The blue plastic inflatable pillow and the coils of rope of rope are used to prevent ice from damaging the pool structure over the winter season.

The floating chlorine dispenser on the right is the older of the two dispensers.  Its holes were too large and allowed the crumbs from the Trichlor pucks to fall out.

The lid on the dispenser on the left would not lock and when it became upset the crumbs fell out.

The result is the ugly bleached spots on the pool liner floor that were caused when the crumbs dissolved.

The first winter that we owned the pool, we tied gallon milk jugs to the cover (as did the previous owner) to prevent the wind from removing it from the pool.  The problem with this approach was that the jugs were unsightly and as the wind blew it caused the jugs to scuff the side of the pool.

The next winter season I tried to anchor the pool cover using bungee cords that had elongated holes attached to augers that are used to anchor tarpaulins. Between the wind and the very cold temperatures, the bungee cords were snapped in two.