Author Archives: Matt Richmond

Intex swiming pool

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Last year, we decided to make a small investment in one of those soft-sided swimming pools that we have been noticing pop up lately.  I thought at first that these were “disposable” pools, maybe good for a year and then get a new one.  While they are affordable enough to do that with, I have a good friend that got three years out of his before it needed to be retired.  A little bit of care can make these last for a few seasons.

Last year, I was in a hurry to assemble the pool and get it filled (it was HOT!), and I learned that “the ground LOOKS level” does not mean “the ground IS level”.  I dug out what I thought was the high side and filled in what I thought was the low side.  I don’t know if I dug out too much or filled in too much, but when the pool was full, what I was expecting to be level turned out to be almost 2″ off from one side of the pool to the other.  I had actually done too much work, and overcompensated for the slope to the point where the pool was out of level in the opposite direction!  By half way through the season, I had put some straps on the frame on the “uphill” side of the pool, and tied them to rebar stakes I had driven into the ground, just in case that would help to hold the pool upright for the remainder of the season.

This year, I took a little more time in doing site prep.  I purchased a patio paver to go under each frame upright, and leveled them.  I then contoured the sand under the pool to conform to the now-level pavers.  I did rake it in a slight “cone” shape, so the middle of the pool is about 6″ deeper than it is along the edge of the pool.

I also put some 1″ styrofoam under the pool this year, which is comfy on the feet, and I figure that this serves as an extra level of protection for the liner.  Even with raking and adding sand last year, I was still feeling sharp pieces of “sand” and roots under the liner.  I would imagine that those types of things will drastically shorten the life expectancy of a liner.  The foam cost me about $50, but I am definitely a fan!

Last year, our first fill of the pool was green.  Not algae – something in our water was actually green right out of the well (we didn’t notice the green tint until the pool was filled about half-way, so it’s not like we notice it coming out of the tap as green!).  A couple of doses of shock and quite a few filter cleanings later, it was clear.  But it didn’t stay clear, it got cloudy, and it was cloudy for the rest of the season.  I believe that the pump included with the pool is not adequate.  The manual says we should only need to run the pump 3 hours a day, but we were running it 24/7 and losing the battle!

This year, the water started off clear, and very quickly turned green (I had it up before the pollen hit hard, and that’s where I lost the clarity).  I’ve added clarifier, balanced the pH, shocked and super-shocked the water…. nothing is working, because the pump is under-performing.  Somewhere along the line, it is taking on air as well.  After 12 hours, the filter chamber is half filled with air, and I’m not sure where it’s coming from.

Part way into the season, I ordered a new Intex 633 filter pump.  It has more than double the volume (the 637R that came with the pool was rated for 1000 gallons per hour, and the 633 is rated at 2500 gph).  I used the adapters that came with the pump kit (otherwise sold as an accessory), so I did not have to modify the openings in the liner at all.  Since the openings are smaller, I am sure that we are not getting the full 2500 gph flow, but whatever it is that we are getting is sufficient to maintain the pool. The water is visibly churned by this pump when it is on, and it only needs to run for a couple of hours each day (it has a built-in timer, which is nice). This pump is a much better design than the one that came with the pool.

Clothesline

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I visited my parents the other month, and was given the heads-up before I drove up there (so I could bring the appropriate tools with me) that Mom wanted me to construct a clothesline for her while I was there.  I had a rough idea about what she wanted, and was able to construct a clothesline setup for under $50.

Materials List:
2 each: 4″x4″x8′ Pressure-Treated posts
2 each: 2″x4″x8′ Pressure treated board
10 each: eye bolt assemblies (bolt, nuts, washers)
3″ deck screws
3 bags of post-setting concrete (I purchased 4 “just in case”, and was able to return one)
100′ of clothesline

This is a very basic project, and the hardest part was digging the holes.  I dug two holes to a depth of 2 feet, having a diameter of about 8″ (maybe 10″-12″ at the top, but that was only because the post-hole digger handles kept knocking the edges of the hole as I was digging deeper).  I measured off of the house to make sure the line was “straight” (maybe I’m a little obsessive about things like that), and started digging.  First hole, no problems encountered, but the second hole I had to relocate after digging down less than a foot – there was a large stone in there that I was not equipped to remove.

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I set the posts in the holes, used a level to ensure true vertical placement, and braced them with scrap lumber that I found laying around.

IMG_20130522_171523_717The cement that I chose to use was a no-mixing-required type (marketed for setting fence posts or mailbox posts).  All I had to do was to dump it into the hole around the post, add water and that was it!  I double-checked the posts with the level to ensure they were still perfectly vertical, then left the posts braced in the curing cement overnight.

IMG_20130522_175214_749I cut one of the 2x4s into four 2-foot lengths, cutting each end at 45º.  Even if the overall measurement of this piece is not exactly 24″, it is more critical to ensure that all four pieces are exactly the same length.

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The other 2×4 was cut exactly in half, and I drilled 5 holes on each board to accommodate the eye bolts.  Remember that the bolt in the middle will need to be offset, since the 2×4 will be attached on center to the 4×4 post.

I used eye bolts that were long enough to go through the 2×4 (each bolt came with one nut), and purchased two fender washers and an additional nut for each bolt.

I assembled each cross-piece before attaching them to the posts.  The two 45º cuts butt up to each other to form a 90º joint which I used deck screws to secure.  I then centered these to the long board (containing the eye bolts) and secured them with deck screws.  (I had a picture of this assembly by itself, but I accidentally deleted it after it was too late to retake the picture. I am still not totally familiar with the way my new phone handles pictures – oops!)

IMG_20130523_102951_208The assembled cross-pieces were attached flush with the top of the post, and secured with several deck screws.  I mounted the cross-piece assemblies on the outside of the posts for a couple of reasons (which seemed good enough to me at the time that I was deciding which side I wanted to mount them on!).  First of all, it gave an extra 8″ of line space.  Second (and probably more importantly), the weight of the lines will be pulling in on the crosspieces, rather than pulling them away from the upright.

IMG_20130523_103801_641The finished project! I had originally planned to cut rope for each line, and using the threads on the eye bolts to adjust the tension on the line.  Instead, I wound up just stringing the rope from one and looping it back around to the next.  I ran an extra length of rope through the ends of all 5 lines, figuring that would give Mom a place to hang small items, or the bag that held her clothespins…. but mostly it was a way to make the fact that the line was one continuous “zigzagged” rope (instead of being five individual lines) a little less obvious.

I haven’t had any feedback from Mom about the clothesline setup, but I suspect that it may be sagging a bit – the line that I purchased was the cheap vinyl-coated version that sold 100′ for $7.  I noticed afterward that it was rated for a 14-pound load.  Don’t skimp on the rope!

 

 

 

 

Pull-down Attic Staircase Insulation and Air-sealing

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When it comes to insulating your home, it seems like there are endless ways to make small improvements to the temperature-retention ability of our homes.  But there is one item that is often overlooked….  Just  what are you supposed to do to insulate over the pull-down attic staircase?  It is drafty and cold underneath the opening in the winter, and the heat pours in from the attic in the summer.  Loose batts of insulation are hard to get to stay in place while you fold the ladder up, and even with insulation, there is still a draft around the door.

Copied from thermadome.com

 

There are numerous articles online about how to construct an insulating box to fit over the unit.  If you are at all handy, and have the tools required, and don’t mind dealing with the mess (cutting rigid foam is messy!), then you may want to try to make your own.  However, I would suggest that you consider a product that I have installed several times, the Therma-Dome.  There is some assembly required, but the foam board is all cut to size to fit over the attic staircase, and all of the materials that you need for the project (even foil tape and glue) are included in the box.  The only tools required are things that most homeowners have easily available: a hammer, scissors (or a knife), and a caulking gun.

Picture copied from thermadome.com

 

The Therma-Dome is more than just insulation – it also has a nice foam-core vinyl compression gasket (similar to the gasket that you see on exterior door weatherstripping kits) that blocks any draft between the attic and your living space.  The compression tension is maintained on the gasket by using Velcro straps on each of the short ends.  They attach to the frame of the ladder using large staples (included with the kit – this is all that you need the hammer for). This technique is more effective than any other type of attic staircase gasket/weatherstripping methods that I have come across in any how-to articles.  The Velcro also keeps the dome in place – you may not realize it, but if your home has good air sealing, and all of the windows are closed when you close the front door suddenly – that “burst” of air movement caused by the front door could knock an unstrapped attic stair cover out of place, allowing the drafts through and decreasing its overall effectiveness.

The dome also lifts off of the attic staircase as a unit – many of the designs I have seen (both DIY project ideas and finished solutions available for sale)  have a “lid” that removes for attic access, but the four “sides” stay in place.  To me, that design seems too susceptible to damage: You’d have to step up and over the side of the box to get in and out of the attic, and passing anything up and down the stairs for storage requires an extra lift instead of just a “slide it over the edge” technique.  There is also the safety issue of having to step over the side of the box to get on or off the top of the ladder.

I am able to assemble a dome kit and have it in place in about 15 minutes (as claimed on the manufacturer’s website).  However, I am a handyman by trade, so I think that the average homeowner may take just a little bit longer.  The assembly instructions are detailed and clear, and the actual assembly didn’t seem to me to be any more complicated than the average bookshelf assembly. (in fact, it seemed a lot easier!)

That 15 minutes of installation is supposing that there is decking in the attic.  If there is no attic decking, you will have to allow some time to cut some strips of plywood or OSB to lay around the opening (1×6 or 1×8 board could also be used, although it seems like OSB is easier for me to come by in my “materials pile” left over from other projects).  This will give the gasket on the dome an even surface to seal against.  While you are installing the dome (whether you have to install any decking or not), you may want to have a can of spray foam handy to close any gaps around the attic ladder door frame, decking, or any construction voids that are under the “dome” that air may penetrate.  The tighter the seal, the better the insulation factor will be.  The “dead space” between the ladder door and the dome actually serves as additional insulation.

One tip that I learned from experience the first time I built one of these (and yes, it was one of the first things written on the instructions sheet, if I had been paying attention):  make sure that you assemble the dome in the attic, unless you are absolutely sure that you have clearance to put it up through the attic access door once assembled!  If you have low overhead clearance in the attic (such as in a ranch home), you may find yourself having a tough time getting the finished product through the attic door!

Therma-Domes can be found by searching different internet shopping sites.  I just searched and found results on Google, Amazon and Bing, with prices ranging from $120 – $170.  Just be careful about shipping charges, those will probably add up real fast; although it is light, it comes in a big box, which requires special handling by the carrier.

Concrete Countertop

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This is not a project that I have attempted yet, but it is on my list of things that will be done in my “someday” house.  My good friend Matthew has put together a nice website laying out his experience with creating both a kitchen and a bath concrete countertop.

 

Here is the link to his website;

http://concretecounterproject.com/