How can I clean my pool during the hosepipe ban - help!

[diyAlex]

Hi, I have a 3m diameter x 1m deep surface pool, which we put up each summer and take down again at the end of the season. Due to excessive dry weather here in Hampshire, we have a Temporary Usage Ban coming into effect this week which, amongst other things, bans the use of the mains water supply to fill or maintain pools (commonly referred to as a “hosepipe ban”).

I have a “pool vacuum” handheld tool which uses the mains pressure from a hosepipe to flow water through the head. This flows out through a net. The head is on a long pole. This means that I can stand outside the pool and slowly move the head over the pool’s floor. The flow of the water “sucks” up debris into the net, thereby cleaning the pool.

With the ban coming in, I will no longer have the mains pressure to flow the water through the head. So I’m looking for ideas on how to keep cleaning the pool. Over the 4 years or so of having the pool, we’ve found cleaning to be absolutely necessary to maintain water quality (in conjunction with covers, skimming, chlorine, algeacide, and of course pumping the water to maintain circulation).

I’m not interested in how to circumvent the ban (e.g. conceal the hosepipe). I’m only interested in how to keep to keep cleaning in the absence of mains pressure.

I have a spare pool pump (the basic one that came in the original box) so one idea I have is to recirculate the pool water for use with the pool vacuum. To do this, I would need an adapter to connect the pump hose (32mm, I believe) to a garden hose fitting (because the pool vacuum head is designed to accept a hosepipe’s quick connector).

Any ideas on this??

 

[mattylad]

Bucket and sponge?

 

[diyAlex]

Bucket and sponge?

I’m not taking about cleaning the sides. This is about cleaning the floor where the water depth is 1 metre. It’s the sinking debris (flies, dirt, etc) that collect there and need removing

 

[IT Minion]

Dirty water pump to suck the water up through a fat 1 1/2 pipe and into your net?

 

[lostinthelight]

I had a poolside pump with a skimmer that I could attach a a length of pipe with a vacuum head to clean the bottom and return the water

 

[conny]

You can use a mechanical vacuum. Basically its a long tube with a pull out handle which sucks the water up when you pull the handle out. The water passes through a filter, which traps the debris, and then when you push the handle in it expels the clean water back into the pool. A bit like a modified bicycle pump. Have a look at these;

https://www.amazon.com/Bestway-BW58212-Flowclear-AquaCrawl-Vacuum/dp/B00FQD6E74/ref=sr_1_3?crid=8CWNWQRRGYXS&keywords=bestway+flowclear+vacuum&qid=1659422351&sprefix=bestway+flow+clear+vacuum%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-3

Amazon.com : Kokido K738CBX Manual Swimming Pool Vacuum : Patio, Lawn & Garden

Amazon.com : Kokido K738CBX Manual Swimming Pool Vacuum : Patio, Lawn & Garden

www.amazon.com

Lots of different things on Amazon and pool supply sites, some are even battery operated.

 

[daviesm1976]

Option 1 is to get a rechargeable pool vacuum.

Option 2 is get a pool vaccum that works via the pool filter but ideally you'd need a filter with decent flow rate.

Option 3 as a pp suggested used a submersible dirty water pump/ pond pump to supply water to your hosepipe connection on your pool cleaner

 

[SpecialK]

Have you checked its banned in your area? Its not the whole of Hampshire just Southern waters bit..

 

[diyAlex]

Thanks for all your suggestions folks, and yep, we’re definitely within the actual TUB here (good idea to say to check though).

I looked into the options you suggested but in the end decided to take the pool down whilst it was still clean.