Nice People Thread No. 15, a Cyber Summer

Generali

Pyxis wrote: »

I was wondering, though. How does the cost of cleaning the water, filtering, pumping it back, to recycle it,etc., compare with the cost of just putting fresh water in?
Thinking about the electricity, maintenance of the filters, pumps etc.

The big cost is the pump/filter. Lifting that much water is expensive.

We have a 61,000 litre pool so that's about 9mx3m at a guess with a slope from one end to the other. It's a salt water pool so we put salt into it which is converted into chlorine using a catalyst in the filter/pump system. If it's really hot we 'shock' the pool by bunging in some extra chlorine.

The pump is used for about 14 hours a day in summer and about 8 hours a day in winter because we don't have a cover. If we had a cover you could probably drop each time by 30%.

You can't just fill with fresh water when you fancy a swim.

- You'd be creating a sex party venue for mosquitoes and that would make it impossible to live around here.
- I think (not sure though) that there would be a huge Legionnaire's disease risk
- Australia is drought prone - if you're being told to use your washing machine rinse water to wash your clothes then bunging 61kl into the pool each time you want to swim is not likely to impress the neighbours
- Your pool would stink, not just smell a bit but reek. Imagine a bath you hadn't emptied for a few days then scale up 100 fold

There are prolly a bunch of other reasons too that I haven't thought of.

We probably put in 30 25kg bags of salt a year into the pool at $5-10 a pop (I am very much a $5/bag man). Then during the summer or after a storm like at the weekend we bung in a load of chlorine so I probably go through something like 5-10 25l bottles of chlorine at perhaps $20a throw.

Then there's a bottle of algicide maybe once a year which is about $30. If you're having a party or something you might want to get one of the fancy water clarifiers for $25-40 but TBH if you look after the pool they're not necessary.

The big cost of a pool is the pump. The pool hadn't been used or cleaned for ages when we moved in so needed to have the pump on 24/7 at the start. We got an electricity bill for our first 2 weeks which was for just over $200 the majority of which would have been pump cost but cooking and air con would also be included.

If you're a home owner and have an ounce of sense you get solar panels and run the filter when the sun's out. Then the pool only costs you the cost of the chemicals.

Pyxis

chris_m wrote: »

Or ½p per litre - how much do shops charge for putting a litre in a bottle and sticking a label on it?

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

(That is soooooo my bugbear!)

While I was on holiday in Alàjar recently, I discovered that it was perfectly ok for me to drink the tap water from the tap in my room. The very first time ever that I have been told this while on holiday! It tasted strange, but I soon got used to it. I was thrilled to bits!
I drink a lot of water, and it's so annoying to have to rely on bottled stuff, especially if there isn't a supermarket close by.

I loathe, loathe, loathe having to buy bottled water when I'm on holiday, but if you're told not to drink the tap water, what can you do?

For my next hol, have been told not to drink the water again.
So back to having to buy bottles of it.

chris_m

Generali wrote: »

It's a salt water pool so we put salt into it which is converted into chlorine using a catalyst in the filter/pump system.

What happens to the sodium from the salt?

Pyxis

chris_m wrote: »

What happens to the sodium from the salt?

It skims around the surface going fizzzzzzzzz, fizzzzzzzzzzz until it burns itself out.

(What I remember from one of my few Chemistry lessons, age 12).

chris_m

Pyxis wrote: »

It skims around the surface going fizzzzzzzzz, fizzzzzzzzzzz until it burns itself out.

(What I remember from one of my few Chemistry lessons, age 12).

LOL. Metallic sodium would do that, but not when it's been dissolved as sodium chloride. I was wondering if it gets captured in some way or is just flushed down the drain?

chris_m

PasturesNew wrote: »

Never been one for drinking water in pubs, not thinking that Perrier makes me look cool.

Does Perrier make anyone look cool?
:rotfl:

Pyxis

chris_m wrote: »

Does Perrier make anyone look cool?
:rotfl:

The glass bottles are prettier! :D:D
And it's French! French is cool! :D:D

chris_m wrote: »

LOL. Metallic sodium would do that, but not when it's been dissolved as sodium chloride. I was wondering if it gets captured in some way or is just flushed down the drain?

Hahahahahahaha! I stuck to Biology after that! :rotfl:

michaels

Generali wrote: »

The big cost is the pump/filter. Lifting that much water is expensive.

We have a 61,000 litre pool so that's about 9mx3m at a guess with a slope from one end to the other. It's a salt water pool so we put salt into it which is converted into chlorine using a catalyst in the filter/pump system. If it's really hot we 'shock' the pool by bunging in some extra chlorine.

The pump is used for about 14 hours a day in summer and about 8 hours a day in winter because we don't have a cover. If we had a cover you could probably drop each time by 30%.

You can't just fill with fresh water when you fancy a swim.

- You'd be creating a sex party venue for mosquitoes and that would make it impossible to live around here.
- I think (not sure though) that there would be a huge Legionnaire's disease risk
- Australia is drought prone - if you're being told to use your washing machine rinse water to wash your clothes then bunging 61kl into the pool each time you want to swim is not likely to impress the neighbours
- Your pool would stink, not just smell a bit but reek. Imagine a bath you hadn't emptied for a few days then scale up 100 fold

There are prolly a bunch of other reasons too that I haven't thought of.

We probably put in 30 25kg bags of salt a year into the pool at $5-10 a pop (I am very much a $5/bag man). Then during the summer or after a storm like at the weekend we bung in a load of chlorine so I probably go through something like 5-10 25l bottles of chlorine at perhaps $20a throw.

Then there's a bottle of algicide maybe once a year which is about $30. If you're having a party or something you might want to get one of the fancy water clarifiers for $25-40 but TBH if you look after the pool they're not necessary.

The big cost of a pool is the pump. The pool hadn't been used or cleaned for ages when we moved in so needed to have the pump on 24/7 at the start. We got an electricity bill for our first 2 weeks which was for just over $200 the majority of which would have been pump cost but cooking and air con would also be included.

If you're a home owner and have an ounce of sense you get solar panels and run the filter when the sun's out. Then the pool only costs you the cost of the chemicals.

We just empty ours out and fill it from the hot tap each time we use it - but then it is only about 5m3. Given we have PV heating with an ashp we be nice but you would have to do an awful lot of heating to make back the capital cost of the heat pump.

Edit: WE are luckily not water-metered given we are a 5 person shower happy household in what was a small 3 bed semi for rateable value calcs. However our bill has gone up by nearly 20% in the last 2 years when offwat allegedly froze bills because our supply and sewerage companies differ and both have rebalanced their charges putting them up for the service they give us whilst cuttign them for the other service to meet the overal offwat price cap

My parents pool is probably about 10x5 and they have an ashp and obiovusly time the pump and heating to coincide with peak PV output.

GDB2222

chris_m wrote: »

On my last metered statement, I was paying a little bit more than that for the water - plus about twice as much again to give them some of it back for treatment.

I was including the drainage cost in the £30 figure, as my water company charges me for drainage based on the amount of consumption.

Funny that in oz they sell water in kilolitres and here in cubic metres.

michaels

GDB2222 wrote: »

Amazing service from the NHS yesterday. My PSA was up again, so I was referred to the local prostate investigation service, who saw me within a week or so of the referral. I saw a consultant who said I needed an MRI scan and asked if I was free at 3.15. So, I have had the scan and need to wait for a phone call from Fionnuala later this week with the results.

I hated the MRI scan. Very uncomfortable getting heated up by the machine for nearly an hour. Funny that, as other people sail through them.

My thoughts are with you. I am not at all good at that wating for results period.