CyprusLiving

Having blocked pipes and a pump house that is 25 meters from the pool and 1.5 M higher I decided to build a pump house nearer and found this....



The internal diameter has been reduced dramatically and is now quite easy for a stone or debris to block.

Blimey Bazzra! that's some blockage!
obviously that's NOT a flexi-pipe, and as such probably NOT deterioration of the pipe caused by chlorine tabs and no flow!... what do you reckon it is? have you tested the PH to find out if it's calcification caused by PH+ or Alk+ being poured down the skimmer? just drip a Ph reagent on it, and see if it goes purple or yellow!

Hi 'the golden hi-lux'.

It is a flexible pipe. The picture shows the difference of the chemical reaction from pipework cut from my system. The two pipes affected are that from the skimmer and the one from the chlorine dispenser. Both have the same reaction to the chemicals which reduced over distance from the skimmer and chlorine holder. From digging up the pipe-works I know it affects the diameter for at least 4 meters up to about 12 meters. There may be many people with a similar problem. However. My pool was installed in 2000 - 2001 and the pipework is 1.5 inch imperial measurement. It is not the current 50 mm metric flexible, so there is a ray of hope that later flexible pipes are not affected (to the same degree).

The reason I found the problem was I had a very reduced flow from one of the pipes. Easy to see why now. So being retired, slightly bored, I started digging. Some 6 weeks later.... I have relocated the pump house to the garden, which shortened the pipe run by 12 meters. And, the pump house is now on the same level as the pool surface, and not 4 feet above it. Result, certainly. When the system was turned on yesterday the water flow was fantastic.

I have not tried your suggestion of testing the damaged pipework but will give it a go. Any results and I will come back.

Hi Bazzra
Regarding your pipe work i had a meeting with the Fi Clor chemical Manager, i actually showed him the picture of your pipe work and the build up inside. He gave the same answer, If any person buys low price Chlorine Maxi Tablets, The make up will be less chlorine more cyanuric acid and more binding glue, this all ends up in your pipe work, Good Quality tablets such as FiClor and other good names, put less of these materials in the products. So be very careful when buying cheap Chemicals, i had this experience on my last visit.
Regards Steve.

Thanks for your comments Steve.
From what I can see of the pipe work it is the actual degradation of the inside that has formed loops, rather than a chemical build up. A reaction for want of another description.
Like most customers who enter a pool shop, we, or certainly I, do not have a clue about quality of the chemicals. In my case I ask for Multi tablets because the builder said use these when the pool was installed, and indeed the shops seem to sell them as against recommending separate products. Unfortunately I bought another bucket of 5 tabs today but will use them sparingly and use individual products in future.
You have been good enough to suggest one name for a product. Do you have any other recommendations in regard to quality produce available in Cyprus.

Hi, interesting development...

We've recently had two pools with blocked skimmers, and one proved to be this same reaction...
BOTH were single skimmer pools, of around 40 tonnes, both have been maintained by us for around six years. using the same chemicals, and the same pump-timings. the first had this reaction in the pipes, and the second (CCTV'd today) has absolutely zero sign of chemical-based degredation.

Interesting, as the only difference was that the affected pipe, was on a "dolphin" kidney-shaped, fibre-glass pool, and the non-affected, on an EKA pool. (which had suffered below-ground movement.)
The builder who has done the repair on the former pool, entirely blames the quality of the original pipe, stating that he felt it was "cheap," and not "real" pool-pipe.
also worth noting, was that the affected pipe was leaking water, as the reaction appears (with time) to be permeable...