I have an annual tradition of draining the swimming pool, power washing it, and filling it back up. It's a messy job by the end of winter, because I don't put any chemicals in the pool during the winter.
I drain the pool with a pump, and the last 8 inches or so need to be sucked out with wet/dry shop vac because of the junk that is in the water. The last 8 inches are a dark green, grimy, living, gooey mess.
I have fallen into that mess multiple times while power washing the sides of the pool. It's gross. I either fall into it while running down into the base of the pool, and trying not to slip and fall into it. Or while standing in an awkward position while washing a foot slips and down I go into the mess. I pump the water down to the last 8 inches, but when I'm power washing the water builds up in the bottom of the pool to a good foot and a half of dark green freezing goop. When I fall my main concern is keeping my head above the water. I don't want anything in that water in my ears, or nose, or mouth, or eyes. It's big time gross.
The last couple of inches require some team work that involve Patrick, Sam, and I to work together to get the job done. I was ready to power vac out the last couple of inches. I was down in the green water with the end of the hose, Patrick was in the shallow end of the almost empty pool with the shop vac, and Sam was on the pool deck with all of the power cords.
I suck up the mess. Patrick keeps the vacuum from sliding down into the deep end of the pool where it's impossible to pull out full of water and muck, not to mention shop vacs run on electricity as most of you know, so he has to make sure that bad boy doesn't slide into the water with me. Sam is the emergency man. If anything is about to go wrong Sam is to unplug the vac from the orange power cord.
Everyone has had their job explained to them, and so I yell to Sam "Plug in the Shop Vac!" I bend over to begin sucking, but I quickly notice that the Vac isn't on.
I look up to Sam and see that he has thrown the the live orange cord in the air. Why is the live orange cord in the air? I now see that not only has Sam thrown the cord, but he has thrown it to me! Me, the one standing in the water at the bottom of the pool. I realize I'm not going to be able to run out of the water quick enough, I would surely slip and fall. I know this because of experience trying to escape the green water of the deep end of the pool. It takes a lot of effort and usually a few runs.
I also realize I'm not going to be able to catch the end of the cord. I wasn't even going to try. So what I do is jump out of the water at just about the same time as the cord enters the water. I land with both feet straddling the green water. In a position as close to the "splits" as I can do straddling the puddle I yell to Sam to unplug the cord from the wall, which he does quickly.
I drain the pool with a pump, and the last 8 inches or so need to be sucked out with wet/dry shop vac because of the junk that is in the water. The last 8 inches are a dark green, grimy, living, gooey mess.
I have fallen into that mess multiple times while power washing the sides of the pool. It's gross. I either fall into it while running down into the base of the pool, and trying not to slip and fall into it. Or while standing in an awkward position while washing a foot slips and down I go into the mess. I pump the water down to the last 8 inches, but when I'm power washing the water builds up in the bottom of the pool to a good foot and a half of dark green freezing goop. When I fall my main concern is keeping my head above the water. I don't want anything in that water in my ears, or nose, or mouth, or eyes. It's big time gross.
The last couple of inches require some team work that involve Patrick, Sam, and I to work together to get the job done. I was ready to power vac out the last couple of inches. I was down in the green water with the end of the hose, Patrick was in the shallow end of the almost empty pool with the shop vac, and Sam was on the pool deck with all of the power cords.
I suck up the mess. Patrick keeps the vacuum from sliding down into the deep end of the pool where it's impossible to pull out full of water and muck, not to mention shop vacs run on electricity as most of you know, so he has to make sure that bad boy doesn't slide into the water with me. Sam is the emergency man. If anything is about to go wrong Sam is to unplug the vac from the orange power cord.
Everyone has had their job explained to them, and so I yell to Sam "Plug in the Shop Vac!" I bend over to begin sucking, but I quickly notice that the Vac isn't on.
I look up to Sam and see that he has thrown the the live orange cord in the air. Why is the live orange cord in the air? I now see that not only has Sam thrown the cord, but he has thrown it to me! Me, the one standing in the water at the bottom of the pool. I realize I'm not going to be able to run out of the water quick enough, I would surely slip and fall. I know this because of experience trying to escape the green water of the deep end of the pool. It takes a lot of effort and usually a few runs.
I also realize I'm not going to be able to catch the end of the cord. I wasn't even going to try. So what I do is jump out of the water at just about the same time as the cord enters the water. I land with both feet straddling the green water. In a position as close to the "splits" as I can do straddling the puddle I yell to Sam to unplug the cord from the wall, which he does quickly.
You know life is kind of crazy that way. One minute we are all working together as a family having a good time, the next someone is trying to kill someone.
I tried to discover a moral to the story. I think the lesson is to make sure that the guy who is in charge of the electricity understands his job perfectly before I go entering the water. As you can see the pool is full and clean, and no harm done. Maybe one or two new gray hairs.
No comments:
Post a Comment