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Once I sit in my tea room, I’ve a good view out the sliding glass doorways to the yard. I can see the pool, the patio, the cacti that my spouse and I planted, and… a very ugly pool filler.
One thing I didn’t know earlier than having a pool, however which might have been apparent after any quantity of contemplation, is that pool water evaporates. Our pool loses roughly 50-100 gallons a day. Most individuals stick a hose in and fill it each from time to time, however I hate non-automated options, so I bought a mechanical pool filler, which is simply hose with a float valve hooked up to it that you simply set on the sting of the pool. When the water stage drops, the float inside it lowers, and that strikes a lever that opens the valve and lets water in.
I works very well, however the truth that it’s seen is sort of a pebble in my shoe. I give it some thought on a regular basis and attempt to provide you with methods to eliminate it. Newer swimming pools have in-built fillers, however they require a separate pipe to be plumbed to the pool, which might be very costly to retrofit.
You would argue that I don’t all the time select an important targets, however after I get my sights locked onto one thing I’m tenacious. This month, I made a decision, could be the month that I eliminate the pool filler.
There have been two elementary issues to unravel. The primary was detecting the extent of the pool water, and the second was getting water into the pool. Neither has an apparent resolution once you aren’t prepared to run wires or pipes to the pool.
First I made a decision to sort out the water stage. The primary technique I attempted was ultrasound. I purchased an ultrasonic sensor, hooked up it to the eave of the home closest to the pool, related it to an ESP32 ($7 normal objective laptop) and for the lifetime of me I couldn’t get it to learn the water stage of the pool. I measured all the angles, however perhaps I bought them unsuitable (I attempted a number of variants), or perhaps ultrasonic sensing doesn’t work on the angle I used to be making an attempt and desires a flat floor for a mirrored image. After two days of attempting various things, I gave up on it.
Subsequent I briefly tried laptop imaginative and prescient, however rapidly realized that the digicam feed I used to be going to make use of for detection was so unhealthy that even I couldn’t inform what the water stage was, and I made a decision this could trigger too many complications and perhaps not be dependable sufficient.
Then I had a genius concept. There’s a conduit that runs from the pool gear to the sunshine fixture within the pool. The entry level to it’s a few toes above the pool, but it surely clearly goes all the way down to the extent of the water underground, and it will need to have water in it. I might put a water sensor within the conduit at simply the fitting stage and detect when it was full. I constructed a water sensor and for some motive it didn’t actually work. If I put it in water outdoors of the pipe it triggered, but when I put it method into the pipe it will set off after which say it was dry. If I pulled it up it was clearly soaking moist and was deep into the pipe. I attempted modifying it a number of alternative ways however couldn’t get it to be dependable.
I did have an concept for a extra dependable technique, but it surely was a extra advanced challenge than I’d finished earlier than so I used to be avoiding it. However after attempting three different strategies, I made a decision it was time. It took me about two weeks of trial and error and enormous 3D printed elements, however I constructed a photo voltaic powered system that might change the skimmer cowl on the pool deck and would prolong a probe into the water. Whereas I used to be at it I added a thermometer to it in order that I might additionally change the ugly thermometer floating within the pool.
The electronics of it have been truly a lot simpler than I anticipated, particularly the battery and photo voltaic administration, however I bumped into a number of points with the advanced 3D printed elements that I designed. Even on my very quick Bambu P1P printer they took 4+ hours every to print, so when a cable was a bit too tight or the shaft of the probe was too slender to permit the float sensors to maneuver freely, I needed to reprint and rebuild.
![](https://tynan.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/20230710_1418168699871845056912182-768x1024.jpg)
Subsequent I had to determine how one can get the water into the pool. My unique concept was to arc it by means of the air over the fence hiding the pool gear and into the pool. It was a bit ridiculous and I figured I might provide you with a extra elegant method, however a part of me hoped that nothing else would work in order that I must have an arc of water flying by means of the air into the pool.
Essentially the most sensible resolution gave the impression to be tapping into the pipes of the pool pump by some means. I nearly drilled holes into the pipes however then realized that I’d have to verify the pump was all the time on after I was injecting water or it would flush the filter backwards. The extra I thought of it the extra I used to be fearful that there may be some unintended consequence to tampering with the pool pipes, so I made a decision to not do it.
Simply as I used to be about to start out constructing the arc, I had one other concept. What concerning the conduit that ran the wire to the sunshine? Why not simply dump water in there? I bought a hose adapter and a chunk of 1/4″ PEX pipe that I caught method down into the conduit, turned the hose on full blast, and watched. There was some settled particles within the conduit that flushed out, however after that it was good clear water. Excellent!
I purchased a 12v 1/4″ valve, hooked it as much as a relay, and wrote some logic for every little thing in House Assistant, after which waited for the pool to evaporate sufficient to set off the sensor. After all of the roadblocks attending to that time I used to be relieved that the sensor stayed charged from the solar, reported the extent precisely, and that the valve labored.
As we speak after I had tea I bought to look out the window and never see the previous pool filler, it was wonderful.
A pair issues value fascinated with:
Typically I’m stunned at how not tenacious persons are. If I’ve an concept of one thing I wish to exist that I do know have to be attainable, I cannot cease till I determine a option to do it. The pool filler is an clearly frivolous instance, however a lot of the finest issues in my life have come because of being tenacious. On the very least, constructing a pool filler is nice apply for seeing issues by means of and persevering by means of roadblocks.
Once I wish to construct or do one thing, I all the time attempt to provide you with my very own method first earlier than I learn the way different individuals have finished it. I do that as a result of I feel the method is enjoyable, and in addition as a result of it is going to generally result in options nobody else has considered. It seems an organization constructed an almost an identical sensor (which additionally checks water high quality, one thing I additionally thought-about and would have finished if I didn’t have a pool man), however so far as I can inform nobody has ever crammed a pool by means of the sunshine conduit. I don’t take it too far, although. If I can’t determine a superb resolution to one thing I’ll learn the way different individuals do it.
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Picture is the pool filler put in within the pool deck. My previous filter cowl was cracking, so it was a double bonus to not have an previous one in there.
Serious about doing somewhat Vegas meetup in mid-August. If you happen to’re message me at vegas at this area and embrace a brief bio and whether or not or not you reside in Vegas.
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