hap
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![[*]](./images/corporate/default_icon.gif) posted on 11-3-07 at 11:41 PM |
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bucket tester
Hi All,
I'm working on a bucket water loss tester that greatly shortens the time necessary to determine water loss or amount of loss in inches per day. If
anyone has worked on a similar project I'd love to hear what and how you made it.
So far I have a 5 gal bucket with a tiny hole close to the bottom, dial caliper, quick set cement, and various salvage stuff around here to make my
one hour water loss tester. The math is pretty simple.....1" per day = .041" per hour. Just multiply your 1 hour loss times 24 hours to figure
daily loss.
Here's how I think I can make a good tester. I hope to hear suggestions from anyone. At first I thought just weld up a holder for a sonic or laser
measuring device. The sonic units I found are not very accurate and the laser units are pricey. So I'm going with an 8 dollar dial caliper I got at
Harbor Freight. The parts are.....
5 gal bucket with a 1/8" hole close to the bottom(over cement).
enough cement for 2-3" in the bottom of the bucket.
24" rod welded to a steel plate or angle iron.
bracket to hold and adjust dial caliper height on the rod.
styrofoam float with a hole for rod and tin can lid glued to the top for the caliper to rest on.
To make the device, pour concrete into the bucket with the rod and base stabilized until the concrete cures. Slide the float on the rod. Slide the
dial caliper bracket on the rod and tighten the wing nut.
In use, fill the bucket to level of top step. Put it on the top step. Wait a while until the water stabilizes. The bucket with a hole acts as buffer
and won't be affected by pool waves. Lower the the dial caliper until the indicator shows close to .500". Twist the caliper face until it's on
.500". Wait a hour and read the dial. In Phoenix we loose about 1/4" per day due to evaporation. That would equal about .010" in an hour. Anything
over that is water loss.
I'll let you know how it works....good or bad.
hap
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hap
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| posted on 14-3-07 at 10:33 AM |
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I just finished testing without a swimming pool. An eye dropper's volume of water removed from the 5 gallon bucket moves the indicator about .001".
My eye dropper is about 30 drops. I did notice that sometimes friction holds the float and it moves after two droppers of water equealing .002". This
is pretty sensitive and should work well.
I sent the design post to a friend and he suggested makeing the hole smaller to lesson the effects of waves. He also said trial and see was best.
I'll start with a 1/16" hole instead of 1/18".
I'm off to play this week and weekend.....back Monday.
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hap
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| posted on 14-3-07 at 04:36 PM |
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I did set the tester on a leaking pool today after drilling a 3/32" hole in it. After eyeballing and adjusting the water in the bucket I set the dial
indicator at 1/2" or .500" It took 20 minutes for the needle to stop moving while the water level stabalized. I'm pretty sure the hole is way too
small.
Didn't have time to use the tester but did watch the needle stop when I put my finger over the hole while the bucket stabalized to the pool level.
If time permits next week I'll shoot a short movie and post it on Utube
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hap
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| posted on 19-3-07 at 11:13 PM |
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Spent a hour checking the leaking pool and bucket tester today after I opened the hole up to 3/16". I did four 15 minute tests alternating with the
pump on and off. First on lost .030". First off lost .004" Second on lost .028". Second off lost .004".
I let the pool settle for a few minutes between tests. It's an "infloor" pool which does effect the bucket float level when a step head shoots
water at or away from the bucket. So it seems a short time delay is needed to let the float settle in after turning the pump off. Today was a calm
day here, a windy day might make the device useless due to waves.
I'm hoping to do more tests on the device this week and will try to determine which infloor station is causing the leak with the bucket device. After
today I'm optimistic and looking forward to confirming the leak with conventional methods.
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hap
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| posted on 23-3-07 at 12:43 AM |
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I have learned that using the tester on a pool with step heads is not going to work with the bucket on the steps. My next prototype will cantilever a
bucket from the cool deck eliminating any movement caused by a step head. I've also learned that I can quickly see if a pool is loosing water if
it's a non infloor pool. It's amazing how sensitive the device is. The tester will show water loss in a 16,000 pool by removing 2 gallons of water
with a bucket!
Today I was able to quickly determine where to look for leaks on two pools with the bucket tester. The first one was for a pool professional. He said
he checked and fixed both skimmer throats. He failed to seal one of them and the tester pointed me to it because the water leaked out just as fast no
matter what I changed at the EQ, valves or pump on-off. The second pool was not leaking. I proved it to the customer by removing two gallons of water
with a bucket and that's the only time the indicator moved while testing her pool for a hour.
hap
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Lance
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| posted on 23-3-07 at 09:14 AM |
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Hap:
Do you have any pictures of this we could post on the website? This sounds like a great tool that others could make themselves!
If you want credit for this send a picture of yourself or your truck etc. We'll start a new section on the site for field submited tricks or tools
of the trade.
Lance
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Sdewolfe
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| posted on 24-3-07 at 10:12 PM |
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Our competitor American Leak has an electronic version of this bucket.
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hap
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| posted on 25-3-07 at 01:01 AM |
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An electronic version would be ideal. No parts only a beam of light or whatever.
Can we buy the American Leak unit???
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hap
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| posted on 26-3-07 at 01:10 AM |
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I recorded some video with my digital still camera. It's not very good video. I was holding the camera with one hand while showing the tester parts
with my other hand. There's 3 YouTube videos total. The first one is not necessary to view unless you want to here me talk about leaving out one very
important detail in the other videos which is you need a second bucket to stabilize the tester bucket. Just fill it with pool water and place it on
the bracket. The only other detail I can think of at this time is tap the outside of the tester bucket with your finger to be sure the float is
settled into the correct level. I have one more reason to view the first video.... see me and my friend on my raft in the Grand Canyon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVvXG3VGbZU
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yXu2_BYCWCA
http://youtube.com/watch?v=E3-XZysvx3g
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reedpool
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| posted on 26-3-07 at 09:42 AM |
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Nice job Hap, quite impressive.
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i6epoolguy
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| posted on 15-4-07 at 11:04 AM |
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I'm impressed. I can't wait to try to build 1.
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i6epoolguy
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| posted on 15-4-07 at 11:06 AM |
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Is that the foam out of a A.O. Smith pump motor box?
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hap
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| posted on 18-4-07 at 11:14 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally posted by i6epoolguy
Is that the foam out of a A.O. Smith pump motor box? |
Yes it is.....I had to quit fixing pools because I'm very busy finding leaks for folks I've passed my Bull's Eye Leak business card to.
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hap
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| posted on 18-4-07 at 11:33 PM |
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| Quote: | Originally posted by i6epoolguy
I'm impressed. I can't wait to try to build 1. |
I'll guarantee your customers will be more impressed than you are after you've been using it for a while. I met a guy yesterday that is the manager
of a staff of construction superintendents. He was taken back a little when I pulled 5 gallons out of a pool that the indicator was almost dead
still(less evaporation) on for half a hour. It dropped about .008"in seconds and settled down after falling .015". It was a small pool(12,000gal)
but still impressive.
--
Hap
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hap
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| posted on 18-4-07 at 11:53 PM |
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I used the bucket tester today and confirmed that I did not have more leaks in a pool after finding a cracked concrete AWL tank. It was a fun job
because I like interacting with young kids while I work. Well, most kids. These kids were fun and well behaved. An accident happened and my dial
caliper went in the bottom of the pool. I got it out as quick as I could and was surprised that it still worked after shaking the water out of it. It
was a fortunate accident because I later removed the back plate off of it to further dry it out. Inside I found that I could remove the return spring.
The mechanism has two return springs. The one I removed was the stronger of the two. I believe this will increase the sensitivity of the
device.....maybe not but worth a try. I can put it back on if needed.
hap
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