1" flexible hose with threaded ends?

[DeepDiver]

That is very good advice. Children have drowned after getting stuck to pump inlets.

- Michael

[DeepDiver]

Well throw that idea in the trash. From the many well-informed posts on centrifugal pumps, it seems that dumping excess flow back into the pool will simply burn extra electricity (and perhaps your pump). So instead, you should use a valve to regulate the amount of water to the slide.

- Michael

[DeepDiver]

Now that Ron mentioned it, I too recall hearing the story about suction disemboweling. Makes me shudder to think about it.

Even with two (or more) hoses, I'd still drill extra holes in the tubing to prevent a water-tight seal from ever occurring. Otherwise, you'll just end up with two (or more) injured/dead children, instead of one.

- Michael

[Ignoramus10824]

Thank you Ron and Michael. The intake hose was somewhat hidden beneath the slide. That said, I will add a tee for now, and will soon buy a cross making three intake openings.

i

[Ignoramus10824]

BI want to thank everyone for your very helpful suggestions. Yesterday's kids' pool party went rather well. Here are the pictures:

kids' faces have been edited out for privacy.

Kids loved the slide, even though it may look ridiculous for adults. They spent a couple of hours playing in water. It was about 95 degrees, and the water was about as warm as well due to constant recirculation.

One thing I will do is add a tee or a cross on the intake side to avoid injuries related to body parts sucked in. That was a big mistake on my part not to do it, although I did cut some notches around the intake opening.

There were no injuries around the pool, but one child bumped into another on the swing, resulting in a blackeye.

i

[G Henslee]

wow. That hurts my ass just lookin' at it. ;o)

-- Learn the Truth about Mormonism

[DeepDiver]

Cool looking pool. I've seen round ones like that, but not a rectangular one. Is it the kind that comes with it's own pump and filter? Would you mind sharing where you bought it and approximately how much it cost? That plastic slide is neat also. Was that designed for a playground set?

I hate to keep harping on safety issues but, even with the GFCI outlet, seeing those electrical cords lying in a big puddle under the slide gives me the willies! It would make much more sense to move the pump to a dry location far from the pool and run longer hoses to and from it.

- Michael

[Ignoramus10824]

We bought it last year, for $19.95. I think that we bought it at walmart. It is actually quite well made for a kids pool, very thick vinyl. I want to buy a bigger round pool, of similar quality.

Thanks. I think that having those water hoses lying around and going to the remote pump is also a hazard. What I will do is make sure that cords are attached to the wooden structure and do not lie on the ground. Thanks for a good safety reminder.

i

[DeepDiver]

Which is more dangerous: tripping on a hose or getting electrocuted? The GFCI is an emergency back-up: it should never be relied upon as a primary defense against electrical shock. If you're really worried about the hoses, make a small wood platform at the base of your slide's ladder and run the hoses under them.

Besides, the children can trip on extension cords too.

- Michael

[Stormin Mormon]

Do you have any idea what a straight line that is?

"you shoulda blacked out your own face, you ugly...." but I'm way too polite to write that.

What kind of body parts get sucked into the intake? I'm not sure I want to know.

[Ignoramus10824]

I am sorry, what are you trying to say?

i

[Stormin Mormon]

With what you wrote on your web site, it would be easy to tease you.

[G Henslee]

You catch on quick.

-- "The Book of Mormon is chloroform in print" - Mark Twain

[Bob]

This brings to mind another question. Sump pumps are probably not designed for use in water occupied by humans. There could be potential electrocution risk. If this is what you have, at least make sure you have a GFI on the power to the pump.

Bob

[Ignoramus30369]

Thanks. What I have is a grounded 1 HP lawn sprinkler pump, which is plugged into a GFCI protected receptacle:

Pictures of my setup are at:

i

[Bob]

electrocution

The sprinkler pump should have no problem with a garden hose on the output - it's designed for that. A larger hose on the input might help avoid cavitation damage but it is probably not a real problem.

Bob

[Ignoramus30369]

Thank you. I was mistaken about dangers of outlet restriction on centrifugal pumps, but I was corrected by more knowledgeable people. Right now I have 1" ID hoses connected to it, it makes a lot of flow on the water slide!

i