Let's hope the game will be as hot as the weather

Weather Alert Update: Delayed, reduced, occasional Real Feel temperature sun = 42,tue = 44, wed = 40, thur = 38, fri = 36  This might be a weeklong mini rainy season preview
Sakon Nakhon hosts  10th place Nakhon Ratchasima Huai Thalaeng United, TODAY 4 PM, S.A.T. stadium on airport road It's a must win day for Sakon Nakhon FC.  The team sank from 11th  to 13th in the league of 14, after Sisaket won their first game of the season (4-2 Buriram) yesterday. Nong Bua had a 0-0 draw with Surin Sugar.  Let's hope the game will be as hot as the weather
Pool cleaning has become a daily necessity.  Overhead green tarps give the water a green appearance. Check water balances daily and vacuum the bottom daily. Most days I won't bother with filters, just suck the dirty water out and replace clean water.  The sand filter just does not impress me.
Had to buy a magnifying glass to sort through  over prescribed medicines

สกลนคร Sakon Nakhon

First underwater video attempt

The water isn't green, it's the shading tarp above which creates the appearance.  It will take a bit of planning to attempts this again; Goggles for swimmer and cameraman, remove tarp

Sakon Nakhon

Pool Cleaning

Usually I wait until the rainy season to clean the pool. Free water. Needed to replace a couple of gaskets on the filter, so I decided not to wait with the cleaning and refilling Lucky I had some help

Sakon Nakhon

Hotter than usual I'd say

This morning's rains helped cool down the pool slightly. I purchased half a dozen buckets and made my own ice. Considering the number of times I have had to add coolant to the pool (and my electric bill), I'd say it's been hotter than usual

Sakon Nakhon

Sakon Pool & Garden

There's hope at Sakon FC

Hot and humid evening Friday 8 pm temperature 30.  Real feel 36C/97F I was tempted to crank up the air con. As an alternative I used fans. I placed a floor fan in such a position that the air bounces off the floor, then up at me. That actually works great until the pets take up their position. Strong thunderstorms 'possible/maybe' through Monday,  'temporary' relief in temperatures. Weather is now coming from the East.

click for larger view   Pool building I've often been asked how much the construction of my pool cost. Labor, waterproofed cement and tile was around 40,000 baht. Pump, filter, and other hardware came to 56,000 baht

Sakon Nakhon FC Began it's existence in 2005 in the Pro League and was relegated to the NE Division at the end of that season. It's been a dismal season so far this year. There is hope though. A number of player changes recently and a victory over the #2 team in the league (Udon) last weekend. There are more changes underway.  Notably a former Sakon Nakhon star player has been released from Nakhon Phanom.  He has returned home . I'm not holding my breath... but there is hope. There may not be any Sakon fan drummer this Sunday.  That's due to a fiasco at a recent home game. A group of fans asked to use the drum, received permission from the owner, and took the drum away from the person who'd been doing that for a few seasons now.  He's no longer interested in the job.

Funny Mail

Pool Filter Neglect

Installed the pool pump and filter four years ago. I've done some maintenance, but must admit, never bothered cleaning the filters. That should be an annual job.
Lately I'd encountered some problems. Every time I shut the pump off, the dirt would backwash into the pool. Of course I took everything else apart first. With the exception of gaskets needing replacement, everything was fine.

Finally got enough courage to open the filter. I looked at the manual, it seemed really technical. When I lifted the filter assembly out, it of course fell into multiple pieces. Think I may need six hands to reassemble the filter.

From the looks of things, filter cleaning was way overdue. I suspect the water pressure will improve dramatically once the filter is cleaned and reassembled.








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Swimming pools are fun...

A great way to keep cool in Isaan
Local contractors will build you one for 1 million baht or more. Less expensive alternatives are available.

Things to consider:

Size

Do you really need an olympic size swimming pool?
Large pools require more maintenance and are more expensive to operate.
They also tend to attract more visitors.
If small children are going to use the pool, considering the depth is also important.
Above ground or below ground pool. Below ground pools will require pumping to drain a pool.

Water supply.

Pool water should be changed once or twice a year, depending greatly on usage and maintenance.
Having water trucked in is the most expensive way of filling your pool.
If you're using ground water you may be confronted with undesirable additives requiring extra filtration.
My personal preference was the installation of a number of large water tanks which store rain water.
Local tropical rains are heavy enough to fill your pool in under an hour.

Shower and toilet facilities

A must, unless you want all your visitors traipsing through your house.

Pool supplies

Pumps, filters, chemicals can be acquired locally, but of course are more costly than getting them from a pool supplier in Bangkok.
There are a variety of pumps and filters, get some professional advice. Visit a pool shop in Bangkok

The amount of chemicals required depends on the size of the pool and the cleanliness of the users.
I tell my guest to shower before and after using the pool.
Unfortunately their understanding of taking a shower means simply getting wet.
Body sweat, oils, makeup perfumes, colognes, hair gel, all will require extra pool cleaning.

Covered or uncovered

Open pools tend to collect more dust, leaves and other debris, while enclosed pools will have less of this problem.

Lightening

Great for evening pool parties, but they also tend to attract a large number of uninvited guests: bugs.
Yellow fluorescent lighting seems to attract the least number of bugs, white or black-light attracts the most.

Tile or cement

I made the mistake of tiling the floor around the pool. The kids had a ball using the wet floor as a slide.
But after a third fall, causing injury, that was replaced.

First mistake: Too small. I wanted something more like a jacuzzi.


Second Mistake: Started digging during the rainy season.


* Neighborhood teens provided inexpensive labor.
Planned the depth to be even with street water drains. Pool can be emptied without pumps.

With a roof to protect from the elements, a local contractor poured the cement.







Sharp edges and corners were a mistake. Corners should be rounded, otherwise they become collection points for sand and dirt.
End Part 1