Little Caliente 07/17/2015 pool condition update.

It took me 3 visits and 8 hrs total but I managed to dig the lowest pool out. There is no more 4 feet of rotting mud.
This happens because people plug the drain pipe from the inside when outside plug gets lost making it very difficult to
unplug it once the pool gets some hillside mud especially after the rains we had yesterday.
Nobody would dive to the bottom in complete darkness and dig through dirt and mud to unplug the pool.

I installed a new plug on the outside but it requires a set of pliers to open. The plug will shoot out
under the water pressure, so you better use a bucket to catch it. Here's what the plug looks like.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/NIBCO-2-in-PVC-DWV-MIPT-Cleanout-Plug-C4818HD2/100346648

If you intend to drain the bottom pool then you might want to bring an extra plug in case you fail to catch the existing plug.
Sometimes it shoots 20 yards into dense vegetation and becomes impossible to find.

As far as the middle pool... I am sure there is an independent drainage (I see another drainage pipe next to the lowest pool's drainage pipe)
but the opening is buried under 4' of dirt in the middle pool. There is another half way opening from the middle into the bottom pool that's about 4" in diameter. It's impossible to plug it via
an Oatley test plug - there is no pipe, just an opening in cement. It used to fit the plug. In fact, there is still a plug
I installed 5 years ago. However, the cement around the opening has deteriorated, so a pipe should be installed through the wall
for a good plug fit. I cannot do anything for now without an official go-ahead from the park service. I talked to a
very nice caring ranger who took down my info, so he could obtain some sort of authorization for me. I have not
received any calls yet, so waiting for a official word before I can do any work.
Why do I care about the half way drainage? It's because in order to close the opening people pile up dirt and mud and rocks next to the opening.
So, if I start digging the middle pool out I will drain it completely without any means of plugging it back.

Once I get the approval I'll need 3-4 suckers...err...volunteers to help me digging out the middle pool. I am sure
yesterday's rain brought mud into the pools again. So, if you'd like to help please post here and I will contact you. Thx.



Edited 7 time(s). Last edit at 07/19/2015 09:13PM by Sam D..