DIY - Motorised Spa Pool Lid Opener

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Paulluap

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#164271 3-Feb-2015 21:09

This has been my latest project. An automatic spa pool cover I made from an old trampoline frame, metal bed frames, old pipe clothes line, used automatic gate opener, two garage door springs and a few other bits.
This was my plan made from foam and nails.
Click to see full size

It is to scale and moves so I could work out where to make it pivot.

Click to see full size

It has a remote control to open and close, with another button inside the spa. Runs on 12 volt car battery so can still operate if the power goes off.
Solar panels on the roof heat the pool, water is pumped through panels using a dishwasher pump and a hot water thermostat.
This photo show the temp solar panel made from 13mm irrigation pipe.
Click to see full size

Before with manual lifter.
Click to see full size

Spa lifter finished.

The lid can be stopped in any position, so it acts as a roof when it is raining. Still have to finish off the stand for the panels and fit PLC to control water temp.

Here is a link to video of it working.....
[youtube]http://youtu.be/s3X6J4GGMyI

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#1230791 3-Feb-2015 21:12

Very cool, have you thought about selling them? :)

SumnerBoy

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#1230797 3-Feb-2015 21:21

That is very impressive - well done!

Like the heating system too, must save a fair whack during summer.

Paulluap

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#1230800 3-Feb-2015 21:28

graemeh: Very cool, have you thought about selling them? :)

Hey Thanks.
There are different types on-line you can buy, but most fold the lid in half. My lid was getting damaged in the middle so that's why I built it this way.
Haven't really thought about selling them.

Paulluap

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#1230809 3-Feb-2015 21:35

SumnerBoy: That is very impressive - well done!

Like the heating system too, must save a fair whack during summer.

Cheers
This pool is a 7 seater with 4 pumps and was going to cost a fortune to run. So started with the temp home made panel which got the 1200 litres to 35 degrees in summer.
Now I have two proper solar panels (1m x 2m each) and the pool gets to 50.3 degrees at the moment.(Good for cooking spuds)

chevrolux

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#1230813 3-Feb-2015 21:39

It really doesn't get more Kiwi than that! I love the first line... i made it from this, that and the other thing. Awesome!!!!

graemeh

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#1230834 3-Feb-2015 22:19

Paulluap:
SumnerBoy: That is very impressive - well done!

Like the heating system too, must save a fair whack during summer.

Cheers
This pool is a 7 seater with 4 pumps and was going to cost a fortune to run. So started with the temp home made panel which got the 1200 litres to 35 degrees in summer.
Now I have two proper solar panels (1m x 2m each) and the pool gets to 50.3 degrees at the moment.(Good for cooking spuds)

Your next project will have to be a cooling system for the spa pool!

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Niel

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#1230864 4-Feb-2015 06:45

Agree with the cooling. The PVC pipes go soft at not much higher temperature.
Love the cover, awesome dude!

You can never have enough Volvos!

Paulluap

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#1230928 4-Feb-2015 08:35

Niel: Agree with the cooling. The PVC pipes go soft at not much higher temperature.
Love the cover, awesome dude!

Thanks.
The panels are copper and water coming out is around 67 degrees (depends on what my hot water thermostat is set to). My plan is once the pool reaches the set temp, it will dump the water in panels, back into the pool.
Then when it cools down, pump will full system up again. Have tried it manually and seems to work OK.

Paulluap

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#1231069 4-Feb-2015 12:57

chevrolux: It really doesn't get more Kiwi than that! I love the first line... i made it from this, that and the other thing. Awesome!!!!

Hey Thanks.
Didn't want to spend money on parts in case it didn't work.

linw

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#1231088 4-Feb-2015 13:23

Wow, that is very impressive. The hinged strut is really clever. Take a while to get that just right?

Paulluap

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#1231091 4-Feb-2015 13:35

linw: Wow, that is very impressive. The hinged strut is really clever. Take a while to get that just right?

Thanks for your comments.
Took about a month to get it right. Getting it to go over the speaker pods was interesting

.

Was going to have springs inside spa (hidden), but the first lot were not big enough (Trampoline and washing machine springs).
So found some garage door springs that seem to work nicely. The long arms are the ones that are driven by opener.

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Niel

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#1231378 4-Feb-2015 20:59

Paulluap:
Niel: Agree with the cooling. The PVC pipes go soft at not much higher temperature.
Love the cover, awesome dude!

Thanks.
The panels are copper and water coming out is around 67 degrees (depends on what my hot water thermostat is set to). My plan is once the pool reaches the set temp, it will dump the water in panels, back into the pool.
Then when it cools down, pump will full system up again. Have tried it manually and seems to work OK.

The pipes of the spa will be PVC (or rather uPVC), and PVC starts to soften at about 55 degC under heavy load, or about 70 under light load. It is not intended for continuous use over 60 degC. Just keep an eye on it.

You can never have enough Volvos!

Paulluap

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#1231400 4-Feb-2015 22:16

Niel:
Paulluap:
Niel: Agree with the cooling. The PVC pipes go soft at not much higher temperature.
Love the cover, awesome dude!

Thanks.
The panels are copper and water coming out is around 67 degrees (depends on what my hot water thermostat is set to). My plan is once the pool reaches the set temp, it will dump the water in panels, back into the pool.
Then when it cools down, pump will full system up again. Have tried it manually and seems to work OK.

The pipes of the spa will be PVC (or rather uPVC), and PVC starts to soften at about 55 degC under heavy load, or about 70 under light load. It is not intended for continuous use over 60 degC. Just keep an eye on it.

Hey Thanks
Didn't think about the spa pipes getting too hot (50 deg at the moment max).
I only have 13mm irrigation pipe running the water from panels to spa and back to panels. Will change these once panels fitted permanently.
I can't run the spa when the water temp goes over 43.5 degrees (built in safety in case element stuck on). Will open the lid a bit more often now to keep the temp down until next stage.
Cheers