Engineer's Help Needed

[Admin]

I need advice from someone that may be able to help advise me on this.

 

This has nothing to do with Aviation but as site Admin I am asking for some leeway on this post...it will be deleted once someone can help me with this.

 

As a break from running this site I have been building in our family pool area. However I have come up with a problem and that before when we wanted to use the endless spa pool, we would just slide the lids off and store them beside the pool. This will not be possible once it is all built in.

 

My thought was to perhaps use a pulley system that would lift the pool lids off the top and slide them down the gap beside the pool. Then when finished, you could use the pulley system to lift the lids back up and steer them back down on to the top of the pool.

 

My problem is:

 

1. Is this feasible?

 

2. Is there a better way?

 

3. At what exact distance along the roof beams would I need to mount the pulley...scientific engineer calculation needed here?

 

Any thoughts?

 

Here are some pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[skeptic36]

Simple, just buy 4 of these

 

 

, hook one on each corner, by the time the batteries go flat you'll be finished in the spa, and the lids will go back on automatically

 

( disclaimer : I'm not an engineer.)

 

 

[Admin]

I could always use the ceiling fan that I am putting in...that would be interesting

 

 

[Soleair]

A couple of these?

 

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

Simple is best, Ian. Is it possible to cut the lid across the middle and hinge each end? Your pulley system would then only have to fold the two halves open thru 90 degrees, and they'd rest against the end walls, leaving you with a view out the windows. Paint nice Roman Mosaic murals inside the lids to give it that classic look...

 

 

[IBob]

I dunno. But whatever you do, keep the darn thing dosed:

 

When my kids were littlies, we visited friends for a w/e. Our kids, and kids from 4 other visiting families, spent all day in and out of pool and spa. Great!

 

And the next day the whole lot had huge rashes and snuffles and itches. The wife and I took all 12 kids to a doctor, where the lame and sick in the waiting room looked on in horror as our entire spotty whingeing tribe trooped in...and near panic when we whinged and snuffled and itched back out, carrying 5 boxes of assorted meds, one for each family.

 

We did ask the Dr what it was. He laughed and said 'oh, one of maybe 20 or 30 things that breed in hot tubs'.

 

 

[Admin]

Yeah I know about that...this is why we use Lithium to sanitize the water, never had a problem so far...besides, the Lithium is great for people that are bi-polar, it fixes them right up

 

 

[DWF]

Then don't put any salt in the water or you could be charged with a salt and battery!

 

 

[DWF]

On a more serious note ....

 

How much do the lids weigh?

 

Are they in one piece or several and/or do they fold in half or smaller?

 

What size are they?

 

Would you feel safe with them suspended from the roof above the tubs?

 

DWF

 

 

[IBob]

My thoughts exactly: are they heavy enough to contain 12 small children???

 

 

[Admin]

Can't suspend them from the roof as there will be a ceiling fan in the center of each span. If lifted from one side they would miss the ceiling fan. On the endless swim spa there are 2 lids with each lid bending in half which means each pulley, if that is the only way to go, would have to attach to each half of each lid. It would need 2 pulleys, one for each lid and a "Y" rope system with each end attached to each half of each lid. At a guess I would say each lid would weigh 20kg as they are only made out of vinyl covered styrene

 

 

[Admin]

 

There are 2 of these

 

 

[Robbo]

Don't laugh when I say this, put hydraulic or electric rams on them so the hydraulics lift the lid..

 

Do you need to store them down below or can they just be held up?

 

Oh crap now I am just confusing myself and making the task more difficult.

 

Crawling back under my rock now!!

 

 

[Admin]

Once this is solved we could go on to whether a plane can take off on a conveyer belt

 

 

[Robbo]

Once this is solved we could go on to whether a plane can take off on a conveyer belt

I am sure we would have a lot of idea's to :)

 

 

[Admin]

Will the plane take off?

[Robbo]

Will the plane take off?[/url]

I rest my case

 

 

[IBob]

Don't laugh when I say this, put hydraulic or electric rams on them so the hydraulics lift the lid..Do you need to store them down below or can they just be held up?

 

Oh crap now I am just confusing myself and making the task more difficult.

 

Crawling back under my rock now!!

Rams...oh I like that:

 

If we can get them Rams to cycle them lids at a sufficient rate, we may well invent the ornithopspa...wait, some string may be required to prevent Admin from flapping off, hot and wrinkly, into the sunset...

 

 

[DWF]

Ian. How about this idea ..... it would be a lot easier to explain if I could draw a diagram ....

 

An 'L' shaped bracket at each end of the spa.

 

The bottom arm of the L at or just below floor level able to move in a horizontal channel so the vertical arm of the L can move from the centre of the spa to one edge.

 

At the appropriate height up the vertical arm of the L fitting connect the centre edges of the 2 cover halves so they can be rotated through 90 degrees putting the outer edges of the cover halves at the top of the L fitting. You could use manual, pully, electric motor or hydraulic means to rotate the lid halves from horizontal to vertical. When the lids are secured in the vertical position move the L fittings holding the vertical lid halves to the side of the spa.

 

Can you understand what I am trying to say?

 

Do you think it is practical and would work?

 

DWF

 

 

[Admin]

uh???

 

This is what I first thought but I

 

 

 

[Robbo]

Maybe ask the wife and daughter to do some weight lifting training

 

Then you all can lift it

 

 

[JEM]

Is there an existing garage tilt a door system design that you can miniaturise and install "on its side" to make the lid swing where you want it?

 

Regards

 

John

 

 

[M61A1]

Assuming that your lid is hinged in the middle like others I have seen....not drawn to scale of course...

 

Using a counterweight each side.

 

 

 

[Admin]

Good idea...that would fold the lids at each end of the pool much the same as what we were doing previously but resting them on the ground and leaning against the pool which we can't do now because of building a floor.

 

The only draw back I can see with it is when in the pool you wouldn't see the rear wall of the structure which will have a water fall running down the back slate covered wall into a trough with plants and coloured lights. Plus across the front of the structure are going to be complete opening bifold doors so you can see out into the yeard. If the lids were at each end of the pool you wouldn't get these features when in the pool, you would only be able to see out one side as there is a wall on the other side. Smart thinking though...thanks

 

 

[Kyle Communications]

Why dont you just have a roller door like unit at the wall end. The top can be made of wood planks sort of like fence palings they are attached on strips. Its sort of like a std pool cover roll out sheath but using wood planks. This way it acts like a floor as well then roll it back and out of the way when you want to use it