The dinosaur is almost finished!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
We will probably work on a platform/stair more next weekend - I won't complain about our ugly stairs this week - especially not with temps going up to the upper 90's ... I'll enjoy the pool no matter what! It has been a long long road to set up - we helped take it down at a friend's house in the fall of last year and started site prep in April. We were a bit derailed in May trying to get an old 1990 Honda running again for our oldest boy going off to college. So basically now we have gotten two huge projects completed ... the decking will be the 3rd big project ... although I am not sure if we have decided what we are going to do yet.

The pool was something I wanted ... hubby not so much ... so I have done the bulk of this work - But last night he said that ... "The next one is going in the ground" ... which kind of shocked me since until yesterday he has wanted to tear all of this down and put out grass seed! So, now the plan is to build a small stair/platform and then live with the pool the rest of this summer and next summer ... and then in the fall of 2014 decide about either a deck or patio. By then we should know if we love a pool or hate it =)

Neither one of us has ever had a pool ... so all of this is pretty new ... and certainly has been a lot of work! ... I'm hoping for less work and more fun from here on out! I got half of my cya dissolved yesterday ... I'll do the rest once we get the skimmer and pump installed - hopefully today - we gotta get some gaskets for the skimmer.
 
You have the worst of it out of the way. It's up, hopefully level & it does hold water.

With our pool, I had it professionally installed because of the grade that needed excavated and prepared and also I sent my daughter off in the morning like it was a regular day, scheduled off work and had it put up to surprise her when it was time to collect her.

I did instal a huge french drain (around a 27' pool and then I directed it probably 150'- 200' to discharge area) with Maddox installed about 20 maybe closer to 30 ton of river rock, small retaining area around the pool with timbers & 7 ton of topsoil along with another 10 ton of pea gravel for picnic area ~ retained as well. Hard work, especially knowing this is temp until we can agree up how we are going with the deck. Regardless the stone will stay, it will keep the area underneath clean. Everything I have done, I have done considering what the next Phase could/will be, making sure all this initial work can be utilized and assists in bettering Phase II. So maybe, as you guys go alon keep Phase II options in mind.

Have had both types of pools IG and now AGP ~ I really didn't think I would be a fan of an AGP ~ but we do like it. Even without the deck. We are in it every single day & we haven't really caught any breaks this season with weather ~ entirely too much rain. But we jump in when we can & the kids don't care about the weather they are in it regardless.

Make sure you keep on top of the testing as you are learning your specific needs. The rains are passing for us, when I had the rains I really didn't take note of anything ~ I just kept my levels a wee bit above target. Now that it appears we're getting into summer, I'll keep notes of results in on my little notebook in my testing case. Bather load, chemical needed to keep a balance with that load, temps & chemical needed to stay at target for the summer heats etc. This info is helpful (for me at least) in learning how my water reacts and needs dosed to maintain it, avoiding an algae outbreak. I have a lot of kids in mine, if it was adult swim only I would test dose and move on. But with kids, dirty feet, toys, secretive bladders, etc. they can bring so much into a pool I like to stay ahead of the game avoiding the need to shock and OCLT.

Also when I landscaped around the pool ~ I moved a considerable amount of stone and rock ~ if you find yourself in that same situation, be mindful of what is passing over the pool and dropping in ~ even if it isn't shockingly obvious. When you are moving earth around a pool you'll have debris that you will want to make sure your waters can handle. Test vigilantly while landscaping ~ even temporary modifications. I also did what I could do to make sure rock was rinsed, topsoil was seeded and covered so I didn't have to fight continual dust/debris battles. With you having kiddos try to avoid dirt and mud by the pool area / area they have to cross to get into the pool. This will save you frustration. If it can't be avoided get a little cheapie toddler pool/ buckets would work as well~ fill it with water and have them rinse their feet before getting in. Organics can and will haunt a person, even when it doesn't appear they are sneaking in little by little ~ they are Always on the Sneak :shock:

I am so glad that pool worked out for you. You really have done a fantastic job with it & it'll be nice to see what you continue to do wand how much you guys enjoy it.
 
I have about 8-10 inches of water to add and the pool will be FULL! YAY! ... Tomorrow is turn on the pump and start the filter running ... I am pretty nervous about the whole turning on the pump the first time ... I've watched videos and read instructions ... it all seems fairly simple ... except that there is no valve to let air out of the sand filter - hopefully that will work itself out in backwashing, rinsing etc ... and hopefully the pump will work!!

I did figure out tonight that my little robot doesn't need the pump to run - so it is in the pool, running around, and should shut off in about 30minutes!

It is so helpful to see all of these great pictures of pools, landscaping, and all of the other information here! I am pretty sure that installing some sort of drainage is in our future ... mainly because the gutter, and some other thing coming out of the house that gets rid of water are on the back side of the pool and going down hill. Although in the months we have been site prepping, and during this summer of record rainfall we haven't had any erosion issues ... thank goodness!

I'll just be glad to get some dirt around the pool ... and a proper step/platform ... my knees weren't designed for scaffolding!

This is all so exciting! And my water looks and feels great ... I have no one to thank but all of the folks on this forum for that!!

So - Thank YOU!
 
When you need water those runoffs will come in super handy. It's a very lucky break they are there for you and close :whoot:

Sluice them into the pool.

The kids will splash and you'll have evaporation, on top of what you lose to backwashing and rinsing.

Make sure if you do need to redirect them and french-drain or whatever route you go ~ you have a way to hook back into them when you need topped off.

Rainwater makes a huge difference, metal free and no worries of stressing the well/ pumphouse :party:
 
Ugh ... I have a little leak around the skimmer - which isn't totally unexpected and I was watching for it ... but I am gonna have to fix it. I'm just not sure whether to leave the pump and filter running all night as I don't want air to be getting into the pump. And ... the pump seems to be spitting water - could that be a seal or is that normal.

I think I shall leave it off until morning and then I can see how bad the skimmer leak is ... I am thinking of trying to put some aquarium silicone sealant around the skimmer faceplate ... but I am not sure if there are ill effects on the vinyl from the silicone.
 
Your pump spitting water could be a matter of the access lid not being closed properly (possibly cross threaded) or just not closed with a bit of force.

I used teflon tape at my hose connection before I put the clamp on. I didn't over tighten the clamps this year either ~ over tightening can be just as troublesome as not tightening enough. So check your connections, try a little teflon and play with the tightness. Not sure if your leaks are at the hose connections or elsewhere, so obviously this might not apply.

If it would not be a matter of tight access lid or improper connections, I would think it's likely the seals ~ that should be an easy fairly inexpensive fix.

The skimmer: there is a gasket behind that faceplate, as the pool is older was taken down, put back up it could be missing or if there is one it could be very brittle and in need of replacement. If the gasket is missing you will need one. If its there but shot ~ if you have some plastic or cardboard you could cut a temp one out, affix it to see if that stops the leak, if it does then you know you need to find a replacement gasket.

I would avoid the silicone business until you have exhausted all other options. I am sure one of the experts will pop in here and get you rolling right along. I was just trying to think how I would go about the mission here at home.

Keep us posted, please.
 
I would replace your gaskets, both of them. You could hang a plastic bag in front of the skimmer to trap the water in the pool. They are hanging on the wall at your local above ground pool store and better in-ground stores. All you really need to know is the number of holes and wide or standard. They are are not expensive. I would not used any adhesive. It could making any future skimmer repairs very challenging.
 
We replaced the gaskets on the skimmer before we installed it. It is more of a matter of that this was one of the locations where we had to repair sheet metal so the surface isn't as smooth as a factory finish. I'm not sure there will be many future repairs of this pool, as it is probably on the end of it's life. But, given all of that, the leak at the skimmer seems very minimal, so I am going to try to tighten/loosen screws first and then go from there.

The pump leak is more worrisome at this point. I went out this morning and under the pump was pretty wet ... even though the pump wasn't running all night. So, I need to isolate the leak there. At first glance the drip seems to be coming from where the housing connects together in the middle of the pump. We have an extra seal, so I need to see if it goes to that location. If so, then just a few bolts to remove and a seal to replace. If it doesn't go there then I guess I will be searching for seals for the sta-rite pump!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply