So nearly 2 months later I figured I would post an update on my progress - no I am not done however the pool is in, filled and really at this point thats all that matters! LOL
As you can see from the pictures my yard has a bit of a slope. Looking towards the back of the yard the pool is just a few inches (8 to be exact) out of the ground on the left side and about 10-20" on the right side. The back is only out of the ground 12" and the front (concrete steps) only about 14-16". Because I did get my hands quite dirty during this project I did not take nearly the amount of pictures I should have.
So here is a not so quick overview of the process:
Ordered the pool from Hydro Dynamic Pools of Pen Argyl PA on June 7th 2015.
On June 14th I had Lacy Management of Wayne NJ start the dig. If you are in this area and need an honest hardworking company that will do any type of work related to landscaping or excavating call Tom Lacy without hesitation. His prices are fair, his guys work really hard and he does his very best to do things in a timely manner.
On June 15th it started to rain. Not just a quick shower but it rained so much I had a pool before the pool arrived. Needless to say this was a setback. On June 16th I ordered 2 15yd dumpsters from Cheap Disposal. Since my town only allows certain dumpster companies to leave them on the street I went with them and also need to give them kudos for being on time and having the best price.
It took Lacy Management about 6-7 hours to move 30 yards of dirt. I have a steep narrow driveway, it was pouring rain but he got it done.
Pool arrived at Hydro Dynamic Pools quick - I think it was about 5-7 days from the time I ordered it. It was still raining.
The equipment took a little longer, I would say that took about 2 weeks from the day I ordered. All the while still raining.
On June 23 2015 I Rented a uhaul van and headed up to PA for the 130 mile round trip journey 2-3 days after the equipment arrived. It was a gorgeous day and it did not rain for the next few days.
All of it fit in the Uhaul van although it was packed to the gills! Had i purchased the 18x32 FreeForm I think i would have needed the small moving truck.
On June 24th I had 5yds of sand delivered. Lacy moved that into the pool area for me.
My plan was to put the pool together myself (I did have the help of a great friend) but knew there are certain things better left to a pro. So who better to hire than a guy that installs pavers for a living to dig the trenches and lay the patio block. Lacy Management did all of the trenches and leveling work.
My goal was level within an inch. We were level exact at every point we ran that string level.
As you can imagine the rain set me back 2 weeks. I probably compacted the bottom of the dig 10 times because I was so concerned about the dirt being compromised by the rain. The next set back came with the pool. Now I know most instructions tell you to review the packing list and make sure everything is there. Knowing that if I start opening boxes and bags etc I am going to lose something so I started with step 1 and opened packages/boxes as needed/required.
So with that I can share my next setback. I cannot remember the exact number of splines needed to join the panels but my kit was short. Now this isnt such a big deal if you could move on to the next step but with this kit you cannot. I was missing at least 3 or 4 as well as 2 or 3 of what I think is the most important spline - the extended "T" spline (This holds the A-Arm Support on the bump and indent of the pool). I ordered an inground skimmer and was sent an above ground skimmer mounting kit. That added a couple days on to the delay.
Thankfully Roger at Hydro Dyanmic pools would respond to calls or emails quickly. I am talking quick like Sunday afternoon I email him at 3 and hes back to me by 5. Or email him at 6pm on a weekday and responds by 630. I could not have put this pool together without torching it first if it wasnt for the support that Roger provided. Phone/email questions he was clear and concise with his answers. From start to finish Roger has been one stand up dude.
The Radiant pool is a quality kit. The material used is high grade and the installation can be done by 2 people that know how to use common tools and follow instructions. I am not going to tell you it is easy. I am a desk job guy and prior to this project I had hands as soft as a baby bottom. Today my hands feel more like 80grit sandpaper.
The missing parts set me back another week. Took a couple days for the first splines to get delivered the "T" splines were delivered a few days later.
I was short on some bolts but that wasn't a big deal because home depot has the zinc coated bolts that I needed. The bolts I was shorted were another key component to the structural integrity of the pool as they hold the splines in from the bottom and the panels together...
The pool was completely assembled on July 10 around 11:30PM. Probably would have had it done an hour sooner but I decided to move the skimmer location one panel over due to the way I planned on running the plumbing (less bends and about 10 less feet of pipe).
The next day I had some concrete delivered - as mentioned earlier, narrow/steep driveway was less than ideal for a truck to deliver it so we mixed about 60-70 80lb bags of concrete for the trenches and sides of the pool. Since my dig was only about 18" wider (all the way around) than the pool footprint I only needed about 20 60lb bags on each end of the pool. Mixing concrete stinks. Mixers from home depot are absolute garbage - the paddles at the back of the barrel were not long enough so even though the machine claimed it could do 2 80lb bags at a time we were only able to get one to mix to a "slumpy" consistency. We put 2 80's in the machine and would have to stop the mixer to hand mix the back of the barrel. Had I known what kinda garbage mixers they rent I would have purchased a brand new mixer and sold it when I was done. I rented another mixer from home depot this past weekend thinking maybe it was just that particular unit... nope 3rd mixer 3rd one still garbage...
I wasn't going to put concrete all the way around the perimeter but since it was only a few extra bucks and I had the mixer the extra time and sweat is peace of mind. In hindsight I would recommend anyone installing this pool should hire a contractor to do the concrete work. Again my problem was the steep narrow driveway - my only option was a concrete buggy and the one guy that wasn't busy when I needed him had a machine that worked but a truck that carried it being rebuilt...
After 8+ hours of mixing concrete I decided to spread and level the sand. I ordered a little too much sand. What I did was build the sand coping around the bottom perimeter - got that about 3-4" deep over the dirt. I did put down extra sand over the pressure plates - I used about an inch extra so the floor of my pool has a little bit extra around the bump and indent but since i sliced my hand on the metal plate i figured even though i am putting down foam padding on top of the sand I am not going to risk it and built that area just a bit higher.
The liner had been sitting in the 90 degree sun for about 3 days so it was very easy to move around. What wasnt easy was doing it in the dark... I busted out the halogen lights - got it all lined up and waited until the AM to run the shopvac. Anyone installing this pool should pay close attention to the directions. As it relates to the liner pay close attention to the measurements that correspond to the seam. Although I did this in the dark this step was so critical in lowering the frustration level. Luckily I noticed those directions early on or I would have went bat crazy putting in this oddly shaped liner. The beaded liner slips and hooks in easily.
Once the majority of the creases were out and there was about 6" of water the shopvac was taken off and the pool was filled to the halfway point of the skimmer in about 24 hours.
Plumbing was easy - most people think they can use PVC cement without primer - please use primer. My joints are solid, also used the blue cement even though it wasnt "wet" yet.
My kit came with an aqua guard cartridge filter. Although the filter is fine and seems to be keeping the pool clean, the filter is a pain to clean and whats even worse is the valves they include are just absolute garbage - cheap plastic. Think Harbor Freight cheap and then twice as bad as that. I replaced them with real ball valves.
We hired some help to backfill - on top of the cement I put down a few inches of gravel, at $35 bucks a cuyd it was a no brainer to get 3cuyds and put that down before backfilling. I tossed some landscape fabric over the gravel and we started backfilling slowly when there was about 12" of water. Every 6-8" I hand tamped the dirt. Elbows kinda hurt after that...
Got the chemicals in the next day and tested the water for a few days before taking my first plunge. After all that rain we had it hasn't rained much at all. It seems like its been hotter than normal. They said Newark NJ (less than 10 miles away) had a 10 day heatwave going. I think we finally had a day that didn't break 90 this weekend.
I had a mason friend do my steps and an electrician friend upgrade the panel in my garage bond the pool and wire my filter.
Thankfully I have friends what will work for beer and food.
Like I said, this week I will be doing a short retaining wall along the garage side of the pool. My goal is to be done by Saturday morning.
Since my town wants to increase property taxes for putting down a concrete pad i went with some turf that I bought from InGrass.com. This stuff is awesome. It can get pricey if you do a large area (and trust me I am tempted to do my entire yard) but the installation is simple. Compact the dirt, compact some QP (quarry processed rock) unroll the turf, use landscape stakes to secure it. Finally when its nice and smooth put down 1-2lbs of dry sand for every square foot. Sweep the sand in like you do with pavers and it wont move. It is so soft on your feet when you get out of the pool.
Around the pool I am using the quikrete walk maker. Very little ground prep is needed and so far I have done 3/4 of the pool perimeter and a 28' pathway from my driveway to the house and its an cinch. It is designed to take an 80lb bag of mix but i found if you mix the concrete per instructions the 60lb bag is enough (basically the 80 is too much and the 60 is just enough).
The walk maker is a mold that creates a cobblestone paver look (they have other designs, Lowes by me only carried the cobblestone mold - it was about 15-17 bucks). Once the concrete has set for few days you simply fill in the cracks with polymetric sand and mist over the gaps. It gives it a pretty cool look.
I will post more pictures once I finish the retaining wall.
If anyone has questions please let me know, I have done enough of this work on my own and probably have somethings that I could tell you I would do different but so far I am quite pleased with it.
Again, the pool goes together quite easily. I think a round or oval would have been significantly easier and if you have never put or helped put a pool together I would start with one of those. As with everything prep work is the ultimate key to success. Enjoy the pics. Included some of the tree I had to take down to put the pool in.
picks are in the link below
Microsoft OneDrive - Access files anywhere. Create docs with free Office Online.
Don't put yourself through that torture.