cc - thanks for the landscape recommendations. That corner is quite sunny in summer - the fence side with not much planted in it is on the south side of the property - the fence shades it, more so in winter with the lower sun elevation. So we are holding off on planting there - probably do some azaleas to anchor the area and then fill in with perennial flowers this spring. I do have an area by the house that gets no direct sun because its north facing, and I think I'm going to try Hydrangeas there, also some aspidistra and hostas. I have a varied ginger I bought I'm hoping will do okay there.
As far as brush I got a stanley pro corner brush - I probably wouldn't recommend it - the bristles are already bent out of shape from scrubbing and I was hoping for a metal bristled brush, because the PB told me to brush for the first 10 or so days with a stainless steel brush, and on Amazon, it looked like that was what it was. It was just polypropylene.
either way, its just like a toilet brush with a telescopic pole connection, its not fancy.
Anyway, we had the plumber come to hook up the heater to the gas supply - my PB had told me he had hooked up the electronic igniter already.
Well after extensive testing this afternoon, I can confirm the heater does indeed work. As does the blower. And that the spa coping is just about the right size for our ice chest...
The blower is fantastic. OMG, don't get a spa without one. It really increases the effectiveness of the spa jets. We have waterway twirlybird jet fittings in the spa it and they are awesome, adjustable like in a therapeutic spa. My husband loves it and says it helps his back and I'm so happy about that.
Oh and the intellibrite lights are so cool with all the bubbles of the spa going - and the light dances off the arctic lagoon tile - its so pretty. Every color gives it a new look, its fabulous. I need to get a waterproof case for my iPhone as I can see it taking a swim if I'm not careful, but it was really nice to be able to turn on and off the blower and adjust the temperature of the water with the phone. We opted not to upgrade the 250K BTU heater, and it took about an hour to heat the spa up from 68 to 94. Its a true 7x7, the PB estimates it's about 800 gallons. My husband has already figured out from the gas bill it cost us about $3 to heat it up and sit in it for 4 hours. Bargain. We decided not to bother heating up the pool, with the 250K BTU heater it would have taken several hours and I really only wanted to do it to make sure the dogs knew how to get out if they fell in, so for the moment, they are getting a reprieve from swimming lessons. I'm trying to keep them locked in when I'm not home, until I'm sure they can get out if they fall in. Plus all my doggies hung out with us all afternoon while we were out there either on the deck or on the newly planted grass so that makes me a very happy doggy mom.
Anyway, I'm still recovering from the pitcher of tequila sunrise I had to drink in the spa 'for science', so I'm going to skulk back into the shadows to nurse my future hangover...
). Too bad my nephews don't live closer. I agree with Kim, the LED light show is great. What a difference the colors make. I know a lot of people ask about the standard white versus the color LED, but those colors make a pool a beautiful night feature too.
