sevver said:
I like the idea of having separate posts for all of our pools. I only have old pics, once I get my pool "completed" this year I will take some new ones again and make a thread for it. I just love Carl's Pool, the deck/solar heat idea is really great. My next house, if I don't have an in ground, I will more than likely have an oval or a rectangle pool. And I also like the attention to detail that he gives everything, cutting corners is not an option.
That's true! If I cut corners it would be an oval :lol:
Actually, I'm quite fanatical about details on things that are permanent. In my "yoot" I was a residential carpenter with some good teachers along the way on how to do the fine trim work.
I really appreciate all the kind words. My pool IS a little different, but it suits us admirably. With a 40' length you can do some nice laps (I like to do it in the morning before the kids get up). Fanta-Sea normally does 32x16 or 40x20, but I needed the narrower width to satisfy the town inspectors, yet wanted the length. It turned out all Fanta-Sea REALLY had to do was have a custom liner made--the 16' ends and 40' sides went together with no problem. The deck is high-maintenance but worth it. It stays cool under your feet but is surprisingly efficient. I believe it flows a lot more water than ordinary panels and the seems to make up for a less efficient heat transfer from the panels to the water. Despite being brown rather than black they do work well.
But they are VERY pressure-sensitive and just a little too much and they spring leaks. Also, the hoses that connect the panels are hard to keep sealed--something always seems to be dripping. More annoying than a problem. There are lots of panels...30 or 32--I forgot which. But the BIG advantage of the system is solar heat without solar panels on your roof or your lawn.
I actually think the Fanta-Sea panels could be adapted to surround an inground pool, too. The gray panels would merge nicely with a patio...but it would take planning.
A big consideration of my plan was that my wife insisted that it blend with the house. Solar panels are ugly--wonderful, but ugly so this was a great solution. My next project is to add deck to the east end--the left side of the picture. That will give us seating inside the pool fence area. Maybe in the fall.... Another consideration is that this IS an A/G pool so our tax assessment wasn't hit nearly as hard as my neighbors'.
The ones out back had ducks in their pool over the weekend. My wife says "Look! There's a mallard!"--a handsome drake Geese are as common as squirrels, and turkeys pretty common too, but ducks are rare. Next thing we knew the drake and the duck were swimming in the pool!
