Ok well today I finally got all my parts from Intex to fix my problem I was having with my sand filter. Here is a link to that thread which I will update as well http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/101906-New-Pool-Intex-Customer-Service-Long-Post-lol

So basically for the sake of this thread I searched for Quikrete Pool sand and found no negative reviews and even found where people said it works just fine for their filters and Intex specifically. Well after spending 2 weeks waiting on parts (read the above thread) and cleaning almost 50lbs of sand out of my pool over the course of a month I see why it was happening and why all sand isn't created equal.

The sand I originally bought was $5.xx a bag from Home Depot for 50lbs and is the Quikrete brand "pool filter sand" the sand I have now was purchased from Ace hardware and is HTH and was $12.xx for 50lbs.

Below are pictures and you will see why the sand just blew threw the laterals and into my pool.












As you can see the difference is ridiculous. The pressure in my pool has increased greatly. My filter works so much better now too. Hopefully this helps someone out. The sand cost a bit more but works so much better.


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Had a fun time worrying about my pool freezing. Backyard doesn't get enough sun but water was barely flowing. I carefully used a soil tamper to break the glaciers and used a 100 foot hose from tankless water heater to melt away the ice from my water features and spillway.
Before:

After:

As the Big Freeze ends, everyone will survey the post apocalyptic landscape of damaged equipment and there will be a huge and desperate scramble for replacement equipment.

Begin to figure out what you will need and begin to get it on order before the current stock is depleted.

If a salt water pool has a slightly lower freeze point (?) should you add salt even though your SWCG is not functioning?

20’ x 14’ free form gunite build … going well so far.

Update 1/14

Exciting update! After numerous revisions and discussions, we've overhauled our pool design. Currently, we're navigating the permitting phase. As we embark on this construction journey, we value your insights and feedback. If you've been through a similar process, your experiences and tips would be incredibly helpful. Stay tuned for updates, and feel free to share your thoughts as we progress. Thank you.

Older Thread

Hello everyone,

I'm excited to have recently discovered this site, and I must say, it's been a wealth of information for us as first-time pool owners. We are in Austin Texas and we've been in the process of planning our pool and have received several different bids from various pool companies. Currently, we're leaning towards a particular bid and company that we believe is the best fit for us.

However, given that we're new to this and prices have been fluctuating a lot in the past year, we want to be extra careful with our decision. That's where your experience and expertise come in! We would greatly appreciate feedback from experienced pool owners like yourselves.

If any of you have worked with the company we're considering or have had similar pool designs, we would love to hear your thoughts. What are some potential challenges we should anticipate as first-time pool owners? Are there any particular features or materials that have stood the test of time for you? And of course, any tips on budgeting and cost-saving measures would be highly valuable.

We want to make a well-informed decision, and your feedback would mean the world to us. Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your insights and experiences with us!

UPDATED POOL AND SPA SPECS 1/14

• Pool size: 18’ x 44’
• Pool depth: 3.5 to 6 feet to top of tile (water level is true depth)
• Spa Size: 6’ x 10’, elevated 6 inches above pool level
• Spa depth: 3.5’ to top of tile (water level is true depth)
• 25 linear feet of 4 feet high Waterfall Wet Wall
• 20’ Fire Feature at Waterfall Wet Wall
• 18'x18' Floating Ipe Decking (waiting for bid for millboard decking)
• 10'x20' Aluminum Pergola

Hello - I find myself in the curious position of lurking and learning after buying a house with a wild 90s pool. The previous owner had a laissez-faire approach to most things related to maintenance and the pool was no exception. The pool was surrounded by crazy shedding trees. The weir door: missing (now replaced). Looks like epic blue copper stains, tannin stains and heavily abused pebblecrete that either had multiple acid washes along the way OR it's the original 1992 pebblecrete and it's a mess. There has been a repair of the step and they appear to have chosen the pebblecrete colour for that step repair from a crazy wheel. It is currently on the acidic side because I am making my way down to try citric acid for this copper but I think it's been there so long we're past the point. I found the previous owner's stash of copper algaecide so I suspect... it was that. I suspect they drained it half way down for the step repair then the copper went wild plating all around (guessing). I am resigned to a pool renovation in the not too distant future. I have become obsessed about the stains and I will mostly like continue to play my stain removal games until I commit to a facelift for it.

I managed to dodge pool duties in all previous addresses in my life so I came in cold at this place. I had a pool guy come round and talk absolute BS "you can't really ever have too much chlorine in this heat" he said. Oh also that I need to hurry up and buy more salt. Would have been nice if he told me I had CC. I discovered TFP and have since bought a Taylor kit. I play with the pool more than in the pool.

Now I can say:

FC: 3.5 (still coming down after SLAM - checking to see if these stains were organic... they are not)
CC: 0 (no pink on the test today)
PH: 7.2
CH: 250
CYA: 33 (I have been diluting after the chloramine scandal)
TA: 50 (came down after messing with oxalic acid stain remover... was too impatient to wait for FC to come down so I know I played myself there).

The water is so clear so the stains are making me extra mad.

I have been on a murdering spree of the shedding trees and am in the process of finding and re-planting pool friendly items. Also found an algae blob hiding inside the lower surface of the pool light! There was no other visible or brushable algae anywhere else so it explained the weird numbers (when I had guess strips).

Thank you to everyone who contributes here, it's forced me to do it right and learn the things. It's true what they say: you don't know what you don't know. Blissfully clueless. Now I'm out here like Harry Potter in potions class having flashbacks to what kind of craziness was in my water!!!

Well out with last year and hears to a new year. Our usual New Years Eve dinner consists of see the pics

Hi Everyone - We are still working on getting our final quote from our builder and a new question has arisen. We are buidling a pool in Austin, TX. Our original quote included a "pebble finish" but not a Pebble Tec product. After spending time in several friends pools, we decided we would prefer a smoother finish and we asked our builder about Pebble Fina since they had done a friend's Bead Crete pool. They don't do Pebble Fina, but do Hydrazzo instead. After all of the reading I''ve done, it sounds like Hydrazzo is much more sensitive to pool chemistry than other finishes. Also, it is a $990 upgrade from the "pebble finish" in the quote. I feel a little stumped. We were getting close to signing and now I have another big question in front of me. Any advice on Hydrazzo? I searched the forum and didn't see anything horrible about it but didn't see a lot of information about experiences with it. Thanks!

Many of us may have had the unfortunate experience of adding soda ash to raise the pH and turned the pool water a milky white… in fact, we refer to it as “milking” a pool. Why does that happen and what does that do to the water?

Well, the soda ash (sodium carbonate) is normally very soluble in the water and goes into solution almost immediately. But it also can raise the pH and the Saturation Index high enough to cause calcium bicarbonate (dissolved calcium in the pool water, or calcium hardness) to precipitate. The white cloud you see is not actually the soda ash, but precipitated calcium carbonate.

If a small amount of calcium carbonate is precipitated and creates some cloudiness, it generally and gradually, usually within minutes, re-dissolves and clears up. The added carbonate (from soda ash) blends through the pool, changing and becoming bicarbonates of calcium and sodium, and the pH and the alkalinity rise, as planned. But if too much calcium is precipitated, it triggers a reaction that results in calcium carbonate precipitate that does not typically dissolve back into the rest of the water.

When a pool is milked, steps can be taken to either re-dissolve the calcium (by lowering the pH using acid until the Saturation Index value is low enough so that the calcium carbonate becomes bicarbonate and is re-solubilized), or we can filter out the precipitate and lower the calcium level.

The advantage of the first option is that within an hour or two the pool water can be clear again, but with everything (including the calcium!) back where it came from. The advantage of the second is that we pool water can be softened by reducing the calcium hardness level, but the pool will be cloudy through the filtration process, which may take days or a week.

By manipulating the water’s saturation chemistry, calcium can be removed via an ion exchange-style process of adding sodium to remove calcium, and then clear the water by filtration.

By way of example, we helped a pool owner who’s 18,000-gallon pool had a calcium hardness level of 1196 ppm, a pH of 8.2, and a total alkalinity of 180. The pool owner did not want to drain the pool unless they really had to, so they contacted us. We added 70 pounds of soda ash to the pool. This precipitated around 70 pounds of calcium carbonate, which was filtered from the pool. The resultant readings were a calcium hardness level of 589 ppm, a pH of 7.5, and a total alkalinity of 158.

Wait a minute! Didn’t adding 70 POUNDS of soda ash cause a HUGE increase in pH and alkalinity? Actually, and perhaps surprisingly, no. Since there is an almost one-to-one exchange of alkaline materials (sodium carbonate in and calcium carbonate out), the pH and the alkalinity actually stayed about the same.

Caustic soda (sodium hydroxide or NaOH) can also be used instead of soda ash to precipitate calcium. Less material is required for the same result, but sodium hydroxide may not be available and convenient as the soda ash.

There are variables in how much calcium is precipitated from a given amount of soda ash. These include water temperature (the higher the temperature, the more precipitate), the existing level of calcium, and addition method (the more “localized” the addition method, the more precipitate).

We have found that a simple application of chemistry can save a pool owner from the necessity of draining their pool, and that the calcium carbonate precipitate should not adhere to the pool surface if continually brushed and removed by filtration quickly.

This procedure, however, does not lower CYA or TDS levels.

1. On the first of each month, a contest "theme" will be announced (i.e. water clarity, family fun, decking, custom features, lighting, scenery, etc)
2. Members have 10 days to UPLOAD ONE image for consideration; Photo must be related to the thread titled theme for that month.
3. Per general TFP rules, nothing profane, political, or insulting.
4. The first 10 days is the submission period. Posts are limited to ONE image ONLY. No discussion posts yet. This will make viewing much easier for all.
5. Days 11 - 15 the thread will be locked and is for voting only. No more uploads. Viewers now have a final opportunity to vote (or modify their selection) for their favorite upload.
6. Members are encouraged to use an emotion icon ("Like" or "Love") to vote for their favorite upload; it will be tough, but select only one favorite.
7. On day 16, emotion Likes/Loves will be tallied for a winner. In the event of a tie, we will create a poll on the thread to make a final selection.
8. Once a winner is announced, the thread will be unlocked and comments/discussions are welcomed. Winner and nominees can tell us all about their pool/photo/event.
9. A member can only be selected as winner once per calendar year.
10. Winner will receive a $50 gift certificate from tstestkits.net! Oh, and maybe some bragging rights.

Let's see those kitchen pics from around your pool. Have fun and good luck to those who apply!

All,

Can't believe I am starting my own "build" thread, and not sure if I am more terrified or excited

Have come across so many helpful tips and pieces of advice in my lurking over recent months, but now hoping for insight specific to my situation. Attached is a lot plan with the initial layout of the yard and pool (North is toward the top of the page). Below are some of the specific items we are looking at, please critique this as much as necessary as nothing has been set in stone yet.

Once I get feedback the next step is going to the engineer to get plans and permits, then contacting Subs.

Plan:

• Gilbert, AZ
• 16' x 26' Rectangular - no water feature
  • ~11,000 gallons
  • 4' to 5' to 4' (floor to mid waterline tile)
• 7' x 7' elevated spa (18") with spillover. (Sit and Spin style, within border of pool to save yard space for pergola/outdoor kitchen)
• 8' x 8' baja - next to spa
• Robot cleaner (no longer planning IFCS based on feedback here)
• Microbrite lights
  • Two on the South (long) wall - to face away from the house
  • One on the baja step
  • One in spa
• Mini Pebble
  • JewelScape's Yacht Club Blue
• Waterline tile - TBD
• Coping:
  • Travertine vs Limestone
  • "Pearlescent" is one option recommended by contractor (Monterrey Tile Company - Shop Pearlescent products today!)
  • Same decking to be used for coping, patio overlay, and pergola pad/outdoor kitchen

Equipment:

• *Will be placed on a pad along the West wall, behind a pergola
• Pentair Intellicenter i8PS combo with VS pump, 2 valve actuators, and IC40 SWG
• Pentair CCP420 Cartridge filter
• Jandy style valves (no ball valves)
• 2 skimmers - separate returns
  • One on the East (short) wall near the NE corner (d/t wind direction)
  • One on the South (long) wall (closest to the patio)
• Auto-fill connected to water softener in the garage (West wall near access door)
• Heater - HELP!

Questions:

• Should the travertine/linestone be placed in the equipment pad area also? Or just use concrete?
• Best HP for pump? (I am of the assumption this will power both the pool and spa on the same pump?)
• Return lines okay at 2", but all supply lines should be 2.5" minimum?
• Best Heater for my setup? Natural gas stubout available at back of the house, as well as at gas meter
• Chiller now or just have plumbed to add later? How much room do I need to leave/account for this at the pad?
  • Thinking a Glacier brand. Not sure if GPC25 is sufficient for my pool size, or if I really need the GPC210. (see attachment for specs)
• Baja 12" to waterline?
• Should I add steps off the baja into the pool? Or steps elsewhere? I don't want to cut into the baja with steps. But, 18" baja down to 4' is going to be a big drop.
• Do I need the Pentair 420 filter, or is the 320 model sufficient? (see attachment for specs)

Has anyone ever tried tying something like a fishing line on a washer through the hole on the skimmer lid to have the basket come up with the lid?

I realize this is an odd question, but we keep our pool open year round, and this would really simplify those daily skimmer cleans.

Thanks in advance!

There are some people that don’t want daily, or close to it, pool care. There are some people that don’t want to consume the pool school and learn the chemistry, or even basics, to ensure their pool is balanced. And that’s fine.

So is there a non-TFP model that makes sense for these people?

From a pool store or product perspective all the chemicals are generic and you can’t patent (bleach, acid, etc.). So they’re forced to market magic potions which are a mixture of things you can get at the grocery store. And none of the combinations are stable enough for the average user. There aren’t any ways to extend chlorine addition without adding CYA or CH.

Pool Companies are in the same boat. The average monthly cost for weekly care is what $150-200? How could you possibly effectively treat a pool and make a profit with the TFP method at that competitive price? It’s no surprise that they cut corners, they need to make money.

So it begs the question, is there a non-TFP method that makes sense? How can you own a pool if you aren’t willing to dedicate the effort (as minimal as it is) to its care?

Curious to hear people’s thoughts, it seems like everyone who doesn’t want to follow the method we all are committed to are destined for green pools and unsanitary conditions.

New movie coming out January 5th about a haunted pool looks pretty interesting,check out the trailer shows a dilapidated pool new homeowners fix up and horror ensues..”Maybe they’re not pool people”

I've been testing pool & spa water for over 20 years. I purchased my first Pool Forum test kit back in 2001 or so and after wearing it out built my own using all Taylor re agents and hardware and even a Plano Tackle box just like the original. I have a very good friend who is building a pool and wanted to give them a test kit for Christmas. Rather than build them one, I ordered the TF Pro. I am impressed! Love, love love the case. It allows the test tubes to stand up rather than lay down, is a smaller foot print and is first class all the way. I also really like the Smart Stir stirring device (had to try it out). The entire kit is well thought out. Guess I'll be ordering one for myself now....... Very Nice job TFtestkits!

The 25lb bag randomly came up as a suggestion while I was buying light bulbs and the price was too good to pass up. I needed a small bag to finish the season and it was $5/lb at Walmart. HD was $6 or $7.

Their 25 lb bag of Calcium is $49 at the moment and I'm happy with that too.

Go here to see this month's contest! Enter to win your chance at a gift card from TF-test kits:

Like many folks I wanted music around the pool but had no place for outdoor speakers wired to a receiver inside my house. I also didn't have a good place mount a full size receiver outside where it would stay dry. I have a fair bit of decking and a single blue tooth speaker didn't cut it. I originally bought a set of wireless Bluetooth speakers that connected to each other and my phone that i could place on either side of the pool and they woked ok. However, they needed charged, had to be drug in and out of storage, couldn't stay outside permanently, and just were either to loud or to quiet depending on where you were on the pool deck. So I came up with this, I mounted a digital amplifier in a water proof box and connected it to a wifi plug under the counter in my outdoor kitchen. I got my hands on some rock looking outdoor speakers and placed them around the 4 corners of the pool making sure each side had a left and a right for full sound. Using cl3 direct burial outdoor speaker wire and water resistant connectors, I connected all 4 speakers to the amp and buried the wire.

Now, I can turn the amp on from my phone, have it automatically connect, and play music in seconds. No dragging speakers in and out, no charging, no "dead spots", just easy music listening. The amp also has aux input RCA's so movie night by the pool is a thing now.

If anyone wants to know the parts I used let me know and I can provide a list.

Me: "Having a pool is totally awesome and a great life choice."

Also me:

I decided to upgrade the Dual speakers at my gazebo. Decided to up some of these guys over a pair of Atriums. KHO-7. They don’t sound the best out of the box, but burn them in for 8-10 hours and they start to sound nice. Very power hungry. They want an amp that is at least 75watts at 8ohms. Most small class D amps don’t actually do that as their stated wattage is usually for 4ohms and probably peak power. Basically anything with a 12 volt power supply is going to be kinda week. I tried 3 amps and settled on this one. Fosi amp. It might be just a tad underpowered, but it can get more then loud enough to irritate neighbors at max volume, so it’s perfect for my application. It doesn’t seem to distort even maxed completely out. It’s a very clean amp, I can see why it gets such great reviews. It has Bluetooth, which I haven’t tried. Right now I’m feeding it with an old gen3 Apple TV with airplay1. Will pick up a second gen airport express at some point as they support airplay2, and are cheap on eBay. This setup gives me decent enough sound. It would probably blow my indoor stereo away if I incorporated a powered sub.

Back when we built the pool, I was still on the annoyed side. Too expensive, doesn’t add value, blah blah blah. Almost 3 years later, and I am still so thrilled we did it. We host our kiddos birthdays at home, and having the pool is an amazing add. We use it SO much, even in this geography. From the dogs to the kids to US. I am so glad we pulled the trigger (and sooooo glad I found TFP!) We had a ton of kids here yesterday - so thankful for good weather!

Hi all! I’m in the middle of a pool build and realizing my kidney pool is incredibly narrow…..I was under the impression we would be as wide as ordinances would allow but the PB did not. Anyhow, can anyone post photos of their narrow free forms and how you landscaped around? (Width under 14ft) TIA!

Hello
Had some landscaping installed around the pool etc…palm trees, shrubs etc. area was sculpted nicely with mulch. I want to put some type of bricking or edging to keep the mulch in. I was thinking about the standard bricks from Home Depot / Lowes, but want to do something different. I feel like that is too common. Anyone have any crafty ideas or something different. Pay no attention to the dog…she would not move

Just want to wish all my Fellow TFP friends a Happy New Year

I searched and searched for the "There's a moose in my pool" thread.. This was not in my skimmer basket.. and it wasn't floating dead.. so I decided to start a new thread. I have seen raccoons cleaning their claws in my pool, Bats dive bombing for bugs on the surface and families of skunks doing the hokey pokey in the raised garden behind the pool. This little guy just likes to hang out on my spa spill over wall. Every morning when I come out with my cup of coffee he is sitting there and gives me a little ga-mernin' chirp.

May I introduce you to Junior. I have had a pair of nesting Cooper's Hawks hanging out in the oaks of my back yard every spring for the last few years.. I call them Tippi and Rod. This year they had Junior. Here is the whole family; Tippi and Rod are on the branch and Junior is on the roof:


Junior assumes the whole backyard is his home range; he puts up with my dogs (which couldn't catch him anyway), he digs for grubs in my lawn (Its good for aeration too!), yesterday he caught a bird and ate it outside my office window (mmm, tastes like chicken!),

And he helps himself to the pool spa whenever he wants. He just keeps leaving the heater on.. Dang party animals...

We re-did the pool decking completely this spring. Before that was 3' concrete (broken) and outside of that was grass. Trying to mow in the "pool yard" was a disaster every weekend. Took down 2 pine trees, I had replaced the vinyl liner maybe 4-5 years ago and kept that. I also bought a Dolphin Nautilus CC (seen in action in the pic below) which has made my lift much easier. New Hayward VS pump, deck box, and some other smaller improvements that have been a nice touch.