New Fiberglass install in Clarksville TN (Dig started Nov 16, 2020)

[Dave1096]

I just finished the volleyball court this evening. Got the net and posts perfectly level and to regulation. I also stained the posts to match my fence and it really blends in nicely. My teenage daughters and their friends will spend lots of time out there this summer. They took my dirt from my dig and leveled out a nice court up there.
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Looks good what you've done start to finish. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but your grass looks like you never tore up your backyard just a few short months ago.

 

[Apsuhead]

Looks good what you've done start to finish. Not sure what I'm doing wrong, but your grass looks like you never tore up your backyard just a few short months ago.

I really hit the grass seed hard as soon as they finished in December and I had nothing for almost a month or two. I was really worried, but it has really exploded this past month. I put down lime and fertilizer with the seed in December. I then used my spike aerator and reseeded/ & added lime/fertilzer again a month ago to help it fill in. I’m sure I’ll have some bare spots when the summer drought hits but I will work it again in the fall. I can’t believe how well it has filled in so far though, I’ve had to mow about every 5 days to keep it manageable.

 

[Dave1096]

I really hit the grass seed hard as soon as they finished in December and I had nothing for almost a month or two. I was really worried, but it has really exploded this past month. I put down lime and fertilizer with the seed in December. I then used my spike aerator and reseeded/ & added lime/fertilzer again a month ago to help it fill in. I’m sure I’ll have some bare spots when the summer drought hits but I will work it again in the fall. I can’t believe how well it has filled in so far though, I’ve had to mow about every 5 days to keep it manageable.

Looks great!

 

[kimkats]

Fun times in your yard this year!!! LOVE it all!!!

 

[Apsuhead]

We tried out the spray fountains that I got for $3 open box off amazon today. They work great! Lots cheaper than the $500 deck jets.

 

[Casey]

We tried out the spray fountains that I got for $3 open box off amazon today. They work great! Lots cheaper than the $500 deck jets.
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What did you get? My lil princess would love this!

 

[kimkats]

THey will help cool your pool down in the summer as well. Just keep an eye on the pH and the splashing will increase your pH some.

Kim

 

[Apsuhead]

What did you get? My lil princess would love this!

Splash-A-Round Pools SEC385 Waterfall Spray Pool Fountain Amazon.com: Splash-A-Round Pools SEC385 Waterfall Spray Pool Fountain: Garden & Outdoor
They had a bunch for $3.65 open box like new around Christmas. They easily screw into any return to make a fountain. My neighbor uses them them to cool down his water during the hot summer months.

 

[Winger 03]

Yard looks great! What a transformation from last year. Congratulations.

 

[Apsuhead]

The fountains are definitely kid approved

 

[Apsuhead]

I did my first backwash yesterday and I had some water leaking out of the sight glass. I contacted the PB and he said to unscrew it and use teflon tape if needed. I cleaned the threads out and screwed it back on tight, hopefully that will do it. The backwash really can lower the water quick! My salt system displayed low flow so that’s why I backwashed. I’ve been running it at 20% to keep my FC at 6 with my CYA around 80. My pump basket had lots of little tree blooms when I cleaned it out. My pump had been running mostly at 1725 rpms but I would also run it at a low speed of 1150 rpms at times. I finally programmed the pump to run at 1500 rpms 24/7 and at higher speed of 3000 rpms from 6-7 am and 4-5 pm everyday to skim. Hopefully that keeps everything happy. My electric bill was actually lower than last month and the bill from a year ago ... so running the pool pump hasn’t been costly at all. For some reason Amazon refunded me for my new solar cover yesterday due to “account adjustment” and added my gift card balance and reward points back to my account. I’m not complaining! My SE robot from Marina is great, I couldn’t survive without it. I just have to scoop up tons of worms after it rains, they love to get in the pool and on my concrete decking on the grassy side. I use a cloth and magic eraser to clean off the water line every few weeks to keep the pool sparking. The water balancing has been a breeze with the help of TFP and my TF-100 test kit and speed stir. I got a K-1766 Salt Test last week as well, I didn’t trust the salt test strips I was using.

 

[Apsuhead]

I’ve been searching high and low trying to find a tool to remove my return fittings. I knew there had to be a tool that fit inside the inner slots to turn and remove them. I finally found them on amazon before finding this thread.

Hayward Inlet Eyeball Removal - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Hayward SP1419T Hydrosweep and Hydrostream Directional Flow Inlet Fitting Seat Removal Tool https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003VSO1PI/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_H3W3PSGDA4P91JVZ65QK

 

[Apsuhead]

It has been in the 80s here the last 2 days so the pool water was up to 74 degrees today. I finally got in the water for more than a few minutes. A few observations ...
* I love the feel of the smooth fiberglass on my feet. My brother in law has an older concrete pool and it rubs our feet raw
* I like the fiberglass edge instead of the concrete cantilevered deck. We choose this mainly because it was cheaper but feels great on the back on my knees sitting on the side of the pool
* I’m glad we got the smaller handrail and put it beside the steps instead of in the middle. The steps are about 10 ft wide it really opens them up completely for sitting in the water.
* I’m glad I got them to pour a concrete sidewalk from the house to the pool. I was going to do a cheap paver walkway myself but added the sidewalk at the last second. It’s 30x4 ft so it only cost me an extra $840 at $7 per sq ft. So worth it.
* It’s a lot easier to clean the waterline while in the pool. It seems like it isn’t getting as dirty now that I added some calcium to get the CH to 200.
* I got some cheap skimmer socks from Lowe’s and they filter out the small junk great
* My pool light points towards our house which goes against most advice. Our pool sets high enough in the back yard that the light doesn’t shine into our windows on the main floor. It makes the back of our house sparkle at night which is cool as cars pass by from behind our corner lot
* I’m glad we got a pool! Water chemistry has been a breeze. I’ve always dreaded the hot days of summer but now I’m looking forward to it.

 

[Candurin]

Looks fantastic! Right there with you with ease of chemistry. We got the slightly longer handrail (long “4”) but we don’t plan on using them. Our concrete guy comes Saturday and he will make a big mess in my sparkling pool. He will make the cantilever perfectly smooth (as per him), so I’ll let you know how well that goes.

 

[Apsuhead]

My concrete continues to fade and blend in nicely. I kept the solar cover on all week during the cold nights and the pool water reached 78 today. We had lots of rain last week so I had to drain some water. I added a bag of salt yesterday and the water chemistry is still great with TFP. I need to figure out what I want to plant in the rock landscaping.

 

[kimkats]

I am very glad to see I was wrong about the decking!!

I would find fun sculptures to put in the rock area. Metal and concrete to give it different textures. Short and tall for visual interest.

 

[Candurin]

My wife planted zebra grass in our rock beds. We also placed solar led tiki torches in the long rock beds between the arborvitae. Gives a great oasis feel at night.

 

[kimkats]

Oh that reminds me of one of fav plants-black mondo glass.

 

[Apsuhead]

I didn’t want to just rush out and buy plants. I wanted to be sure they could take full sun and wouldn’t drop anything in the pool. Been trying to research and get advice.

I’d like to buy one big full plant to put in this big square area by the equipment shed …

I think I want two different rows of something in this big area. My wife just wants green plants.

I think I will leave this area bare so the lounge chairs can fully recline. Only other thing I thought about were pencil hollies, I have a few of those in my landscaping in front of my house. I did buy 3 of these solar lights with a big coupon code to put on the fence posts behind the loungers. They should arrive soon.

 

[Apsuhead]

It’s been a great pool weekend!