Be aware Trex type products can get really hot! My house deck is Trex (dark brown) and it'll take your breath away.....You could always put one of those indoor-outdoor rugs down on it.
27'AG install in Kentucky in 10 days! With additional Patio and Deck build!
- Thread starter AveMaria472
- Start date
Be aware Trex type products can get really hot! My house deck is Trex (dark brown) and it'll take your breath away.....You could always put one of those indoor-outdoor rugs down on it.
Yup, hot it does get! We added an outdoor rug to the deck last year. It's rolled up in the shed, waiting for the warm weather to return.
And slippery too. Rain/splash out is bad enough but overspray from sunscreen might as well be like putting WD40 on a sheet of ice.
Good point I hadn't thought of... as a rule, we don't unlock the gate to go up the stairs until my younger kids are "buckled up" (we use the puddle jumper style floaties for them). The sunblock goes on before those do so we usually spray them down while they're standing on the paver patio below the deck. Thanks for all the great tips!!!
Our decision to install a heater this year was solidified when the Covid-19 quarantine was put into place. After A LOT of research, we decided to go with a propane heater for a couple reasons, but mainly because we wanted to get a quicker rise in temp when a sudden warm day came up in May or September. We went with a much larger heater than the minimum recommended size. We should get a 10 degree rise in just 4 hours of run time.
On March 18, 2020 we purchased a 400k BTU RayPak LP heater. It was delivered on March 20, 2020 which is ridiculously fast! Asa at www.PoolHeatPumps.com was great to work with and even did a price match to another site that had it a few hundred dollars cheaper.
We knew we needed a proper equipment pad because this heater is HUGE. We were also tired of the muddy slope we had to trek to get to the pump area so we decided to pour a concrete equipment pad and sidewalk.
On March 21st, my husband started digging out the area. The framing of the sidewalk and pad had to wait for a break in the weather, and for the ground to dry up enough, which finally happened on April 1st.
On March 18, 2020 we purchased a 400k BTU RayPak LP heater. It was delivered on March 20, 2020 which is ridiculously fast! Asa at www.PoolHeatPumps.com was great to work with and even did a price match to another site that had it a few hundred dollars cheaper.
We knew we needed a proper equipment pad because this heater is HUGE. We were also tired of the muddy slope we had to trek to get to the pump area so we decided to pour a concrete equipment pad and sidewalk.
On March 21st, my husband started digging out the area. The framing of the sidewalk and pad had to wait for a break in the weather, and for the ground to dry up enough, which finally happened on April 1st.
April 3, 2020 Smoothing the rugged terrain around the new concrete...
And moving the heater onto the pad...
Still have a gas line to run and a whole lot of PVC to install. We had temporarily hooked up the pump and filter with last year’s hoses.
And moving the heater onto the pad...
Still have a gas line to run and a whole lot of PVC to install. We had temporarily hooked up the pump and filter with last year’s hoses.
Also on April 3, 2020 we installed the safety railing we’d been wanting to put up. We ordered the “Premium Above Ground Fence Kit A” from In the Swim. It’s a great product and was not difficult to install. The only problem we had was the first carton they shipped us was missing the hardware. It looked like the carton was damaged during shipping and parts had fallen out. So we had to wait for the carrier to pickup that carton and a new one to be shipped. We only installed it on the side where the pool was buried and the wall was low. I didn’t get many pictures of it going up because I was helping to install it.
April 8, 2020 Tackling the PVC puzzle... using a Jandy NeverLube 3 port valve and some strategically placed ball valves and unions.
We decided not to put the pump and filter on the concrete pad so we would have better access to the skimmer for cleaning. We didn’t want to have to step off the concrete into the mud at all!
We decided not to put the pump and filter on the concrete pad so we would have better access to the skimmer for cleaning. We didn’t want to have to step off the concrete into the mud at all!
April 14, 2020 gas line completed and successful test run of the heater!! Just waiting on the weather to warm up to justify warming up the water for the first swim. Temps this week are in the 50s which is well below average.
Next we will be working on the final landscaping of the area to be rid of the construction zone once and for all!! Our plan is to build a short retaining wall around the remainder of the pool and top with river rock to give us a clean surface to walk around the pool to perform tasks like brushing and removing the solar cover.
Next we will be working on the final landscaping of the area to be rid of the construction zone once and for all!! Our plan is to build a short retaining wall around the remainder of the pool and top with river rock to give us a clean surface to walk around the pool to perform tasks like brushing and removing the solar cover.
OH MY!! What a wonderful update with great work done!!!
I LOVE how they did the walkway with the "edge" highlight. Someone has skills!!!
Love the idea for around the pool as well! NO MORE MUD!!!
Kim
I LOVE how they did the walkway with the "edge" highlight. Someone has skills!!!
Love the idea for around the pool as well! NO MORE MUD!!!
Kim
- Jul 16, 2019
- 688
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
- Jul 16, 2012
- 7,218
- Pool Size
- 27000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
A really nice addition to your setup with the walkway and pad. Great job! Thanks for the step-by-step.
It has been a joy to read this thread in the last few minutes. You have done beautiful work! You'll love the heater. I have the same one except it is natural gas and it's been a game changer for us here in sometimes-chilly western Washington.
Also, it looks like you have a Dolphin pool cleaner. What are your thoughts on it? I'm considering an E10.
The Dolphin was a gamer changer, probably the best purchase we made for our second season (besides the deck). Worth every last penny we paid for it!! Makes the pool *nearly* maintenance free. I throw it in each evening after the swim day is done. It picks up every little thing down there... bubble gum, bottle caps, tree bark and pollen, leaves, fine dirt, hair (think teenage daughters with long hair), insects, etc. The basket is very easy to clean. Don’t hesitate. You’ll love it!
Thank you! We fired up the heater for our first swim of the season today. After a couple of cool nights, the water was a chilly 58 at 8:45 this morning. By 3:30pm when outside temps hovered at 70 the water was 78 degrees. That’s a 20 degree rise in under 7 hours.
The kids had a blast!! I did a lot of floating, which I’ve been dreaming of doing all winter! ?
Wanted to add a recent pic... sort of the finale of the thread I guess (until our next project... landscaping). Though I wish the solar cover wasn’t covering the beautiful blue water underneath. And we hadn’t put the ladder in yet. Aaaah... this will be a great swim season. ? ?
My heart is bursting over that ADORABLE smile THEN you go and show the wonder work of art you made out of your yard! WeLL DONE!!!