Smileddog's Pool Chronicle

[smileddog]

The pool will be installed Mon & Tue of next week. It's a 24ft round, 52 inch deep above ground pool. It will come with a 2 speed Hayward cartridge filter. Solar cover, Winter cover, leaf net, vacum and hose, basic test kits, and starter chemicals. We chose the steps rather then the A frame ladder. We will be ditching the chemicals and test kits. I just recieved today in the mail our TF100 test kit. And I also ordered a Leaf Rake which will replace the chinsey one the pool place will give us(Hasnt arrived yet). We are going the BBB method and we think we have a good handle on what we will need to do. And thought we would keep everything in one place. That way we can look back if needed and learn from our mistakes, or others can learn from our mistakes. Hopefully we wont make any.

We paid roughly $3,700 for the pool, everything listed above, with installation.
We also paid approx. $40 for the town permit.
another $90 to have a town approved electical inspector inspect the electrical when done.
The electrician will be over this Sunday to tell me what to get and how much he will charge to run the line. Hes a friend of the familys and wont hurt my wallet. I will be digging the trench for the electrical line, either by hand or with a borrowed mini excavator. I also checked and I have at least one, but im hoping two, unused electrical breakers left in the panel. Im hoping to run the pump on one, and have an extra one for low voltage lighting or Auxillary use like a radio.

We are placing the pool approx 24 feet from the house with at least 25 feet from the side and back edge of the yards. We were forced to because of codes and stuff like that. We are leaving 3 additional feet around the pool with no obstructions so we can build a deck around it in the future (a year or two from now). I will post a pic this weekend where the future pool will be placed.

Here are my first test results: (From the tap, future pool fill water)
FC under .5
CC under .5 (These three should be at or near 0, which they are)
TC under .5
PH 7.6 (Will try to hold my PH at this ideal #)
T/A 150 (Concerned its high, but this is only test I may have dropped an extra drop of reagent)
CH 100 (I know I dont have to worry about this, but wanted a recorded # for future)
CYA 0 (Stoopid me tested for this, DUH. I havent added any stabalizer)
Temp: (to chilly to even want to record.)

I thought I would test my fill water from the hose to get a head start on what I will need right of the start to get my pool where I want it.

Everything looked fine to me for the #'s except the T/A. There is a small tiny possibilty I added one extra drop of a reagent when testing. I glanced out the window while dropping drops. Total Newb mistake. But there is a chance it is correct. I didnt test again. I will wait until I test after the pool is filled. But at least I have starting points.

Note to anyone new to testing and doing something similar to what I did for testing: When testing your FILL WATER you dont need to test fill water for CYA. Its just a waste of your reagents. Because you wont have any stabalizer in your water at this point.

My course of action once the pool is filled (of course I will take pictures) and i'm done just staring at it mesmorized that we just had our pool installed.
Make sure the pump and filter are running smooth and then buy (4) 96oz bottles of 6% bleach. And buy some Stabalizer in the poweder form. Not sure if they come in big LB boxes but I sure hope so.

Will add a little over a Jug and a half of the bleach, after the sun has set off the pool. to bring my FC up to 7. (Im going to start at 7 and go from there)
To get my CYA to 70 (Pool is in full sun entire day). I will need a little over 8.5 lbs of stabalizer. Which I plan on putting in a skimmer sock and placing in front of the return to dissolve. Will retest this after about 4-5 days or once I see it all has been dissolved.

I will then test after about 30-45 minutes of originally adding the Chlorine to make sure I hit 7. Will get up early the next am before sun hits the pool and retest Chlorine and see if it held at 7. Hoping it will since it will just have been filled and the Green Meany shouldnt happen that fast.

From here I will enjoy the pool and do my best keeping everything balanced. If you see anything I am missing or have suggestions please feel free to chime in. Other are welcome to join me on this journey and hopefully we can all learn together. I would also like to Thank TroubleFreePool.com for creating this awesome site. A big weight was lifted off my chest when I stumbled across this site.

 

[duraleigh]

SM,

Very nice head start you have on your pool. Your numbers are all in order and I see no problems. You are to be commended for thinking ahead and being ready to go.

If I remember, I think you're filling from City water, right? If not and it's a well, A test for iron might not be a bad idea......not mandatory, tho.

Don't be too discouraged if you "fail" the overnight FC loss test. A new fill just seems to bring in some organics that will cause a few PPM loss. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to hold of on that test for a day or so to give your chlorine a chance to go to work.

Again, very nice work. :lol: :lol:

 

[smileddog]

As promised here are the pictures. The black ring is the current place we will be putting the pool. If you can see the orange one still that was where we originally wanted to place the pool but after learning the measurements and our property line we had to move it some. We left room for a 3 ft deck around the back and sides as well as a 11ft deck on the front by the house. This should be enough room for what we need.

Picture TimeI walked in a big circle snapping pictures part way around.)

 

[smileddog]

The pool installation guys showed up bright and early this morning. Approx 6:45am. They were actually here at 6:30am but drove around the block a few times burning time (Since they told me they would be here at 7am). I actually saw them driving by and wondered if they were lost. HA HA HA. Well they jumped right to it. and were done in a few hours. I took pictures from beginning to end. I cant upload them at work right now, but I will when I get home. After watching how easy it was. I would definatley recommened to any DIY person that this is a project that you can tackle on your own. If we ever upgrade to a larger pool or move I will be sure to do it on my own next time. Wait till you see the pics.

 

[smileddog]

Picture time :-D

They first removed all the grass by skimming the ground with a bobcat. In the shape of the circle where the pool is going. and then spread sand around it a few inches deep keeping it level.

They then laid out the wall supports.

Then the connected all the wall supports with the giant rings.

they then unrolled the pool wall around the circle.

The pool walls completed.

The liner was then rolled out.

A closer look at the liner.

They then sucked the air out from under the liner with a small vacuum through the skimmer.

Then they added the caps and top rail.

These are the steps/ladder system.

Here is the filter/pump.

Heres the water being added while the vacuum still sucks out the air. Its a wrinkle free bottom. smooth like glass.

Heres the completed pool so far.

I'm going to update my signature right now with the specs from all equipment.

 

[Butterfly]

Wow, smileddog, you got a pic of every step in there!

Looks great and hope you and your family have lots of fun :lol:

btw, the circle where the bobcat removed the grass kinda' looked like something from a movie or documentary about "circles"

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

Looks Great!

Listen, don't worry too much over that TA. The only time it is in an issue if the PH drifts up over 7.8. You just add a little acid to drop that down, and over time, the TA will lower into range and the PH will stabilize. Nothing to worry about.

Good luck, it's a great thread so far.

 

[smileddog]

Thanks everyone. The pool is coming along nicely. I'm kicking myself in the butt because I wanted to record the # of gallons my water meter was at so I can track how many gallons the pool holds and compare to the calculator. Im planning on measuring how many inches are in it in the AM and then turning the water back on and then Check it again when its double what ever is in there now and then I will know how many gallons I put in. Alittle back tracking and some math will get me the answer. I should add this as well for people who may tackle the DIY. The installer asked us to turn the water off tonight and not let it keep filling over night. When I asked why the answer I was given was. The liner is brand new and needs time to stretch. When the sun is on the liner it warms it and conforms better. If it were to keep filling during the night the liner would cool and not stretch as well. Its been getting into the 40-50's at night here in upsate NY. Just a tid bit of info that I thought I would share.

There is also this awful smell of like poo. I dunno if it was from the ground they dug or if it was the sand they brought in. I didnt smell it once the guy dug the circle but once the sand was being put down. I dunno if they wash it, spray it, or mix in something. My wife warned me about it so when I came home I couldnt believe how strong it smelled. I was looking in the lawn to see if one of the workers left me any landmines. but I hope the poo smell goes away. Or I might be trying the BBB method out on my lawn. he he he

Butterfly I thought the same thing. Everyone at work was looking at the pictures and said that "they arent installing a pool, they are trying to communicate with E.T." ha ha ha

 

[cobra46]

Don't lose any sleep over the capacity. A nice simple geometric shape like yours is cake to calculate nearly perfectly.

Happy Swimming

 

[dmanb2b]

very nice...similar pool to ours...your only about 2 hrs north of me...good luck w/ the pool...we're in the process of wrapping up our deck build...had the pool installed about a month ago...it's felt funny maintaining the water for a month now, with the chilly nights, but we'd figure we'd get a head start and be ready for the short swim season.

 

[smileddog]

Well the pool is finally filled. (At least to the point the PB asked us to fill it to). He wanted to leave an inch or so free to put the skimmer and the return nozzle in. Then I imagine we would fill it the rest of the way. So far we are alittle over 13,000 gallons. The electrician stopped by this morning. My qoute was $200-$240 for the labor, and he estimated around $200 for the materials. (He is charging me $30 per hr.) He is a friend of the families and does all my grandfathers contracted work and charges him the same. It was more then I was planning on paying but I dont really have a choice. I will be relieved once all the bills stop adding up for the pool and I can just sit and relax and enjoy it.

Dmanb2b, great to see a fellow NY'ker on here so close. I would be interested in seeing pics and hearing how your doing your deck. Im already planning next years project which will be the deck. Im looking into different options that we can use up here in the northeast. My current plan is to go with a system like this. http://www.deckplans.com/ Ive seen one other person who posted on here that lived in PA that used this system and am still trying to track them down to see if they had any issues with it in PA. My wife is concerned with the thawing and freezing we get in CNY and thinks the deck will come out bad. I figured this system would save me all the time and work of renting a post hole digger and putting in all the posts. And seems like it will run pretty close to the same cost as if i did dig all the holes.

 

[dmanb2b]

Hey Smile,

You can see some early pictures of the pool build here, along with the deck drawing

http://s702.photobucket.com/albums/ww30/dmanb2b/

we opted to go with a rather large deck area vs. wrapping around the pool and it is a little futher away from the house than yours, so we built it free-standing (ie...detached from our house)

I would check with your town building dept on the deck requirements, they can give you a listing of all the deck construction specifications. I had been interested in the deckblock option as well but my town said "no way...you need footings min 42" deep, which is apparently below our frost line"

The deck is done, with the exception of the lattice skirts and my gate is on order. I ended up hiring a contractor to dig footings and frame the deck. I installed the trex and composite white railings myself. It ended up costing me less than if I had the contractor build the entire deck out of PT wood, and so far we love the way it turn out...plenty room for my 4 kids and some entertaining from time to time. I'll try to get pics uploaded by the weekend so you can get an idea of what the deck looks like. I'm pretty handy, but there was no way I was going to dig 12 3.5ft deep footings myself and the framing would have taken me another month to complete by myself. Sadly, my pool has been the cheapest part of this whole project.

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have with start-up, maintenance...etc. Not sure if you mentioned this already, but I Highly recommend getting the TF100 test kit at Tftestkits.net...it will pay for itself over and over, vs spending money on unneccessary chems at the pool store. Walmart is all I need for maintenance chems.

Good luck with getting the build completed

 

[smileddog]

Thanks dmanb2b,

I checked out your pictures and your sketch. They should come in helpful. I will check with our town to see if they will allow the floating deck. Keeping my fingers crossed they will. I do have a question for you. I have been looking into the Intex SWG. They are selling them right now at Wallyworld for $158.95. Everywhere else I have looked the same model runs about $260. I have read the pros and cons to it. Have you had any issues with yours? any recommendations about it? The price is right for me. Im just worried its one of those too good to be true things.

 

[dmanb2b]

For the money (I Paid $190 w/ shipping from ebay) I think it's great. Definately not as robust as the more expensive models, but I have been able to maintain my FC level with a 2hr run time on sunny days...so even if it lasts me 2 years, I feel it's worth it. The only bug is that if you lose power, the unit resets itself and you have to reprogram the timer. I usually wait for my pump timer to kick in, which is on a 6hr run cycle...wait 30 mins and then set the intex swg to run for 2hrs...after that initial set-up, the swg will turn on for 2hrs each day at the same time, while the pump is running. I ended up dumping 6 bags of plain (blue bag) water softener salt in the pool to get things started and keep an extra bag around to maintain between 2800 and 3200 ppm salt concentration. I also added borates to 50 ppm, which help fend off algae and makes the water feel real silky. The only other con I can think of is that the water is of slightly salty taste...but it is nothing like swimming in the ocean...hope that helps

 

[smileddog]

Wow only a 2 hr run time. A guy I work with has an intex pool he says about 3,000 gal and he says he has to run his for 3 hours. So I was thinking mine would have to run 11-12hours. But then I just realized he probably has alot smaller pump/filter. Hmmm.. very interesting. If I can get by with a 2-4 hour time then it is well worth it.

Ok The PB came by today and hooked up the pump and filter for me and got everything running. For now he has it plugged into an extention cord until the electical work is done then I can use the dedicated line for it. I also used a mini excavator to dig the trench from the house to the pool. I woke up feeling pretty sick (sore throat and coughing and naushes), and was planning on digging it by hand. I got started on it and couldnt finish. My wife was a trooper and she jumped right in and dug half of the trench, she left for work and I just didnt have it in me to finish so i called in a favor to borrow the excavator. Mon or Tues the electrician should be here to get the wiring done. Now im almost there so I have a few questions.

I need to start getting the water chemistry right. I'm going out tomorrow to get the Chlorine and Stabalizer. Do I put it right in, or should I wait until the sun sets? I am planning on putting the solar cover on tomorrow as well so I was thinking of adding the Chems and then throwing on the cover to protect the bleach from the sun. Sound like a good idea?

Next question is do I go to wallyworld to get the stabalizer, or my local pool store? Do they usually run equal in price?
and what do they call stabalizer at the pool store or wallyworld? I remember checking the pool store but they have so many different chemicals with all different names. I think wallyworld was a similar set up. Im worried i will get the wrong chemical.

 

[smileddog]

Also how long should I be running the pump/filter? The pool store guy says he runs his on low for 24 hrs at a time. I currently dont have a timer but in the meantime I dont mind waking up every day and turning it on and before bed turning it off until the electrician is done. I ran it for an hour or so on high and put a skimmer sock on (Knee highs) to catch all the pollen and bugs that haven dropped in since we filled it. I just cleaned the sock now and left the pump running on low for the night. Is this a good idea?

 

[dmanb2b]

OK...not sure about your friends pool, but his CYA level may be too low for a SWG or he is swimming in a very chlorinated pool...or his cell is getting dirty and ineffective.

First...get a taylor k2006 or TF100 test kit...you will need this

Definately wallyworld....go to the toy section where they carry pools and pickup two 4lb containers of HTH Stabilizer/conditioner...if you check the label and it say something like 97% cyanuric acid...you got the right stuff. Then go to the laudry aisle and get 5-6 bottles of the large Great Value Ultra unscented bleach (blue label...$2.54 for 174oz each). To start pick up a box or two of 20 mule team borax (PH+) and a big box of baking soda (you may not need this but it is pretty cheap in case you do) Next hit the harware store and get one gallon of muratic acid or you can get HTH PH minus form wally's...I prefer muratic, but you need to be careful when adding to the tool.



Tommorrow evening first adjust your PH if needed (use the pool calculator) let the water circulate for at least 1 hr...retest PH...if OK then add 3/4 of the 174oz jug of 6% bleach pouring slowly while the pump is running into the return stream (this will get your FC to approx 5ppm), then put the CYA in a sock and hang it over the return. 4 lbs of cya will get you into the 30-40ppm range.

I would hold off on the solar cover until your water levels are stabilized

 

[smileddog]

Awesome sounds like a plan. Thanks. Will post my results tomorrow after Ive done as you described. As for the guy I work with. Im not sure what he is doing. He uses the test strips. Chlorine tabs, Algacide. Everything I dont want to use. But he does have the Intex Crystal Klear SWG. I may hold of on it. Funds are tight and I want to get use to the pool before I add others gizmos. I do have the TF-100 test kit thats how I got my original test results from my fill water.

 

[dmanb2b]

sorry about that...forgot you had test results up above (way up there)...awesome...if your PH is at 7.6 your all set...add the 3/4 container bleach slowly over the return...On the CYA 4 or 4.5lbs or so should be just fine...so you may be able to save $15 and just pick up on bottle of the stabilzer...I think it's either a 4 or 4.5lb container.

you want to wait about a week to to test for the CYA ...but the FC, you can test daily and keep it around the 5ppm...an you should be all set...looks like we are in for a sunny weekend so hopefully you get to jump in that puppy at some point...enjoy

 

[smileddog]

Yeah I wish we could enjoy it this weekend, but the town hasnt signed off on our permit because the electrical work hasnt been done. and said if anyone is caught swimming before they sign off they will pull our permit and we can start all over. But I plan on getting in it today to put the steps in and position them correctly. If they do stop and give me a hard time Im telling them that Im in the pool for installation purposes not for enjoyment. While im in there im going to give the vacuum a whirl to. FYI to anyone with an AG pool. without a walk around deck it is a PITA to use the skimmer net and vacuum from just the steps. I already cant wait to put the deck on just for that reason alone. I thought "oh it wouldnt be to big of a pain, boy was I wrong". No sacrafice...No victory.