New Pool Buda (just south of Weird) Texas - November 2017

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What a pretty set up that is! I love the lines/curves for the decking and walkway. Well done. Make sure they use "chairs" or something that holds the rebar up off the ground before they pour.

Here is hoping the pressure holds. :angel:

Kim:kim:
 
UNDER PRESSURE PART 2 - Pressure Drop Issue:

After the initial concerns regarding the pressure drop problem, the PB put the lines back under pressure to 40 PSI. Temperatures were all over the place and there was another pressure drop of 3 PSI. After that the pressure stabilized around 37 PSI where it remained for close to 72 hours.

After seeking advice, one of the wonderful moderators on this forum forwarded my issue to a pool builder in another state who advised that if there was a leak that the pressure would continue to drop. Since the pressure held at right around 37 PSI, our PB decided to continue with deck installation.

What I would offer to others who may be building a pool is the following suggestion:

1. Be certain that your pool plumbing is pressure tested to well above what your pump will put on the system.
2. Do not allow a quick test to be performed. Insist that the pressure be held for at least 36 hours or longer if at all possible. A big leak will drop pressure in a matter of hours while a tiny leak can take much longer.
3. Be aware that outdoor temperature does affect air pressure in the lines. I believe that you can look at articles on Charles Gas Law to understand this effect.
4. Once the system is placed under pressure I would suggest that the owner:
a. Record the outdoor temperature and pressure immediately after the lines are put under pressure. (If that is not possible then record these factors as soon as possible after the system is placed under pressure).
b. Record pressure and temperature every few hours thereafter.
c. Expect that there may be a brief drop in pressure as air stabilizes in the lines - especially if temperatures drop.
d. If the pressure continues to drop while the temperature holds steady or increase then I would suspect a leak and you should insist that the PB find the leak and repair it before further work is done.
e. If the pressure continues to drop as the temperature drops then you should be aware that you can not determine if a leak exists without further testing. You need to hold until the temperature rises or stabilizes for several hours.
f. If pressure holds even or goes up and down slightly as temperatures change then odds are that you do not have a leak. The longer the observation period - the more certain you can be.

I welcome comments on these suggestions as I am still learning but this is at least a minimum procedure that I would advise. It is always easier to know that there IS a leak than it is to know there is NOT a leak!
 
Decking Concrete Completed!

The PB raised the rebar in the decking by moving it up onto stone "chairs" as the concrete was going in.
The crew was amazing in that they wheeled concrete in from the street in an "assembly line" of 6 wheelbarrows while others placed each load and began screeding the concrete. The crew was very impressive in that they worked the finish for several hours after the pour and we wound up with a very nice looking concrete surface.

Deck Concrete Completed 1.jpg

Deck skimmer cover.jpg

The next day the forms were removed from the concrete. It begins to look like a pool!!!

Deck forms removed 2.jpg

Deck forms removed 3.jpg
 
Pool and cement are looking great.

Another note about air pressure that you sort of covered, but I will add to. Air pressure is affected by temperature and when air is compressed it generates heat. So, most of the time when something is filled with freshly compressed air from a compressor, the air is hot and therefore the pressure the initial pressure will drop some as the air cools to surrounding temperature. The amount the air pressure drops as it cools from being compressed will never be the same, as it is dependent on many factors, however it is something that should be expected.

Bill
 
Your pool has a very inviting look to it already!

This is mostly from farm irrigation and less so from building plumbing and water heating, but my experience was to pressurize at 60 to 100 psi, then wait a couple hours before recording the starting pressure. As mentioned by Bill above there's a lot of variables, but it would usually drop 5 or 10 pounds as the air inside the system cooled, but not always. If it didn't drop initially, I think that's because the pipe and vessels are also contracting as they cool. It sure sounds to me like your plumbing is fine.
 
x Wild Bill x said:
Pool and cement are looking great.

Another note about air pressure that you sort of covered, but I will add to. Air pressure is affected by temperature and when air is compressed it generates heat. So, most of the time when something is filled with freshly compressed air from a compressor, the air is hot and therefore the pressure the initial pressure will drop some as the air cools to surrounding temperature. The amount the air pressure drops as it cools from being compressed will never be the same, as it is dependent on many factors, however it is something that should be expected.

Bill
Click to expand...

Thanks Wild Bill and I agree. I had not thought about the air actually being heated up by the compressor but it makes perfect sense. So an initial drop is common but continued drop is a concern. Oh, BTW the gauge is still on the pipe manifold and it is still holding at 37 PSI. :rolleyes: Now going on 5 days. Raining here so no work today or tomorrow. :sad:
 
EVERYBODY MUST GET STONE:

The rain finally went away and so work resumed today (December 21st)!
Today the Oklahoma Flagstone was delivered and the work crew began prepping for stone and tile installation.

Oklahoma Flagstone Delivered.jpg A pile of stone to call our own!

Prep for coping and tile.jpg The area where the stone is to be installed was prepared.

EQUIPMENT ARRIVES

Not too long after the stone came, the equipment arrived.
Equipment Arives.jpg


MOJO FILTER:

We elected to not go with a DE filter (environmental concerns and potential health issues being deciding factors) so we went with a traditional sand filter.

We selected the Pentair Sta-Rite sand filter.
(If this was not a good choice I suppose it is tad too late now.)
We had to decide this early so I hope that this passes muster with the Forum.

Sta-Rite Sand Filter.jpg

PUMP IT UP:
We selected the Pentair Intelliflow Pump. Again an early choice but I think this one is OK.
Pentair Intelliflow.jpg

Once again rain is in the forecast for tomorrow , so it may be after the holidays before we will have anything more to post. Everyone enjoy your holiday of choice.

Think peace, humility, and kindness for those are at the heart of this season.:santa:
 
I love,love,love my sand filter so I think you did a good job picking that one! It is SO easy to clean and work with!

Don't know as much about pumps so will let someone else comment on that.

Have you dug through the stone to find your fav pieces and ones your just don't line at all? I would be walking around the pool and putting them where I think I wanted them!

Kim:kim:
 
COPING - WITH COLD AND RAINY WEATHER

Work has slowed to a crawl due to rain and cold. We were not really expecting to see much work completed during the last week of December but crews were on site when the weather permitted. For 3 days they have been cutting stone and installing the coping. Today (December 29, 2017) the stone is just about completed. Of course there is grout yet to come. But here are some pictures of the project at present. This is the 54th. day since the beginning of the project.

Coping 2.jpg

This is Oklahoma Flagstone but the color looks washed out due to the large amount of stone dust that has settled on the stone. The entire pool is a cloud of dust when the crew cuts the stone with the rock saw. The dust then settles.

Coping 3.jpg
We have had quite a bit of rain and so the water level in the pool keeps rising. Most of that water is from when we hydrated the shotcrete during the first week or so after application.

Coping Stone 1.jpg
We think the crew is doing a good job with this and it seems to be quite painstaking work as each stone was sawn and shaped and then laid dry. Then after the dry lay the mortar was placed and each stone set permanently in place. Only a few gaps were filled in later.

As always, comments are most welcome.
 

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I am in Austin and finished our pool earlier this year. I also experienced odd pressure readings similar to what you described. I logged pressures for many weeks and I eventually had the plumber break apart the manifold to pressurize separate parts of the system individually. I spoke to a leak detection company who explained I would see pressure changes up and down pretty much indefinitely. I eventually convinced myself there was not a leak. Having daily swings in temperature of > 40 degrees, some pipes in shade vs. out of shade, different length/size pipes, air in pipes and drops describes as "burps", etc. definitely creates changes and some drama. I really think you need a fairly stable temperature outside and need to wait 12-24hrs for it to stabilize otherwise it's a bit of a guessing game.
 
Grout Grout - Without a Doubt:

As central Texas braces for some very cold weather making its way down from the arctic, our stone guys came out and completed the grout on the coping. They also cleaned up the stone some so that the stone's color shows a lot better. Here are the pictures from today's work.

View attachment 71797
A nice tan grout that should blend the stone with the Franciscan Tan Sundeck that is coming.

View attachment 71798
The color is now coming through on the stone since the crew did some cleaning of the stone.

View attachment 71799
We are pleased and think this will add some character to the pool.
A water feature is still coming that will also use this stone as a veneer. This pipe will feed that water feature (and why the stone is unfinished here). The other pipe protruding out of the decking in the background is pre-plumbing for a Wild Ride Slide that we are going to install a bit later.
 
Smile Smile - It's Time for Tile!!!!

After more freezing weather, the crew was out yesterday to lay the tile and begin construction on the water feature.
Pool Tile 1.jpg Pool Water Feature 1.jpg

If the weather holds, maybe we can see plaster within the next week or so!

Also ... The electricians were our and ran power from the panels in the garage, across the attic, down the side of the house
and through the pre-placed conduit out to the equipment pad.

Pool electrical attic.jpg

Pool Electrical Boxes 1.jpg
 
skeptik said:
Smile Smile - It's Time for Tile!!!!

After more freezing weather, the crew was out yesterday to lay the tile and begin construction on the water feature.
View attachment 71896 View attachment 71897

If the weather holds, maybe we can see plaster within the next week or so!

Also ... The electricians were our and ran power from the panels in the garage, across the attic, down the side of the house
and through the pre-placed conduit out to the equipment pad.

View attachment 71898

View attachment 71899
Click to expand...

look good. i like they used the metal stays vs wood. that is a nice setup. that's how i got mine setup temporarily till i mount everything on the pool house.

lines of pool are awesome! i like curves. same thing we did.

jim
 
TEETH AT THE DEEP END OF THE POOL???? Whoa!!! Horsey!!! :grrrr:(January 6, 2018)
It was two months ago today that excavation started and everything has gone um ... "swimmingly" ... until this morning - when we saw T E E T H at the end of the pool.

Well, it wasn't that a dentist was practicing out on the deck. It looked like Horse Teeth!!! - so what was it?

The crew came out early and we did not look out to see what was going on until a lot of the work on the water feature had been completed. When we did finally look out, this is what we saw

Horse Teeth?.jpg

GIANT HORSE TEETH at the water feature!!!!

Well, after making sure that there wasn't a giant horse that had somehow lost its upper plate, we then turned to another animal - we HAD A COW!!!!

We immediately called our pool builder - and he asked us to send a picture (the one above) - which we did!

He assured us that it could be changed. Too his credit he acted very quickly to have the crew to perform dental surgery - I mean stone alterations.

Well they didn't horse around - so to speak. By then end of the day we were not so down in the mouth. The look had changed and we suddenly had a water feature that looked like this:

Stone on Water Feature 1.jpg
No more teeth!

Stone on water featre 2.jpg
A nice stone bench!

Stone on wather feature 3.jpg
No horsing around now! :lol:
 
:shock: Oh no!!! They just grabbed and put without thinking about the finished product :( Poor horsey lost his plate hehe (you are one funny dude!!!) This is why I would be digging through the rock box and picking the ones I wanted used and where. Yeah I have control issues :roll: but it makes me happy so LOL

SO glad they were willing and fast to get the dental work done!!!

So where was Magic while this was going on?? I bet she was sleeping on the job trying to stay warm!

Kim:kim:
 

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