1st Pool Build | Sugar Land - Skimmer Repairs Done - Hardscape Finished

[stack24]

The pics show a tablet chlorinator installed, not a SWG.

If you got an IntelliCenter with a bundled IntelliChlor cell the IntelliCenter would have the SWG power supply in the cabinet. Yours does not have a SWG power supply. You can get a separate SWG Power Center box for the SWG cell but you don’t have one now.

@ajw22 Yes per my contract I was getting the SWG system but not installing the salt cell for 1 year so I didn't have to sign a waiver for them to take away their workmanship warranty.

After the 1 year is up I will install my salt cell. They already left extra pipe where it will need to be installed.

I have the I40 system in the box here at the house, but wanted to be certain that I was in fact missing the power supply so during my walk through I can make sure to bring it up.

It doesn't look like they got the bundled one since they are trying to get whatever parts they can so it seems it was pieced together with the IC40 and Intellicenter I8.

 

[HermanTX]

When I spoke to the project manager he wasn't sure exactly if they had plumbed it differently but said the plumber will be out to mark everything. He suspects that the plumber put the sheer descent and bubblers both on the feature pump and that's why it splits. The loop pipe that is there he said is the cleaner that I removed during construction to go with a robot and should be able to use if I ever wanted to. So they just closed the loop apparently.

As we discussed in previous posts, refer to your plumbing diagram in post 191 and show that to the plumber and ask him to show you what is reality. On the pool suction you have 3 pipes whereas the drawing shows 2. So that should be 2 skimmers & 1 main drain. They should have put control valves on each skimmer line so you can fine turn them. You can manually fine tune between the 2 skimmers and the main drain. On the Spa suction it is the single pipe for the spa main drain. This is controlled by the actuator when you select Spa Mode or Pool Mode.

On the return side it is just the pipe to the pool returns and the pipe to the spa returns. Again the actuator turns the valve between Spa Mode and Pool Mode. The provides you automation control rather than manually. Also, since this is on the feature pump then either can run whether you are in Spa Mode or Pool Mode.

Just have everything marked properly and then test it all when you have water in the pool

Also, did you decide if you wanted to request a heater bypass or not?

Overall the layout looks great.

So If I am looking at the pipes correctly the far side is the SPA vs Pool and the ar Right one on the feature pump is the Descent and Bubblers. Not sure at that point what the third actuator is if someone can chime in.

Not sure what exactly you are asking but the 3rd actuator on the return of the feature pump allows you to select between the sheers and the bubbler.

 

[stack24]

@HermanTX

So the project manager is getting me prices for a heater bypass to be put in. Both a manual style one and one with an actuator. I think after reading and what you mentioned it makes sense to have one put in.

UPDATE: So they have finally finished off the pre-pebble checklist items that I wanted them to take care of. The only thing that will have to wait is the power box for the salt cell which they are waiting for and will probably install at a later time. Which doesn't matter since I won't be able to install it for a year anyways.

We are officially set for Pebble tomorrow after a couple more weeks of delay becuase of rain. Acid wash will then be setup for Saturday and of course then the fill. We went with Blue Surf with Shimmering Sea after seeing @JMSMommy amazing pool in person.

Anything specific I should be on the lookout for? I will for sure make sure the color is right when they get here and we also get the correct amount of shimmering sea put in.

Thanks again for all the help.

 

[JMSMommy]

@HermanTX

So the project manager is getting me prices for a heater bypass to be put in. Both a manual style one and one with an actuator. I think after reading and what you mentioned it makes sense to have one put in.

UPDATE: So they have finally finished off the pre-pebble checklist items that I wanted them to take care of. The only thing that will have to wait is the power box for the salt cell which they are waiting for and will probably install at a later time. Which doesn't matter since I won't be able to install it for a year anyways.

We are officially set for Pebble tomorrow after a couple more weeks of delay becuase of rain. Acid wash will then be setup for Saturday and of course then the fill. We went with Blue Surf with Shimmering Sea after seeing @JMSMommy amazing pool in person.

Anything specific I should be on the lookout for? I will for sure make sure the color is right when they get here and we also get the correct amount of shimmering sea put in.

Thanks again for all the help.

Can’t wait to see the pool with the water! It’s going to look amazing! How many bags did y’all get? I am so glad we got the shimmering sea

 

[stack24]

It has begun.....

 

[johngault007]

Plaster day is an exciting day indeed!!!!!

Just as a side note - I love the one candid guy "posing" for the photo

 

[stack24]

Plaster day is an exciting day indeed!!!!!

Just as a side note - I love the one candid guy "posing" for the photo

haha yup. I noticed after I started looking at the pictures

 

[stack24]

5 Hours later the plaster is complete. Acid wash is scheduled for tomorrow and then we start the fill process.

 

[stack24]

I just noticed this part (which in the previous pictures looks to have had water pooled up there and has since evaporated) seems to be grey, when I kind of put my finger over it and rub lightly looks like it might clean off. Is this something I should worry about or is this typical before they do the acid wash tomorrow which should remedy this? Or is this more the color that it will end up being and the water on top just cleaned off more of the "Blue" plaster?

I wanted to make sure before bringing it up to the project manager since they are getting a check today for plaster.

Thanks

 

[HermanTX]

I just noticed this part (which in the previous pictures looks to have had water pooled up there and has since evaporated) seems to be grey, when I kind of put my finger over it and rub lightly looks like it might clean off. Is this something I should worry about or is this typical before they do the acid wash tomorrow which should remedy this? Or is this more the color that it will end up being and the water on top just cleaned off more of the "Blue" plaster?

I wanted to make sure before bringing it up to the project manager since they are getting a check today for plaster.

Thanks

View attachment 365911

I think you see a difference after the acid wash. You may want to point it out before they start. Overall looks great.

 

[JMSMommy]

Just point it out before acid wash...they'll get it out...

 

[stack24]

I think you see a difference after the acid wash. You may want to point it out before they start. Overall looks great.

Just point it out before acid wash...they'll get it out...

Thanks. I sent the picture and made him aware and he said the same thing. They will acid wash and spot treat.

 

[stack24]

2040 Gallons in.

 

[HermanTX]

You picked a great weekend. No rain so your meter should be really close. You can estimate a reduction of 80gals per day per person to account for bath, dishwasher, washing machine, general use.

 

[stack24]

You picked a great weekend. No rain so your meter should be really close. You can estimate a reduction of 80gals per day per person to account for bath, dishwasher, washing machine, general use.

So I was able to get some numbers in terms of the gallons of my pool. Luckily for almost the whole day Saturday we were out of the house so we didn't use much water and it was done by the morning. We just had 3 showers on Saturday during fill the rest was after it.

Pool was 9,310 Gallons
Spa was 890 Gallons

So a total of 10,200 and I figure take away the 200 for use at home? So I take it I should work the with 10,000 Gallon number for poolmath going forward?

Startup is scheduled for sometime today.



Updates and Issues (of course)

1. The plaster guys put in a light grey umbrella sleeve in the sun self while everything else on the ticket was dark grey which they put in the next day. Returns etc. Not huge but did bring it up and based on what happens on some issues below will probably be taken out.

2. As I suspected and kept pushing them about, the skimmer that the gunite company kept saying was only 3/4" off is definitely more than that. Due to my normal project manager being out an older team member came to drop off my brushes, etc for the startup which is set for today. I showed him since he was there when I initially brought it up. With water now in the pool it's obvious there is no way it is what the guys said. I know they showed me the info with the transit, but I just felt it was off becuase they did it with a simple wood and a nail which didn't seem exact and they never got in the pool, they did it from outside. I just personally thought there were too many variables and I feel they just wanted to be within tolerance to not have to break it out and redo it.

You can see in the picture how much of a difference the water level is compared to the little tab up top on the skimmer. He noticed right away when he opened the skimmer top that the water was too high. Also said the water line looks level all around the pool.




The Project manager will now get with the builders owner to see what the plan of attack will be. He agreed it's not optimal and won't be very effective. He agreed I have the water at the perfect line in relative to the overflow valve and agrees the skimmer is off. He said most likely that it would be something they would work on in the winter when the pool won't be used as much once they figure out the steps and what the owner says. Needless to say i'm pretty upset about it.

3. The guy that did the acid wash and put in the fittings from the plaster/gunite company noticed a piece of plaster, or something in one of the returns that he wasn't able to get out. He said they would send someone over before water got to high to remove it but of course they never did. WIth startup today I need to let them know of course.

4. One of the skimmers, it's looks like they didn't move the flap that covers the pipe during different phases and it has pieces and chunks of what look like rock etc and hoping they can get them out before they get lodged in the pipe somewhere. I couldn't reach it and neither could project manager.

5. There are some minor fixes to the rocks surrounding the stepping pads, but can be easily remedied.

6. The plaster company also managed to chip part of that skimmer that is off's tile so that will have to be fixed, which he said when they figure what to do with the skimmer will be addressed.




So it looks like I'll be able to use my pool for a bit before it might need some work on it. Will it be unreasonable for me to also get them to compensate me somehow for the water if I am forced to drain it thanks to these repairs that need to be done at some point?

 

[poolnoobgrandma]

So I was able to get some numbers in terms of the gallons of my pool. Luckily for almost the whole day Saturday we were out of the house so we didn't use much water and it was done by the morning. We just had 3 showers on Saturday during fill the rest was after it.

Pool was 9,310 Gallons
Spa was 890 Gallons

So a total of 10,200 and I figure take away the 200 for use at home? So I take it I should work the with 10,000 Gallon number for poolmath going forward?

Startup is scheduled for sometime today.

View attachment 366748

Updates and Issues (of course)

1. The plaster guys put in a light grey umbrella sleeve in the sun self while everything else on the ticket was dark grey which they put in the next day. Returns etc. Not huge but did bring it up and based on what happens on some issues below will probably be taken out.

2. As I suspected and kept pushing them about, the skimmer that the gunite company kept saying was only 3/4" off is definitely more than that. Due to my normal project manager being out an older team member came to drop off my brushes, etc for the startup which is set for today. I showed him since he was there when I initially brought it up. With water now in the pool it's obvious there is no way it is what the guys said. I know they showed me the info with the transit, but I just felt it was off becuase they did it with a simple wood and a nail which didn't seem exact and they never got in the pool, they did it from outside. I just personally thought there were too many variables and I feel they just wanted to be within tolerance to not have to break it out and redo it.

You can see in the picture how much of a difference the water level is compared to the little tab up top on the skimmer. He noticed right away when he opened the skimmer top that the water was too high. Also said the water line looks level all around the pool.

View attachment 366740
View attachment 366741

The Project manager will now get with the builders owner to see what the plan of attack will be. He agreed it's not optimal and won't be very effective. He agreed I have the water at the perfect line in relative to the overflow valve and agrees the skimmer is off. He said most likely that it would be something they would work on in the winter when the pool won't be used as much once they figure out the steps and what the owner says. Needless to say i'm pretty upset about it.

3. The guy that did the acid wash and put in the fittings from the plaster/gunite company noticed a piece of plaster, or something in one of the returns that he wasn't able to get out. He said they would send someone over before water got to high to remove it but of course they never did. WIth startup today I need to let them know of course.

4. One of the skimmers, it's looks like they didn't move the flap that covers the pipe during different phases and it has pieces and chunks of what look like rock etc and hoping they can get them out before they get lodged in the pipe somewhere. I couldn't reach it and neither could project manager.

5. There are some minor fixes to the rocks surrounding the stepping pads, but can be easily remedied.

6. The plaster company also managed to chip part of that skimmer that is off's tile so that will have to be fixed, which he said when they figure what to do with the skimmer will be addressed.


View attachment 366742

So it looks like I'll be able to use my pool for a bit before it might need some work on it. Will it be unreasonable for me to also get them to compensate me somehow for the water if I am forced to drain it thanks to these repairs that need to be done at some point?

PLEASE hold back enough of your final payment to make them prioritize these fixes! That will be more that the actual cost of the work. Otherwise the big bucks jobs will always come first for the pool builder.

 

[stack24]

PLEASE hold back enough of your final payment to make them prioritize these fixes! That will be more that the actual cost of the work. Otherwise the big bucks jobs will always come first for the pool builder.

Unfortunately the last payment which was only $3500 was due at plaster completion and before startup. So at this point it is going to be on me making sure I push them as much as I can and hoping the reputation of the builder and how well they have fixed issues during the build as my hope this gets resolved properly.

 

[poolnoobgrandma]

Unfortunately the last payment which was only $3500 was due at plaster completion and before startup. So at this point it is going to be on me making sure I push them as much as I can and hoping the reputation of the builder and how well they have fixed issues during the build as my hope this gets resolved properly.

Sorry to hear that, and hope they make it right. Our contract was written with final payment at plaster completion/fill up, but I held back $1500 to keep them motivated to fix the things that weren't right. Same with any work we have done. No one has ever pushed back, because the contract draws imply that the work is complete and correct.

 

[HermanTX]

So a total of 10,200 and I figure take away the 200 for use at home? So I take it I should work the with 10,000 Gallon number for poolmath going forward?

That seems good. The pool looks bigger than 10kgal but the picture could be deceiving.

the skimmer that the gunite company kept saying was only 3/4" off is definitely more than that. Due to my normal project manager being out an older team member came to drop off my brushes, etc for the startup which is set for today. I showed him since he was there when I initially brought it up. With water now in the pool it's obvious there is no way it is what the guys said. I know they showed me the info with the transit, but I just felt it was off becuase they did it with a simple wood and a nail which didn't seem exact and they never got in the pool, they did it from outside. I just personally thought there were too many variables and I feel they just wanted to be within tolerance to not have to break it out and redo it.

You can see in the picture how much of a difference the water level is compared to the little tab up top on the skimmer.

I had been wondering about this as well and was very much hoping that they had this correct but as you say, water level does not lie - that is the true "level" mechanism. I do hope they can correct in some fashion without much disturbance to your family.

I also hope that the PB does right and follows through on any repairs needed even though you have minimum leverage on him to fix.

 

[stack24]

That seems good. The pool looks bigger than 10kgal but the picture could be deceiving.


I had been wondering about this as well and was very much hoping that they had this correct but as you say, water level does not lie - that is the true "level" mechanism. I do hope they can correct in some fashion without much disturbance to your family.

I also hope that the PB does right and follows through on any repairs needed even though you have minimum leverage on him to fix.

It might be because I used a wide angle picture to get it all in there. It's 12x37 total but only about 22 feet of swimming area and goes from 3.5 - 5.5.

So far up until now the builder has been great about fixing issues they find, I am hoping that is still the case even if as you say I have minimum leverage right now. But I for one am not one that gives up on this stuff even if it's a long battle. Just hoping it's not going to be one.

In other news, they started up the system. The main guy was an older guy that didn't seem to like me lingering around and asking too many questions.

I saw them pour what looked like a gallon of Muratic Acid, a large measuring cup of what he called Shock and then put in the chlorine tabs. He has the system running now till about 8PM, i'll probably brush it tonight when the weather is cooler.

Should I test the water in there tonight with the kit after some brushing or wait till tomorrow? I'll get some night pictures with the lights on as well.