New to the site. Been wrestling with a pool that was on an old estate of my grandparents where I was fortunate enough to build/GC a house (to the left in the pic's) on one of the lots (the lot with the pool) the grandparents acquired back in the day; the 1930's. My sister and her family built next door to me a few years ago!
As a toddler I grew up visiting grandma and swimming in the pool; we lived a couple hours away in Sacratomato, CA. There's even some 8mm film to prove it from the 60's! I moved back to the hill in '91 and lived in the pool house on the property that I remodeled, living there in about 360 sq ft for some 14 years before being finaled on the new house I built in '05.
The pool was built in the early 50's when my mom was at university. It has never been remodeled or otherwise altered other than replacing filters, diving boards, putting in chemicals, etc...I ripped out the heater in the 90's and never replaced it. My wife doesn't like to swim in it cuz of the cold, but I just try to get her to imagine we are swimming in a mountain stream or lake in the Sierra. Being the Australian that she is, she says no way! Although, that being written, I did just buy my first auto-cleaner, a Zodiac Baracuda MX8, after being on the hill now for 22 years; she'll now takes a dip here and there when it's above average hot--she says she's in the pool cuz it's so clean! I told my wife I wish I would have bought the MX8 22 years ago. I've been maintaining the pool over the years pretty old school, running the filter for days and days and manually vacuuming the bottom, but with 35K gal of water, the suspended particles would invariably fall to the pool bottom before getting filtered and the bottom would look "dirty" again even if the water was clear.
The pool surface is just about through all the finish layer of plaster over the gunite, that's why the streaks and spots in the pictures of the pool. The ladder is even the original as is the tile, copping, and concrete decking around it. I use a DE filter which is probably over 15 years old. I'd like to put in a new filter motor; figuring a newer one might be more efficient. I think I bought the filter, again, about 15 years ago from Grainger. The pool obviously is in need of some remodeling, but with the step-kids now in college and university, I really don't want to dump in a ton of dough in the pool in the near future. I don't know, I find the pool kind of has an old, patina look to it.
I read an article in the latest Costco Connection about maintaining pools; that's how I got to this site! Figure I could use a few pointers and help maintaining the pool as my typical efforts were subpar. Obviously there's a water test kit I will be ordering! I'm looking forward to keeping a better grip on maintaining the pool this summer and in the future; you know, like kind of get into the 21st century of equipment and know-how.
This is the pool. It is actually pretty clean. I'm still trying to figure out, with the help of a timer, days and times I want to fire up the MX8 and filter.
You don't see diving boards that much any more; this pool is eight feet deep.
As a toddler I grew up visiting grandma and swimming in the pool; we lived a couple hours away in Sacratomato, CA. There's even some 8mm film to prove it from the 60's! I moved back to the hill in '91 and lived in the pool house on the property that I remodeled, living there in about 360 sq ft for some 14 years before being finaled on the new house I built in '05.
The pool was built in the early 50's when my mom was at university. It has never been remodeled or otherwise altered other than replacing filters, diving boards, putting in chemicals, etc...I ripped out the heater in the 90's and never replaced it. My wife doesn't like to swim in it cuz of the cold, but I just try to get her to imagine we are swimming in a mountain stream or lake in the Sierra. Being the Australian that she is, she says no way! Although, that being written, I did just buy my first auto-cleaner, a Zodiac Baracuda MX8, after being on the hill now for 22 years; she'll now takes a dip here and there when it's above average hot--she says she's in the pool cuz it's so clean! I told my wife I wish I would have bought the MX8 22 years ago. I've been maintaining the pool over the years pretty old school, running the filter for days and days and manually vacuuming the bottom, but with 35K gal of water, the suspended particles would invariably fall to the pool bottom before getting filtered and the bottom would look "dirty" again even if the water was clear.
The pool surface is just about through all the finish layer of plaster over the gunite, that's why the streaks and spots in the pictures of the pool. The ladder is even the original as is the tile, copping, and concrete decking around it. I use a DE filter which is probably over 15 years old. I'd like to put in a new filter motor; figuring a newer one might be more efficient. I think I bought the filter, again, about 15 years ago from Grainger. The pool obviously is in need of some remodeling, but with the step-kids now in college and university, I really don't want to dump in a ton of dough in the pool in the near future. I don't know, I find the pool kind of has an old, patina look to it.
I read an article in the latest Costco Connection about maintaining pools; that's how I got to this site! Figure I could use a few pointers and help maintaining the pool as my typical efforts were subpar. Obviously there's a water test kit I will be ordering! I'm looking forward to keeping a better grip on maintaining the pool this summer and in the future; you know, like kind of get into the 21st century of equipment and know-how.
This is the pool. It is actually pretty clean. I'm still trying to figure out, with the help of a timer, days and times I want to fire up the MX8 and filter.
You don't see diving boards that much any more; this pool is eight feet deep.
