Houston Pool Build

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lnorris

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Dec 28, 2008
31
Houston, TX
After battling with the 22.5ft power line rule for a few months and finding this site later in the process, we finally started our build on the 14th. This site has been great for getting more info on the more controversial topics. We decided to go with salt despite the many warnings from some PBs in the area. Only time will tell on that decision.


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Most of the issues in Texas are related to stone damage. I'm hoping being more diligent with water chemistry and sealing a proven flagstone coping will avoid most problems. Can anyone recommend a good natural stone sealer that is easy to apply by a non professional?

On another topic, I was very interested in the variable speed pump, but settled on a 2 speed after getting feedback that it would be difficult to run the pump at a very low speed with all the trees in our area. The issue seemed to be with the skimmer not getting enough suction at a low speeds to clear leaves before they would begin to disintegrate and sink.
 
Variable speed pumps running on very low speeds can indeed have problems with the skimmer(s) not working well. You can compensate for that by running the pump on a higher speed for say half an hour ever few hours, but you need to have a controller that is smart enough that it will allow you to program them to do that.
 
Finished most of the plumbing, stone, and tile work on Friday. The existing landscaping is taking more of a beating than I thought it would on the back of the yard...

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Can anyone tell me what size pump would be needed for the 3ft sheer decent on the stacked stone wall? I'm thinking I might be oversized on my spec sheet.
 
Inorris~ Love your tiles! I can't wait to see it finished!
 
I believe the Sheer Decent requires 15 - 18 gpm per foot of waterfall.

What type of stone are you using on the stone wall?
If water will be running down this wall periodically, it may make a difference on if you're going to experience stone damage or not.

This is the exact type of environment where it is highly recommended for the stone to be sealed properly. That is, when the water is not running, the salt will increase in concentration and may penetrate subsurface to cause the freeze/thaw effect that can damage stone.
 
The stone is Oklahoma Multiblend Flagstone.

I was talking to one of the builders today and he even started to waiver on going with salt. I'm now on the fence again between choosing salt over a chlorine feeder. It would be good to hear some actual experiences from people using this type of flagstone with salt in the area.
 

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Just to reiterate what Sean said, if the tile is sealed properly you'll be fine. If not, you'll get a lot of scale build up very fast.

You need 7-10 GPM per foot of edge for every 3' of drop, so 10 GPM per foot should work for you. More is fine and will just result in a thicker fall coming further away from the wall. Any less and you won't get a solid sheet of water.
 
I initially had one 500w lamp in the specs, but switched to the LEDs. The two lights put out plenty of light for the pool and I like the ability to change colors. I also like how it looks with the darker pebble, so no complaints. I was worried that the light on the right might shine into the house, but the fact that the LEDs are not as intense was a postive in this case.
 
lnorris, looks like you went with the SWG....beautiful pool, BTW!! I have all natural stone on my pool and spa...travertine coping and moldings, natural quarry stone on the raised bond beam, plus a SWG. We sealed all the stone and travertine with Dry Treat Stain-Proof sealer. Easy to do yourself. Got it at Master Tile through our PB. It was definitely worth the time and expense for peace of mind. HTH!
 
I sealed the flagstone and slate patio with a product called bulletproof from Stonetech. It seems to be very repellant, but left a slight white haze on some of the darker flagstones stones. Stonetech support suggested dilluting one of their cleaning products to remove the haze, although it seems to be fading over the last few days of rain. I'll probably go with StainProof next time.
 
Congrats to a lovely pool and one of the clearest pool waters I have seen.
How long have you run the pump for after fill up on those pics?
The water colour is also very appealing to my eyes, toghether with it's shape. Very nice :-D
 
Stonetech was also recommended, and nearly used it because it's supposed to be a great product, but decided to go with the Stain Proof. We don't have any dark stone like you, however, so I can't say whether it would leave a haze...it doesn't seem to with our materials. Glad you got everything sealed! You can relax now. Enjoy the coming pool season!
 
Henry Porter said:
Congrats to a lovely pool and one of the clearest pool waters I have seen.
How long have you run the pump for after fill up on those pics?
The water colour is also very appealing to my eyes, toghether with it's shape. Very nice :-D
Click to expand...

Thanks. I think I took those pics after about 3 weeks after the fill.
 
norris,

The pool looks great! great job on everything.

I wanted to ask a question about your decking. In your pics, i see that apparently you covered your decking around your pool. I was wondering what you used to do it. You go from the plain grey concrete to a textured looking beige-ish color. I like the look and was wanting to do something similar on our pool. Can you let me know what you used....thanks...

DMAN
 

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