Austin, TX - Above Ground Salt Water Pool in Canyon - Construction Started 09/30/19

[DB-Cooper]

Man, this is one of the prettiest pools I think I've ever seen. The knife edge and the view just make it spectacular! Love the transformation! Thanks for sharing!

--Jeff

Thanks, I appreciate that. It makes the lengthy build and investment made more palatable to hear that. If the picture from your profile image is your pool, it looks gorgeous, that color is perfect!

 

[Turbo1Ton]

It is mine. Thanks for the compliment! Took us a little while to pick that out. Wanted dark but not too dark because it gets hot enough around here as it is! Didn't need the color of the pool sucking more radiant heat in!

Glad to see you are making progress! Can't wait to see the finished outdoor area! I am in the process of extending a gable end on my house to create a covered area, and honestly, am watching yours to see what ideas I need to 'steal' from you!

Is it my imagination, or does the roof covering the mini split condenser dump right onto the unit itself? Obviously it is rated for outdoor water exposure but I would think having the rainwater dump right onto it might not be the best idea.

--Jeff

 

[DB-Cooper]

It is mine. Thanks for the compliment! Took us a little while to pick that out. Wanted dark but not too dark because it gets hot enough around here as it is! Didn't need the color of the pool sucking more radiant heat in!

Glad to see you are making progress! Can't wait to see the finished outdoor area! I am in the process of extending a gable end on my house to create a covered area, and honestly, am watching yours to see what ideas I need to 'steal' from you!

Is it my imagination, or does the roof covering the mini split condenser dump right onto the unit itself? Obviously it is rated for outdoor water exposure but I would think having the rainwater dump right onto it might not be the best idea.

--Jeff

It’s actually just flush with the end of the roof, and we are going to gutter the roof so it shouldn’t be an issue, but good observation.

 

[DB-Cooper]

Quick update, and just something for new pool owners to keep an eye out for. My PB's plumber installed my IC60 in somewhat the wrong spot. It was installed post-heater but prior to the pool/spa actuator. This made it so the IC60 was not getting flow when in Spa or Spillover mode. I tried explaining that to my PB who said that's how they all are. I showed him the Pentair documents which clearly explain and note precisely where to install it. He sort of just blew me off on that. Last week he needed to collect a check for "Pool Startup", which we agreed to delay due to the fact my heater wasn't running until last week and other parts of the project were behind schedule. I told him, once my IC60 is installed like Pentair says, I'm happy to cut the check. Plumber was here that day. It did a trivial plumbing part he didn't have on his truck, but he came back yesterday to finish it.

It wouldn't be a huge deal given the spillway and single return valve in the spa from the pool side was having no issue chlorinating, but I figured in the winter when we use the spa more, having direct chlorination in the spa while people are in it would be beneficial. Anyways, keep any eye out.

Before:


Here's the documentation:

 

[kimkats]

Good for you and GURRRRRRR on the PB for trying to brush you off...........

 

[DB-Cooper]

In other news, and to my fellow warm weather peers, all my fears about this pool getting too hot are coming true. So that re-enforces my going deeper and larger as well as going with a lighter plaster and coping color (we had originally wanted a very dark blue color but walked it back after concern about heat). Also, some years ago we looked at a real nice house with a pool, we loved that it had this black bottom pool with gold pebble in it (PebbleTech), man that's a hard no in Texas.

Anyways, yesterday and today, we've hit 89 degree pool water. Yesterday it got to 89 in mid-afternoon, I was sure it'd get to 90, but it never quite did. While I actually find 89 to be a comfortable temperature, any more than 90-91, and I might feel it too warm. This is during a heat wave for this time of year, but this is pretty seasonal weather in July and August in Austin. Hopefully it doesn't get too bad. We hit 88 in May as we saw a few real hot days, but then it went back down to low 80s. However, cooler weather really isn't in sight anymore.

I'll report on my attempts to combat this here. With the fountains near operational, I planned to run them for 6 hours last night from midnight to 6am, but IntelliCenter has a programming bug in their app and somehow it registered it to run at Saturday at midnight instead of Sunday, so it did not run last night.

Yesterday, High of 95, Low of 72
Today, High of 95, Low of 74
Tomorrow, High of 101, Low of 79
Tuesday, High of 104, Low of 69
Then back to mid 90s

Yesterday, at 7am, pump startup, water was 85, it didn't take too long in the morning before we were at 86. It was 89 when we got in and stayed there for several hours despite peak of day heat. Pumps off at 730pm. This morning, no bowls running due to scheduling bug (I noticed at 530am when I woke up they weren't on, so I did run them manually from 530-7am). Anyways, at 7am pump on, it measured 86 (I give it 15 minutes to gently rise, so not right at start). It's now 89 and we're heading into the peak of the heat.

I did just install this $25 Amazon fountain after reading about Speedy's here. I'm going to run it for 6 hours tonight combined with bowls over night, hope they work out. If this fountain works, I'll probably move it to the return on my back wall so it's not as accessible near the bar or in a swim lane, etc. Easy install, getting the Pentair seat out to expose the 1.5" female threading took some effort, but literally a 2 minute install. I might buy more, hopefully I have the results of others who have commented about these devices. There's a twist valve where you can turn it off and divert the water out into the pool which makes it nice to shut off in wind or if the noise is too much.

Picture at a relatively low/medium pump speed (2200 rpm)

 

[kimkats]

Just remember all of this cooling features will push your pH up. Easy to take care of but wanted to remind you.

 

[DB-Cooper]

Just remember all of this cooling features will push your pH up. Easy to take care of but wanted to remind you.

I’m a pH hawk. I have another thread about that. I also have a very accurate pH monitor to the 100th. I watch it daily. I have very consistent baseline now, so I’ll report back. My TA has been steady despite the pH battle. I’m already fighting pH, and have it under control, I can take on more of that fight in the interest of TFP science

Thanks for the reminder though! This site is great!

Here’s the pH battle thread:

New Salt Water Pool - pH Craziness

See my signature for build info and build thread, but I built a ~27000'ish gallon SWG pool/spa. It's a gunite/plaster-pebble build. I'm religiously using the TF100 kit, the Taylor kits and a fairly expensive ($80) pH meter that's been routinely calibrated and matches well with the Taylor pH...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Turbo1Ton]

I’m a pH hawk. I have another thread about that. I also have a very accurate pH monitor to the 100th. I watch it daily. I have very consistent baseline now, so I’ll report back. My TA has been steady despite the pH battle. I’m already fighting pH, and have it under control, I can take on more of that fight in the interest of TFP science

Thanks for the reminder though! This site is great!

Here’s the pH battle thread:

New Salt Water Pool - pH Craziness

See my signature for build info and build thread, but I built a ~27000'ish gallon SWG pool/spa. It's a gunite/plaster-pebble build. I'm religiously using the TF100 kit, the Taylor kits and a fairly expensive ($80) pH meter that's been routinely calibrated and matches well with the Taylor pH...

www.troublefreepool.com

If you wouldn't mind sharing, what is the pH monitor that you are using? I find that I have trouble discerning between the colors on the Taylor comparator and would really like to find something that I trust, more than my eyeball, for reading pH.

 

[DB-Cooper]

If you wouldn't mind sharing, what is the pH monitor that you are using? I find that I have trouble discerning between the colors on the Taylor comparator and would really like to find something that I trust, more than my eyeball, for reading pH.

Apera Instruments AI311 Premium Series PH60 Waterproof pH Pocket Tester Kit, Replaceable Probe, ±0.01 pH Accuracy https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ENFOIQE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_NE81G6xrAqVR9

 

[DB-Cooper]

Fountain didn't do anything substantial, went from 90->86 overnight running it. That's a four degree delta, previous deltas were three degrees (89->86). It was a bit warmer overnight, so maybe it helped 1 degree. I'm going to track/discuss this in another thread since it'll probably be daily updates, you can follow that here:

Pool Cooling Strategies with Tracking - Fountain, Evening, etc.

I put a post in my build thread about this, but after more research and testing, I felt a separate thread on it would be worthwhile. Here's the original post...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[DB-Cooper]

Making progress on the bathroom:

 

[Turbo1Ton]

That's looking great!

--Jeff

 

[Newdude]

any more than 90-91, and I might feel it too warm.

This was my first and most likely last rich person problem. I hopped in the pool to cool down aftr mowing the lawn and it was warmer than the digusting hot/humid air. Afterwards i felt guilty that i was so disappointed.

 

[DB-Cooper]

This was my first and most likely last rich person problem. I hopped in the pool to cool down aftr mowing the lawn and it was warmer than the digusting hot/humid air. Afterwards i felt guilty that i was so disappointed.

You can check out my cooling thread, I'm making some progress there! My wife did say it was too cool yesterday evening at 86F water temp, haha.

 

[dianedebuda]

my fears about this pool getting too hot are coming true.

Know what you mean. I'm in Buda. After feeling like a lobster in the Lockhart State Park pool years and years ago, we went out of our way to position our pool when we put it in. Did the job TOO well. Between the shade and normal SE breeze, we can't get the temp above 86º with a solar cover ... and that's after a string of 100+ days. Can't win for loosin'

 

[DB-Cooper]

Making some progress, the plumber is supposed to come by tomorrow to get my water going, gas to the kitchen appliances, auto-fill, toilets/urinal/sink, etc. Earlier this week my bathroom was tiled, my cabana painted, gas grill, side burner and sink were dropped in. I hung string lighting and wired my stereo (currently using extension cords).

 

[DB-Cooper]

Grout's done on the bathroom now:

 

[bdavis466]

Good on the plumbers for not installing the toilet flange beforehand. I really wish this was a standard practice.

The tile on the shower floor is interesting but I don't see any other way it could have been done with that pattern on a center drain. Did the tile guy have any other options for you?

 

[DB-Cooper]

Good on the plumbers for not installing the toilet flange beforehand. I really wish this was a standard practice.

The tile on the shower floor is interesting but I don't see any other way it could have been done with that pattern on a center drain. Did the tile guy have any other options for you?

Thanks for the note. Funny you noticed the lack of flange, I never gave it two thoughts, but I had a remodel of an interior bathroom once and they had it in there and stuffed it with paper, but by time the tiling guys were done, the paper was a wreck and all sorts of debris had gone down the drain/flange.

On the tile options, in what regard, the orientation? That's called herringbone layout, we could've kept it in the same orientation as the rest of the tile or gone perpendicular. Initially I suggested to do it horizontal to break it up from the vertically oriented tile. However, the design person the PB uses suggested herringbone and she's made some other real solid calls and we just trust her now. Herringbone is definitely more work to line up, and we're really happy with it and it provides a breakup of the surfaces. The grooves that make the X were scored in to aid in draining. I was surprised it was needed, I didn't challenge him on it. The tile guy didn't do the shower pan or any other work, he just did the floor tile and backsplash. Given the size and space, I think that's the only way herringbone would've worked. Wife loves it and some of the other contractors have said real positive things.

The plumber comes tomorrow to put in the fixtures, the glass shower door will be installed next Wednesday along with the mirror, vanity light, etc. Here's the glass door which will complete the shower: https://www.lowes.com/pd/KOHLER-Lev...ass-Sliding-Bright-Silver-Shower-Door/4130890