Hi from Texas

[Maldravus]

No. Modern fiberglass did away with the concerns. IMO the old recommendation should stay listed in case anyone has an older fiberglass pool.

Is there a way to confirm this? Do I contact my pool builder or manufacturer? I just read an article that has me terrified the white substance is actually something called "fiberglass chalking".

Low calcium hardness virtually guarantees aggressive water for most of the year; water that will degrade the gel coat of the pool and lead to problems like chalking.

Fiberglass chalking​

The main concern is aggressive (low-LSI) water, which attacks and weakens the gel coat. Once the gel coat is compromised, chlorinated water can oxidize the material from within, which turns the surface a hazy white color. We call this fiberglass chalking. It's the byproduct of degradation and oxidation, and the damage is permanent.

What is fiberglass "chalking", and what causes it?

Fiberglass pools often turn white, with what looks like chalk or calcium scale. Chalking is actually degradation and oxidation of the fiberglass gel coat.

ask.orendatech.com

 

[JJ_Tex]

Deep breath again
Take a peek at your CSI in pool math. At .22 your water is not even close to being aggressive. If you had a -0.6 or lower that would be different but -0.3 to 0.3 is where you want to be.

Its hard to tell from your picture, but it looks like a similar color as your coping. Do you get any white residue when you sweep/wipe your coping?

 

[Maldravus]

Deep breath again
Take a peek at your CSI in pool math. At .22 your water is not even close to being aggressive. If you had a -0.6 or lower that would be different but -0.3 to 0.3 is where you want to be.

Its hard to tell from your picture, but it looks like a similar color as your coping. Do you get any white residue when you sweep/wipe your coping?

Hmmm, this is possible. I don't sweep there but I do spray down the deck with a garden hose with a jet attachment (it's strong but nothing even close to pressure washer level). I am not sure why paint would come off with just water but I guess that could be it.

 

[Maldravus]

Random question; everyone has been very gracious with their assistance here and it is much appreciated! Would I be able to post a photo of our pool and the neighbors house / fence? The reason being is we are looking for privacy solutions for that side because our houses are built quite close to each other. Was wondering if I can get some recommendations based on our the pool was installed.

 

[PoolStored]

Sure, post up...

 

[JJ_Tex]

Absolutely. I did the same thing when I first built ours and the recommendation was either Eagleston Holly, Live Oak, or Magnolias. We went with the Eagleston Hollys because it seemed weird to be to plant live oaks that close together, but kinda wish I would have gone that route since we lost 2 of the 4 Eagleston and at $800 a pop I'm not super eager to shell that out again. The 2 surviving ones do great. The neighbor on the other side have like 10 and they are all doing great.

 

[Maldravus]

Sure, post up...

Thank you so much! So we are considering a shade structure of some kind down the road but will probably see how the sun plays with the outdoor area this first summer, then do something over winter. The neighbors have a shade they can pull down but I wanted something on our side as well. One thing to note;

1) There is only approx. 6' of space between the fence and the concrete slab. It is basically a mud pit right now. The plan is to put river rock down there as it'll mainly only be used for maintenance access to the pool equipment which is along side the house on the right of the photo, not in view here.

I can take a photo from another angle if it helps, but this is the main concern. Not a huge deal because we know them quite well it's just moreso for planning and down the road.

Also, excuse the chairs and daybed- they're just temporary until we can get some better furniture.

 

[Newdude]

Not a huge deal because we know them quite well it's just moreso for planning and down the road.

I'm tall and that would bother me to not end.

I've loved most of my neighbors but still appreciate basic privacy.

Also, excuse the chairs and daybed- they're just temporary until we can get some better furniture.

We made do with what we had the first year and got the new stuff clearanced the first week of June on year 2. The summer wasn't even started and the kids had 3 more weeks of school but the stores needed to put Halloween stuff out. Everybody won.

 

[Maldravus]

I'm tall and that would bother me to not end.

I've loved most of my neighbors but still appreciate basic privacy.

We made do with what we had the first year and got the new stuff clearanced the first week of June on year 2. The summer wasn't even started and the kids had 3 more weeks of school but the stores needed to put Halloween stuff out. Everybody won.

Yeah that’s why I’m soliciting some suggestions. Perhaps privacy screens or some tall shrubs? Open to ideas!

 

[Newdude]

Open to ideas!

Get caught skinny dipping a few times and *poof* the neighbor will put something up.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Yeah that’s why I’m soliciting some suggestions. Perhaps privacy screens or some tall shrubs? Open to ideas!

I sent you my suggestions earlier, but here is a picture of ours:

You can see the magnolia on the far right, then 3 Eagleston Hollies. Note I had just trimmed the 3rd holly (hence the mess), the 2 on the left were still untrimmed in this picture.
Note you can see the hole where the 4th holly was. I have not had great luck with them, but they seem to be a popular choice for pool screens in our area. We also have about 6' between the decking and the fence. My plan is the keep these in tree form and as they grow, have the branches of the "tree" starting about the top of the fence so I can walk/mow under them.

 

[Maldravus]

I sent you my suggestions earlier, but here is a picture of ours:

You can see the magnolia on the far right, then 3 Eagleston Hollies. Note I had just trimmed the 3rd holly (hence the mess), the 2 on the left were still untrimmed in this picture.
Note you can see the hole where the 4th holly was. I have not had great luck with them, but they seem to be a popular choice for pool screens in our area.


View attachment 636033

Thank you! I will look into this. As I said there's only ~6' of space in between the fence and the slab so I am not sure they'll fit there. If they do, it will make it such that you cannot walk through that area but I suppose that's fine. Appreciate the suggestion!

 

[Parac]

Get caught skinny dipping a few times and *poof* the neighbor will put something up.

What if that "something" is a Camera!

 

[Maldravus]

I sent you my suggestions earlier, but here is a picture of ours:

You can see the magnolia on the far right, then 3 Eagleston Hollies. Note I had just trimmed the 3rd holly (hence the mess), the 2 on the left were still untrimmed in this picture.
Note you can see the hole where the 4th holly was. I have not had great luck with them, but they seem to be a popular choice for pool screens in our area. We also have about 6' between the decking and the fence. My plan is the keep these in tree form and as they grow, have the branches of the "tree" starting about the top of the fence so I can walk/mow under them.


View attachment 636033

Follow-up question; did you plant these yourself? I have never done this and see that Home Depot carries the hollies so thought I'd ask. Thanks.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Follow-up question; did you plant these yourself? I have never done this and see that Home Depot carries the hollies so thought I'd ask. Thanks.

I went through a local tree farm. They planted them and offered a 6-month warranty, which I would highly recommend because trees are darn expensive.

 

[TinFoilHat]

You must have better soil than the clay we have in our backyard. We have gone through 5 trees trying to get 2 to grow. It gets real expensive real fast. This time we bought a 5 gal twig tree for $80 to put in the tree planter that every other tree has died in. Hopefully this baby will acclimate itself to the clay and survive. We shall see. I will say that a Myrtle and two purple orchid trees do like the clay soil.

 

[Maldravus]

I went through a local tree farm. They planted them and offered a 6-month warranty, which I would highly recommend because trees are darn expensive.

I think we also need to be care that the roots grow down and not out so they don't damage the pool or fence.

 

[JJ_Tex]

I think we also need to be care that the roots grow down and not out so they don't damage the pool or fence.

Agreed. You can get a cheaper tree from a big box store, but I vote talking to an expert since pools, fences, and replacement trees are all expensive. Looks like you have lots of various options:

https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=Tree+Farms&find_loc=Austin%2C+TX

Eagleston Holly (Ilex x Attenuata) | LAWNS Tree Farm

Eagleston Holly (Ilex x Attenuata) is a beautiful evergreen holly that is grown as a large shrub or small tree with a natural pyramidal growth habit. They will grow 15-25' tall with a 10-15' spread. Their medium growth rate allows them to be kept in their pyramidal shape with minimal upkeep or...

lawnstrees.com

 

[Maldravus]

Would anyone near my location happen to have a recommendation for a company that can install a SWCG for us? I believe this may be something I am interested in doing sooner rather than later.

 

[Maldravus]

Is there any guidance on adding MA while your robot is in the pool? My initial thought is absolutely do not do it while it's in the pool but then I started thinking it may be extra protection for keeping the shell floor from being compromised. If I am brushing for 10-15 minutes while the robot is also working around that area, could just mean more insurance that the bottom isn't being damaged. Thank you all!