Beanie
0
Looks great so far and I am anxious to see the finished product!! Thanks for sharing all the great pictures!! 
MoCity Pool Build (formerly Pool dig / depth questions)
- Thread starter mocitypool
- Start date
Very nice! I love the colors of your coping and tile, and the rockwork! Also the way your deck and pool curves work together to make a very interesting visual effect!
Looking good so far. I really like the shape of your pool.
Are you going to have them put the plumbing back under pressure before they pour the deck just to make sure the system is still tight after form setting?
I had our concrete guy repressurize my system. Unfortunately, it was without the waterfall line since I couldn't find a 2.5" plug to plug the waterfall side of that line.
Are you going to have them put the plumbing back under pressure before they pour the deck just to make sure the system is still tight after form setting?
I had our concrete guy repressurize my system. Unfortunately, it was without the waterfall line since I couldn't find a 2.5" plug to plug the waterfall side of that line.
I'm glad to see your project is back on track. I love all the trees you already have in the background. The rock/coping/tile really go well together. When did they start work on the project? It looks like they are going really fast, especially with the delay figuring out the depth thing.
stevenbria - thanks for the great advice last week. your thoughts mirrored mine.
Eskimo Pie - agreed. we can't wait to get in the pool and soak away all the bumps in the road!
cobra416 - have them check the pressure before they cover the pipes with the decking? that's part of the beauty of this forum. i never would have thought of that. (not until it was too late).
landmark218 - i think they started the dig on june 21st. thanks for your support along the way. we actually took out 17 trees last year from our backyard (Chinese Tallows). they were taking over the other trees, and making it difficult to keep any grass growing. the pool build took out 5 more ... we still plan on our skimmer being fairly busy! weather & crew schedules permitting, there might be some pool time before the month is out. not holding our breath, tho'. we'd rather they take their time to get it right.
Eskimo Pie - agreed. we can't wait to get in the pool and soak away all the bumps in the road!
cobra416 - have them check the pressure before they cover the pipes with the decking? that's part of the beauty of this forum. i never would have thought of that. (not until it was too late).
landmark218 - i think they started the dig on june 21st. thanks for your support along the way. we actually took out 17 trees last year from our backyard (Chinese Tallows). they were taking over the other trees, and making it difficult to keep any grass growing. the pool build took out 5 more ... we still plan on our skimmer being fairly busy! weather & crew schedules permitting, there might be some pool time before the month is out. not holding our breath, tho'. we'd rather they take their time to get it right.
Yes, have them put it back under pressure and keep it that way until the equipment is set. It is possible that the concrete guys hammered a form support into a pipe. It would be best if they can plug your waterfall line where it sticks out of the top of the waterfall, however, from your pictures it looks like you may not be able to get to it because of the cap stone. At minimum, you should have them repressurize everything except the waterfall line.
That helps a lot, thanks. I know they have a pressure gauge on top of the stack near the equip pad, it's been reading @ 21.
And as regards the cap rock, they are coming back to "fix" that, so should I ask them to try to cap that and check that pressure before they deck? Is that standard procedure? I can see its a good check before we get to the point of a deck being over the plumbing ...
Also, since I'm a newbie, here's another plumbing question. We added the two planters on each side of the waterfall. I don't imagine the plumbing guys knew about these, so when they saw the pvc drain pipes coming out, they must have assumed that they were weeping wall pipes, so they hooked up the line to them. The rock guy caught it, asked me, and they cut and capped them (at ground level). Will that cause any problems down the road, pressure-wise?
And as regards the cap rock, they are coming back to "fix" that, so should I ask them to try to cap that and check that pressure before they deck? Is that standard procedure? I can see its a good check before we get to the point of a deck being over the plumbing ...
Also, since I'm a newbie, here's another plumbing question. We added the two planters on each side of the waterfall. I don't imagine the plumbing guys knew about these, so when they saw the pvc drain pipes coming out, they must have assumed that they were weeping wall pipes, so they hooked up the line to them. The rock guy caught it, asked me, and they cut and capped them (at ground level). Will that cause any problems down the road, pressure-wise?
Pool plumbing is typically pressurized with water pressure using a garden hose typically in the 45-60 psi range. Your 21 psi sounds a bit low. Have you been watching the pressure since it was pumped up? Did it start at a higher number? Mine fluctuates between 40-45 depending on the temperature. We only get 45 psi from from our hoses which is on the extreme low side of normal.
You say that the planter drains were inadvertantly hooked up to something. Do you know what? Waterfall line? In theory, no, the caps should remain water tight, however, it's best to minimize the amount of plumbing and connections that can fail down the road. I would have them cap the 'other' end of these lines....not the planter end. It would also eliminate a non circulating volume of water than can grow some nasty stuff.
You say that the planter drains were inadvertantly hooked up to something. Do you know what? Waterfall line? In theory, no, the caps should remain water tight, however, it's best to minimize the amount of plumbing and connections that can fail down the road. I would have them cap the 'other' end of these lines....not the planter end. It would also eliminate a non circulating volume of water than can grow some nasty stuff.
cobra46 said:
I don't know what it started at. I'll try to get some info from the plumber next time they're here.
I am assuming the weeping wall/waterfall lines. What they ended up doing, I guess, is cutting the pipe/connector coming out of those drains (above ground) and then capped them at ground level. I can still see these caps as the dirt has been shoveled back over the lines, but not completely closed up. I'm working today - won't be able to look at them until later. Since the lines go "up" to the caps, I don't think they'll be holding water that won't be circulating, right?
The lines going from the planter drains need to be returned to what ever state you intended them. I would assume that they should be open (uncapped) and at a lower elevation than the bottom of the planter. This end, however, isn't the trouble side. Like you, I would guess that the other end of the planter lines were hooked up to the waterfall lines. These lines should be kept as short as possible.
Here's a picture of what I'm thinking.
Here's a picture of what I'm thinking.
Attachments
Mo,
I can't imagine those capped line giving you any problems, especially if its pointing up, so it won't even create a "dead space" for uncirculated water, as gravity will occasionally allow that little bit of water to circulate.
Only you can tell if the capped lines might be somewhere that they will be accidently cut... even if that happens, easy enough to repair.
One day you might even want to use those lines for a weeping planter...
Everything else going good?
Steve
I can't imagine those capped line giving you any problems, especially if its pointing up, so it won't even create a "dead space" for uncirculated water, as gravity will occasionally allow that little bit of water to circulate.
Only you can tell if the capped lines might be somewhere that they will be accidently cut... even if that happens, easy enough to repair.
One day you might even want to use those lines for a weeping planter...
Everything else going good?
Steve
The whole point here is that you must be sure that the plumbing that will be made inaccessable by the deck must be correct and leak free BEFORE the deck goes in.
Things are going well. I've been away from the house working all weekend and today, leaving around sunup and getting home late, so I haven't had much time to worry while walking the pool perimeter!
That's ok, as the pool folks have been busy otherwise over the weekend. Supposed to have a visit in the morning from the PB, to go over some of our small things. He thinks they'll be able to pour decks on Wed or Thursday, have the rock crew back early next week to change the cap rock on the waterfall and tweak a few things, another clean-up, equipment placed by mid-week, then hoping for plaster by the end of next week!
What's the timetable on acid-washing, etc.? Is it usually the day after plaster? (Wet Edge is what we think we're going with.) Same with the deck? (Pea gravel there).
cobra46 - the lines are capped, just below ground level - between the waterfall T-pipe and the weeping wall valves. I think we'll be fine there. The drains are back to the state they started out at ... as drains.
That's ok, as the pool folks have been busy otherwise over the weekend. Supposed to have a visit in the morning from the PB, to go over some of our small things. He thinks they'll be able to pour decks on Wed or Thursday, have the rock crew back early next week to change the cap rock on the waterfall and tweak a few things, another clean-up, equipment placed by mid-week, then hoping for plaster by the end of next week!
What's the timetable on acid-washing, etc.? Is it usually the day after plaster? (Wet Edge is what we think we're going with.) Same with the deck? (Pea gravel there).
cobra46 - the lines are capped, just below ground level - between the waterfall T-pipe and the weeping wall valves. I think we'll be fine there. The drains are back to the state they started out at ... as drains.
Mo,
It seems that every manufacturer has their own installation instructions, and I don't know about Wet Edge, but SGM (mfg of DiamondBrite) does their best to be as vague as possible and states in about every other sentence that there is no substitute for experience. (therefore they really don't want to be liable for anything going wrong)
Anyway... if I were you, I'd visit your manufacturer's website and try to download some instructions, so you can be familiar with what the plaster folks are supposed to be doing... and document when they deviate... so if things don't work out, you have something to fall back on. As every pool forum displays... these pretty new plaster technologies aren't without their application problems... so do what you can to help yourself... which in my opinion is read and document. Neither the installer or the mfg will want to accept the blame... you will have to push. Be ready.
If they're not on the website, I'd call them and ask for a copy. ALSO, look/ask for instructions for the next few weeks. Don't let them make you figure out the best thing to do... make them tell you. At this point the mfg and installer will be pointing to YOU for messing things up! For most plasters, the first hours, then the few weeks of their life seem to make or break them.
Sounds like you're moving along. Cool!!
Good luck,
Steve
It seems that every manufacturer has their own installation instructions, and I don't know about Wet Edge, but SGM (mfg of DiamondBrite) does their best to be as vague as possible and states in about every other sentence that there is no substitute for experience. (therefore they really don't want to be liable for anything going wrong)
Anyway... if I were you, I'd visit your manufacturer's website and try to download some instructions, so you can be familiar with what the plaster folks are supposed to be doing... and document when they deviate... so if things don't work out, you have something to fall back on. As every pool forum displays... these pretty new plaster technologies aren't without their application problems... so do what you can to help yourself... which in my opinion is read and document. Neither the installer or the mfg will want to accept the blame... you will have to push. Be ready.
If they're not on the website, I'd call them and ask for a copy. ALSO, look/ask for instructions for the next few weeks. Don't let them make you figure out the best thing to do... make them tell you. At this point the mfg and installer will be pointing to YOU for messing things up! For most plasters, the first hours, then the few weeks of their life seem to make or break them.
Sounds like you're moving along. Cool!!
Good luck,
Steve
PB came by today for a quick check. Still looking like deck poured tomorrow. He was in/out so fast today I forgot about the pressure questions. (The pressure is reading 17 today, so I'll have to leave him a voice mail early in the am, as I won't be here ... gotta work again!
Most other questions / concerns we had, he seemed to think fix-able.
(we want to change a few flagstone pieces to mix it up more, change the cap-rock on the waterfall, add one or two more rocks there, etc)
One or two more pre-deck questions, please...
It looks like one of our three gutter downspouts are routed into the main-drain, the two on the sides of the pool - off of the deck, but close - are not. Is this typically all tied in? In the contract, it states "(4" SDR) area drains 155' with 6 drain heads".
I assume that means I will have 6 different drains in the deck, tied into a 4" drain pipe, which will tie into the drainage system currently in the yard? Should I try to get them to tie in those other two downspouts?
Also, PB says the toe-tiles need to come out (since we're doing Wet Edge Satin Pebble) as the plaster co. won't warranty the pool otherwise. I don't have any big problem with that, but my wife was keen on it. Anybody have toe-tiles in Pebble plaster? Any issues? I don't think we'll push for that. Hate to ask for a problem down the road.
Getting closer.
Most other questions / concerns we had, he seemed to think fix-able.
(we want to change a few flagstone pieces to mix it up more, change the cap-rock on the waterfall, add one or two more rocks there, etc)
One or two more pre-deck questions, please...
It looks like one of our three gutter downspouts are routed into the main-drain, the two on the sides of the pool - off of the deck, but close - are not. Is this typically all tied in? In the contract, it states "(4" SDR) area drains 155' with 6 drain heads".
I assume that means I will have 6 different drains in the deck, tied into a 4" drain pipe, which will tie into the drainage system currently in the yard? Should I try to get them to tie in those other two downspouts?
Also, PB says the toe-tiles need to come out (since we're doing Wet Edge Satin Pebble) as the plaster co. won't warranty the pool otherwise. I don't have any big problem with that, but my wife was keen on it. Anybody have toe-tiles in Pebble plaster? Any issues? I don't think we'll push for that. Hate to ask for a problem down the road.
Getting closer.
Time for a photo update:
The deck & the raised deck bench are in.
These were taken a day or two ago.
Today, they're back finishing off the flagstone trim.
And, they dropped off our equipment today.
So, even tho' Hurricane Dolly gave us some rain delay, we seem to be progressing.
I still have a dropping pressure in my pressure gauge that I mentioned a week or so ago (before the deck pour). The PB said he was glad to see that pressure drop. "It's normal... If there were a crack ... , we' would have lost all pressure..." The first time I saw it, it was @ 21. There has been a gradual - slow - drop to where its at today - 12. The 21 reading was taken on July 11.
Obviously, he was comfortable with that change, as the decks were poured. Anyone else notice that with their pressure?
The deck & the raised deck bench are in.
These were taken a day or two ago.
Today, they're back finishing off the flagstone trim.
And, they dropped off our equipment today.
So, even tho' Hurricane Dolly gave us some rain delay, we seem to be progressing.
I still have a dropping pressure in my pressure gauge that I mentioned a week or so ago (before the deck pour). The PB said he was glad to see that pressure drop. "It's normal... If there were a crack ... , we' would have lost all pressure..." The first time I saw it, it was @ 21. There has been a gradual - slow - drop to where its at today - 12. The 21 reading was taken on July 11.
Obviously, he was comfortable with that change, as the decks were poured. Anyone else notice that with their pressure?
I love the way your pool is coming together. I didn't realize before that you had a raised deck by the spa, very nice. Did you raise your spa 18"? I like the longer spillway. We thought about go 18" but settled on 12" for some reason I can't remember.
We raised the spa 12". It probably looks higher due to the raised deck and bench nearby.
I'll try to post some more pix soon. They got a lot done today. Hopefully back tomorrow to re-work the waterfall cap rock, etc.
I'll try to post some more pix soon. They got a lot done today. Hopefully back tomorrow to re-work the waterfall cap rock, etc.
I would not have been happy with that pressure drop. Mine was rock solid at 41-45 depending on the temperature.
Your PB is correct that a crack would have caused the pressure to drop to 0, however, a small leak would cause it to gradually decrease.
I really like how things are looking.
Your PB is correct that a crack would have caused the pressure to drop to 0, however, a small leak would cause it to gradually decrease.
I really like how things are looking.
- Aug 16, 2007
- 300
Wow, I love the feel of your yard. The stonework and design of the pool fits perfectly! Can't wait to see it filled...hopefully you'll get to enjoy it soon