Just met with the plaster company. They are planning to start this Thursday and finish up by next Friday. Keep the fingers crossed hope to have water in her by next weekend.
My New Old Pool Dig Out
- Thread starter cboeger1974
- Start date
I need a little advice. What type of cover should I get for the pool. I do not like the idea of allowing water to move through the cover as I am concerned about freeze thaw issues, but the pool engineer I spoke with during the early stages of this build said to blow my lines out and then keep the water level at its normal level. If I get a cover that does not allow water to pass through I guess I would use a pump that automatically cycles when the cover gets water on it. So the question is - water to pass through or solid cover? Any advice on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
2 ways to skin this cat. Either get a solid cover and a small automatic cover pump to drain as needed, or get a mesh cover (but still solid to the naked eye) and drain the pool itself once or twice a season.
I got about 3 ft of off season water each year. I would start 18 inches low and right before the big freeze I would be full again. So I’d pop a corner of the mesh cover and drain another 18 inches with a small submersible pump. By the time it was full again it was time to open.
I got about 3 ft of off season water each year. I would start 18 inches low and right before the big freeze I would be full again. So I’d pop a corner of the mesh cover and drain another 18 inches with a small submersible pump. By the time it was full again it was time to open.
Saturn94
Bronze Supporter
- Mar 11, 2015
- 1,749
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
In my experience, a solid cover greatly reduces the chance of a green pool at opening and makes spring cleanup much easier.
After several years with a mesh safety cover, I started covering the mesh cover (still in great shape, so no need to get rid of it completely) with a solid tarp and would not go back to just a mesh cover.
My vote is a solid cover with a pump. It's a little work to blow lines and winterize but I've never had a problem in 20 years. I usually open late to avoid dust from the fields around the house. There is a 300 acre farm around my three acres so dust and spray are an issue in the spring. The lack of sunlight and following TFP means I've opened to clear water for the last 10 years despite opening late.
With a mesh cover, you can also just setup a siphon hose and when it gets a bit too full, just turn the siphon on. I’ve done it that way for two seasons. No green pool yet.
***I just checked my first post of June 2nd, so I am one day off.*** I feel as if this is a long time coming. I believe I dug up the old pool on June 3rd of 2020. So exactly 11 months to the date as I recall I have a pool with water in it and the filter running. I laid sod on 2 of the sides Saturday. I still need to renovate the pool house which will require heavy equipment on the lower side of the pool hence the dirt pathway. I am happy to say that I can now join the ranks of others on TFP and add my equipment list and pool specs.
Attachments
poolnoobgrandma
Gold Supporter
- Sep 15, 2018
- 938
- Pool Size
- 17000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
CraigChing
Gold Supporter
- Jun 15, 2019
- 202
- Pool Size
- 22000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Best thing I ever found buried in my yard were some old milk bottles. I’m jealous.
Nice job. The satisfaction alone is worth it. I hope you amd your family enjoy if for years to come. Came out really nice my friend
mguzzy
Gold Supporter
Absolutely beautiful! You deserve twenty gold stars and you can move to the head of the class!
An A+ doesn’t even come close to cutting it..... so here you go !!
Thank you everyone for the advice along the way and the encouragement. I questioned my sanity many times at various stages of this rebuild. In fact, I am still questioning that and may never stop.
One of the photos is named pool empty but I’m sure when I zoom in I can see some sort of animal moving about holding a long pole. You might need to SLAM just in case he’s shedding nasty stuff to the water.
On a serious note, congrats. The family is going to love this for many years and the pain of the last year will be soon forgotten (about 3 months in if my experiences of living in a caravan for a year with my family whilst we knocked down and rebuilt our house... the bad memories quickly fade)