New member pool planning in N. Atlanta - Construction Completed 7/2022

[darkrider]

Thank you all for the kind words, and the support over the entire build. It really is a little piece of heaven! We've been in this house for 16 years, and we keep asking ourselves why we didn't do it sooner... Literally, we're spending so much more time in the backyard now! Even with inflated pricing and everything else going on with supply shortages, etc., for anyone on the fence about building, I would still do it again in a heartbeat. We had our first big party this weekend, and the kids and adults alike are loving the jumping rock!

The company that does the opening and first 30 days of maintenance has been pretty good. They added Orenda SC-1000 Metal/Scale Control and CV-600 Enzyme Water Cleaner at startup. The metal sequestrant I was on board with, but was hesitant on the enzymes. They explained that the CV-600 was to deal with phosphates due to the amount of new stone that we have. I've read here that it's not really necessary, and do not intend to use it beyond startup. Otherwise, it was just Muriatic Acid and the Trichlor floater the first week. They came yesterday for 2nd week maintenance, and I did some post testing this morning. They overshot TA a bit (currently 120), and CH is coming up to where it needs to be (currently 125). We have soft water, and they limit the amount of Calcium Chloride that they add at a time to 15lbs. We're still on the Trichlor floater for a couple of more weeks until they can add salt and get the SWG started. I haven't measured CYA yet, but I'd guess based on the additions, we're likely somewhere around 30. They said that they'll continue to add 3 pounds of dry stabilizer per week (pre-mixing in a 5 gallon bucket and dumped into the skimmers), and I plan to start checking next week to make sure they don't overshoot it. Otherwise, water has been crystal clear and FC and pH have been good. Oh, it's also worth noting that as a Taylor K2006C convert to the TF-Pro with Salt, I prefer the organization of the TF-Pro and smartstir makes things amazingly easy. You don't even have to remove it from its holder in the case to use it!

 

[kimkats]

Reading this I can just hear the laughs and chatting going on around the pool and in the whole area! It makes my heart happy!

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Kim

 

[aftrshok99]

You've got a gorgeous backyard / pool area as well as pool. Looks so relaxing out there!!

 

[Psycho1122]

That's just awesome! Beautiful environment. Congratulations.

Cheers!

 

[darkrider]

So, we crossed the month mark since our initial fill... and someone has literally been in the pool every single day! We had the final inspection from the City last week, and they failed us for something relatively minor . We live at the bottom of a cul-de-sac and have a daylight basement, so as you can imagine, there is a decent slope from the front to the backyard. We had both gates opening in, and were told by the PB to maintain locks on them, and essentially tell the inspector that the house will serve as the main access point and the gates will be used as service gates. Apparently, our municipality requires at least one of the gates to be pool compliant, so the the house can't serve as the only access point. Needless to say, I dug out a landing pad and laid pavers so that we could have the gate swing out on one side. Our fence company was good about doing the hardware swap and putting on the spring to make it self closing. They're scheduled to reinspect tomorrow, so hopefully we should be able to close the permit this week! This is pre hardware swap, but will give you an idea. It was about 6 inches that I needed to remove, plus enough depth for the pavers and sand.



Otherwise, pool life has been good. I've been relatively surprised how easy the chemical piece has been. We had 30 days of startup/maintenance included from our PB, and they did a decent job. However, I always tested behind them as well. This past week was the end of the 30 days, and the only things I needed to add were Calcium Chloride to raise my CH, and some additional CYA to get it up to TFP standards. My TA has settled in at 80, and my pH creep isn't too bad, even with the waterfall. Over the course of the week, it goes up to about 8.0, and I bring it back down now to about 7.5 with Muriatic Acid. I have salt at 3100ppm, and the Aquapure set at 40% and it seems to be keeping my FC between 4-5ppm. I also did the first filter maintenance this weekend, and it was very easy. I have cartridge filters in our hot tub, so I kinda knew what to expect, but was surprised how much nasty they picked up! There was a lot of pebble/plaster residue from initial startup. However, pressure-wise, everything was still good. Glad I went with the big ones! The Alpha IQ+ robot is also a no brainer. After 2 smart cycles, it seems to have figured out everything, and can do the floors, walls and waterline tile in right at 2 hours. The only thing it doesn't do is the entire tanning ledge. Apparently our water is too shallow right now. It climbs up just fine and does the lip, but once it gets to about halfway, it backs up and goes back down. The water level must be right on the cusp, as it does the benches just fine. Based on what I'm seeing, I should only need to run it once a week, until the leaves start dropping. Here are some pics to show water color and how clear it is, even in the 9'. When the wind isn't blowing, you can easily see the drains.



Oh, and here is a shot of what I came up with for waterfall lighting at night. They're solar powered, and submersible, 16 color LED pond lights, and have been working wonderfully.

 

[PCR]

it all looks beautiful! Could you possibly provide a link to your waterfall lights?

 

[darkrider]

it all looks beautiful! Could you possibly provide a link to your waterfall lights?

Thanks PCR. These are the ones that I went with: https://www.amazon.com/Landscape-Un...&pd_rd_i=B096Z154RQ&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_6_t&th=1. The suction cups are pretty much useless on anything other than a perfectly flat surface. However, you could dab silicone on them and it should secure them, as they're not very heavy. I ended up anchoring mine with river rock, and it is working perfectly. The heads pivot a full 180 degrees, and spacing seems to be good between lights. I went with the 3 light version, and the they are plenty bright. I really like how they look behind the waterfall sheers, if you have room to mount them there. If you point them at the waterfall, you'll just have to play with angle, as you'll get a fair amount of light reflected back. Solar makes the installation pretty easy, and I've found the battery can easily last all night on a full charge. Only other thing I would note if you buy them, make sure the lens caps are tight. 2 of mine were pretty loose on arrival.

 

[kimkats]

Glad to hear the chemical part of it has been so easy! I love hearing that! Means we have taught you well!

Gurrrrrrrrrrr of the fail but at least you were able to fix it. Hope they like what you did.

LOVE the water fall lights! WOWZER!