Thank you! We will enjoy it as soon as we can; PB said two weeks until swimming, which won't be until this coming Thursday :-(
New Pool Build Frederick County Maryland
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Question on your retaining wall height in relation to the hardscaping that joins to it on the hill. Is that area considered a raised porch and if so, isn't a railing required above a certain height? In my state that height is 30 inches. Was this issue something you had to work around - like is that why you have a small area that has mulch installed between the wall and the top level hardscaping? I'm asking because I'm currently trying to solve a retaining wall height and railing requirement issue in my design.
Love love love your back yard design overall!
Love love love your back yard design overall!
Thanks for the compliment! I PM'ed you on the waterfall question.Wow, seeing the finished product, stunning!How much was your water feature all told? Feel free to PM me if you don't want to share costs publicly. I'm pricing out various water features currently and would love to get something similar to what you have, perhaps without the slide. Enjoy!
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Thanks, Kim. I'm happy with it now and in my mind I can see the landscapingThe plants will help quite a bit! You solved the problems with the slide and it will all look good when you do the planting! Good job!
Kim
I am about to go off and start reading all the daunting chemistry information, so I may put some water test results up later today!Thanks, Jim. Between us and the PB guys, the pool has been brushed twice a day every day except for once. And I have to agree with you that it's a bit rougher than what I'd thought it would be. We had been seriously considering the Tahoe Blue color, but the PB said they'd only done their first pool with that color earlier this year and it came out awful with lots of mottling and asked we stay away from that color. So rather than create any more potential issues, we went with Super Blue - which we also liked very much and are happy with. We like the pavers alot; I feel like in the pictures, they come across less "lively" and more dull than they are in person. It doesn't help that I have an ancient phone - iPhone 3G! So the camera is not good and the most recent pics I posted are all from that phone and not very sharp. I have actually had my daughter's friends gather around me when I am using my phone and point and say, "Wow - what is that?".
That's a good question and one I have wondered about. Frederick County has seen the plans and come out for bonding and electrical inspections after the wall has been in and not said anything. But I think the electrical inspectors have no comments to make on health/safety or environmental stuff. Different inspectors for everything! We have not had our final inspection yet as there is an outlet that needs moving (needs to be at least 6 feet away from pool, and it is only five), the fence is not quite finished yet, and we need to install door and window alarms. They might say something I guess as that inspector is more to do with health and safety than anything else. I've been thinking about this for a while and will probably call the county this coming week.
Regardless of the code, we do plan to put the black aluminum type railing along the edge of the concrete patio directly off the back door and down the steps. The drop is 26", but if someone is standing and chatting facing away from it, it would be easy to accidentally back up a step and go off. Also, my dad lives with us and is 82; he needs the railings to come down those steps to the patio area. Then we also plan to put something - probably temporary - across the drop into the hot tub area. We don't have a hot tub yet, so that is a drop three feet from concrete to concrete and scares us to have that there! See picture. I think where there is a mulched planting bed between the patio and the drop as on either side of the steps down to the pool level, I am not so worried and especially once we get something planted in there, that would be ok without railings.
Ok, now some questions, please!
1) The PB is in charge of water maintenance for the first 30 days. They were out the night the water went in (Thursday, 8/17), then Sunday, then Tuesday and not since then. I did the chlorine/Ph easy test on Wednesday, and the levels were ok. But then I tested Friday morning and the Ph was 8.2 and there was no chlorine at all. So is it typical that they only come out to maintain the water so infrequently the first couple weeks? I guess I thought it would be more like every other day. I did leave a voicemail the day after water went in that the skimmers didn't appear to be working very well - no water movement when I looked under the covers - and the waterline was filled to ABOVE the skimmer boxes so was at the wall above the top of each box so that didn't seem right. It wasn't until the Sunday that the water was lowered and all the weir doors were unstuck - they had all been stuck in place with plaster or construction grit and weren't flapping. They were obviously skimming to some extent as the water was clearing up, but they probably weren't optimally working the first few days.
2) Opinions on these marker tiles. There is randomly plaster or mortar between the tiles everywhere they are placed. I think it should all be plaster. An example pic below. I am asking that this be made to be all plaster. If the mortar is too high between the tiles to fit plaster, is that something where they could scrape some out and get plaster in? Will it even work to put plaster in and will it "bond" to the existing plaster?
The sunshelf step is actually showing all mortar whereas all the other steps and benches are part mortar and part plaster
1) The PB is in charge of water maintenance for the first 30 days. They were out the night the water went in (Thursday, 8/17), then Sunday, then Tuesday and not since then. I did the chlorine/Ph easy test on Wednesday, and the levels were ok. But then I tested Friday morning and the Ph was 8.2 and there was no chlorine at all. So is it typical that they only come out to maintain the water so infrequently the first couple weeks? I guess I thought it would be more like every other day. I did leave a voicemail the day after water went in that the skimmers didn't appear to be working very well - no water movement when I looked under the covers - and the waterline was filled to ABOVE the skimmer boxes so was at the wall above the top of each box so that didn't seem right. It wasn't until the Sunday that the water was lowered and all the weir doors were unstuck - they had all been stuck in place with plaster or construction grit and weren't flapping. They were obviously skimming to some extent as the water was clearing up, but they probably weren't optimally working the first few days.
2) Opinions on these marker tiles. There is randomly plaster or mortar between the tiles everywhere they are placed. I think it should all be plaster. An example pic below. I am asking that this be made to be all plaster. If the mortar is too high between the tiles to fit plaster, is that something where they could scrape some out and get plaster in? Will it even work to put plaster in and will it "bond" to the existing plaster?
The sunshelf step is actually showing all mortar whereas all the other steps and benches are part mortar and part plaster
what was the first FC dose in? what was the level that they brought it up to? did they do ur cya also? i find it weird that you went a few days with a recommended FC of 3 unless there was like zero sun or they took it way higher than the FC level of 3 that diamond write recommends? you need to get TA and CH and CYA levels.
ok i can help with the chemical questions. i did my full service from the day after plaster. go to diamond write site and print out break in process. it must be followed for 4 weeks at least before you deviate off the recommended levels. their break-in is hard cause they don't let you bring the FC above 3 for the first 4 weeks. I went to 4 cause my pool couldn't go 24 hrs without dropping before 1 with al the sun we get. I will tell you I was dosing 2xday for the first week with the sun and my PH levels.
there is no way i could go the first week without adding chlorine 2xday without it going below 1 with my CYA set to 30.
when u read break in there is to be NO chlorine the first 2 days. day 3 is when chlorine was to be added. you on;y do PH the first 2 days. day 3 was chlorine, CYA and being to balance TA and CH. PH was to be maintained between 7.4-7.6, CH 200-400, and TA 80-120. CYA could be 30-100 but because you can't go above 3-4 for FC don't go beyond 30 for CYA or you will get urself in trouble with targets.
now I followed these cause that's what my builder wanted me to and diamond brittle was the one who said for 4 weeks to maintain those numbers. maintaining the FC was hard. after 2 weeks i was able to only use 1xday at night along with ph but that first week i was dosing 2xday or i would go into algae warning.
i know ur pool builder holds the warranty, but i would be showing him the diamond brite break in for it and stress the importance of maintain the proper min FC level so you don't get algae on that new plaster.
hit me back with questions.
jim
ok i can help with the chemical questions. i did my full service from the day after plaster. go to diamond write site and print out break in process. it must be followed for 4 weeks at least before you deviate off the recommended levels. their break-in is hard cause they don't let you bring the FC above 3 for the first 4 weeks. I went to 4 cause my pool couldn't go 24 hrs without dropping before 1 with al the sun we get. I will tell you I was dosing 2xday for the first week with the sun and my PH levels.
there is no way i could go the first week without adding chlorine 2xday without it going below 1 with my CYA set to 30.
when u read break in there is to be NO chlorine the first 2 days. day 3 is when chlorine was to be added. you on;y do PH the first 2 days. day 3 was chlorine, CYA and being to balance TA and CH. PH was to be maintained between 7.4-7.6, CH 200-400, and TA 80-120. CYA could be 30-100 but because you can't go above 3-4 for FC don't go beyond 30 for CYA or you will get urself in trouble with targets.
now I followed these cause that's what my builder wanted me to and diamond brittle was the one who said for 4 weeks to maintain those numbers. maintaining the FC was hard. after 2 weeks i was able to only use 1xday at night along with ph but that first week i was dosing 2xday or i would go into algae warning.
i know ur pool builder holds the warranty, but i would be showing him the diamond brite break in for it and stress the importance of maintain the proper min FC level so you don't get algae on that new plaster.
hit me back with questions.
jim
How does the tile look when you are just looking at it from standing height? Close up it is not so good. Is there any room to even put plaster or is the brown stuff all the way to the top of the tiles?
Kim (good job Jim! Thanks for helping him out with the chemicals!)
Kim
(good job Jim! Thanks for helping him out with the chemicals!)How does the tile look when you are just looking at it from standing height? Close up it is not so good. Is there any room to even put plaster or is the brown stuff all the way to the top of the tiles?
Kim
no problem! i'm on it. correct me where i might be off, but i think i'm ok so far. . .
Hi Jim - thanks for all this information. I can't answer any of your questions about levels as I have only taken the PH and Chlorine readings with the simple test a couple of times so far as they are in charge for 30 days. They have not told me anything about their readings or what they are adding to the pool on the few days they have been here. I will get all the other readings tonight or tomorrow - I have my TF 100 test kit but haven't ventured into all the harder tests yet!
When you say Diamond Brite's procedures, are you talking about this set of steps:
http://www.sgm.cc/html_Pool/HomeOwners/startup-waterchemistry.html
I had read that a while back, but it doesn't explicitly say what to do for day 4 onwards. I read it as going forward keeping the levels at day 3 numbers on a daily basis, but I wish it said that so I could show these to the PB! Are there more detailed instructions somewhere? Those brief steps say on day 3
7. On the third day adjust all the chemistry to the following levels:
Free Chlorine: 1.0 to 3.0 ppm Ph: 7.4 to 7.6 Total Alkalinity 80 - 120 ppm
Calcium Hardness: 200 - 400 ppm Stabilizer: 30 to 100 ppm
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How does the tile look when you are just looking at it from standing height? Close up it is not so good. Is there any room to even put plaster or is the brown stuff all the way to the top of the tiles?
Kim
From standing height, it looks just as bad as that close up picture as it isn't just an isolated spot or two but over the entire run of marker tiles that it varies grey or plaster. We haven't been allowed in the pool yet, so I haven't checked whether there is room for plaster or not between all the tiles, but I will very soon!
The levels for day 3 are whatchey want you to maintain for 30 days. I talked with them multiple times and also spoke with field rep for my area. Ya they should say for how long vutcthey don't.
I would ahow jos to the builder and if he is in charge for the first 30 days I would be telling him you need to be here daily cause others will say the same thing of maintaining a 3-4 fc for 24 hrs in the summer is hard if ur pool gets mostly sunlight.
Mid otu have the test kit I would get out here and do a full battery of readings to see where he have you at and go from there. Right now you are kinda in limbo. No big deal with u testing. U aren't breaking a contract cause u aren't adding. But I would want to know where my levels r. I would also like to know where they set ur fc.
I would ahow jos to the builder and if he is in charge for the first 30 days I would be telling him you need to be here daily cause others will say the same thing of maintaining a 3-4 fc for 24 hrs in the summer is hard if ur pool gets mostly sunlight.
Mid otu have the test kit I would get out here and do a full battery of readings to see where he have you at and go from there. Right now you are kinda in limbo. No big deal with u testing. U aren't breaking a contract cause u aren't adding. But I would want to know where my levels r. I would also like to know where they set ur fc.
Hi everyone - Waterfall and bubblers and slide hooked up as of second week of September, so a few pics of everything running. And 2 questions!
1) I have a Pentair Intelliflo 3HP VS pump for my pool along with automation - the kind I can only access from a Pentair app on my phone. In the app, I have a button labelled "Pool" which turns the pump on at a low speed and a button labelled "High Speed" which turns the pump on at a high speed. I asked the plumber about how I get to the other speeds via automation, but he seems reluctant to tell me. "If the pool is clear, why do you need to get to any other speeds?" was basically his response. But I feel like if I paid for a VS pump, I should be able to access more than 2 speeds! I don't even know what speeds the current two buttons I have are set to. I am going to pull out the pump and Easy Touch manuals, but if anyone can give me a "dummies" guide to this stuff like how to check what the speeds currently are and how I would set up to use more speeds, I'd be grateful for any tips!
2) I have six returns, installed as 3 pairs of two, where each pair has a joined return back to the equipment pad. So I have 3 return lines with Jandy Never Lube valves back at the equipment pad. All 3 are fully on. For the returns in the pool, there are no "eyeballs" in them - I can see/feel they are threaded, but there is no fitting in any of them. When I run the pool at High Speed with NO other water features running, I can only feel significant flow from each of the shallow end pair of returns and from one return of the deep end pair. The other three returns - middle pair and the other one of the deep end pair feel like somewhere between no flow and I-can-just-barely-feel-something flow. Again, the answer from the plumber on this question to him was that if everything looks ok, why does it matter. There is some merit to what he is saying, but it seems to me that if I am spec'ed six returns, they all ought to be putting out some flow when no other features are running. I'll add then when I shut off the shallow end and deep end return valves, I do get flow out of the middle pair of returns, so they are not blocked. Is it best for me to adjust valves or put "eyeballs" in of varying sizes on the returns to try to even out the flow?
I should go back to the plumber and request a better answer, but I should really understand this stuff anyway. Thank you!
Ok the pictures; I have lots of planting to do in the Spring to make it pretty! Also the bubbler fittings have a long'ish tube sticking up (soft/flexible) to make them that high. There is another fitting I can put in that is basically flush where the bubbler height comes up just about 6-8 inches above the water. So I can switch between the two fittings or obviously play around with the tube length to adjust the height. Not sure exactly where I want it yet.
1) I have a Pentair Intelliflo 3HP VS pump for my pool along with automation - the kind I can only access from a Pentair app on my phone. In the app, I have a button labelled "Pool" which turns the pump on at a low speed and a button labelled "High Speed" which turns the pump on at a high speed. I asked the plumber about how I get to the other speeds via automation, but he seems reluctant to tell me. "If the pool is clear, why do you need to get to any other speeds?" was basically his response. But I feel like if I paid for a VS pump, I should be able to access more than 2 speeds! I don't even know what speeds the current two buttons I have are set to. I am going to pull out the pump and Easy Touch manuals, but if anyone can give me a "dummies" guide to this stuff like how to check what the speeds currently are and how I would set up to use more speeds, I'd be grateful for any tips!
2) I have six returns, installed as 3 pairs of two, where each pair has a joined return back to the equipment pad. So I have 3 return lines with Jandy Never Lube valves back at the equipment pad. All 3 are fully on. For the returns in the pool, there are no "eyeballs" in them - I can see/feel they are threaded, but there is no fitting in any of them. When I run the pool at High Speed with NO other water features running, I can only feel significant flow from each of the shallow end pair of returns and from one return of the deep end pair. The other three returns - middle pair and the other one of the deep end pair feel like somewhere between no flow and I-can-just-barely-feel-something flow. Again, the answer from the plumber on this question to him was that if everything looks ok, why does it matter. There is some merit to what he is saying, but it seems to me that if I am spec'ed six returns, they all ought to be putting out some flow when no other features are running. I'll add then when I shut off the shallow end and deep end return valves, I do get flow out of the middle pair of returns, so they are not blocked. Is it best for me to adjust valves or put "eyeballs" in of varying sizes on the returns to try to even out the flow?
I should go back to the plumber and request a better answer, but I should really understand this stuff anyway. Thank you!
Ok the pictures; I have lots of planting to do in the Spring to make it pretty! Also the bubbler fittings have a long'ish tube sticking up (soft/flexible) to make them that high. There is another fitting I can put in that is basically flush where the bubbler height comes up just about 6-8 inches above the water. So I can switch between the two fittings or obviously play around with the tube length to adjust the height. Not sure exactly where I want it yet.
Thank you
Nice to sit out and just listen to the waterfall even if we're not in!