New Pool in Broken Arrow OK

[Turbo1Ton]

We are just finishing up with our pool build. Here are the specs...

• Basic Design: 100lf perimeter, 3’6”-5’ depth swimming pool with benches, steps and tanning ledge with 5 bubblers, umbrella sleeve, volleyball net sleeve. 18" raised wall with 3 - 6" copper scuppers. Fire pit attached to raised wall. Pool size is 19’x35’ freeform per plans, with a capacity of approx. 13,500 gallons. Pool is 557sq ft. 7’ round spa.
• Layout: 2 skimmers, 3 Pentair LED lights in pool, 1 light in spa, 2 main drains in pool, 2 returns in pool. 8 jets in spa
• Equipment: Pentair Intelliflo Variable speed filter pump (2), Pentair Clean & Clear cartridge filter, 2hp spa air blower, Pentair Mastertemp 400,000btu gas fired heater, Pentair Intellicenter control system iP8S, IC-40 SWG, Paramount Ultra UV2, and Clear O3 systems, A&A infloor cleaning system w/ Leaf trap and venturi skimmers
• Colored concrete coping
• Salt finished concrete decking

Not a lot to say about the build. It has been a relatively wonderful experience. The builder we chose has an extensive list of references and we personally knew at least 5 of them. A few minor issues along the way but that is bound to happen. It's how the builder responds to the issues that is the sign of a good builder. I consider myself to be exceptionally picky and as such, I feel like everything can be done better, unless it is done the way I think it should be done. What I consider "up to par" seems to be most people's insanity. So I have to temper that when working with contractors.

Anywhoooooo... I am assuming, like on my tractor forum, that "THIS THREAD IS USELESS WITHOUT PICS!"

 

[Turbo1Ton]

And here were pics from earlier this week after they finished the pour but before the final finish on the concrete. I have not had a chance to get pics of the finished 'crete yet. Hopefully Sunday. Tomorrow's weather looks nasty cold and snow flurries. 50's and sunny again on Sunday!

I of course have plenty of other pics but I'm assuming pics of pools are like pics of kids... Way too many and just a couple is all that is necessary to get the point across. LOL! I have pics of kids too so I can say that!

I estimate we are about a week away from putting water in. Some minor issues around the equipment pad that need to be addressed, plaster, and then water! Have not heard from the PB what the anticipated schedule is for the plaster crew, but the rate they have been moving, I would think early next week. Getting excited to get this done and be ready for the first days of warm weather!

Jeff

 

[kimkats]

"THIS THREAD IS USELESS WITHOUT PICS!"

HA we do have this: So yeah we NEED pics! The more the better for us.This what we feed on!!

So you are at the purrfect place for me to share a set of links with you:

The first set is all about what to do and ask about to get a great plaster job. The second set is all about how to care for your pool after you get the plaster.

Plaster links:
Ten Guidelines for Quality Pool Plaster Best one of all
All Plaster Finishes Should Last 20 Years
Not All Color Pigments are Good for Pools How to pick a good color for plaster.
A Plastering 'Watch List' | Professional Watershaping | Watershapes
Trouble Free Pool
Trouble Free Pool

Pool care links:
Print these out:
Pool School - Basic Pool Care Schedule
Pool School - Recommended Levels

Bookmark these:
Pool School - Recommended Pool Chemicals
Trouble Free Pool
Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Now is also a good time to ask what test kit your PB will be providing so we can fill in any holes.

I also want you to really think and read the plaster links. The temperature is SO important when they do the plaster. We have had people wait to do the plaster until the threat of cold is past. Something to think about!

Kim

 

[daviddavies]

And here were pics from earlier this week after they finished the pour but before the final finish on the concrete. I have not had a chance to get pics of the finished 'crete yet. Hopefully Sunday. Tomorrow's weather looks nasty cold and snow flurries. 50's and sunny again on Sunday!

I of course have plenty of other pics but I'm assuming pics of pools are like pics of kids... Way too many and just a couple is all that is necessary to get the point across. LOL! I have pics of kids too so I can say that!

I estimate we are about a week away from putting water in. Some minor issues around the equipment pad that need to be addressed, plaster, and then water! Have not heard from the PB what the anticipated schedule is for the plaster crew, but the rate they have been moving, I would think early next week. Getting excited to get this done and be ready for the first days of warm weather!

Jeff

Thanks for the pics, they are very detailed and easy to follow. Are you leaving the deck as plain concrete?

 

[Dirk]

Follow your builder's instructions for filling the pool. But add this tip. Determine where the builder intends the final water level to be. It's usually halfway up the skimmer opening. You might mark the level with a piece of tape. Just before they turn on the water, go out to the street and read your water meter. Take a picture or write it down. During the fill, avoid using water as much as possible: a few toilet flushes, even a quick shower, will not be that big of a deal, but turn off any irrigation, wait 'till the next day to do laundry and dishes, etc. When the water level hits the full mark (remember the piece of tape? It's a lot harder to determine "halfway up the skimmer" when there's water in it.) turn off the fill and immediately go out and read the water meter again. Take another snap shot to be sure. You only get one shot at this until you next empty your pool! The difference between the two meter readings will be the water volume of your pool. With a pool shape like yours, it's very difficult to calculate the volume with dimensions. And you'll be surprised how far off the real number is from the builder's guesstimate. Voila! You'll have your pool's water volume and have an easier time of calculating all your chemical additions...

Congrat's on the build!

 

[Dirk]

Oh, spa. Fill the pool, read the meter, then fill the spa, read the meter a third time. You'll then have volume numbers for the main pool, the spa, and the total.

 

[Newdude]

Orbit the sprinkler company has $12 garden hose flow meters that read usage. Anyone have and experience with these ? It has to be fairly simple to measure just gallons so it’s not like it needs to be much more expensive to be reliable, and even if it was 200 gallons off in the end it would be plenty close enough.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

@kimkats - I knew there'd be a lot of reading involved in the next few days!

Thanks for all of the links! I'll get to reading! Actually, got sidetracked reading one while I was typing this up. LOL

I stumbled across the Pool School items you linked in another new pool owner thread I was thumbing through! Read most of those but I'll read through them again just for good measure!

@daviddavies - Yes, just plain concrete. I've never minded plain concrete. The wife didn't care what we did. She actually has been oddly 'hands off' on this one.

We did involve the kids in the decision making for the pool - we narrowed down the color selections to the few that we liked for the tile, plaster, and coping, and let the kids choose the final ones. The only time they have ever agreed on something in their years on earth! Hopefully it starts a trend... But I doubt it!

@Dirk - I wasn't even thinking about checking the meter for fill. I will be curious to see what the actual is compared to the estimated. With the pool design software available today, I would be surprised if the estimates weren't fairly close. I know actual dimensions are likely a little off from design (now I will have to go pull a tape on everything and compare to the design drawings to see how close it was), but will be interesting to see.

Just looked at those hose flow meters. Looks like it is worth a shot. Can test it with a 5 gal bucket and see if there is much error over 20-30 gals. Will also check meter and see what we come up with as a delta (and remember to factor in any showers or stuff that happens during the fill).

Thanks everyone!

--Jeff

 

[Newdude]

Even If the meter was off by 1/4 gallon every 30 gallons it would only amount to 150 gallons in a 18k pool. Which for chemistry purposes would be fine.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

@kimkats - Read through all of the plaster links. A few questions regarding temps.

1. Temperatures are discussed regarding during the application, but nothing really about during the initial cure. What are the effects of low temps becoming extreme during the period after application and prior to fill?
2. If there is a single day that temps are above the extreme low (40F), and then temps dip again, I assume that is not ideal. Having several days of above extreme temps would be best.
3. Are there concerns with the surface temps of the gunite for the application? I realize that the concrete is in the ground and should roughly be the same as ground temps, which right now is in the 50's/60's in my area.

Edit - We currently have 60s forecast for early to mid next week with the following week being in the mid to upper 40's.

Tons of good info in there and I will be having a discussion with my PB on Monday about application day and the filling process.

Thanks!

--Jeff

 

[kimkats]

what is your water temps when it comes out of the tap? If it is high enough and you can get the pool filled then that will help with the curing.

I am going to push your learning a bit to help you learn about your plaster's health. Go to Pool Math and play with the numbers INCLUDING the water temp. Use the chart for recommended levels and set them to being in the middle of the levels THEN adjust the water temp. See what that does to the CSI. That might help you answer your questions about curing in low temps.

I am not sure about the shell temp. VERY good question. I will throw that up for some that may know. @jimmythegreek @bdavis466 @Pool Clown any input?

Kim

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Tap water is roughly 55F right now. I wouldn't expect that to dip much lower in the next couple of weeks with the ambient temps forecast.

I am on it! Will play around with that and see what I can deduce.

Thanks!

--Jeff

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Was able to get out just now and get a few pics of the current situation... Finished deck. I don't know why I didn't think of taking panoramic shots throughout the build.

 

[kimkats]

SO pretty!!! LOVE it all!

 

[Dirk]

@kimkatsJust looked at those hose flow meters. Looks like it is worth a shot. Can test it with a 5 gal bucket and see if there is much error over 20-30 gals. Will also check meter and see what we come up with as a delta (and remember to factor in any showers or stuff that happens during the fill).

I happened to have a water meter on hand (before installing it elsewhere) when my pool needed to be filled, so I attached it to a hose and that's how I got my volume number. It was a pretty decent quality one. Even those, and the kind that are likely in your street, can be off by 1-2% (that is a typical spec). I would suspect the store-bought cheapies are off by that much or more. Calibrating it with the bucket is a good step. I was originally advising others to go out and buy a meter for their hose, but then realized that most homes have a "built in" meter available. The only downside to the meter-on-the-hose method, is that you can only pump so much water through a hose. Some fills are done with multiple hoses (all that will reach the pool) to speed up the process. So that would mean a meter-per-hose. The house-meter trick covers the use of multiple hoses, but has the disadvantage of also including whatever you use in the house during the fill. You can count toilet flushes and forego showers to increase accuracy a bit, but the bottom line is: even 2% off is likely going to be closer than the "blueprints" and certainly more than accurate enough for using TFP's Pool Math to figure out how much of this or that to pour in. I offer the meter trick, to get "close enough," because we've seen actual volume off by up to 50% or more from the pool builder's estimate, and that is enough to affect chemistry.

 

[Dirk]

Kim just asked me to share these pool-filling tips in another thread. She reminded that new pool owner of another very important tip. Once you start the fill, don't stop it for any reason for any length of time. Doing so can cause a permanent ring to form where the water level sits for a while. Also: fill from the bottom up: get the hose end under water asap. Put the hose end at the lowest point, then turn on the water. Don't let it run down the side, and certainly not over your spillway. Some attach a sock to the end of the hose to keep it from marring the tender new plaster. I was so concerned about streaking that I had my pool guy plug all the returns so that no errant stream of water in the plumbing flowed from them down the side of the fresh plaster. I believe some PBs do this as a matter of course. Others do not.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Kim just asked me to share these pool-filling tips in another thread. She reminded that new pool owner of another very important tip. Once you start the fill, don't stop it for any reason for any length of time. Doing so can cause a permanent ring to form where the water level sits for a while. Also: fill from the bottom up: get the hose end under water asap. Put the hose end at the lowest point, then turn on the water. Don't let it run down the side, and certainly not over your spillway. Some attach a sock to the end of the hose to keep it from marring the tender new plaster. I was so concerned about streaking that I had my pool guy plug all the returns so that no errant stream of water in the plumbing flowed from them down the side of the fresh plaster. I believe some PBs do this as a matter of course. Others do not.

Thanks Dirk, appreciate that info. I saw the tips on ensuring that the pool is filled in one pass. I like the sock idea. I was trying to think about how to prevent the water from hitting the plaster too hard. I've got 120 psi at my hose bibs so that was a little bit of a concern. Also, I have two hose bibs that can reach the pool, and I bought 2 of those hose flow meters. So we can use multiple hoses if we like and I can still get my volume.

--Jeff

 

[Dirk]

120? Yikes. I think that's too high for residential plumbing, isn't it? Doesn't your house have a regulator? It should, somewhere closer to 50 I think is the preferred range. Anywho, sounds like you got a handle on how to get your volume number. Coolio.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Hose bibs come off ahead of the pressure regulator. House is regulated to 60 ish. Now you have me considering reworking the plumbing to add another valve so I can select regulated vs. unregulated on the bibs. I like to have the higher flow from the hoses but for instances like this, it might be better to have it knocked down.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Now is also a good time to ask what test kit your PB will be providing so we can fill in any holes.

Not sure what they are providing but, I went ahead and purchased the TF-100 bundle along with the K-1766 test kit, since it appeared that the majority are using that. This way I will be able to discuss in the same language as everyone here.

--Jeff