New Pool w/ Falls & Slide in Baton Rouge, LA
- Thread starter Matchless1
- Start date
LOVE the lights-----------all of the lights! I picked purrfect spots for all of them! SO pretty and classy looking.
your pool water is really pretty!
Don't you hate it when someone else messes up your plans? Just ship the parts!
That drain looks like it will work! Nice job! Glad you got to test it out
What do you think after it was able to drain overnight? Will it be enough?
your pool water is really pretty!
Don't you hate it when someone else messes up your plans? Just ship the parts!
That drain looks like it will work! Nice job! Glad you got to test it out
What do you think after it was able to drain overnight? Will it be enough?
LOVE the lights-----------all of the lights! I picked purrfect spots for all of them! SO pretty and classy looking.
your pool water is really pretty!
Don't you hate it when someone else messes up your plans? Just ship the parts!
That drain looks like it will work! Nice job! Glad you got to test it out
It's been a while, but for those of you that don't know we just went through a pretty intense storm last weekend in the Baton Rouge area. We were lucky and did not take on any water in our house, but many did, including my brother. There were a lot of homes destroyed and many did not have flood insurance because they weren't in flood zones. But apparently this is a 1/1000 year rain storm and surrounding areas got as much as 30" of rain in 2-1/2 days. It's really bad, but national media coverage has been sparse at best.
With that said, I can confidently say the French drain is working nicely. Before, the leaves were constantly turning yellow on the Hibiscus and brown on the Camelia, with maybe one or two blooms between all 6 Hibiscus for a brief period during the day. Between installing the drain and the deluge last weekend, the yellow leaves had disappeared from the Hibiscus and they all had at least one bloom...see before and after pics below. After getting 13" of rain last weekend only one of them has a few yellow leaves, but I'm not worrying about that due to the rarity of this event.
Unfortunately, my chemicals got completely out of whack, especially the Calcium hardness, so I've been playing catch up the past few days, but everything's finally starting to level back out.
Before
After
I love it, no complaints here, although I have a question. It looks like you have a lot of space left. Was there a reason you did not go bigger.
The pictures tell the story of hard work paying off! SWEET!
Don't let them cover those wonderful windows! Trim and neat for all plants in front of windows. Let ALL of the sun in! :sun:
Don't let them cover those wonderful windows! Trim and neat for all plants in front of windows. Let ALL of the sun in! :sun:
What kind of palms are those? Syvestris? They look great accenting the pool, especially with the uplighting!
Thanks. Yes, I may have mentioned in an earlier post, but I don't like crowded beds. I like space and breathing room between plants. In fact, those are medium sized Hibiscus, but they should have been the dwarf variety. It was a miscommunication between me and my landscaper, but by the time I got home to check it out, they were already planted. We decided just to leave them and keep them trimmed a bit more.
The pictures tell the story of hard work paying off! SWEET!
Don't let them cover those wonderful windows! Trim and neat for all plants in front of windows. Let ALL of the sun in! :sun:
Exactly!
Yes, they are Sylvester Palms. Thanks. I'm a little disappointed with them at the moment because there are a lot of brown leaves even though I've been watering them and fertilizing them as recommended. Maybe they're just taking a while to adjust, but I'm hoping they green up soon.
OP, do you happen to know how tall your steps to the slide are? I posted in another thread that our steps were just built and they are 12" each. I'm trying to see what is standard.
They vary anywhere from 7.5" to 9", with the average being around 8.5". I worked with the guys a lot to get the step rises and treads just right, and in the end I don't think there are two steps that are exactly the same height. But also, I can't even tell the difference when walking up them, so it's all good. My goal was 8.75" based on heights I measured in my office building. 12" might be fine for an adult, but might a stretch for the little ones. Others may be able to offer their experience with higher steps.
I'm hoping someone can help with a Chlorine loss issue I've been having lately. After the big storm last weekend, I thought my Chlorine was leveling out, but actually it's really starting to get consumed at a much higher rate than before. Here is some history on my numbers and amounts added before and after the storm for reference:
| DATE | FC | CC | pH | TA | CH | CYA | Salt | Borate | Temp | CSI | Notes |
| 7/29/2016 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 7.3 | 70 | 91 | -0.27 | Added 9 oz CL, 7 oz MA | ||||
| 7/30/2016 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 7.6 | 60 | 92 | -0.07 | Added 44 oz CL, 18 oz MA, 65 oz TA Adjustment | ||||
| 7/31/2016 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 90 | 92 | 0.06 | Added 27 oz CL, 21 oz MA | ||||
| 8/1/2016 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 7.4 | 75 | 275 | 55 | 91 | -0.10 | Added 27 oz CL, 14 oz MA, 4oz Metal Treatment | ||
| 8/2/2016 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 70 | 92 | -0.11 | Added 32 oz CL, 17 oz MA | ||||
| 8/3/2016 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 7.4 | 70 | 89 | -0.22 | Added 20 oz CL, 12 oz MA | ||||
| 8/4/2016 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 7.2 | 65 | 92 | -0.42 | Added 35 oz CL | ||||
| 8/6/2016 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 7.8 | 65 | 92 | 0.14 | Added 53 oz CL, 24 oz MA | ||||
| 8/7/2016 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 60 | 90 | -0.21 | Added 44 oz CL, 15 oz MA | ||||
| 8/8/2016 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 7.3 | 55 | 300 | 50 | 90 | -0.40 | Added 53 oz CL, 14 oz MA, 81 oz Baking Soda | ||
| 8/9/2016 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 80 | 91 | 0.00 | Added 53 oz CL, 19 oz MA | ||||
| 8/10/2016 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 7.4 | 80 | 37 | 89 | -0.08 | Added 64 oz CL, 14 oz MA, 24 oz CYA | |||
| 8/11/2016 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 7.3 | 80 | 35 | 86 | -0.20 | Added 44 oz CL, 14 oz MA | |||
| 8/14/2016 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 8.2 | 55 | 175 | 28 | 0.31 | Big Storm; Added 71 oz CL, 32 oz MA, 42 oz CYA, 81 oz Baking Soda | |||
| 8/15/2016 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 7.6 | 90 | 200 | 43 | 0.31 | Added 53 oz CL, 24 oz MA | |||
| 8/16/2016 | 2.5 | 0.0 | 7.3 | 80 | 200 | 43 | 88 | -0.35 | Added 27 oz CL, 7 oz MA, 11 oz Metal Treatment | ||
| 8/17/2016 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.3 | 80 | 225 | 44 | 89 | -0.30 | Added 71 oz CL, 7 oz MA, 12 oz CYA, 104 oz CaCl | ||
| 8/18/2016 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 75 | 250 | 32 | 89 | 0.04 | Added 71 oz CL, 19 oz MA, 35 oz CYA, 100 oz CaCl | ||
| 8/19/2016 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.2 | 75 | 275 | 45 | 89 | -0.35 | Added 71 oz CL, 10 oz CYA |
I check and add chemicals in the evenings, usually around 6:00pm. Soon I'll be adding the Stenner for the Chlorine, but just dumping in by hand for now. Notice the FC drop recently and the amount of Chlorine I'm adding just to have it all disappear over the next day. I've been bumping up the CYA slowly, hoping to get it around 50 by tomorrow, thinking that was the problem, but I'm not so sure that's it. Do I need to shock or SLAM it? I haven't done that yet, so I'm not really even sure WHEN that's called for. Any advice? I can provide more info if needed. Thanks!
I think you have not been adding enough FC when you are adding it. You are heading towards an algae bloom. I would push your FC to just under SLAM level during the day today (that will allow you and your family to swim). I would then push it up to SLAM level tonight when the sun is off your pool.
I would also do this test:
Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)
It will tell us a lot of the story.
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Use this chart for your FC goals.
Have you been brushing the pool? Hubby brushes our walls at least 3 times a week here. The floor is done more often with our feet LOL.
How is your water looking? Does it look as crisp and clear as before?
Test every couple of hours and add chlorine as needed to keep your FC up today.
I would also do this test:
Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)
It will tell us a lot of the story.
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Use this chart for your FC goals.
Have you been brushing the pool? Hubby brushes our walls at least 3 times a week here. The floor is done more often with our feet LOL.
How is your water looking? Does it look as crisp and clear as before?
Test every couple of hours and add chlorine as needed to keep your FC up today.
I think you have not been adding enough FC when you are adding it. You are heading towards an algae bloom. I would push your FC to just under SLAM level during the day today (that will allow you and your family to swim). I would then push it up to SLAM level tonight when the sun is off your pool.
I would also do this test:
Pool School - Perform the Overnight FC Loss Test (OCLT)
It will tell us a lot of the story.
Pool School - Chlorine / CYA Chart
Use this chart for your FC goals.
Have you been brushing the pool? Hubby brushes our walls at least 3 times a week here. The floor is done more often with our feet LOL.
How is your water looking? Does it look as crisp and clear as before?
Test every couple of hours and add chlorine as needed to keep your FC up today.
Thanks Kim. Pool is at (actually above) SLAM level now and I've recorded my FC level. We'll see what it is in the morning.
I brushed every day for the first 3 weeks, then once a week now (as recommended in the Basic Pool Care Schedule. I run the cleaner as needed, but that's usually once a week too.
Water looks fine...still clear and sparkling.
Sounds good on the brushing and vacuuming. Each pool is different so find what works for your as far as brushing and vacuuming
Do your best to do the morning test before the sun hits the pool. Yawn LOL
Do your best to do the morning test before the sun hits the pool. Yawn LOL
Sounds good on the brushing and vacuuming. Each pool is different so find what works for your as far as brushing and vacuuming
Do your best to do the morning test before the sun hits the pool. Yawn LOL
Already done. At 6:45am it had lost 6 FC! Guessing that's not so good. My shock level is 18. I'm at 22.5 right now. Guess I'll just continue to check and add today and the next few days until the OCLT remains the same?
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OUCH! Yeah you are in for a SLAM for sure! It should be a short one since you water looks good. Good catch that something was off. THAT is why I suggest keeping a log. WELL DONE!
Test every couple/few hours as you can to MAINTAIN the SLAM level of FC during the day today. During the work week test as often as you can-morning, when get home, at dinner time, before bed. That is 4 times and can work.
Makes your feel sorry for the people who do not know about TFP and daily testing of their water They would not know something was wrong until the water started turning green.
Test every couple/few hours as you can to MAINTAIN the SLAM level of FC during the day today. During the work week test as often as you can-morning, when get home, at dinner time, before bed. That is 4 times and can work.
Makes your feel sorry for the people who do not know about TFP and daily testing of their water
They would not know something was wrong until the water started turning green.
OUCH! Yeah you are in for a SLAM for sure! It should be a short one since you water looks good. Good catch that something was off. THAT is why I suggest keeping a log. WELL DONE!
Test every couple/few hours as you can to MAINTAIN the SLAM level of FC during the day today. During the work week test as often as you can-morning, when get home, at dinner time, before bed. That is 4 times and can work.
Makes your feel sorry for the people who do not know about TFP and daily testing of their water
Ok, so I finally finished the SLAM several days ago (took about 5 days total). Thanks Kim for all the info! Glad to see my FC loss back down to normal (1 - 2.5 per day)! In fact, now that things have settled down in the water and my ozone MDV is hooked up, I'm starting to notice a lower loss rate (1 - 1.5 per day) than without the ozone (2 - 2.5 per day), which is comforting to know that it's actually doing it's job. Because of that, I'm STILL coming down from the high CL levels of the SLAM, so I haven't really been able to test out the Stenner set up yet. FC was at 2 this morning though, so I should be able to kick it on tomorrow and monitor things while I'm home.
I did have a bit of a calcium outbreak on a lot of my stones and tile recently (hopefully due to pre-SLAM conditions), which was surprisingly (and unfortunately) sooner than I expected. So, I broke out the acid yesterday and cleaned off as much as I could, then resealed that stone. Not sure if the sealer really helps with that, but I needed to do it anyway since the acid probably took most of it off.
After painting the white sections of pipe at the equipment pad black, I think I'm finally/hopefully done with that area. The only real thing remaining is I need to replace 2 of the Cannas on one side of the waterfall. I think after all the planting and replanting (while fixing the drainage problems in that bed), the root systems just couldn't hang on.
Pics from the past few weeks picking away at things here and there:
Installing MDV for Ozone
Had to install a junction off the conduit for the pool pump to run a new line for the Stenner pump timer
Timer, Stenner Pump, MDV and Carbon Discharge Cannister
Notice white pipes and location of EC-20 box (by storage)
All pipes now black and EC-20 moved closer to other wall gadgets
Back side of gate
Notice small gaps on far left and between right side of gate and fence
Gaps filled with thin ripped fence boards...also added 3rd hings (and a lock...not shown).
Sich awesome work!!! The attention to detail is what puts your build above all others!!!
Well, it's been a little while since my last post on this thread. We were waiting to plant the Blood Bananas and re-plant the Cannas on the left side of the falls until it got a little cooler. I was able to get that done last weekend and add a few lights in during this past week. So, since all the landscaping is finally DONE, I figured I would take and post a few "final" pics.
Wow! It looks truly beautiful!! Congratulations. Love it!
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I love how it turned out, makes it worth all those issues that came up during construction
That is PURRFECT!! WOW! Oh so pretty!!!!!!!!! Love everything you did!
Are the kids loving the slide? What is the fav part of the pool?
Kim
Are the kids loving the slide? What is the fav part of the pool?
Kim