OB Fiberglass Pool in South Florida

[Tym2Fish]

T,
Thanks much for the info... 6-8 weeks. I guess on the plus side it's way better than when I built the house last year. I'll be getting bids out soon but this is definitely on the critical path. Mind if I ask about the supplier? Who did you bid? Cemex and Titan are major suppliers around here but there are several other smaller players I'm getting positive references on. I'll be looking for ~30 yd.

Chris

My guy was a small local guy. Only works Palm Beach County. I talked to three and he was right in the middle price-wise. The choice was easy when I figured out he was the only guy in South Florida that had ever seen a fiberglass pool. Oddly every other house here has a pool but no one does fiberglass. A lot of the reason I'm building it myself is because I couldn't find anyone else to do it. I'll take experience over money on a job like this any day.

 

[Tym2Fish]

Finished the plumbing on Thursday and did the electrical on Friday. Fairly simple stuff other than my 2 speed pump has a toggle switch on the back that is supposed to control the speed but unfortunately there's not enough room inside the cover to put connectors on the blades of the switch so it's useless. I'll either have to find a different way to rig a switch or just pull the cover each time I want to go from low to high. The pool is fairly small and the 1 1/2hp pump seems like overkill. On high it seems a little dangerous to get in.

Yesterday I began the SLAM process and did an initial test on the water just because I was curious. Pool store opens at 10am so I'll go get a couple more jugs and keep the level up. Currently the pool is green but it's nice to see the water circulating. For anyone curious, I turned on the pump exactly 2 months after moving the first shovel full of dirt. And that's with Christmas, New Year's and a colonoscopy in the timeframe. It's certainly a doable project if you've got the time to put into it.

Now I have to finish up some plumbing to a few hose bibs, run the electrical for the outlets on the patio and build a gate and I should be ready to call for final inspection. Big thanks to everyone on TFP for the help during construction.

 

[kimkats]

I can't wait to see the water clear and you floating in it with an adult drink in hand!

 

[Tym2Fish]

Me too!

 

[Tym2Fish]

Hoping I can get a little help here. I've got a ProClean filter and it's been running for about a week. I've noticed a leak at the top between the lid and the housing. I pulled the lid, turned it 180 degrees and it was still leaking. I pulled it, cleaned it, and coated the o ring around it in silicon grease and it's still leaking. It's leaking in the same place on the housing no matter which way I turn the lid (although that side is the lowest spot as it's on a graded slab). I don't feel anything inside or outside of the housing that could be causing it.

FYI, here's the filter: Proclean Filter - I've got a call into them and waiting to hear back.

 

[Newdude]

Any chance there is debris in the upper O-Ring channel ? If you're not paying attention (ask me how I know), you naturally set the top down while working on the rest of it, and the previous lube on the underside of the top is a gunk magnet. It'll pick up sand, dirt, mulch, small gravel or whatever else you have near the pad. If you're STILL not paying attention (again, ask me how I know. ) you put the O-Ring in the bottom housing and put the dirty top back on.

I have to make a conscious effort to put my lid down gently on its side so as to not damage the pressure gauge on top.

 

[Tym2Fish]

Thanks for the reply. The o ring is on the lid and goes around a couple of inches from the bottom. I thought the same thing but this design won't allow that to happen. Also, I set it down upside down as the top is flat. I cleaned the inside, took the o ring off the lid and cleaned it, replaced the o ring and lubed it and put the lid back on but it's still leaking. The only thing I can think of is a bad housing but maybe there's something I'm not seeing here. Hopefully these guys will get back to me soon.

 

[kimkats]

The only thing I would do is take the o-ring OUT and lube it all the way around THEN put it back in the top. May not work but can't hurt.

 

[Tym2Fish]

I had the same thought and I did try that the second time but it's still leaking. I just received an email from them and they think it's a bad housing. Sounds like I might be getting a new filter.

 

[Newdude]

It's a longshot but try and get a credit instead and get a larger filter. It will last a generation (or 2) and will save you many cleanings in the long run.

 

[Tym2Fish]

I'll check and see if that's an option.

 

[setsailsoon]

Take a photo of the housing from the top. Then zoom in to look for cracks on the magnified photo. It's amazing how this can find micro cracks. I've used this technique for pump housing, gas valve connections, and filter housings several times.

 

[Tym2Fish]

Thanks. I'll give that a shot.

 

[Tym2Fish]

Below my coping I've got some rough concrete where it meets the fiberglass. If I caulk it the bead will be quite wide (1" - 1 1/2" would be my guess). I've read here about the preferred caulk types but I'm wondering if it's my best option. If anyone could chime in it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tym2Fish]

Maybe I should try to chip away the concrete and fill the gap?

 

[kimkats]

That idea worries me as I would be the one that chips at it and pokes a hole in the fiberglass NOT a good idea! I would try the chalk idea or just leave it alone. Most people will not even notice it!