Prehistoric Pool Gets Major Remodel in NorCal!

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Here's a technical question for our experts. My SR SMith diving board came with stainless steel bolts and brass nuts. I was surprised at this and would have thought it would use stainless steel nuts, but I will give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt. (Anyone who can shed light on the intentional use of dissimilar metals, please chime in.) I thought about just going out and buying some stainless steel nuts, but then decided maybe there was a reason for it and I shouldn't mess with it. My pool has a SWG and the diving board u frames are special order marine grade 304 stainless steel.

Installation instructions say to use an anti-seize compound on the threads when assembling to prevent galling (well, yeah, but why use dissimilar metals to begin with?). OK, lots of anti-seize compounds at the car parts store. Most of them seem intended for bolting aluminum and steel together. These contain copper, which seems like a bad idea to me. Here is an example: https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...ze-lubricant/80078/4610218?q=Anti+Seize&pos=4 or a smaller container for less money: https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...ze-lubricant/81343/4610251?q=Anti+Seize&pos=2

The only one I see that mentions marine use and stainless steel is nickel based: https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/...ze-lubricant/77124/4610201?q=Anti+Seize&pos=3

But it is only available in a large size for $26. Anyone have any idea which is best, and how to do this without spending more than necessary? If I buy a 16 ounce size, I will probably use less than half an ounce, and I may not live long enough to get another chance to use it.
 
According to Sr Smith, stainless on stainless is prone to galling. That is why brass nuts are included.

They also said that anti-seize is not needed with the SS bolts and brass nuts. The instructions that are included are general and applied to several boards and different hardware. That is why the anti-seize note is there.
 
THanks InyoRob. Did you call SR Smith directly on this question? I have sent them an email, I figured that would be better than calling because more likely to find its way to someone who knows the actual answer.

Surprising to me that they would recommend brass nuts on stainless bolts without anti-seize. They are definitely going to seize up and never come off. Maybe that is part of the intention? You will never have to worry about them working loose. I guess I would never need to unbolt until I replace the Board, which will hopefully last a really, really long time.
 
I was stalled for most of last week waiting on the travertine paver crew. It was agonizing, looking at my beautiful new pool surrounded by bare dirt. Finally got the guys on Saturday and they have been making up for lost time - they worked Saturday and Sunday and have been going to town all day today.

Saturday was 99 degrees here and I had a house full of kids that HAD to get in that pool. Travertine guys were slaving away, and I felt bad for the guys working in the heat but dying to get this done. I did keep them watered, and at the end of day, beered.

My two kids and their two cousins couldn't decide who got to get in first, so we did a count down and they all went in at once:

IMG_4255 (2)_Moment of Entry.jpg

Water felt awesome. Here is what it looks like right now:

IMG_4263 Travertine Monday.JPG

We are getting really close! This Saturday is my birthday, and I am planning a Grand Opening for the pool!
 
Thanks! Both the pool builder and pool service said it was fine to go in after 7 days. My chemicals have been very stable since day 3. I went in on the eighth day, but really only to have a close up look. The photo I posted of the kids going in was after 14 days. I told the kids no torpedos or anything metal in the pool. The water is a bit cold - I am holding off on putting the solar cover on until they are done on the travertine. That should be in a couple days, and we should be in full operation by this weekend, 21 days.
 

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The paving looks amazing! Almost done. Great to see the kids enjoying it. You have probably already noticed but all the work around the pool will make it cloudy. Took me a couple of days last week to figure out why my pool didn’t look as great since numbers were good... then it clicked it was all the dust from grinding the edge of the raised side of the pool. Doh!
 
Thanks! Actually, I have been really worried about the stone dust but so far it hasn't been bad. We haven't had much wind and the guys generally do the cutting a little ways away from the pool. Parts of my yard look like an absolute industrial scale stone yard, but the pool water is as clear as ever:

Water Tuesday IMG_4264.jpg

The ripples you see are from the returns, I have the pump turned about pretty high since i just brushed. I have been brushing twice a day, running the pump 24/7 and running the Polaris a couple hours in the afternoon around their quitting time, and I vacuumed a couple times. But I think not much dust has been getting in to begin with.

The part that has me really worried is when they sweep polymeric sand into the grout lines. I definitely don't want that stuff getting into the pool. Probably happening tomorrow.
 
PrehistoricPool said:
The part that has me really worried is when they sweep polymeric sand into the grout lines. I definitely don't want that stuff getting into the pool. Probably happening tomorrow.
Click to expand...

Make your concern crystal clear to the foreman, ideally with the whole crew standing right there, so they can all hear it. Have the foreman translate on the spot if any of the workers are not english speaking. Then stand out there and watch them like a hawk. A little prevention will be worth a pound of cure (or a bag of sand, in this case)...

Your pool is looking amazing. I love those three colors together (deck, tile, water). Fantastic job!!!
 
If u look at my thread u can see what I did when I sanded. I went down my buddy’s shop and took huge pieces of cardboard. I cut them into wall pieces. Blue taped them to my coping to make a wall literally all around my pool. About 18 inches high. Took me hours to put it up and get it to stay up with supports on pool side. We were able to sweep the sand and nothing got in the pool. Anything extra sat up against my retaining wall of cardboard. I then took a blower to what was up against the cardboard before I took it down. Nothing in pool. Just took time on my part. My buddy thought I was nuts but he liked that it worked. Made our lives way easier when we swept the joints.

edit: my bad i used duct tape. blue tape didn't work when i think of it now. but get he duct tape off quick so it doesn't mark. i remember that now. i had no marks. came off great but it wan't very hot either.

Untitled by Jim, on Flickr

here is the pic. it worked believe it or not.
 
Jim, that method of keeping the sand out of the pool is awesome. I went with the more basic "make clear your expectations and watch them like a hawk method."

This was mostly successful. ( I was not able to watch them the whole time, because, surprisingly to some, working from home doesn't mean you don't work!)

I say mostly because something got in the pool today, and I expect it was the polymeric sand. Not a whole lot. It was sticky at all. It looked just like regular sand. I brushed most of it down the drain, then got out the vacuum and got the rest. I wonder if the pool water just dissolved all the polymer in the polymeric sand? It was only a handful in 25,000 gallon pool. I'm a little nervous in case it gums up my pump or filter now.

I think I will have the pool service inspect the pump and filter next week and if there is polymeric sand gumming it up I am going to take it up with the paver contractor. I am sending him an email tonight alerting him to issue.

Travertine getting sealed tomorrow, that should really bring out the color.
 
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