Underway in NM

[savagesix]

It's not too bad. Four boys jumping all the time too. I turned the auto fill off for the month we had it open and couldn't really tell any measurable loss. The water does go over the front bar of the cover on big splashes.

Also, we paid the extra cash for the hidden lid and the front edge of the cover snugs up nicely to the concrete edge of the deck.

Doing more concrete and rock and patio cover work. I need to get more pictures up

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Does the cover vault not drain back into the pool?

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[STLpool63131]

Thanks for the reply. The pool builder told me that the cover deflects the water. The guy installing the Coverstar cover said "No not really." The builder has my sump pump, which goes off often, and 2 downspouts, deck drains, vault drains all discharging in same spot. Our lots are small. The discharge is at the fence. Our house is uphill from our neighbor. As we near the end of construction I'm worried the water will go directly to their backyard. Now sure what to do about the run off issue at this point!

 

[STLpool63131]

Could you post pictures of the finished vault? I'd like to see if ours is the same or different.
Thanks in advance

 

[savagesix]

Here are some vault pictures. Let me know if you are looking for something specific. I am not sure where the drains in the vault go, I thought I asked but now I can't remember if they are piped somewhere or if they are French drained somehow. I don't think the water goes back into the pool. I should find out, now I am wondering!

J.

 

[savagesix]

Re: Underway in NM, new pics of pool done

Pool is done and we got a few weeks out of it before it got too chilly. Working on more concrete, rockwork, lighting. The window under that patio cover is going to turn into a sliding patio door and I am getting ready to build a 18'x12' pergola where the fireplace is. Also, going to get some gates made up to hide the equipment pad that blend in with the walls. Time and money!

J.

 

[STLpool63131]

Thanks for the pictures. Your pool is beautiful!

 

[pwrstrk]

Looks Great!!

 

[STLpool63131]

Are the coping pieces heavy that cover the vault? Are they difficult to remove to clean the vault area?

 

[savagesix]

They are 24" square and 2.5" inches thick plus some extra lip on the front. Probably 65lbs. Not a fun task getting them out but it is doable. Might need two people to make it easier. I don't see taking them out very often. Maybe check under a couple of them every hear or two? I don't have trees or any vegetation near to produce debris. The access pieces that cover the motor end are smaller and easier to get out to do adjustments or maintenance.

J.

 

[STLpool63131]

I'm sorry to bug you with so many questions. I'm still having issues with the design of our vault. Are the concrete lid covers stable? Have you noticed them tipping toward the pool with kids, etc, jump in at the deep end? How long are the brackets that support the concrete lid pieces? Our builder is telling us that the concrete lids, are heavy and prone to tipping into the pool. He says they are unstable. He also said they always look crooked and never sit flush with the deck. Any input would be appreciated!

 

[savagesix]

No worries on the questions! This place is where I did all my learning during the build process and it saved me a couple thousand dollars on unneeded equipment and kept me from looking like a goober when I was asking the builder questions through the construction.

In one of the pictures above you can see the brackets without all the lid covers on. I will try to get a better picture this weekend. I know this type of lid is not for everyone, I spent some extra, excessive bucks to get it. My wishes were to have a clean, simple looking pool. I do not care for the plastic or aluminium lids I had seen on other pools. Also with those lids, a portion of the cover fabric is always visible when the cover is fully retracted, drives me crazy!

The way this lid ending up being, only the silver edge pole of the cover is visible as it snugs up to the edge of the concrete lid. There is another option of raising up the deck higher and the lids wider and getting the cover edge pole to disappear completely, I wasn't comfortable with the design and the look to make that happen so I settled for the middle of the road option.

The brackets are some pretty serious stainless steel pieces. I imagine they are pricey to get. The brackets are 18"-20" long and are adjustable to level them up and down even after they are anchored into the vault box wall.

Stable? It's not concrete decking, that's for sure. You can tell they are squares of concrete suspended on brackets. My builder did a great job of getting tight seams and leveling the whole lid. Builder asked/recommended for us to not make it habit to have the kids launching off of the lid, I can see over time the downward pressure causing issues. The way my pool is oriented all of the running and jumping comes off of the long side, the lid side is close to the wall and is mostly just a walk around. I left room to put a diving board that wouldn't interfere with the lid if I want to in the future.

We don't walk on the lid much, I stand on it if I am brushing walls, no concerns. If new kids come over and are jumping off it a quick reminder keeps them off.

I can see why builders are not keen on the concrete lids. Things can go wrong or end users might be hard on them. It is something I wanted and my builder did a good job of giving me the pro's and cons. Builder poured us two extra lid cover sections in case anything happens to one of them in the future they will match color and fit.

Ease of access is given up for the look, I like the way it looks and I am comfortable with the extra work.

J.

 

[bobby1017]

Here are what the brackets look like. My brackets also have industrial velcro attached to the brackets and the stones so they "stick" to the brackets. So far even with kids jumping sometimes there has been no problem. They are a bit heavy to move but I never have had to remove them all. I usually put a garden hose on full in one end and the leaves wash down to the drain where I pull them out. In hindsight I wish the vault was made about 4" deeper as the leaves can get stuck against the cover if there are too many, requiring a couple more stones to be removed.

 

[savagesix]

Yep, that's what it looks like, nice pictures! I am not sure if my brackets have those tabs with the slots in them, that probaly helps the stability a little bit and gives you another attachment option. (That sure would be a PITA to undo if you attached them though...)

Thanks for the velcro tip, I might try that this spring. Velcro would help some of the shift/noise when you walk on them.

J.

 

[STLpool63131]

Thanks for all the pictures and info! I'll try to post pictures of my "Ongoing Vault Lid Issue". Builder is using a "New" material. It's a type of waterproof foam/fiber board. Much lighter weight then stone/concrete. Pretty sturdy...but ends can wobble. Our biggest issue right now seems to be in the vault construction. We have a retaining wall that is part of the pool....extends over vault. Had to grind out area in pit to accomodate roller. So roller is low in vault and leadbar stops about 6 inches before vault lid. I now refer to it as my "Pool Cover Garage". Looks awful!! You can see the brackets...grey gunite...etc...YUCK!! The PB is trying to find a solution for us. So love the pool, stone retaining wall, landscape, lights, deck...hate the vault! Guy that installed cover is coming soon to see if track can be extended. Thanks for all help....Ours is a Coverstar cover