Yes: Pools are worth it....

[Quagmire 2,148]

Holy shit indeed , 2 years ? I’d be fuming , my 7 months drove me nuts .

[TexEx15 17,951]

11 hours ago, Brew said:

Travertine for the patio area finally showed up after 6 or so months. Looks like we’re finally in the home stretch almost 2 years after digging a hole. Hopefully inside a week or so we’ll be able to put out the furniture that’s been sitting in the garage for months, get the TV installed, and snap a somewhat completed project picture and be almost done with this phase. We’re still waiting on the shake shingles to replace the temp shingles, but that is what it is at this point.

 

Where are you at? I’d have to water the shit out of my grass right now here in Austin to keep it that nice.

[Brew 3,049]

4 hours ago, Quagmire said:

Holy shit indeed , 2 years ? I’d be fuming , my 7 months drove me nuts .

To be fair the pool and 2000 square feet of patios were done in about 5 months. The building has been the delayed part. It started 3-4 months after the pool finished and has been mostly done for 6+ months now, just waiting on floor and finishing items and parts for the gas lines.

1 hour ago, TexEx15 said:

Where are you at? I’d have to water the shit out of my grass right now here in Austin to keep it that nice.

TN, rained once in 6 weeks since starting on putting out about 50 rolls of sod. He spread it out over 3 different installation times to help, but sprinklers have been running for the last month and a half. We are finishing up an addition, moving all drainage underground, and reshaping some areas also, so we have new sod all over the place.

[milkman 428]

So my pool builder is coming for pool school in a few days. It has taken them three weeks! I have some finish concerns mainly related to plaster overspray on the glass tile. Is this to be expected or should I have them scrub it clean? They also conveniently forgot to install the lid for the auto fill when they poured the pool deck. Do they make a lid that will retrofit into concrete?

[Poolflood 845]

9 hours ago, milkman said:

So my pool builder is coming for pool school in a few days. It has taken them three weeks! I have some finish concerns mainly related to plaster overspray on the glass tile. Is this to be expected or should I have them scrub it clean? They also conveniently forgot to install the lid for the auto fill when they poured the pool deck. Do they make a lid that will retrofit into concrete?

Tell them to clean plaster ovwrspray.  Should be able to take off.  They should provide lid.  If acrylic spray deck, they should paint to match as well.

[milkman 428]

They poured the decking without the collar in place.

[PantsTent 2,005]

I mean, I don't think it's unreasonable for you to request the builder to fix any of their fuck ups!

[Poolflood 845]

3 hours ago, milkman said:

They poured the decking without the collar in place.

Well that's unfortunate.   They have to fix that shit. 

[Herbie Hancock 7,491]

This heat is killing my chemicals. First month I didn’t have to touch my autochlorinator and used the same amount of shock and acid. I’ve increased chlorine 3 times in the last two weeks, doubled my acid and almost doubled my shock. Oh and my water is 91 degrees. Fuck this

[milkman 428]

This heat is killing my chemicals. First month I didn’t have to touch my autochlorinator and used the same amount of shock and acid. I’ve increased chlorine 3 times in the last two weeks, doubled my acid and almost doubled my shock. Oh and my water is 91 degrees. Fuck this

I'm still trying to figure out how to take care of my pool...my pool company has been less than helpful! Need to figure out how my chiller works as my pool is 91 degrees!

A pool beer solves all the problems!

[Okie State 3,889]

My pool has been staying surprisingly cool. Still probably 86-87 degrees, but feels cooler to me sometimes. Gets shade in the morning and evenings, but still figured these mid day temps would put it in the 90's. I have been running the pump 24 hours at different speeds as suggested on here and that seems to have cooled it down some.

[Quagmire 2,148]

So question , I have a pentair pump. When it starts up it goes into high speed then slowly throttles down to the speed it’s set at. Do they all do this now ? My last pump didn’t but was about 10 years older .

[Okie State 3,889]

So question , I have a pentair pump. When it starts up it goes into high speed then slowly throttles down to the speed it’s set at. Do they all do this now ? My last pump didn’t but was about 10 years older .

My Hayward does as well. It's priming the pump and you can set how long it does it each time.

[Quagmire 2,148]

Ok I’ll look into it, problem I have is sometimes when the water may be a bit low the high suction at startup sucks in some air when it drains the skimmer from sucking so hard (that’s what she said )

[Elvis 3,437]

This is a great product if you don't have an integrated filler.

https://www.amazon.com/Fill-Matic-2000-swimming-leveler/dp/B07B2NQG2D

[lonestar3 274]

So excited for this to be done. Plaster next week and then swim time. Getting a little privacy/tv wall thrown up on the left side of the pic. Gonna be a lot of football watching from the pool.

[Brew 3,049]

If my tile gets sealed this week as planned, furniture can go in and we’re done. TV, hotspot, and mantle all should go in this week also.

[Brew 3,049]

Hasn’t rained but 1-2 times since the end of May here, now we need 3 days with no rain to seal everything according to the tile guy this morning. Next 10 days, rain projected 5 out of 10 of those days. Doubt it rains a drop.

[BTW 370]

Here are some after pics for the project.  We started last September and have been swimming since Easter.  Pavilion/outdoor kitchen have recently been completed.  Sectional in the pavilion is incomplete because after waiting 6 months for it to arrive 2/3 pieces showed up damaged, hoping its not Christmas before the replacements arrive.

 

Obviously, there are some odds and ends to be addressed, but I'm looking very forward to spending Saturdays out here this fall.

[Dahobbs 18,324]

1 hour ago, BTW said:

Here are some after pics for the project.  We started last September and have been swimming since Easter.  Pavilion/outdoor kitchen have recently been completed.  Sectional in the pavilion is incomplete because after waiting 6 months for it to arrive 2/3 pieces showed up damaged, hoping its not Christmas before the replacements arrive.

 

Obviously, there are some odds and ends to be addressed, but I'm looking very forward to spending Saturdays out here this fall.

Dude, you do all that and then pair it with like a 42 inch TV? Come on, get it together man!

[BTW 370]

I know scale is hard to determine on the photo, but that’s 65”

[Dahobbs 18,324]

2 minutes ago, BTW said:

I know scale is hard to determine on the photo, but that’s 65”

Those are rookie numbers. You got to pump those up! And that setup is dying for at least two more TVs. How you going to watch the game with a beer in the pool or hot tub? You got another wall right next to the pool just begging for a 75 incher. 

Edited August 3, 2022 by Dahobbs

[Guest]

2 hours ago, BTW said:

Here are some after pics for the project.  We started last September and have been swimming since Easter.  Pavilion/outdoor kitchen have recently been completed.  Sectional in the pavilion is incomplete because after waiting 6 months for it to arrive 2/3 pieces showed up damaged, hoping its not Christmas before the replacements arrive.

 

Obviously, there are some odds and ends to be addressed, but I'm looking very forward to spending Saturdays out here this fall.

Is this Austin? All that's in my wheelhouse. 

Seems like the higher the price goes, the more homes turn into monstrosities -- multiple stories, all sorts of "fancy" bullshit. What I really want is private, easy to maintain (one story, simple design, metal roof), and open. Simple, but nice. You've got that look. The outdoor kitchen is way more than I'd ever use but love the "courtyard" feel of it all.

[BTW 370]

Thanks.

This is in Midland. Where the higher the (oil) price goes the more they turn into absurd monstrosities. Our house definitely stands out here because most houses tend to lean toward the McMansion vibe.

We were going for a tranquil vibe in the backyard because so much around us is desolate.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, BTW said:

Thanks.

This is in Midland. Where the higher the (oil) price goes the more they turn into absurd monstrosities. Our house definitely stands out here because most houses tend to lean toward the McMansion vibe.

We were going for a tranquil vibe in the backyard because so much around us is desolate.

Never in a million years would have guessed Midland. Was thinking Austin or somewhere in California. 

Again, really, really like the vibe.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,803]

3 hours ago, BTW said:

Thanks.

This is in Midland. Where the higher the (oil) price goes the more they turn into absurd monstrosities. Our house definitely stands out here because most houses tend to lean toward the McMansion vibe.

We were going for a tranquil vibe in the backyard because so much around us is desolate.

The grass doesn't reflect the Midland I remember

[Your Mom 4,974]

Love the wood deck. Looks great. 

[Quagmire 2,148]

What’s that house in the yard ? Pool house ? Shop ? Gang bang area ?

[BTW 370]

That's a guest house that was there when we bought the house.  We redid it in 2020, it's just a bedroom/bathroom/ kitchenet, but it kind of functions as a pool house as well

[Dutchrudder 11,243]

We finished 99% of the pool, kitchen and bathroom project, so I went ahead with the landscaping plan and they started work today. Our backyard is entirely fenced in with wood, so nobody can really see it, including the HOA. So I'm having the landscaper remove the crappy Bermuda 419 grass and replacing it with Bermuda TifTuf all around the back yard, and leveling/grading the land properly. Our yard was an unlevel mess when we moved in, and I have been wanting to fix it for a while. 

We are adding some flowerbeds behind the pool and kitchen area with some Japanese Yews and Japanese Blueberry trees along the back line. Then adding some shrubs and colorful plants in front with ligustrums up front for flowers. It's all very low maintenance, and it doesn't drop much leaves or flowers so it shouldn't impact the pool water.  On the strip of land between the side fence and bathroom, I'm adding a putting green and running turf around the back of our fire pit area.  That should be plenty of room for a Cornhole set, ring toss, horseshoes or bocce ball.

I'll post some pics as it progresses, right now it's just dirt as they remove the old stuff. I spent a lot of time trying to find the plants I wanted for the right colors and look, so I'll share all that once it's done. I'm sure others will be inspired or horrified by it. Should be done in 2 weeks or so, but I can't wait to teach my 3 year old how to play putt putt

 

Spoiler

 

[Herbie Hancock 7,491]

Www.poolsuppliessuperstore.com is having another sale. DryTec 68% shock 24lbs for $99. Doheny’s 3” tabs 50lbs for $229. Any order over $100 gets free shipping.

[UpperWestside 6,278]

My brother has his own pool cleaning business back in Texas that he started during late 2020. He is doing really well even with some of the increasing costs of doing business. One of his customers has an extra house and they let him take our mom and his family out there on the weekends to go swimming and BBQ. He has got it pretty good right now.

[Buzzrock 15,136]

Some of the recent pictures I’ve seen just further cement my opinion that you should put the pool as close to the house as possible. It will greatly increase how much you use it and the enjoyment you get. It’s the one thing I would change (that I can’t change) about mine.

[Buzzrock 15,136]

I'm still trying to figure out how to take care of my pool...my pool company has been less than helpful! Need to figure out how my chiller works as my pool is 91 degrees!

A pool beer solves all the problems!

https://www.troublefreepool.com/blog/

[Slacks 7,064]

I'm running out of time...  

[kmac30 416]

I have variable speed pump. When would I ride it mid or low vs high?

[Poolflood 845]

2 minutes ago, kmac30 said:

I have variable speed pump. When would I ride it mid or low vs high?

Run mine 24/7. 6 @ high heat of the day.  Another 3 hrs either side of that at medium.   All the rest at 25%

[Mother mopar 3,386]

I have variable speed pump. When would I ride it mid or low vs high?

Ours is a Variable speed and I run it mid-speed (1750 RPM) which is optimal for an industrial motor and it's on from 8 am - 8 pm.

[Dahobbs 18,324]

28 minutes ago, kmac30 said:

I have variable speed pump. When would I ride it mid or low vs high?

Run mine 21 hours at 1300 rpm, 3 hours at 2000 rpm. 

[Brew 3,049]

Pool company set ours at 12 hours on high and 12 at 25%. I run it at 75% 24/7 on the summer and 50% during the winter. Everyone I know that has it changing constantly burns pumps up.

[Quagmire 2,148]

Why run the pump 24/7?

[Amos Moses 795]

I have variable speed pump. When would I ride it mid or low vs high?

I run my 80% 12 hours and 50 % for 12 hours (9-9).

[Brew 3,049]

1 hour ago, Quagmire said:

Why run the pump 24/7?

Partially to help cool the pool down at night during the summer, partially because I see/hear pump failure stories with running variable. I’ve had zero pump issues with the last two pools, so I just let it run. 

[milkman 428]

I have variable speed pump. When would I ride it mid or low vs high?

My pool builder set mine to run from 8am - 10pm at 2850rpm. Seems high but they claim it's what works best. I have been asking them how I can setup two different schedules with a lower rpm and they say that's not recommended? I'm using the pentair ScreenLogic app which you can setup multiple schedules but you cannot tie the pump rpm to the schedule.

[Mother mopar 3,386]

My pool builder set mine to run from 8am - 10pm at 2850rpm. Seems high but they claim it's what works best. I have been asking them how I can setup two different schedules with a lower rpm and they say that's not recommended? I'm using the pentair ScreenLogic app which you can setup multiple schedules but you cannot tie the pump rpm to the schedule.

What's the data plate say on your motor? It should have a spot for RPM on it. I ask as that seems high but maybe you have a large pool which requires a lot of turnover.

[milkman 428]

What's the data plate say on your motor? It should have a spot for RPM on it. I ask as that seems high but maybe you have a large pool which requires a lot of turnover.

Here is the plate. Pool isn't that big....the paperwork shows around 15,000 gallons

[Herbie Hancock 7,491]

Pool builder set ours to run at 3300 for the first week, said I could turn it down to 2850 after that if I wanted to. 21k gallons

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,803]

12 hours ago, Quagmire said:

Why run the pump 24/7?

If you have a VSP it will save you money.

The entire goal of pool pumps if to turnover the water. I like to target ~2-3 times a day during swim season and 1 time a day during off season. The pump needs to be running during the heat of the day to combat algae and for salt cell generation if have one.  Electricity costs during the day are much higher than night.  Also a pump running at 30% is far more energy efficient than running at 90% (Pump Affinity Law).

So ideally you want to run during the day at lowest "high" speed you can to work salt cell and/or combat chlorine loss / algae issues.  Then run as low as possible for remaining hours (which happen to be cheaper electricity rate hours) to achieve the daily water turnover rate you are looking to achieve (2-3x during season).

 

[Quagmire 2,148]

That makes sense if you have a time of use plan for electricity but I never sign up for those .

Been doing 10 hrs during swim season and 5 during winter , never had problems if my
Chemicals are in check

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,803]

33 minutes ago, Quagmire said:

That makes sense if you have a time of use plan for electricity but I never sign up for those .

Been doing 10 hrs during swim season and 5 during winter , never had problems if my
Chemicals are in check

Would still save money if run 24hrs at lower speed. Costs about 10x more to run at 100% vs 50%.

So running 24hrs instead of 10hrs save you at least 50% on your electricity costs.