Above ground pools?

Jstas

Ron-P wrote: »

Thanks. Here's the thing, my concrete patio is already a mess, it has some very bad cracks in it thanks to some very big palms that used to be there. And as you know, palm roots do not grow down, but out. So they lifted my slab in several places. Also, I cut two 3'x3' holes in it too add some foliage to. So, if my concrete slab cracks under the weight of the pool, it's no big deal.

It's all going to get removed eventually and replaced with a wood type deck down the road.

I could try to move the pool back into the yard deeper but that means cutting down some of my tropical plants. I'd rather risk the pool damaging the patio than taking out my plants.

OK, dude. Just as long as you are aware of what could happen. I just don't want you being surprised or angry or anything. If you understand and aren't concerned, happy swimming! But if you already cut holes for plants, why not bust out a section so the pool can lay flat?

SDA1C

Jstas wrote: »

Dude, a few bags of sand?

A 12' circle with enough sand to level it (about 3-4" deep)? That's about 16,286 square inches. Or around 113.1 square feet. Add that to a dept of 3" and you have 48,858 cubic inches. Or 28.275 cubic feet. If a single 30 pound bag of sand covers the average of 30 square feet at a 1" depth, that's about 2.5 cubic feet per bag. That's about 12 bags of sand. or 1.1 cubic yards of material At 30 pounds each, that's 360 pounds. You really want to hoof all that yourself?

BTW, you may need 4 inches depending on how lumpy your ground is. I' would dig a 12' by 3" hole, level it out and dump the sand in there to make sure it was flat and level.

not to start an argument just trying to keep it real....a yard of sand weighs anywhere between 2400 and 2900 lbs depending on moisture content.

The kids wanted a pool one year. I had 2 yards of pea gravel delivered to an area already set to dig a fire pit. Leveled the gravel then put a layer of old shag carpet on top then the pool on that. It worked very well. The pool never leaked and had the softest bottom you could imagine. We bought the throw away pool so only planned on it surviving 1 year. It lasted 3 years but had to replace the carpet each time we set it up. After it died we dug our pit and threw a few logs around it...voila!

Ron-P

Jstas wrote: »

OK, dude. Just as long as you are aware of what could happen. I just don't want you being surprised or angry or anything. If you understand and aren't concerned, happy swimming! But if you already cut holes for plants, why not bust out a section so the pool can lay flat?

Yeah, I thought about that and may even do that, to part of the edge

Looking over my yard this morning, not too many plants would have to come out to move it back almost or completely off the concrete. So, I may just do some trimming, maybe even relocate a few plants and put this thing 100% on dirt. This way I have no worries, just a bit more work before set up.

Thanks again Steve, for the info. I'll be getting my read on over the next several days so come Wednesday I can set this thing up, hopefully, and do some swimming.

Ron-P

So here it is...

I went out with my tape and did some measuring. If I remove a clump of 3 young King Palms, no more than 4' tall and a large clump of Giant Birds of Paradise I am in the clear and the pool will sit 100% on dirt and give me about 6" before the concrete patio.

I'm stoked, now I don't have to worry about the pool resting on two different surfaces.

steveinaz

There you go, it's alot of work--so why not do it right. It would drive you nuts to have that pool partially on the patio. Can't wait to see some pics.

Pick up a clear solar cover ($89 bucks maybe) and you'll get that water warmed up alot faster. Probably 2-3 degrees a day. Evaporation is responsible for about 75% of temp loss.

Temps generally run like this:

78-82...pretty darn cool water
83-85...cool/refreshing
86-88...slightly cool to warm
89>...very warm

85-88 is ideal for dry climates; high humidity areas would probably prefer 82-84.

Ron-P

I got the solar cover already. It's just sitting here....waiting.

I have to say a big...

THANK YOU!

...to all you guys for all your help in this. It's really helped a lot. I'd be pretty darn lost with this thing.

steveinaz

You're welcome bud. Email me if you run into any problems. Enjoy!

disneyjoe7

steveinaz wrote: »

That's about it: We use bleach, Borax, baking soda (the 3 Bs)...

Here's mine 3's

Big ****,Babes, Blue pool.

steveinaz

oh yeah cap'n.

Ron-P

All my chemicals seem like there at good levels, but, the water is slightly cloudy. Nothing major but I cannot seem to get it to fully clear up. Tips or suggestions please. I'm guessing it's from the sunblock everyone puts on just before jumping in.

tonyb

Salt water pools is the way to go these days.

steveinaz

Cloudy water is usually associated with high Total Alkalinity (TA) numbers, or unchecked high pH. It can aslo be calcium precipitating into the water, or even possibly "bleached" algae.

Check your pH and balance (7.4 -7.6, 7.5 being ideal)
Check your TA and adjust to 80-120ppm (If high, knock pH down to 6 with acid, then aireate to ratchet TA down, while brnging pH back up to normal level. Repeat as neccessary).
Check your CC (combined chlorine) CC=TC-FC (TC=Total Chlorine/FC=Free Chlorine) if above .5ppm, SHOCK the pool.

Notes:
-TA can be kept much lower if you have a salt pool (60-80ppm)
-Remember, CYA (stabilzer) levels will determine how much free chlorine you should have. CYA while protecting chlorine from the sun, also "binds" some of it, making it unavailable for sanitizing---so the higher your CYA, the higher your chlorine levels should be. Never let CYA get above 80ppm; you may suffer "chlorine lock" and a green pool.

tonyb

While visiting my friends in Florida, they had installed an inground pool/hotub, saltwater, practically nothing to do to maintain it either. Pool tech has come along way. He has a system that automatically monitors the pool,chlorine/salt levels, temperture, filter, and automatically adds whatever it needs while telling you all by remote. The only thing they do is rinse out the filter when it tells them to, or add salt to a container when it tells them to. Thats it. He said he had more to do with a regular hottub up here in chicago. The remote is sweet, turn on the hottub, jets, lights, all at your fingertips while being able to monitor all the technicals of the pool. If your in a climate for year round swimming, I'd definately look into one of these systems.

It eliminates everything Steve posted prior to keeping up with a pool, it does it all for you. Granted, everything Steve said is correct when it comes to pools, but most don't want the hassles associated with it. These newer saltwater systems rock, and yes, I've had both above ground and in-ground pools myself. These are by far the most enjoyable systems to operate and swim in.

steveinaz

If we build another pool, it will definitely be another salt system. Though there are downsides; you have to really concentrate on maintaining proper chemistry in a salt pool to avoid fouling your salt cell---which isn't cheap. The biggest pain is calcium, because the only way to get rid of it is by draining. If you schedule seasonal "partial" drains, it can be a little easier to manage.

Pools are definitely NOT for the lazy or complacent. They are a serious commitment. THE biggest mistake pool owners make, is not buying a good Taylor test kit. That's the best $65 bucks you'll ever spend. People will spend $30 LARGE on a pool, and depend upon a $9 test kit. Taylor test kits actually tell you in ppm (parts per million) where all of your levels are at, except of course pH which is a color match thing.