Fence install began later in the week with the delivery of supplies. The installation began in earnest the day after and will probably take a few days to complete. The installers are using a stand behind dozer to move material around. It also has a auger drill attachment to drill down for the fence posts. The fence is around four feet high, so maybe it will act as a minor deterrence to the deer that like to feast on our landscaping.
Our Lake Fortress
Our adventures building the house of our dreams.
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Containing the Pool
Monday, September 23, 2024
Finally Swimming
The day has finally come. The Jandy rep showed up and, with Eli, performed the last of the setup on the filtration system. This involved connecting the system to my network, setting up the bubbler valve actuator, turning on the pump and heater, and setting various speeds for the variable speed pump. The pump will run at one speed while the heater is on, which is specific to the heat exchange rate of the heater and my system. Another speed for general filtration. Since we have a variable speed pump, we can run the pump at lower rpms, but for 24 hours a day, to save on electrical cost and wear on the pump. Lastly, a speed for when the bubbler is turned on, since more flow is required for that water circuit. The entire setup took a few hours, but in the end, I was left with a fully functioning pool and the kids took no time jumping in.
The lights are controlled via the iAqualink app. With the lights we got, there are a dozen preset colors we can choose some and a hand full of color cycling programs. Although they're RGB LEDs, we don't get infinite color control, which is a little disappointing. Jandy does sell another system that has a color wheel interface and I'm not sure why they software limit these to set colors. The other odd thing about these lights is that they have to cycle to the color you pick, so if your desired color is 8th in the list, it always has to cycle through seven colors before it changes to the color you desire.
The bubbler valve is set up to always pump a little water, to circulate water on the sunshelf. It's not enough to introduce a lot of air, but it does make a nice gurgling water sound. When I turn the bubbler on with the app, it creates a foot high plume of water. The kids love it and it makes a really nice atmosphere in conjunction with the lights.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Plaster Done. Just Add Water
Day two saw the completion of the plaster and filling of the pool with water. The plaster crew arrived early in the morning as per the usual but with a much smaller team of three. They removed all of the plaster in the settling pond and power and acid washed the pool plaster. They finished their work right before the water trucks showed up and started to set up. By the end of the day, the pool was filled with water. The temperature of the first truck of water was not too cold at 71 degrees so I'm sure we'll be at least taking a quick dip in it tonight.
Here's how much of the pool that was filled after the first 9000 gallons. It took a good 15-20 minutes to pump the water out of the truck, and maybe an hour or so for the round trip to get it filled back up and pumping again.
One more shot of the pool color with all the water added.
Tomorrow will see the start up of the pool filtration, heater, and all the automation software connected. A representative from Jandy will be on site to get it set up and running and I'll start all the initial pool water care.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Plaster Day 1
Plaster day commenced bright and early on Tuesday and completed before lunch. The plaster crew was already setting up when I was getting the kids ready for school. They worked full tilt using two of our hose bibs for water supply and didn't stop until they were done. Tomorrow they'll return to power wash the surface to expose the aggregate and clean up loose plaster, then water will quickly follow around noon. It won't be long now until we're finally swimming.
The plaster around the pool return fitting is a little rougher than the tiles, but I think there will be another jet that screws into the fitting to clean up the appearance.
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Pool Electrical Done
The end of the week saw the completion of the electrical work for the pool. The gas is still awaiting to be inspected by the city for proper installation and inspections are only on Tuesday and Thursday, so that will happen next Tuesday. Plaster is slated for that same Tuesday with water in on Wednesday so we'll be swimming by the middle of next week, if we don't mind swimming in super cold water.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Wrapping up the Big Stuff
This continue to push forward, quickly to the finish with Eli's crew finishing up all the retaining walls and grading. Initial gas and electrical inspections have passed and the trenches have been filled in. Everything is tidy and all the big equipment is gone. The crew expertly graded everything they touched, not just in the back yard. The areas around the driveway have been used for boulder storage and a pathway for the heavy equipment. The Tango Pools equipment trailer has been parked next to the swingset for the better part of a month and the initial dump of boulders have torn up the grass in the street. Everything was made right with smooth grading and strawmat at the street to help protect the grass seed. Tango Pools has provided once of the most professional jobs we've experienced at the house and it has been a pleasure to work with them. It's not all done yet though, as gas and electrical need final hook up and inspection, plaster is still scheduled to go in next week, and we have to get a pool fence and water in before we can finally take a swim.