I put in a Pool

[Larro Darro]

Looks great duckhunter. If it had been at my house the last two weeks, the rain would have filled it for you. My boss in Blounstown talked to the fire chief about filling hers. [we have one paid fireman, everyone is volunteers] He sent one of the part time policemen around to do it. She has a hydrant in front of her house, and all he had to do was bring extra hoses. They were finished in just a little while.

 

[ustmd]

Duckhunter,

I don't know if you have heard about A Swimming Pool and Spa Care Forum • Trouble Free Pool. I highly recommend it. It is a site like tractorbynet, but for pools. Great advice, lots of experts--they helped me recover a pool that had had an algae problem for 18 months--without spending $$$$ at the pool store (they recommend using bleach, baking soda and borax to maintain your pool).

 

[EddieWalker]

Nails and screws are both classified as fasteners and not rated for any load bearing uses. Basically, they hold the wood in place, but only if the wood is resting on other wood. Just like your joists are resting on top of your beams.

I either notch or bolt my beams to the posts. If you notch, you can screw them in since the load is on the wood below the beam. I use bolts anyway, but usually downsize to 3/8's instead of half inch. If it was me, I would put two half inch bolts on each post, going all the way through the beams on either side of the posts.

I read a recent article in Fine Home Building magazine that said that bolts are no longer allowed as code in some areas. According to the article, you either have to notch the post, block it or use approved brackets. The reason bolts are not allowed is that sometimes the wood splits at the bolt. I can see this being a concern for commercial work, but for residential, I think bolts are fine.

Bracing isn't required, but it does give a lot of strength to your posts. One 2x4 from the top of a corner post to the bottom of another post will create a very strong triangle and not allow that post to move to, or away from that direction. Doing the same at 90 degrees will lock that post in place. All structures move. The more they move, the faster they wear out. With decks, you usually see nails coming out of the deck board first because of this movement. If screws are used, it's a lot harder to notice the movement unless it's so bad that something cracks.

Hot dipped half inch galvanized bolts 8 inches long with washers on both ends should guarantee that you never have any issues.

Eddie

 

[PRF]

That's going to be so much more fun than the small one!

It must have taken quite some time to fill with the hoses. One thing you can do is check with any local milk haulers. I have one that will bring water for a very reasonable fee - sure cuts down on filling time and saves wear and tear on your pump.

We're one of those milk haulers who also fills pools in the Summer. My grandfather started it as a side business in 1955.. Looks like you did a great job on it !! That's about 14,000 gallons of water!

If anyone's interested in how we came to fill pools, and the beginnings of private bulk milk hauling we have a little website. Hope I'm allowed to link it, and sorry if I'm not..

Rapid Dairy Transport, Inc.

 

[MossRoad]

Duckhunter,

I don't know if you have heard about A Swimming Pool and Spa Care Forum • Trouble Free Pool. I highly recommend it. It is a site like tractorbynet, but for pools. Great advice, lots of experts--they helped me recover a pool that had had an algae problem for 18 months--without spending $$$$ at the pool store (they recommend using bleach, baking soda and borax to maintain your pool).

I also used that forum to learn a lot. Great resource for a pool owner! :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Nice looking pool Duckhunter! :thumbsup:

We have a similar sized pool. I've had to fill it from empty three time due to:
1. Initial installation about 15 years ago.
2. New liner after moles undermined the pool and it burst (not fun).
3. New pool last year (the original was a 15 year old previously used free pool someone gave us and started rusting after 30 years).

I found that if I put three garden hoses on it wide open, our well pump would stay on and maintain about 30 psi steady and not cycle off and on. It takes just about 17 hours to fill the 12,500 gallon pool. So, it was a two day job since you don't want it to run overnight. Everyone's well is different. Ours is 4" and can produce 15-20 gpm all day long when wide open.

Volunteer FD used to bring water out in our area for a donation. They ceased that due to insurance liability.

As for our pool, I converted it to salt water about 4 years ago and am very happy with the results. When I open our pool, I top off the water, add about 2 bags of solar salt, 5-6 gallons of household bleach, some CYA and off I go. No more chemicals all year long. I only have to add salt if the pool overflows from rain and dilutes it. I have to add water due to evaporation when it drops more than two inches from my full line. Otherwise it throws the salt balance too high. No algae since I converted to salt water. Soft water. Same salt concentration as human tears. I recommend it highly. The salt water chloring generator uses electricity, but I don't have to mess with chemicals all year. Its a good trade off for me. At winterization, I wait until the water drops below 50 degrees during the day. I drain it below the plumbing, add 5-6 gallons of bleach and put the cover on. That's it.

Enjoy your pool!

 

[PRF]

Nice looking pool Duckhunter! :thumbsup:

We have a similar sized pool. I've had to fill it from empty three time due to:
1. Initial installation about 15 years ago.
2. New liner after moles undermined the pool and it burst (not fun).
3. New pool last year (the original was a 15 year old previously used free pool someone gave us and started rusting after 30 years).

I found that if I put three garden hoses on it wide open, our well pump would stay on and maintain about 30 psi steady and not cycle off and on. It takes just about 17 hours to fill the 12,500 gallon pool. So, it was a two day job since you don't want it to run overnight. Everyone's well is different. Ours is 4" and can produce 15-20 gpm all day long when wide open.

Volunteer FD used to bring water out in our area for a donation. They ceased that due to insurance liability.

As for our pool, I converted it to salt water about 4 years ago and am very happy with the results. When I open our pool, I top off the water, add about 2 bags of solar salt, 5-6 gallons of household bleach, some CYA and off I go. No more chemicals all year long. I only have to add salt if the pool overflows from rain and dilutes it. I have to add water due to evaporation when it drops more than two inches from my full line. Otherwise it throws the salt balance too high. No algae since I converted to salt water. Soft water. Same salt concentration as human tears. I recommend it highly. The salt water chloring generator uses electricity, but I don't have to mess with chemicals all year. Its a good trade off for me. At winterization, I wait until the water drops below 50 degrees during the day. I drain it below the plumbing, add 5-6 gallons of bleach and put the cover on. That's it.

Enjoy your pool!

You are so blessed to have a well like that, I'm envious !! Around here, most wells will not recuperate very fast and folks will burn pumps up trying to fill pools with them..

Glad to hear the salt water review, when I replace my liner I'm going to convert ..

 

[MossRoad]

You are so blessed to have a well like that, I'm envious !! Around here, most wells will not recuperate very fast and folks will burn pumps up trying to fill pools with them..

Glad to hear the salt water review, when I replace my liner I'm going to convert ..

Yeah, we are in a huge acquifer here in northern Indiana. Check out this map.... there are idustries that draw millions of gallons per day here. DNR: Ground-Water Availability

 

[PRF]

Yeah, we are in a huge acquifer here in northern Indiana. Check out this map.... there are idustries that draw millions of gallons per day here. DNR: Ground-Water Availability

Wow !! I never knew that.. Thanks for the link

 

[duckhunter27]

Thanks Eddie for the tips I can get under deck easy and add bolts and bracing supports.