I was just informed that there is going to be a new in-ground pool this summer. As long as I still get my toys ok.
Questions Living in Minnesota I assume that I need a heater?.
What are the pro’s and con’s of different styles of construction?
Can anyone recommend websites that give honest information.
I have only volunteered to build the fence and pour the surrounding concrete.
The argument that we already have over 10,000 bodies of water in Minnesota so why add another one did not work.
My only requests is that I can swim laps, short ones.
Replies
Abe,
Here is a site with more than you want to know.
http://www.poolforum.com/cgi-local/dcforum/dcboard.cgi
KK
I just put a gunnite pool in last summer.
Pool with a spa.
400K heater.
Figured I'd need to use the heater on the pool a bit, to take the edge off or extend the season. I'm in CT. But mostly the heater was intended for the spa.
Instead of a bright blue "california" type pool, I used a meduim gray paster and gray slate to tile the water line.
Pool looks great....blends in well, not a big bright blue dot in the yard.
Gray plaster is fabulous. Looks great, but best of all it catches solar and warms the pool up quite a bit. For me, 76 degrees was perfect. Cool enough to be refreshing, but warm enough to spend several hours in.
With the gray plaster, the temp stayed around 89 degrees for the better part of the summer. I never did use the heater to heat the pool water. Plus, with having to only raise the spa water from about 88 degrees to 104 degrees, the spa heater sipped propane all summer long instead of guzzling it.
I agree regarding the surrounding bdies of water...I live on a lake, fercryinoutloud. Still, my wife never swam in the lake, but she loves the pool, especially at 89 degrees.
Friends with vinyl pools seem to run through a lot of propane. A LOT. And they still gripe about it being too cold.
I put in slate turn "T" tiles on the bottom of the pool, as well as target tiles on the walls for swimming laps.
did U say ... pool?
Is this quickly taking a turn from MikeFest to MongoFest!
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
If your driving...stop by for a swim 'n brew break. I'm 10 minutes off I-95 about an hour short of Mike's place.
Bring your toolbelt, as before the "swim 'n brew" break, there's the "Build the Garage" seminar. Or partake in the "Help install the Bluestone Patio Around the Pool" seminar. Or, perchance, try your skills at "Help Mongo build the Friggin Fence Around the Dang Pool". Or maybe...
...maybe we should just kick back and have a cold one. Or two...<g> Got a bunch of Corsendonk, Westvleteren, Westmalle, Chimay, an Trapist Rochefort in the basement fridge. And for the hard core, there's some Miller Lite, left over from someone who visited back in...'98.
we just may have a date!
Will have to check on the arrival times and such ....
for the pool ... the kids loves to swim ...
had absolutely nothing to do with the fridge fulla good beer ...
Purely parental instinct at work here ... it's all about the kid .....
JeffBuck Construction Pittsburgh,PA
Artistry in Carpentry
By a water test kit (like the Taylor k-2005) to test the chlorine, pH, etc. There is an excellent instruction booklet in there about water chemistry. Read it and keep your water balanced. Preventing pool problems is much easier than solving them. And it's not a lot of work, really.
An insulated or solar pool cover will help heat (or actually retain the heat) in the pool.
Get a good pool service to winterize it during the 9 months of winter in your location. :)
We live in a homeowners association that has a pool. I'm on the board (all volunteers) and learned how to run the pool just by reading the Taylor manual, getting a half-hour lesson from our former pool service, and surfing the web. It's not rocket science, but if you don't keep up on it will be a pain. I have a neighbor with a spa who can't keep the slime out of it because he doesn't test and adjust the water as needed, about 5 minutes a day, tops. Nice spa, but it is hardly ever used.
We get a lot of our stuff from Kiefer (http://www.kiefer.com) and a local pool service.
Pete Duffy, Handyman