Pool Project - A Week at a Pop - 09/15/2016 - 09/21/2016

Well, this edition of the 'Week at a Pop' postings will be the last of that. Hopefully, I can get to a daily  (mas o menos) schedule of postings that cover the latest on the project, but also what other stuff we're dealing with. Kind of like I used to do before Dianna's accident. I'd sort of mostly stay on a topic for that day, and on Sundays (or whatever day seemed appropriate) I'd do a 'grab-bag' edition of all the loose ends and pieces.

So, anyway, here's the next update:

Pump House Footing Almost Done

The pump house footing is coming along. It's designed to be about six inches above the patio floor level, so there will not be a drop-down step just outside the pump house.

Broken Spa Jet Pipe

One of the things we had problems with almost continually, was the spa jets just never seemed to work right. Part of the problem was found. Although separated now, it was just a cracked pipe when it was in the ground, supplying water to the jets. Plus it was undersized. Now the jets will have proper amount of water coming to them, so we should have good 'bubbleation' in the spa.

Drain Pipe For Filter Backwash

This pipe is the outfall for the filter backwash. it's connected to a pipe I buried a long time ago that started with the French drain (below) and also fed from the floor drains just outside the pump house and over by the patio table.

Part of Old Deck French Drain

Here's a corner of the French drain. It ran pretty much under the whole deck, keeping that area relatively free of excess rain water. It's not going to be used now, but we're leaving it in place, just because it's easier than trying to pull it up.

Pump House Floor Being Cast

A real sign of progress. The pump house floor has steel in it and the pour has begun. You can also see some of the piping that is coming into the pump house.

Pump House Floor Almost Done

The pour is almost done. I forgot to mention, there will be a floor drain in the near corner of the pump house (you can see it, covered with duct tape). It's tied directly to the backwash drain.

Pour Completed

Pump house floor is done. After it cures Endher will punch through so the floor drain in the near corner will once again show up.

Spa Jet Piping  Was Redone

The spa piping just looks so much more official now. No more inch-and-a-quarter stuff, it's all two inch piping. Should be a much better spa experience this time around.

Skimmer and Piping

Lots of real business-looking piping heading into the pump house now. I can't wait to see it in action.

Nice Looking Pipe Installation

Just a little better view of the piping and the pump house floor.

Lining Column Holes With Rock

Here's one of six or seven column footing holes being prepared. That's a piece of the French drain in the back. First they're lined with rock to allow the water from the underground stream to do it's thing.

Then Small Gravel

After a couple feet of rock are placed, then about six inches of small, hard gravel is laid on.

Then the Rebar

Then comes the rebar, base and column. Each of the columns will be braced with tying wire till the pour is completed.

And Then Many Buckets of Concrete

And finally, many buckets of concrete anchor it all in the hole. After that will come the actual casting of the columns themselves. The blue metal framework you see in the background once held our fabric awning up. It's coming out. Seems a shame, but it served its purpose and did a good job.

Tuesday, Tuesday

Lots of stuff happending yesterday. More trenching that you could imagine. Trenches for a three-block high fence for the deck, and a trench for the French drain, and support post holes for the deck.

Cody Breaking a Huge Rock In the Way

French Drain Running Pool Length

Some More View of the French Drain and Footing Holes

Some More View of the French Drain

After all the trenching is done, then it's time for the machine - the mixer to get into the act, as the workers fill the wall trench to make footings for the three-block high wall.

The Machine Running

Doesn't take these guys long to do any one part of the project. Here you can see the progress made with filling the trench with concrete. John's demonstrating how to level the fill to ensure a good and level wall.

Load After Load of Concrete

John Showing What's Necessary For Leveling

Now, Agusto has probably the cushest job of all - cleaning the pool. He gets to be in the water and staying nice and cool while doing it.

Our New Pool Vacuum

And the Vacuum in Action

We had some problems with the filter control, so John showed me how to dismantle the switch to clean grit out of it. Pretty simple really. Just don't lose any of the little nuts or bolts!

Sand Filter Control Head

Gravel Everywhere

Yesterday, as we were doing the usual stuff around here, a "pascle" of pelicans (pronounced "passal" ) - also spelled "pascal", and it may be a fictitious term as well. But what else would you call a group of pelicans flying in formation? That's something I've never seen before.

They came over our house about 20-25 above it. Of course, I didn't have my camera at the ready, so by the time I grabbed it, here's the result. Higher in altitude and further away. Looks more like geese at this distance. Trust me, it's pelicans.

In looking up what to call them, I also found out that there's a group of pelicans who spend part of the year in Colorado, of all places (pelicans in Colorado?) Who'da thunk it?

A Pascle of Pelicans in Formation

After our Tropical Storm Arthur, I got cracking bringing in gravel for the driveway, under the palapa and around the back side of the house. What a difference. And, it's amazing how it really cleans everything up - from a mud perspective and from just looking very neat and tidy.

Gravel on the Driveway is Done

Around the backside, I installed a 25-foot French drain, tied in to the gutter downspout run over to the long drain pipe to the canal. Since there is no perforated pipe available locally, I drilled the pipe lengths and then had to go to Alex, the tailor (I thought about Motel Kamzoil, but settled for Alex). I had him make a polyester "sock" for the pipe, 10" wide x 25' long, so that when sown, it had a diameter of 3.5". It barely fit over the pipe. That tailoring cost me $12.00 BZ. That includes the cloth and the sewing.

Incidently, I had Alex make two pair of shorts for me, based on shorts I already had. They came out perfect except for the waist buttons. Poor quality and they broke. As soon as Dianna gets her stuff unloaded, she said she's got some buttons that will work just fine. Those shorts cost $30.00 BZ each - including cloth and sewing.

I'll never order shorts from Lands End again!

Anyway, we put the French drain in running the length of the back of the house, then Cody filled it with gravel. Really spiffed the area up. And the drain works like a champ!

French Drain On House Backside