Three years from initial planning to this point. Included major detour to move septic field but totally worth it in the end.

20x40 vinyl w/ salt, full width steps, deep end bench step, jump rock
7x7 spillover spa
16x14 pavilion
new patio and pool deck
wood fire pit
all new landscaping w/ lighting
full perimeter fence + vinyl privacy panels

Can't believe this is my backyard now!

I’m in Houston, TX (USA), and the outdoor temp is 101F. Still mighty refreshing though. How’s everyone else’s pool? (folks with chillers need not to brag 😂😜)

I’m short on time so i was thinking maybe i’ll have a pool company do the cleaning. Well it’s $150. Why bother cleaning and not just pop in a new set from amazon every few months?

i think i’ll just buy a new set every few months and save time from cleaning.

swap filters: 3 minutes

clean filters: 30+ minutes

edit: wow i didn’t mean to poke the pool guys hornets nest. guys im not coming for your job, just asking what home owners like me are doing.

edit 2: doing myself is something im trying to do less of. now making over $300 an hour so im going to either pay $120 or $150 and save the time but i just dont understand why not buy new? am i missing something? toss in trash and swap is easy and i think my new system.

I‘m an idiot. I backwashed for 5 hours. I turned it to backwash when I was letting the dogs out this morning and forgot to switch setting before going to work. I didn’t remember doing it until after lunch. I just came home to the water being below the skimmer. I’ve turned off the pump and the pump and water inside the pump basket are both hot. What have I done? I’ve managed basic pool maintence myself since buying a house with a pool, but aside from cleaning and chemicals I leave it to the pros. Should I call my local pool company or wait and see what damage I’ve caused.

I have a Hayward sand filter and a Howard pump.

No matter how pristine my pool is, if I use this shock I will absolutely have this cloudy white stuff settled at the bottom of the pool the next morning.

I used to think it was dead algae that the shock had taken care of but I’m not convinced anymore.

Anyone know for sure? Is it just some component of the shock itself?

Looking for any feedback, reactions, pros, cons, and ideas on our backyard planning.

A few key details of first pic:

• Red border is existing fence/property line
• Yellow box is AC units we ideally do not move and is also noisiest part of backyard
• Blue dotted line is 60' fence to fence (north to south)
• Orange dotted line is 70' (back of current deck to fence, east to west)
• Highlighted green section is mature tall trees we don't want to build into

Trying hard to design ideal flow for entertaining, functionality, family, and hosting. Want to balance fitting in our desired elements with flow and aesthetics. Including pool. lounging, dining, kitchen, storage, and equipment. Pool shown is 16'x40'.

Back wall near shed is our kitchen, with windows looking out, so planning any shed/storage/equipment will be under window line to give views of pool from kitchen.

Planning to convert deck into proper sunroom with same footprint. The steps coming out of deck/sunroom is only back wall exit from house.

Everything currently is within 5' setbacks.

Please let us know what you think, thanks!

This is 100% water quality in my book /s

I know 99% of this sub uses Taylor test kits, but I don’t see color gradients well enough for the PH and TA tests. I know there are pocket ph testers and other solutions, but I wanted one tool for testing. So I am an Acciblue home user. Other than the silly treatment directions that come from the Leslie’s app, it works for me. And I lol’d at it not scoring this test 100%

My TA is higher than I normally keep it, but it always comes back down. The FC to CYA is right where I want it and everything else is close enough for my needs. But I only use the Accublue for testing and I follow TFP with the Pool Math app for dosing. A bonus of the membership is I get store credit of equal value for the fee, so all my chlorine and MA is purchased there (and nothing else).

I struggled in my first summer owning my pool and I came to this sub for help and direction. From there I actually learned my pool and its chemistry needs. If you’re getting discouraged - slow down and take your time. Once you find your pool’s groove, it becomes routine.

Thanks to you folks out there for your help in the past! I know I’ll be back for more advice in the future.

TL;DR: I don’t use a Taylor kit to test and am happy with my water chemistry, thanks to this sub for pointing me to TFP.

The concrete between the stones of my pools waterfall is deteriorating, I’m worried about catastrophic failure especially since my kids are always playing under it. Can I just knock out any loose concrete and fill it following basic concrete instructions or is this a professional job?

We are in Tampa FL, putting in a freeform 12’ x 27’ swimming pool with a raised 7’6’x7’6’ spa with spillway. We are in a historic district so we can’t screen in the pool, but we are raising the edge of the pool 6” above ground level to guard against critters and swamping during heavy rains. The pool’s depth will go from 4’ to 5’ and there will be a curved 22’ bench along the far deep end of the pool. We’re putting in a 6’6 x 8’ sun shelf with four steps coming off of it and a LED bubbler with umbrella sleeve. The interior will be Stonescapes mini pebble finish in Tropic blue. The pool will have two Pentair 2 color LEDs in the pool and one 2 color LED in the spa. The pump will be a Pentair variable speed 200CL 3 hp pump with intiliflo, a Pentair clean and clear 200 square foot filter, a Pentair intellichlor salt generator, a Therm 125 heat/cool unit, and a Pentair Dorado robotic cleaner with leaf catcher; pump/spa will have Intilicenter automation.  We’re putting in 2”x2” tiles around the waterline and on the outside of the spa and raised edge of the pool on the exterior, and we’re putting in 1”x1” mosaic tiles on the spillway. Travertine coping and flagstone pavers around the exterior – we’re thinking of going semi-light since our sun is brutal, but are worried about staining. We’ve tried to think of all variables before getting to this point and we think we’re in pretty good shape, but wanted to get any other thoughts, feedback, or ideas on things we aren’t thinking about. Renderings are attached – we appreciate any feedback you may have!

I installed a small pool (300cm ⌀ x 120cm), but I can't get my pump - above water level - to pull water. Am I doing something against the laws of physics in my setup?

We have a pool that appears to be leaking. We are currently considering whether to monitor the water level in stages — skimmer box first, then pool wall lights, then lower jets/outlets to see where it stabilises.

Does anyone have experience with this approach, or would it be better to arrange formal leak detection now and not allow the pool level to continue dropping?

Thank you.

Hey everyone, I’ve got a small pool/hot tub in the back yard. I can not for the life of me keep pigeons away from the hot tub where it spills over to the pool. They just bird bath all day while I’m at work. Came home the other day to one dead in the skimmer. I have set all sorts of stuff to block them from bathing in the spillover from hot tub to pool but they just hang out around the hot tub now and they poop everywhere. I’ve got the spinning reflectors, I’ve got bird spikes along every edge of roof that borders the pool, I’ve got these stupid predator eye beach balls and an owl decoy.

All that together makes a minor difference but ya still get the pigeons that DO NOT GIVE A WHAT!

What is the real solution to keeping pigeons out as best as possible?

Do I need to do anything with my TA? I keep hearing that 80-120 ppm is ideal so I am right in the middle. Since I need to raise pH by about 0.5 should I reduce my TA first? Planning to use Borax (sodium tetraborate) for the pH.

help!!!!! inground pool with cartridge filters (brand new filters and manifold) pump operating fine, have had pool professionals inspect all..and still this appears within hours of manually vacuuming!!!

Hi all, I’m at my wit’s end. I have a rectangle shaped pool and it appears that I have some dead zones after repeatedly SLAMing the pool and scrubbing multiple times a day. Algae just keeps coming back in the same two spots. I am directing the three jets parallel to each other directly towards the opposite side of the pool. The jets are also pointed slightly downward. I’ve tried 10-45 degrees downward and it seems less of an angle is better. But I still can’t clear these dead zones. Is it just trial and error? I’ve tried keeping them parallel and pointing in different directions without any success. Thanks in advance!

Pool is balanced and crystal clear. However, when I top off the pool each week with my hose, the area where the water is running always collects residue, looks like dirt. I have city water and have felt safe drinking it, not sure why the area by the hose is always dirty after filling? Should I test my hose water for something specific?

CYA is spiking (>70) this summer, which is to be expected. Instead of draining and putting in tap water, wondering if fresh rain water has the same effect?

Ahead of a big rain, I'd drain the pull from the bottom drain and get pool water 6-10" lower than it is now (below the skimmers). Let it rain, then fill in whatever is left with street water.

Is this a good strategy?

Completely new to the chemistry and learning but is got this reading from our pool guy after his 3rd visit on our newly remodeled pool that we’ve had over a month. Anything look off? Live in Houston/100 degree weather…

Our Jandy TruClear Salt Cell cap cracked (Model is TruClear11k) and was spraying some water out. Pool guy came and said they can replace it. They then sent us a quote to replace the entire salt cell for $1000 (part is about $800ish, labor $200).

Feeling a bit conflicted here since replacement caps look to be about $50-$80. They said “the issue is if the cord or the actual cell beneath are damaged too”, which I feel should be checked before replacing the entire thing when it appears just the cap is cracked.

What do we think? I’m new to pools, it’s our first and we haven’t lived here a year. Do we have to replace the entire salt cell or is just the cap possible?

What can I do to add some detail to the side of the Waterfall? Can I do a low profile? It looks too naked please help.

The nut on this 2” valve is halfway cracked through. I’d prefer not to replace if the valve if possible as it creates a much larger job. What are my options? Thanks

Hi everyone, I had a Jandy truclear salt cell installed about 7 months ago in my in-ground plaster pool and I’m having to clean off a thick white scale from it every two weeks or so. My water is very hard (calcium hardness 625ppm on today’s test). I have white scales floating all around in my pool as well. If this matters- free chlorine 5ppm, CYA 60.

How do I go about addressing this rapid scale buildup/calcium hardness issue? Thank you!!