Natural Pool Project Continuation
If you have been following the progress of our natural pool project, then you know that we left off almost ready to add water…and here we are! The moment that we’ve been waiting for has arrived!
A few additional necessary projects
In order to be ready to add water, there were a few more construction elements that we had to attend. Of course, it was necessary the build the stairs and the walkway that goes over the spillway prior to the water. The stairs were pretty straightforward. We made our own stringers, based on measurements from deck level to shallow floor level, and attached them to the deck framing.
Next, we added our treads. We used a router to round off the edges of the treads so that there weren’t any pointy places to scratch people. (A note here, it is important to use stainless steel screws for underwater applications.)
We also framed out the walkway that leads across the pool over the spillway. We only attached it on each end to the deck framework. For center support, we built little piers along the way. After the framework was in place, we were able to add the decking boards. All of this material was stained and sealed outside of the pool area and then attached afterward. I didn’t want the potential for a spill into the pool area.
Other details
During this time, we also finished a few other details, such as shingling our pump house roof, adding pool lighting as well as building our DIY skimmer (video and post upcoming!) And then, of course, we continued on with decking.
Water Goes In!!
Our natural pool project has been a real learning experience but it has all been toward one goal…PUTTING THE WATER IN!!! Prior to filling, we had to drag the shopvac out and clean us as much of the sawdust and what not as we could. We knew that it was going to take a while for a pool as large as ours to fill up, so we turned the water on and continued working. (Although, the kids definitely had to try it out!)
We just used our water hoses to fill it up. It’s important to note here, that obviously, there’s chlorine in processed water. However, the sun bakes it out pretty quickly. I didn’t have to wait long at all to start putting in my aquatic plants. …which brings me to my next point!
Aquatic Plants for a Natural Pool Project
I had ordered my aquatic plants about 3 weeks prior and had them set up in their own little ‘nursery’ area, patiently awaiting the day that I could plant them. It was extremely important for me to take great care of them during this time because they weren’t exactly in their normal environment and I didn’t want them to go through too much transplant shock. When they first arrived, I was ready for them. I had bins full of water and gravel that had been sitting there for a couple of days in the sun to eliminate the chlorine. I got them immediately placed into the water and used these little aerators that are meant for minnow buckets to add oxygen.
Once we finally got the water into the pool, my ‘babies’ were definitely ready for their new home! I have been a gardener my whole life, but this was my first attempt at aquatic gardening. The plants that I chose are the following:
Hornwort, Red Ludwigia, White Pickerel Rush, Royal Pickeral Rush, Arrow Arum, Dwarf Red Stem Parrot Feather, Watercress, Yerba Mansa, Iris Laevigata Variegata, Thalia Dealbata, Red Stem Thalia, Micro Mini Cattail, Variegated Sweet Flag, Vallisneria and a variety of Water Lilies.
Additional Finishing Details
Aerator
We also, during this time, added an aerator to our pool. The aerator itself sits in the pump house and feeds air down two lines; one to the bottom of the deep end of the pool, the other to the regeneration area. This is helpful in a variety of ways. Obviously, it adds necessary oxygen to the pool. It also helps to keep the water stirred up, therefore keeping the temperatures even throughout the pool. It also, very importantly, helps to keep the algae at bay.
Skimmer
After looking at the very expensive pricing of commercially available skimmers, I decided that we would figure out a DIY option. This is something I’m very proud of, because not only did we save well over $1000, we also were able to design and construct it exactly the way that we wanted it. We placed it on a shelf under our pier and ran a line out for a waterfall. The video and post will be forthcoming very soon so that I can show you the detail of how we made it and how simple it truly is.
An Issue Arises….
In our natural pool project, I guess I should have expected to have at least one problem. Things had been going so smoothly however, that it may have caught me a little off guard. A couple of days after filling the pool…we noticed a leak! It wasn’t a huge leak, but it was definitely something that needed to be addressed. There are a variety of ways that one can go about searching out a leak, however, we felt like we had a pretty good idea of the issue so we made the decision to drain the pool below that two seams that we have and reinforce them for good measure.
Once we drained it, our Oklahoma sun dried it out quickly and enabled us to fully reinforce the seams. If you saw our last post, I showed you how the seams are constructed. We had two layers of protection at that time. This time, just to be on the safe side, we went back over our seams with three additional protections. A super sticky tape, more layers of the 6″ overlay with primer, and a rubber caulk to go over all edges and seamed areas. 5 LAYERS OF PROTECTION!!!!
Once the re-seaming was complete, we refilled the pool and so far… (fingers crossed, prayers to heaven) no more leaks! Issue Resolved!!!
Be sure and check back to see our continuing posts in this series as well as the other projects that are underway! (We always have a bunch of projects going…)
We’d love to hear from you as well! Have you or are you thinking about starting a natural pool project …if so, let us know how it’s going, or feel free to ask whatever questions you might have!
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