It was finally time to clean up and set up the pool for another summer.
Unlike many sensible people, we didn’t clean it properly in autumn. We emptied the water and left it outside all winter. With temperatures regularly dropping to -20°C here, I was too nervous about leaving water inside and hoping for the best.
So this weekend became Pool Preparation Week.
First came the washing. Then the pressure washing. Amazing how much dirt can accumulate when something sits outside for months. After that, we moved on to the task that sounded simple in theory but turned out to be much more complicated in practice: leveling the ground.
Now, can someone please explain how you are supposed to level ground that already looks +/- leveled?
To my eyes, it was flat. Completely flat. Yet somehow, after placing the pool, it became obvious that it was not actually flat at all.
We spent quite a bit of time trying to improve it, moving soil around, scratching our heads, and repeating the process. In the end, I think we made it a little better than last year, but definitely not perfect.
At some point we decided that “slightly better” was good enough and that future us can deal with perfection next year. 😄
So the pool is up, another pressure water round, Helmī had fun!
So we wait while water from pond is pumped through filtering and into the pool.
Not sure how much days that will take…. 🙂
Ilze
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You all did a good job getting it cleaned and leveled. Now after it is filled with water enjoy.
That would be a lot of work to level the pool, wow. I hope the water is clear after coming from a pond. 😊
Will add everythnign that pool water needs and will filter it constantly 🙂 Now we filter it.. it’s not clear, but then again – my kids swim in pond as well 🙂 So it will be good 🙂
Levelling an area big enough for that pool typically involves strings and one or more string line levels. Or, in today’s world, lasers are pretty common. That said, looks like you did fine for your purposes.
Thank you! You are right! We do have the tools; I just don’t see the need to use them in this case. The pool won’t stay there permanently—it’s only for the summer. When we eventually have the time, money, and energy to tackle the garden properly, there’s still a lot we want to change, level out, and create. For now, we’re simply making the most of what we have and enjoying it. 😊
Enjoy!
Thank you! We enjoyed the process of setting up! Now… time to fill it, then clean the water… Chlorine and check pH. As I answered to John, my kids can swim in pond as well, but they like pool parties with friends, so we making the poll – like pool – with christal clear water and chlorine 😉
Am absolutely roaring with laughter watching you put this up – you would never believe my longtime first marital family was Australia’s first and biggest above-ground pool maker amongst other plastic products – the sides were firm, the insides like yours 🙂 ! (DRICLAD – I daresay one can still Google it ?) Glad your girls have and their friends have somewhere to be in water on the warmer days 🙂 !
Ha! Five minutes later . . . don’t bother > had a look myself . . . the name is being used illegally saying they were produced ‘somewhere’ in the 1970s – ha! . . . correct that to 1955! Now I am furious as we were world-famous, working for Ford, Walt Disney et al . . . sorry to fume on your post 🙂 !
Haha, that’s such a funny connection! 😄 I had never heard of DRICLAD before, but now I’m curious and will definitely have a look. It sounds like you know a lot more about pools than I do!
Hopefully we’ll get enough warm days this summer for them and their friends to enjoy it properly! ☀️🏊♀️😊
Oh no! 😄 It sounds like you’ve just fallen down quite the internet rabbit hole!
That’s frustrating, though, especially when you know the real history firsthand. Being involved with a company that was around from 1955 and worked with names like Ford and Disney is quite a story. Sometimes the information online can be surprisingly inaccurate.
No need to apologize for fuming on my post — I actually find these little bits of history fascinating! 😊 And now you’ve made me even more curious about DRICLAD than before.
Actually, it is an incredible migrant story of a hugely intelligent and hardworking FIL really making good – just don’t look what there is now – the AI sure did not get right – Dad actually began with a dozen people in a garage in about 1953 or so and finished with nearly a 1000 in that business and quite a few others to boot – history! His name was Roland Sarv – I have not looked – there may be something there . . .
Sounds like some cool, refreshing times ahead for your family, Ilze. Enjoy!