Akita Pool

[KubotainNH]

Looks great.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Man, that looks good my friend.

Hope things are going y'alls way.

 

[Wakey]

That is really cool!

I had an Akita back around '91. He was given to us by a couple that could not control him (chewing, growling when eating etc). It didn't take but a few days to square him, he was 130 lbs of fun, thats for sure. In the house I usually kept his lead on to keep him from galloping through the house playing with the cat. I guess he figured someone would jerk that lead if he misbehaved lol

 

[Steppenwolfe]

My original plan of using rock to create the Akita ran into a problem when I found out that the only really bright white stone out there is marble. The problem with marble is that it deteriorates over time when under water. Then the only super black stone that I could find wasn't cut. It was full sized, rounded, rocks. I thought about going with rocks, but really wanted a flat finish. I spoke to my tile supplier at The Tile Shop here in Tyler, and he suggested a porcelain tile that was dense enough for using in a pool. Most tile isn't very dense, so it's not a good choice for pools. Regular pool tile doesn't come in the solid colors that I wanted for the Akita, so my options became very limited.

The tile came on 1ft by 2ft sheets, and each tile is 2 inches square. I cut them out and then broke each tile into four or more pieces with a hammer. Then I used a putty knife to apply the thinset and install each piece into the pattern that I felt was the most appealing. The thinset is Ardex X77

Just like doing a floor or shower, the grout lines are a huge factor in laying out the pattern. This was one of my biggest concerns when applying the tile. I wanted to make sure that the legs where distinct from each other, and that they patterns where clean.

Karen took this picture of me Saturday morning.

View attachment 576660

That is just amazing... Well done. Now you're an artist as well...:thumbsup:

 

[bindian]

You have some amazing talents, Eddie.

..................and patience.
hugs, Brandi

 

[Atchuuu]

Wow- This was an interesting thread to follow. You are one of the few people that are talented, motivated and patient. Congrats.

 

[EddieWalker]

Seems like when I plan on working on the pool, something else comes up that has to be done, and the pool has to wait. I don't really have time to work on it now, but I've been storing every rock that I've ever found on my land in an area that I need to clean up for another big project that I hope to start later this year. So I decided this weekend was the weekend to do the rock water feature.

I never planned on a water fall for the pond. I was thinking that I would put a different type of water spitter in each corner and that would be that. But my wife changed that plan, so we tried a ceramic pot with a water garden plastic thing that sorta worked. It also hid the filter to some degree, but not really enough.



After fixing another emergency, I started doing the rocks yesterday afternoon. The big one on the rock was the very first rock I found on the land, and it came out when I buried my backhoe in a soft spot and I was pulling myself out with the hoe when it came out of the ground. I knew instantly that it was a fantastic rock for a fountain, I just didn't know that it would be 15 years until I used it.

I got most of it done yesterday, but I'm also redoing the plumbing. I'm moving the filter way over to the left so it will be hidden behind the rocks. To do this, I need to extend my concrete pad behind the pool. Temperature was 95 when I started, and the Humidity was almost 60%. Each breath was an effort. That might be a lingering effect of Covid. It only took 7 sacks of 60 pound concrete, so it wasn't a huge project, but it did wear my out. After a nap, I finished the mortar on the rocks. I'll clean it up later, all I can do now is rest and watch Westminster on TV.



My goal is to have the plumbing done this week and then fill the pond so it has a few days to warm up before Fathers Day.

To get the water onto the rock, I'm thinking of using copper. Maybe run two 1 inch lines to 4 3/4 inch lines with T's at the end, and then flexible 3/8's copper with a bunch of holes in it that's bent to follow the contour of the top stone. We don't want anything obvious, so the hope is that this will blend in, but still allow enough water through it to provide a nice water fall.

 

[gsganzer]

Ha! That's a lot fancier than the water feature for my 6' round galvanized water trough "cool pool". I used a freezeproof hydrant and have a small in-line 12VDC pump that pumps water from the pool, out the freezeproof hydrant. I guess it's better than the statue of a little kid peeing!

Eddie, I love your pool. We enjoy having something to just sit in at the end of a long hot day that doesn't take a ton of maintenance. At the end of the season, I just drain it and flip it over.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thank you. I really like that it's small enough to drain and not stress over what the water costs to fill it again. We only keep it full for about 4 months, if that, and it's nice to have it look nice when it's empty. I just need to focus on finishing the tile once summer ends!!!!

 

[fried1765]

Seems like when I plan on working on the pool, something else comes up that has to be done, and the pool has to wait. I don't really have time to work on it now, but I've been storing every rock that I've ever found on my land in an area that I need to clean up for another big project that I hope to start later this year. So I decided this weekend was the weekend to do the rock water feature.

I never planned on a water fall for the pond. I was thinking that I would put a different type of water spitter in each corner and that would be that. But my wife changed that plan, so we tried a ceramic pot with a water garden plastic thing that sorta worked. It also hid the filter to some degree, but not really enough.

View attachment 702382

After fixing another emergency, I started doing the rocks yesterday afternoon. The big one on the rock was the very first rock I found on the land, and it came out when I buried my backhoe in a soft spot and I was pulling myself out with the hoe when it came out of the ground. I knew instantly that it was a fantastic rock for a fountain, I just didn't know that it would be 15 years until I used it.

I got most of it done yesterday, but I'm also redoing the plumbing. I'm moving the filter way over to the left so it will be hidden behind the rocks. To do this, I need to extend my concrete pad behind the pool. Temperature was 95 when I started, and the Humidity was almost 60%. Each breath was an effort. That might be a lingering effect of Covid. It only took 7 sacks of 60 pound concrete, so it wasn't a huge project, but it did wear my out. After a nap, I finished the mortar on the rocks. I'll clean it up later, all I can do now is rest and watch Westminster on TV.

View attachment 702383

My goal is to have the plumbing done this week and then fill the pond so it has a few days to warm up before Fathers Day.

To get the water onto the rock, I'm thinking of using copper. Maybe run two 1 inch lines to 4 3/4 inch lines with T's at the end, and then flexible 3/8's copper with a bunch of holes in it that's bent to follow the contour of the top stone. We don't want anything obvious, so the hope is that this will blend in, but still allow enough water through it to provide a nice water fall.

The pool and rock look great, but the best part....
........Your little helper is absolutely adorable!
Cherish every moment!
My youngest will be 50 next month.

 

[plowhog]

Karen took this picture of me Saturday morning.

Incredibly nice work Eddie! Thanks for adding pix ... it really adds a lot of dimension to appreciating your project.

 

[EddieWalker]

First test run of the fountain had mixed results. The flow is a little slow with just the water filling it up, but when the pool was full, and the pump was turned on, it was just too much pressure. I drilled 3 quarter inch holes in each of the three copper pipes for the water to come out. I'm going to make them 3/8's and see how that works. If I get good results, I may add a few more holes. I want volume, but less pressure. If it doesn't work, I will add a valve to the line so I can reduce the amount of water.

Kenschi is one of our puppies that will be 16 months old on the 19th. She is around 100 pounds and a little chunky. She is the first to try new things and the one that likes the water the most!!!

 

[fried1765]

First test run of the fountain had mixed results. The flow is a little slow with just the water filling it up, but when the pool was full, and the pump was turned on, it was just too much pressure. I drilled 3 quarter inch holes in each of the three copper pipes for the water to come out. I'm going to make them 3/8's and see how that works. If I get good results, I may add a few more holes. I want volume, but less pressure. If it doesn't work, I will add a valve to the line so I can reduce the amount of water.

Kenschi is one of our puppies that will be 16 months old on the 19th. She is around 100 pounds and a little chunky. She is the first to try new things and the one that likes the water the most!!!

View attachment 702785

Very inquisitive!

 

[EddieWalker]

There are 3 flexible half inch copper pipes bent over the rock. I started with drilling three 1/4 inch holes in each pipe. Not enough water came out, and what did come out had too much pressure, so I drilled the holes bigger. I tried a 3/8's bit first and didn't think it was big enough, so I went up to almost half an inch. It's two sizes smaller from my drill bits, but I don't remember what the exact size was.

The bigger hole made a difference, but also creates splashing and over spray. I ended up drilling a total of 20 holes and adjusting the holes with some channel lock plyers. By bending the beginning of the hole, or the end it, I could change how the water came out. It was all trial and error, but eventually I got there.



To move the filter so it was behind the rocks, I needed to pour concrete and then make the line from the pump to the filter linger. Turns out it's exactly 5 feet longer. Then I ran the line back to the pump, and then turned around and went back to the filter again. This gave me room to put in the backflow valve and chlorinator. I'm still going to add a mineral sanitizer to it, and this gives me plenty of space. Then after the chlorinator, I have my water supply line to fill the pool, and a T that splits the water from the water fall and the nozzle that circulates the water around the pool so it goes into the skimmer. After just a few hours at the lowest setting, I'm at .5 ppm

 

[dodge man]

Have decided to chlorinate or use salt yet? Nice setup with the water fall. Now you just have to get fancy with about $1000 worth of led lights.

 

[EddieWalker]

I bought this Hayward Chlorinator. It's uses either chlorine or Bromine. I filled it with Bromine tablets and I'm checking the levels every day to try and get it adjusted right for the size of my pool. I'm only 3,000 gallons, so it's bigger then a spa, but a lot smaller then most pools.

Amazon.com

 

[dragoneggs]

That looks great, Eddie!

 

[Jchonline]

Heck I would probably be in that pool myself if it gets much hotter in TX. Heading back there to the farm next week to help Dad with some new cattle panels. Just West of ya there (Eustace).

 

[dragoneggs]

Heck I would probably be in that pool myself if it gets much hotter in TX. Heading back there to the farm next week to help Dad with some new cattle panels. Just West of ya there (Eustace).

Me too... suppose to hit 88 today and possibly mid 90s this weekend! That is record temps for around the Seattle area.

It won't be pretty but the neighbor might get a glimpse of me running through the sprinkler!

 

[EddieWalker]

Fathers Day was a big success. Warren is 4 years old and he was the first to get into the pool. It didn't take long until everyone was in it. I really think that I made it the perfect size. 3 feet deep, 12x16 feet wide.

My Dad just turned 85. He's beaten 2 types of cancer and is now in the early stages of Dementia. The patches on his chest are for his heart monitor. He's at the age where going to the doctor is almost a daily event. Mom will be 80 in November.