Pool Repair and Rehab Part 4

This is what the pool looked like yesterday morning.

 This is what it looks like, 24 hours later, with a steady 5 gallons per minute fill. It'll take all day to finish filling as the sides stand up straight (10,000 gallons of water is a lot of water, y'all). The bottom edge of the patch is barely wet even still.

As it filled yesterday, The Hub wheeled out the sand filter pump and got it hooked up. Of course, the motor burned out right away, but we had another because The Hub thought that might happen and he ordered one last winter. Have I mentioned that The Hub is a genius? And perhaps psychic?

We started the filter right away even though the water levels weren't high enough to cover the outlet valve, so it made some foam (with the newly added chemicals)(we don't use chlorine- the system we use only has to be added every 4 weeks or so, it doesn't turn your hair into straw or rot your swimsuit or make your dry skin smell like bleach). Anyway, I just like this picture. And look at how clear and pretty and blue the water is. A major improvement from 4 days ago.

I love love love watching the water reflections. They're so calming.

The Hub, taking a well deserved rest.

The Grands are coming out this afternoon for the Inaugural Swim, and it should be wonderful. I may or may not get into the water. Our solar pool heating system is in place, but I have this thing about not getting into water that is less than... oh say... 78 degrees or so. We'll see how it goes.

Here's The Hub's improvised solar heater... 1600' of 2" black hose coiled on black plastic, hooked to a submersible pump (850gph) that pumps water into and through the hose, and then back into the pool a good 15 degrees warmer than it entered. It'll take awhile for the pool to heat up since it's a new fill, but this simple solar heater keeps the water around 80-85 degrees most days, and we have to shut it off on the really hot days (no one wants to swim in 90 degree water on a 100 degree day). It's not pretty but it gets the job done  efficiently and cheaply.

 We still don't know if the patch will hold, but if it doesn't, he has some other notions to try, because, as I have mentioned, he's a Genius.

(The Hub wants me to say that it's possible that none of his notions will work, but I say if that's the case, then no one would have been able to do it, and it was certainly worth taking a chance)