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- Jan 31, 2018
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It's been on the cards for a while, But I made the decision last week.
Our koi pool is going.
It will definitely require a new liner soon. This would mean the removal of the perimeter rocks as they trap the edges of the liner against the pool collar. It would be as expensive as filling it in. I built it, so I know how much work would be involved and I'd rather play golf.
Long term the pool would become a bit of a chore and I'm not getting any younger and I've so many other interests. The garden takes up more time than i'd like it to, then I've my golf three days a week, my vinyl jukeboxes and my interest in my tenor sax and latest electric piano. (These all "singin' n' dancin'" ones are called "work stations" now).
However, visually there won't be much of a change.
The plan is to fill it in and have it paved to the contours of the pool and to the level of the water.
A small breach will be made in the narrow bed in the front of the pool, contained by two rows of big rocks that just sit on the pool collar. This will allow access to the paved area. I've removed and replanted a couple of plants already, as this is where the gap will be.
Some of the roses in the fifteen ceramic pots on the patio will be moved to this area.
The waterfall, which I only ran in the summer, was fed from a bypass from the filter pump in the sump, will become three shallow beds.
I'll just make three lips out of dyed fine concrete and mortar. We've ordered more flox which can "cascade" down them.
Today, the fish went. Not very far, to a friend two doors away who also has a koi pool,
I'm pleased about that, as to move them any distance can cause them a lot of stress.
Fortunately, I've had this heavy duty poly tub for thirty years, presently used to store plastic plant pots, so came in handy. I gave it a good scrub, disinfected it and rinsed it out. You can't be too careful with fish.
I then half filled it with pond water. We made three trips, gently wheeling it down the road but but it was only about forty yards. They quickly settled into their new home. I'll take a photo tomorrow.
Then all that was left was to get rid of 3,000 gallons of water.
No problem.
The pump sump drain pump, which was used to pump the contents of the sump after purging each week, to a house drain under the kitchen window, via a 1.5" pipe, buried in the pool's concrete collar, brought the level down to here.
Then I disconnected the pump pulled it out of the sump, connected it to the overflow outlet in the pool and lowered it into the water, which broght it down to here. It's just a cheap Otter baby waterfall pump, nrver expected to do much work, but it cleared all the water in a couple of hours. The filter pump was a 15,000 ltrs per hour variety.
What's left, I can pump out with my wet n' dry vac without having to get in there. I did net out a couple of frogs which were stranded in there and put them in the frog pond.
All being well, they are coming to start filling it in on Monday week.
Our koi pool is going.
It will definitely require a new liner soon. This would mean the removal of the perimeter rocks as they trap the edges of the liner against the pool collar. It would be as expensive as filling it in. I built it, so I know how much work would be involved and I'd rather play golf.
Long term the pool would become a bit of a chore and I'm not getting any younger and I've so many other interests. The garden takes up more time than i'd like it to, then I've my golf three days a week, my vinyl jukeboxes and my interest in my tenor sax and latest electric piano. (These all "singin' n' dancin'" ones are called "work stations" now).
However, visually there won't be much of a change.
The plan is to fill it in and have it paved to the contours of the pool and to the level of the water.
A small breach will be made in the narrow bed in the front of the pool, contained by two rows of big rocks that just sit on the pool collar. This will allow access to the paved area. I've removed and replanted a couple of plants already, as this is where the gap will be.
Some of the roses in the fifteen ceramic pots on the patio will be moved to this area.
The waterfall, which I only ran in the summer, was fed from a bypass from the filter pump in the sump, will become three shallow beds.
I'll just make three lips out of dyed fine concrete and mortar. We've ordered more flox which can "cascade" down them.
Today, the fish went. Not very far, to a friend two doors away who also has a koi pool,
I'm pleased about that, as to move them any distance can cause them a lot of stress.
Fortunately, I've had this heavy duty poly tub for thirty years, presently used to store plastic plant pots, so came in handy. I gave it a good scrub, disinfected it and rinsed it out. You can't be too careful with fish.
I then half filled it with pond water. We made three trips, gently wheeling it down the road but but it was only about forty yards. They quickly settled into their new home. I'll take a photo tomorrow.
Then all that was left was to get rid of 3,000 gallons of water.
No problem.
The pump sump drain pump, which was used to pump the contents of the sump after purging each week, to a house drain under the kitchen window, via a 1.5" pipe, buried in the pool's concrete collar, brought the level down to here.
Then I disconnected the pump pulled it out of the sump, connected it to the overflow outlet in the pool and lowered it into the water, which broght it down to here. It's just a cheap Otter baby waterfall pump, nrver expected to do much work, but it cleared all the water in a couple of hours. The filter pump was a 15,000 ltrs per hour variety.
What's left, I can pump out with my wet n' dry vac without having to get in there. I did net out a couple of frogs which were stranded in there and put them in the frog pond.
All being well, they are coming to start filling it in on Monday week.
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