hhfarang wrote:Better put some stones or something else heavy in the bottom of it if it is really empty or it may rise out of the ground.
Our ground water is high here, but not that high. Rains have not been extraordinary here like elsewhere and actually we're back to watering again as no significant rain for the past two weeks. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Sounds like your sand wash problem may be affected by the salt water in the pool, especially if the sand cement ratio was weak when it was applied.
I would always use SRC (Sulfate resistant cement) anywhere near salt water, it doesn't cost much more than ordinary OPC.
We had our sea wall raised and re-pointed right down to sea level in HH, way back in 2002 and I insisted the contractor used it, no probs yet with the work.
Only my opinion though.
I've lost my mind and I am making no effort to find it.
Yes, could be. The people doing the renovation said the same thing, then scratching his head also said the sand wash mix just could have been off. Anyway, sand wash is completely gone and cement in contact with water gone except for the overflow trench and tank. I should hopefully be swimming again by Songkran. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
As a side note, you don't get to test this very often when you have a pool, but I've saved 2,000 baht per month for two months now by not running the 2HP pump motor and the electric saltwater chlorinator. It represents a bigger chunk of my normal monthly bill than I thought. The machinery was run religiously 6 1/2 hours per day. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
...I've saved 2,000 baht per month for two months....
That's why I decided not to have a pool Pete, for 2,000 bt a month you can get membership of a decent sports club with a pool without having to look after it.
malcolminthemiddle wrote:Peter, as a matter of interest what is the material cost and labour laying cost of sandstone tiles per m2 ? Many thanks.
I'll give you more specifics once they start again as I don't even have a box left here with the brand name. They're 4" x 4" non-slip with 56 to a box at 1,250 per box. They're the same type as some people use on their driveways. They are sandstone color but I don't know if actually sandstone in them, probably not. They're made for heavy traffic and weight. Initially these were just for the water overflow ledge, but then we decided to use them for the walkways as well when we saw that they looked good. Can't calculate labour or total material price now as not close to finished or having the remainder of the tiles delivered due to the floods.
The pool perimeter at the top we used decorative RCI Antica Decor tiles with shells and seahorses on them. They are expensive at 133 per tile as triple glazed and translucent blue/green in color when the sun hits them. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Everyone told me a pool would cost at least 4k per month when you consider the electricity usage, maintenance, cleaning, chemicals, etc., and I didn't think I would use it that much so I opted not to have one, but they are necessary for resale because everyone thinks they want/need one here... so I'd put one in if I was building again even if I left it empty until I tried to sell the house.
BTW, my neighbors who moved in a couple of years ago used theirs every day for about 6 months. He recently told me it wasn't worth the cost and he was thinking of filling it in.
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
You don't want to leave it empty for too long. Mine has turned into the pit of death for a variety of creatures inclusive of toads, mice, a few snakes and a pigeon who I think simply fell out of the sky into it. I'm glad there was no water in it in that case. The temp in there in the afternoon in full sun must be approaching 50c.
You're right though about determining your need/usage before you build one. Swimming's always been my main choice of exercise, young daughter who is learning to swim, and two retrievers that can't stay out of it, so ours gets a lot of use. In fact our dogs give me a dirty look each day as they peer down into in like they're thinking :What the F, still no water?" Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
prcscct wrote:As a side note, you don't get to test this very often when you have a pool, but I've saved 2,000 baht per month for two months now by not running the 2HP pump motor and the electric saltwater chlorinator. It represents a bigger chunk of my normal monthly bill than I thought. The machinery was run religiously 6 1/2 hours per day. Pete
Somebody is robbing you, Pete! My house is not occupied full time, sometimes for 3 consecutive months. The electric bill is always around 1000 Baht per month. I have the same pumps as you and run them 6 hours a day. In addition the garden pump runs for a 55 minute cycle every day, except when the rain sensor inhibits the program. In fact, the bill is that regular I can see if the pump has been off for a few days , either by Somchai forgetting to set the auto run switch back to auto after cleaning, or there is a problem with it.
Do you have a Spa pump as well? Maybe those dogs have been running the Spa without your knowledge.
May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil know`s you`re dead!
There seems to be no equity in electric bills here. I have a friend who lives in a house at least as big as mine (I think bigger) and with a family of four. He told me his bill was around 500 baht per month. He air cons his bedroom overnight as I usually do and I also usually run one a/c starting from early afternoon on hot days. I have no pool (neither does he) but I do have a pond with a 24/7 waterfall using an energy efficient 1/8th hp submersible pump from Australia. I leave yard lights on all night for security but they are the 9 watt energy efficient fluorescent type so even if I leave 20 of them on it's equivalent to approximately one 200 watt incandescent bulb.
On the other end of the scale a wife's friend has a house much smaller than ours in Palm Hills and just got an 18k+ bill.
Mine have ranged from 5k to 17k over the years... now averages about 7k. I just don't get how the bills can vary that much between houses or even between months in the same house. Could it be inaccurate meters?
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
No clue Nereus, but no robbing going on. All utilities are underground and I'm the only meter on the street as have two lots on a dead end, and the meter is in a lock box. The bore pump and topside garden pump haven't been running either due to the rains, but I'm not sure that could make up the difference. My draw from the bottom drains to the pump is about 25 meters and don't know if distance makes the pump work harder. The only other thing we've done is set the aircon to 25 instead of 24 at night, again, maybe a small difference. Anyway, will see what it looks like in December and if the same. I doubt the pool will be running by then anyway. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Above re: tile, our contractor finally returned our brochure. He was out looking for it at other sources with no luck. Anyway for those interested you can find it at www.bezenceramic.com ,Rome Street Nano Series, Prima Gold. I like it from the small test I've done. Definitely non-sip not only from the wavy surface, but you can feel the grit in it as well. Using the same colored grout I think it's really going to look good and preform well when finished, fingers crossed. Pete
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
Pete 
Pete 
Pete 
Anyway for those interested you can find it at www.bezenceramic.com ,Rome Street Nano Series, Prima Gold. I like it from the small test I've done. Definitely non-sip not only from the wavy surface, but you can feel the grit in it as well. Using the same colored grout I think it's really going to look good and preform well when finished, fingers crossed. Pete 
