The Pool Is Turning 4!

It is hot, hot, hot! 

I cool off in our stock tank pool from Tractor Supply.
I was in danger of leaving my husband for cooler climates during the summer.
This northerner cannot take the summer heat.
We had the hottest June! The temps have lowered a bit now that we are into July but it was a scorcher there for a while.

In February of 2014, I started researching pool ideas.
I'd love a spool but they are nearly as expensive as a pool. Our yard is not pool friendly.
I began searching the internet for anything that would hold water.
I stumbled upon a few pins featuring stock tanks.
We went and looked at Tractor Supply.

We had our yard guy build a base with small retaining walls because there is nothing level in our back yard.

Bill laid down landscape fabric and leveled the area with a layer of decomposed granite.

We went with galvanized instead of plastic because it was cute.
We got the six foot tank. It fit in the back of our pick up truck. I really wish we had gotten the 8 foot.

Getting the pool perfectly level is a little tricky.
It's been perfectly level only one of the last five seasons.

Bill created a drain nozzle out of PVC from the hardware store.
This is essential for draining the pool. The first year I had a toad friend living under the corner of the pool. I haven't seen him since the first year.

Once the pool was filled we had to be able to keep the water clean.
We took a sample of our water to the pool store.
Our city water is pretty chlorinated so we do not have to add chemicals.
I skim the pool with a pool skimmer which is very relaxing.
A pump gets out smaller debris.
We have had three pumps.

We bought the Intex Krystal Clear Pump, model 603. We paid $65.00.
You can get one on Amazon.  Essentially this is a one year pump. We've had two of these.
 One of them lasted two years but that was a fluke. When the second one broke after a year we moved on to a different pump.

Last year we bought the Intex Above Ground Krystal Clear Sand Filter Pump.
This was harder to set up than the old pump but it is much stronger and does a great job keeping the pool clean.

I put up the IKEA Solig Mosquito Net in 2016. We never got it up in 2017 and I battled mosquitos and wasps.
NO!
We have it up again. this year.

I highly recommend a stock tank pool. We did all of this for under $1000 and that includes the wall and leveling.

IKEA Solig Mosquito Net - $24.99
Intex Sand Filter Pump $139.99
Stock Tank $249.00- Made in Texas, Y'all!
Pool Skimmer $14.99.

You literally could have this set up by this afternoon.
Do it!

I'm no longer in danger of loading up the trunk and camper and heading to Wisconsin.
Ahhh!
Have a great day.
Stay cool.
I will do my best to respond to questions.
Katie

The Boondocks Blog
https://blueskyathome.com/happiness-is-homemade-link-party-229/

New Pump For Our Stock Tank Pool

We started my birthday back in May with donuts. 

It's tradition at our house. 

My favorite are the lemon filled. 

Yummy. 

Bill wanted to know what we could do for my birthday. 

I wanted to set up our pool. 

It really is my pool because Bill rarely gets in it. 

I love it, however. 

I love it slightly more than handbags and you know how much I love a good handbag. 

The pad where we place the pool needed some leveling this year. 

The sides are made out of railroad ties. 

Three years ago we put a layer of decomposed granite on top of the soil to prevent any erosion over the top of the railroad ties. 

This is our 4th season with the pool, it was time to do a little re-leveling. 

We store the stock tank behind our fence during the off seasons. 

Bill can easily maneuver it by himself. 

I'm no help because I have to take the pictures. 

Duh!  

We have a 6 foot round stock tank but it actually measures slightly less than 6 ft. 

This image gives you an idea of how big it is. 

Once the pool was cleaned out and put into place, we started to fill it and assemble the parts of the pump. 

The pump didn't work. It would make noise but it wouldn't pump water. 

We had the Intex Krystal Clear Cartridge Filter Pump. 

Leslie's Pool Supplies didn't have it in stock anymore so we decided to upgrade. 

We got the Intex Krystal Clear Sand Filter For Above Ground Pools. 

Bill ordered it from Amazon. Currently it is $138.99. 

It was a little more difficult to set up than the old pump but it came with a DVD. 

The DVD was very helpful. 

The intake and outflow hoses needed to be separated. 

We have never wanted to drill holes into our tank so we drape the hoses over the side of the pool. 

They are kept in place because they are threaded through cinderblocks. 

The cinderblock are also nice for sitting on. Haha. 

The new pump is working great. 

It circulates 1,600 gallons per hour. It rained 6 inches during the first weekend of June. 

The pool looked clear again after a day or two. 

The pump runs on electricity. 

Ours is plugged into an extension cord which runs to our exterior outlet. 

We have never tripped a breaker with the pump.

Here are links to my other blog posts about the pool.

The Watering Hole

Exciting News About Our Stock Tank Pool

Setting Up A Stock Tank Pool

Mosquito Net For Our Stock Tank Pool 

10 Fun Reasons To Visit Tractor Supply

 The question that gets asked most often involves mosquitos. 

We do not have mosquitos breeding in our pool. 

The pump circulates the water which prevents mosquitos from breeding. 

Unless you do not want to keep the pool filled all the time, there must be a pump. 

I added the IKEA mosquito net around the pool last year so I wouldn't get bit. 

They don't breed in the pool but that doesn't mean they aren't attracted to the water or to me. 

The city has been spraying so the mosquitos haven't been as much of a problem. 

We didn't put the net back up this year. 

Two or three times a season I'll drain some of the water out and add new water. 

Our water is pretty chlorinated so we do not have to add chemicals to the water. 

Bill made a water shut off valve out of PVC. 

It is what we use to drain the pool. 

I added some rocks to the pad. Stepping on them is much better than stepping on the decomposed granite. 

Neither of these is necessary. The stock tank is meant to hold water. It hasn't rusted at all. 

It could be set directly on the ground as long as the ground is pretty level. 

It could also be partially buried. 

People have asked if the metal is hot to the touch. 

My pool is pretty shaded and I do not like sitting in the sun. I was the only person in Hawaii sitting under the shade of the banyan trees. I felt like I was on the set of "Lost". 

The sun will warm up the metal but it has never been too hot to touch. 

I live in DFW, Texas. Our temperatures can climb up to 105 degrees in August. 

I can't speak for what would happen in full sun or in a hotter climate. 

I've seen people cover the edges of their stock tank with pool noodles. 

That would be perfect for kids. 

There are also plastic stock tanks. 

The bottom of our tank is not slippery. 

I'm not the most graceful dancer in the troupe and I've never slipped. 

Children do not use this pool. If they did, I think I'd get some rubber mats for the bottom. 

The stock tank is not sharp. The metal edges are very well finished. 

I thought that we could use our new little green house to store pool supplies. 

Nope!

The wasps and hornets seem to think that the green house is a perfect habitat. 

They are misinformed. 

I went to war with them about it. 

I'm on my second little float this summer.
The first one got a blow out after just a few uses.
This new one is perfect for my little Stock Tank Pool.
I love it. 

How are you keeping cool?
Why did we get this instead of another type of pool?
It was cheaper and cuter!

Get your own stock tank at Tractor Supply. It is only $259.99. 

It's worth every penny. 

Have a wonderful day.
Keep Cool! 

Katie

Linking with,
Stonegable 

IKEA Mosquito Netting Around the Stock Tank Pool

 Good morning, Darlings.

The mosquitoes in our yard are horrible. 

We have tried many things to abate these pest to no avail. 

I bought the SOLIG net from IKEA on a whim last February.

 I was desperate to find a way to sit outside without slathering myself in bug spray. 

I was very skeptical about this product but it seemed useful last summer tied to the underside of our patio umbrella. 

  

I was able to sit outside on the patio and read for about two hours. 

Unfortunately it is so hot here in Texas that the solution wasn't very practical.

The netting stuck to my sweaty skin as I tried to extricate myself from my bugless enclosure. 
Don't even get me started on the cat and the dog wanting in and out. 

 At the end of the season we took it apart and packed it away. 

When I was prepping the yard for summer a few weeks ago, I remembered the mosquito netting. 

I wanted to hang the net from the trees above our stock tank pool so that I could soak in a relative buzz free zone. 

 Unfortunately there isn't a tree branch centered above the pool. 

 Bill grabbed a PVC pipe from his stash. 

He propped one end of the pipe on the fence and another from a tree branch.

He zip tied each end so that the pipe will stay put.

He tied the cord of the mosquito net to the PVC pipe and secured it with a zip tie as well. 

Cute red chip clips from the grocery story keep it securely fastened. 

It is keeping debris from falling into the pool.

It's also keeping the bugs out. 

Well, except for the cicada that somehow managed to get in. 

I'm so glad that I saw him before he saw me. 

Thank heaven for the pool skimmer. It makes a good bug catcher.

Things could have gone south very quickly, let me tell you.  

A huge storm blew in after we finished hanging the SOLIG net from IKEA. 

It remained secure!

I love the tropical feel it adds to the yard. 

Bye, bye mosquitoes. 

Thanks for letting me share. 

Katie 

Savvy Southern Style
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Pin Worthy Wednesday 
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Setting Up A Stock Tank Pool

This pool is one of the best ideas I've ever seen. 

It is amazing to have a place to float and cool off during a hot Texas summer. 

I love it! 

It's very easy to set up and comes together in a matter of hours. 

We store our stock tank upside down behind our fence during the off season.  

 Bill rolled it up to the spot we leveled two years ago.

He installed the drain plug that he made from PVC parts.

This is essential for draining the pool if need be. 

It doesn't take long to fill it full of water. 

Once the stock tank pool was filled, I assembled the hoses, filter and pump. 

We use the Intex Krystal Clear Pump- model 603. 

It was $65.00. 

Attach hoses according to the directions included with the pump.

 We had to add length to our hoses and got the additional length at Leslie's Pool Supply. 

We added the length because our hoses flop over the side of the tank. 

It is not very attractive but I did not want to drill holes into the side of the pool to attach the hoses.  

We didn't want any leaks. 

Before you plug in the pump, make sure that the hoses and the pump are completely filled with water. 

Put the hoses in the water and fill using a garden hose. 

Remove cap and add the filter. 

Tighten the cap and loosen the little plug in the center. 

Water will bubble from the center plug when the pump is filled. 

Quickly close the plug. 

We set the pump next to the pool on a log or on the retaining wall. 

 We thread the hoses through a cinder block so they won't flop out of the pool.

The cinder block doubles as a seat or step to get into the pool. 

When the outflow hose decreases and the pump makes a slightly different noise, the filter is dirty. 

It needs to be changed every few weeks.

Unplug the pump, change the filter and follow the above directions before turning the pump back on. 

The pump keeps the water moving so that the pool will not be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

Your neighbors will not love you if you are creating a West Nile situation. 

Our pool is not in full sun. 

Many have asked me if the metal is hot enough to burn me. 

The metal can be warm in August but it isn't hot. 

I don't know what would happen in other parts of the country. 

I don't know what would happen if this was in full sun. 

It only gets dappled sunlight throughout the day in our yard. 

It can be a bit nippy as soon as it is filled but the pool is quite comfortable once daytime temperatures hit the 90s. 

 Because it is metal, it cools down at night. 

It keeps the water pretty comfortable until August. 

Last summer it felt a little "bath tubby" in August but we had several weeks where the temperature was over 100 degrees. 

We drained it and refilled it.

 I think this stock tank pool is a great addition to a backyard without a pool. 

 It is affordable. 

A six foot by two foot stock tank is available at Tractor Supply for $249.99. 

It holds 390 gallons of water. 

It was easy to obtain. 

Tractor Supply is about 10 minutes away and it fit perfectly in the back of our Ford F150 pick up.  

 

I love setting plants around it. They can get a quick drink with a bucket setting near by.

I love it.