Midwest Custom Pools: Pool Filters

Pool Filters

There are three different types of pool filters out there. The three main types are sand filters, D.E. filters (Diatomaceous Earth), and cartridge filters. All three have their pros and cons, and we will discuss these things to make sure you are well informed about all the choices. You will find that the bigger the filter the better, but there will be additional cost the bigger you go.

First, D.E. filters: D.E. filters can and will clean your pool the best out of all the filters available on the market (although cartridge filters are catching up with them). They are rarely used today because of the very high maintenance involved with them. You have big grids inside the filter that have to be taken out and washed. D.E. is white and very messy as well. It also gets caked on the side of the grids and is very hard to get off. You have to recharge the filter with D.E. every time you backwash through the skimmer. Speaking of backwashing: this, I feel, is the downfall of both D.E. and sand filters. When you backwash, you loose both your pool water and pool chemicals. This would not be my choice of filter because of the high maintenance involved.

Next on our filter list is sand filters. Sand filters are great for us service guys because they are very easy to clean, and the sand hardly ever needs to be changed. They are also easy for the homeowner to operate as well. Now to the cons of a sand filter, they waste water and chemicals because they have to be backwashed. They also are the worst out of the three filters as far as cleaning goes. They are also the biggest type of filter and take up a lot of room. I would take this filter over a D.E. filter as they are very easy to operate and pretty low maintenance, lower then the other two.

Last on the list is the cartridge filter.  In my opinion, the best choice around. The good thing about them is they are small but have a large cleaning area.  They usually need to be cleaned once a year, depending on how much stuff accumulates in the pool. They clean almost as good as a D.E. filter, and when they need to be cleaned they are very easy. They also don't have to be backwashed, so you are not throwing money down the drain. And they have a small footprint on the equipment pad. Now to the bad, they do have to have to be replaced for time to time, but this is a very easy process. 

The good news is that all of the three filter options are about the same price. So price should not be a factor when choosing your filter!

I hope you can use this to select the best filter for you. Remember the bigger the filter the better. It also cuts down on how often you have to clean it. D.E. will clean the water the best but is a maintenance nightmare. Sand filters are very easy to clean and operate. Cartridge filters are the best of both worlds and they don't have to be backwashed, so you are not wasting money. 

Visit our website for more information! Or give me a call: Bryan Handy, 785- 423-5868

What's new at the Lawrence Landscape Tree Farm?

The Tree Farm

We've been busy this winter and spring building a paver patio, retaining walls and a stone paver display area. As luck would have it, it turned into a...

-Patio with a gazebo/ pergola for shade
- An outdoor kitchen with a poured concrete countertop (perfect for entertaining)
-An outdoor fireplace to take the chill out of spring and fall evenings
-A double sided pond-less water feature to take the stress away
-And a masonry fire ring- just we could!

Stop by and take a look for yourself- Monday- Friday 7-5.

Got some tree issues- leaf spot, caterpillars, webworms, blight? Mike is our nurseryman and tree farm impresario! He has been in the nursery business for 32 years and can diagnose your issues. Bring a sample to the tree farm and he'll be happy to take a look, diagnose the issue and give you some ideas to help fix it! Mike can also show you around if you like-- just give him a call 785.423.5861 or simply show up.

Here are the newest photos from the farm.... a beauty to behold in this heat!

Retaining Walls: Why? How?

One of the most common complaints we hear is about soil eroding, steep hills untouched by lawnmowers and general yard chaos that could be fixed by a gorgeous retaining wall. In the bad old days, most retaining walls were made of "railroad ties", really landscape timbers. Since it's not the old days, there are now rules regarding the chemicals that are used to treat those landscape timbers. That equals more expensive. The best and most solid (and time-tested) solution to retaining walls is the modular block retaining wall. 

Modular block, or segmental, retaining walls employ interlocking concrete units that tie-back into the earth to efficiently resist loads. These pre-engineered modular systems are an attractive, economical, and durable alternative to stone or poured concrete retaining walls. The inherent design flexibility can accommodate a wide variety of site constraints, project sizes, and aesthetic preferences.

Individual, usually identical, precast concrete units either interlock, offset stack, or are placed structurally independent of each other and anchored into the backfill. The components of a complete system can include foundation soil; leveling pad; precast concrete units of high-strength concrete; shear pins if units don't interlock; multiple-depth walls or additional soil reinforcement such as geotextile, welded wire fabric, or dead-man anchors if the wall is over a certain height; retained soil; and drainage fill. The soil reinforcement consists of horizontal layers that extend into the backfill.

 Being gravity structures, these systems rely on their own weight and mass to resist overturn and sliding forces. The segmental nature affords the wall a permeability to relieve pressure, so less material is required for resistance. Because they are considered flexible structures, the footings usually need not reach the frost line. Some systems allow for landscaping of the wall between tiers (depending on site conditions), while others are designed as structural frames to be covered with landscaping.

Installation

These systems usually require less excavation than poured-in-place walls, and on-site soils can often be used. They require no heavy equipment, mortar or formwork, and usually can be constructed by hand. This affords flexibility in construction scheduling. Proper backfilling and grading for base tier is fairly critical. These systems can also be overlaid onto existing older retaining walls.

Benefits/Costs

These systems allow for some design flexibility, such as curved walls, and construction is generally faster than poured-in-place concrete or stone walls. Site conditions have a major impact on costs. Installed costs are usually less than poured-in-place and especially stone walls. Controlled manufacturing conditions ensure a durable, damage-resistant product. Maintenance is negligible as there is no mortar to repoint, and the flexible systems generally eliminate cracking.

Information from NAHB Research Center at TOOLBASE.ORG

 

Blog by Laurel- Summer lovin' plants!

This 100 degree weather can make it hard to enjoy your garden or outdoor landscaping. However, I wanted to give you some inspiration- there are plants out there that flourish in the heat! This heat wave will pass and soon, we'll be back to sitting on our porch or patio, enjoying the view....
Here are some great summer blooming plants. While I don't suggest you create your landscape around these blooming beauties, I do love to include some in the landscapes I design. They add softness, color, texture and just all around summer splendor!
Daylilies- who doesn't love these? They are teflon- easy to grow in shade, hard to kill, rabbits won't eat them (much), they bloom in the dead of summer and keep blooming. Oh, and they aren't susceptible to pests! How great is that? They range in size from tiny to over 3' tall. The colors??? Just look:

 I love this creamy color! 

Next great heat-loving summer lover- the Hydrangea. Now, you may not think of hydrangea as a heat lover. But it only blooms in summer, won't put on blooms until it gets warm (cool summers postpone its bloom development) and blooms it's heart out all summer. Granted, they require SHADE. Different hydrangeas require different amounts but it's always safe to provide morning sun and afternoon shade. Most do very well with enriched soil (r.e. lots of compost, every year, forever) and adequate, regular deep watering.
Hydrangeas are also a fairly good structural element in your landscape design. They are deciduous (in winter they become a pile of sticks), so they won't be green all year. But they can be large and form a hedge of sorts! Choose Hydragea paniculata (Pinky Winky, Pee Gee, etc.), Hyd. tardiva, Hyd. quercifolia (Oakleaf), Hydrangea arborescens (Limelight, Annabelle, etc)- all of these are the bigger specimens. The Endless Summer are the old fashioned beauties that turn blue/ pink depending on soil acidity. They stay small.

These are both the Limelight Hydrangea- 6'+ H and gorgeous lime green to white blooms.









Next post will have a few more wonderful summer plants: Roses and ornamental grasses!

Annuals season too!

Although the season to BUY annual flowers is closing down (yep, buy them from March-June), it is totally time to enjoy them!!
I wanted to share some pictures of combo pots we've designed and installed at customers' houses.

One of the tips to successful combo pots is to always make seasonal pots. Don't try to create one pot for the entire spring and summer. Most successful pots will have a spring, cool season look- like pansies, lobelia, snapdragons, ornamental kales/cabbages and traditional petunias. Replace those with warm season bloomers in May or June- supertunias, coleus, sweet potato vines, tropical flowers (like canna and papyrus), angelonia, herbs, etc. For fall, pick up mums, grasses and back to cool season plants.

Canna, angelonia, sweet potato vine

Look at the combo of begonia and purple Supertunias!

King Tut papyrus, sweet potato vine and bordeaux Supertunias!

It's pool season... if you haven't noticed!

In reference to the last post, this is our team spraying concrete into a pool form. It is a Raintree Montessori school, here in Lawrence KS. If you have questions, feel free to visit the Midwest Custom Pool site. Or call Lawrence Landscape- we'll get you pointed in the right direction!

May 26, 2011

Hydraulic concrete pump shooting out a pool liner. Check this out on YouTube!
This is at Raintree Montessori in Lawrence KS. Very exciting stuff....