B2—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 3,1982 As one farm family a Silos aren't just for forming anymore BY SUSAN KAUFFMAN Staff Correspondent The Fourth of July weekend is here at last. It is the perfect example of traditional summer weekends spent swimming and picnicking. In days gone by, old timers said if the corn was knee-high by the Fourth of July and cleanly cultivated, then the kids could go. down to the “old .iwimmin hole” and have the day off. Sprays have taken care of the weeds, generally, and the old “swinunin hole” is practically a thing of the past. Almost no one swims in a handmade dammed-up, creek anymore. Shovels and sod and muddy water have given way to progress. Farm families, not to be left behind in the march of progress, have also taken up the step of modernization. Several newly excavated farm ponds, or more acurately described - man-made, lakes now have sandy “beaches,” diving boards, and floating rafts. Still others have put in commercial pools, both above and below, the ground. And then there are a few farm families who have continued to The deck gracing one side of the pool is made of old tobacco shed boards. The redwood stain on the pool walls has lasted for four years now. Beneath the deck is a storage area housing the filter and pool cleaning gear. V* -* v a 4 & When friends visit on a hot, muggy afternoon, it’s a great time to show off the pool. In keeping with the farm theme for this pool, a large tractor inner tube serves as a mini boat for the youngsters. joys $ July 4 swim blend their farm management and construction progress with their recreational demands. Did you ever hear of a swimming pool made from silo staves? The idea sounded, at first, a little far fetched to the Sam Long family at Peach Bottom, but the more they thought about it the better and more practical the idea became. Marian Long explained that while they were constructing a silo a few years ago, one of the crew members kidded about making a pool with the left over staves. “Sure! ” Marian replied. The worker went on to say that it had been done before. Sam sold silos, so the idea started to churn and before long, the Longs ap peared to be putting in another silo next to their kitchen rather than near the bam! Sam shared some of the work in constructing the above-ground pool from silo staves. He had had some previous experience with an above ground pool since his family had been using a metal pool for sometime. At the time the Longs built their silo pool they had six children at home with the youngest being eight years old. v'n'* * + I This silo stave pool rests in the lawn of the "updated swimmin' hole," itfeaturs a specialty Sam Long residence near Quarryville. As an made liner and a deck to the right A large pool, deep enough for a nice swim by older children and adults was in order; so Sam built the pool to be five feet high and thirty feet across. He used Madison staves which are thirty inches high, three and one-half inches thick and about eight inches wide. The two rows of staves were placed on a “footer” of concrete, level across the top of the ground, one foot wide and three inches high. He used panelling to form the circular-shaped footer. After the footer was made the staves were assembled with four bands or hoops which are coated with an alloy that render them rust-proof. The first three hoops were spaced one foot apart up the wall of the pool. The fourth stave was then put on and finally a fifth hoop was used to eventually hold the liner in place. Before the liner was put in, however, a good deal more work had to go into the construction for a pool’s purpose. To cushion the liner from con stant wear and tear against the stave surfaces, the family added a layer of foam similar to that used under carpets (the smooth surfaced type not the waffle padding; to the inside walls. In order to have a practical bottom surface upon which to rest the Imer, Sam used the t/Ze^es Marian Long assists young swimmers who find the pool a little too deep. As the picture shows, the pool is quite deep at this end. Sam built the pool to be five feet high and 30 feet across. businessman’s advice and made a bottom of vermiculite and cement mixed in proportions to create a slightly “spongy” resistance. Sam said he feels that “give” in the resulting mixture is better than the hard force of solid concrete and much better than the shifting and pocketing that occurs with a sand bottom. Marian said the former pool had a sand bottom because of the pockets and folds which soon work their way into the liner floor. To round-off the bottom edge of the pool wall where it meets the floor surface, Sam said his family shaped the vermiculite and cement mixture so that it sloped up from the center of the bottom at the lowest point to a 6 or 8 inch higher level along the walls. The ver miculite and cement could not be worked like cement so it had to be put in according to individual preference. To help with the maintenance of the pool, Sam installed a central dram'at the bottom using con- ventional drain equipment made for pools and placing it and the pipe at the bottom of the pool before applying the vermiculite and cement mixture. He also purchased and installed a through the-wall skimmer. Due to the placing of long and short staves side by side around the pool, there worked out to be a long stave in the —***"• —v-~ top row which chould be replaced with a short stave giving room to cement in the skimmer drain box. The Longs had recently bought a new, dry-earth filter whiduised a powder to clean debris from the water. Sam said it has continued to keep their larger pool very dean. The new pool ususaliy has four and one-half feet of water in it. This is the fourth summer for the pool. The greatest expense, Sam said, was the liner. However, it has a ten-year guarantee with the Hayward Pool Co. based in New Jersey. With the cost of the liner, verauculite plastic pipe for drain and skimmer and extra staves and hoops, Sam quotes the cost at about $l,OOO. He added that a filter which they already had would add another $5OO to the cost. To add to the pleasure of using the pool, the family used old boards from a tobacco shed to build.a sturdy deck and storage area underneath to house the filter and pool-cleaning gear: Sam decided to apply redwood stain to the staves and old shed boards to tie it all together. Flowers and a walk lead from the century-old home to the pool. To keep the pool clean, Marian runs the filter during the day. Sam advises running it 24 hours, but the Longs haven’t had to do that. In previous years they used to fill the pool in the spring with water pumped up from their stream. This year, however, they used ‘ well water to avoid the muddy water. The Longs drain the water level down in the winter to keep the pipes from freezing which are above ground and do not cover the pool. They get very little debris blown into the pool because it is not at ground level and there are few nearby trees to shed leaves and dirt. Sam estimates that it costs $lOO to $l5O dollars a year for the chemicals, but the liner, filter and pool wall will last quite a while. He added that silo companies all have extra staves and hoops to sell for projects like his pool. At odd moments during the day, and especially after the milking and work is done in the evening, the Longs can take a dip and relax in their silo-pool.
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