The soil is silt loam which does hold moisture. However we have a four foot deep test hole near the foundation site and the water after it rains is usually half way up the hole. My issue is that on the sunny days that hole is dry but nothing happens at the site then when it is a 10 - 20% chance for rain the next day he does nothing because it could rain. He insists that he wants the foundation in almost as much as we do but I don't see progress. How do I get progress on my build?

Most ABG pumps are not self-priming. If the water discharge is at the side of the pump rather than the center it is a flooded suction style pump and will almost always need to be primed. If the discharge is in the center is may work. It may, however, require a swing-check valve in front of the pump to maintain fill in the hair and lint trap. Ken Here is a link that might be useful: Pumps and more pumps

MrsHanson, we have an above ground pool which we put inground in 2005. It is not one of the brands which are designed for inground, however, we decided to take the risk and see what happened. Since installation, we have invested a 10 foot aggregate surround around the pool. We know that when the liner goes, so goes the entire pool because it will collapse. We had a leak in the liner two years ago, and a great deal of water was leaked, but fortunately, my husband was able to find the leak and patch it. Ours sticks out above the ground about one foot. Keeping our fingers crossed for this year! But, we feel seven years has given us great return on the investment. I will be happy to post a picture of it if you would like, we just took the cover off for summer and it appears a little green, but when clear, it's a beautiful crystal clear blue pool! I will look up the brand as well if you are interested. It's 33x18, and was very inexpensive. Hope this helps! and good luck

Update: He is now saying the gas is on and pilot light won't light. Does anyone know what would cause this?