Help with Design and Equipment

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M

midwest_newbie

New member
Feb 25, 2024
3
Columbia, MO
Hi all,

Thanks for the amazing forum and great information.

We have never owned a pool and would love ideas or opinions before we finalize our contract.
  • Proposed pool is 21' X 46'
  • Pebble Sheen Finish. Not sure on color yet.
  • Pool area 942 Sq. Ft.
  • Pool will have sun deck on one side and a 6' section on the other side with scuppers and floating steps
  • Pool depth is 4' to 6'
  • One 32" unblockable pool drain
  • 2 Skimmers
  • 6 Returns
  • 3" lines
  • Autofill
  • Intelliflo VSF3 pump
  • Sta-Rite S8M150 (450 Sq. Ft.) Filter
  • Max-E-Therm 406k Btu heater
  • 3 LED White Spa Lights
  • 5 Globrite White LED lights
  • Intellicenter i5P
  • Polaris Quattro Sport pool cleaner
We will most likely go with salt chlorination. What equipment do you recommend for the salt chlorination?

Please feel free to scrutinize the attached rendering.

Thank you.
 

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mwn,

Sometimes, things that look really cool are not too functional.. How do you plan to keep your floating step area clean? More stuff falls into your pool in just one day than you think. Get what you want, but keep in mind how pools actually work.

I would vote YES on a saltwater pool... I have three of them and I always joke that if they could not be saltwater pools, that I'd just as soon fill them in with dirt. :mrgreen: When you get out of a normal pool, you feels like you need to take a shower. When you get out of a saltwater pool, you feel like you just took a shower. I am a very big pro saltwater kind of guy... :goodjob:

The equipment you list will work fine with a saltwater system. I suggest that you buy the IntelliCenter i5P package with the integrated salt system, it comes with an internal Cell power supply, and an IntelliChlor IC40 salt cell. This assumes that your pool has a volume of 20K gallons or less. If much more than 20K gallons, you will need an IC60. All salt cells need to be rated for at least 2 x the volume of your pool.

Good pump and good filter..


Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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I can tell you have been doing some reading when I see the depths of 4' to 6' Well done!

I would love to see more pics of the pool. The area under and behind the floating steps also have me worried about cleaning a safety is someone tries to swim through them.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Sometimes, things that look really cool are not too functional.. How do you plan to keep your floating step area clean? More stuff falls into your pool in just one day than you think. Get what you want, but keep in mind how pools actually work.
Click to expand...

That's definitely not something we thought about. If we really wanted the floating steps, is there a different or modified design you recommend that will make cleaning easier?

Jimrahbe said:
I would vote YES on a saltwater pool
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We have friends that have saltwater pools and they all love it. Having a saltwater pool was probably decided along with the idea of a pool

ajw22 said:
Globrite lights have a high failure rate and are expensive to replace.
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Looks like the MicroBrite LED are better lights. Do you guys recommend a different light option? What about going white vs color?

kimkats said:
I can tell you have been doing some reading when I see the depths of 4' to 6' Well done!
Click to expand...

Thank you!! The original design by the PB ranged from 3.5' to 6'

kimkats said:
The area under and behind the floating steps also have me worried about cleaning a safety is someone tries to swim through them.
Click to expand...

I found a picture online that we liked (see attached) which show floating steps with a bigger opening (will this make it easier to clean?) and what looks like a 12" ledge beyond the floating steps that would prevent someone from trying to swim through the steps.

Thank you for all your input. Please keep it coming...
 

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Microbrites seem a bit better then Globrites but still fail in a few years.

People are talking highly about Jandy Hydrocool P Series lights but it is too new too know how long they last.

White lights have better longevity then the color changing lights since the have less LEDs and electronics to fail.
 
mwn,

Keep in mind that the three waterfalls will make much more noise than you think they will, and if you are like most people, you will not use them, except to impress guests.

Constantly running the waterfalls will continuously drive your pH up.

See if your pool builder has installed them for anyone else.. If so, arrange a trip to that pool and see them in action.

I have a 3-port waterfall wall and I never use it anymore.. I thought is would be so cool, but it was just a waste of money.. That said, if you had tried to talk me out of it back then, I would probably have refused to believe you... :mrgreen:

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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That left side with the 3 waterfalls is going to be a lot wasted space IMO. First, 3 waterfalls are going to make conversation almost impossible while in the pool. Second, without an in-floor system over there dirt, debris, organic matter etc. is going to accumulate and reek havoc on your chemistry and be tough to clean. I would scrap that whole side and do something more functional. If you took a poll of all the pool owners we would tell you we run our sheer descents/waterfalls 1% of the time we use the pool. Also, if you plan to run those waterfalls continuously its going cause your PH to increase even faster than it already will, which will cost you more in muriatic acid.
 
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midwest_newbie said:
That's definitely not something we thought about. If we really wanted the floating steps, is there a different or modified design you recommend that will make cleaning easier?
Click to expand...
It there a purpose for the floating steps? What is on the other side that may entice people to walk across the steps? Will they be used for jumping into the pool?

With regard to cleaning, you will need to be prepared to hand brush that area between and around the water feature and the floating steps. Leaves will accumulate around those floating steps.

As others have said, a water feature is visually appealing but after the initial newness it is not used as much. I remember when we bought the house and the existing owners had the pool all clean and the waterfall on that we could see it from the main family room. It was really appealing. Well once we moved in and started using the pool the waterfall came on only when we had visitors so they could see it from the family room. If we went outside, the waterfall had to be turned off. So now I run it once a week just to keep it functional.

So just be prepared to do a little more work to keep the area clean.
 
ajw22 said:
People are talking highly about Jandy Hydrocool P Series lights but it is too new too know how long they last.

White lights have better longevity then the color changing lights since the have less LEDs and electronics to fail.
Click to expand...

I'll look into the P series and compare them to the Microbrites. From what I've read; it seems like the microbrites are the best lighting options currently offered by pentair (if only because they are fairly new). Make sense on not getting the color changing lights. Thanks

Jimrahbe said:
Keep in mind that the three waterfalls will make much more noise than you think they will, and if you are like most people, you will not use them, except to impress guests.
Click to expand...

We really wanted the running water sound for when we are either in the pool or sitting around it. If not the three waterfalls; what other water feature do you recommened. I've looked into maybe changing the three waterfalls into three or maybe just one sheer descent. Will the sheer decents be quieter compared to the waterfalls?

Something else I've noticed on lots of pool pictures is that people opt not to have the chaise installed on the sun deck. A lot of pool have that area "open" so that they can put in a plastic chair, chaise or table as needed and are not stuck with the built in chaises. Another feature I really liked was adding water bubblers to the sun deck. Will the bubblers provide the running water sound we are looking for?

Jimrahbe said:
I have a 3-port waterfall wall and I never use it anymore.. I thought is would be so cool, but it was just a waste of money.. That said, if you had tried to talk me out of it back then, I would probably have refused to believe you... :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

LOL I'm still not completely sold on the idea of skipping the waterfalls; but, I'm coming around to it.

Nonyabiz said:
I would scrap that whole side and do something more functional.
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What would you replace that side with? Any other feature that would act as the focal point or a "wow" factor?

HermanTX said:
It there a purpose for the floating steps? What is on the other side that may entice people to walk across the steps? Will they be used for jumping into the pool?
Click to expand...

The floating steps will be jumping off point as the water will be 6' deep on that end. They will also serve as another way to walk across the pool to a sitting are with fire pit. Sorry for the bad original picture I attached. I've attached aother picture that will hopefully make it easier to understand the space.

HermanTX said:
waterfall came on only when we had visitors so they could see it from the family room.
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I've been reading from almost everyone on this forum. If you had to do it all over again, would everyone build a pool without any water features? How would you recommend I go about adding something that'll provide us with the running water sound?

Thank you all.
 

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midwest_newbie said:
How would you recommend I go about adding something that'll provide us with the running water sound?
Click to expand...

A few outdoor speakers around the pool will let you adjust the sound effects you your liking…

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midwest_newbie said:
How would you recommend I go about adding something that'll provide us with the running water sound?
Click to expand...
I think there are 2 concerns - one is the floating steps and issue of cleaning in and around them. Also, they really just go across to a grassy spot as there is a walkway with steps to the firepit area. I think the floating steps will only be used by kids and you risk someone wedging a foot in between them.

The second is the sound of a waterfall - 3 scuppers may be too much. Not sure a single sheer decent is any less quieter - depends on how wide it is.

If it were me and just had to have water feature - do away with the floating steps, put in a 24 inch sheer or just 2 scuppers for water feature on that wall so it can be seen from the baja deck, patio or firepit sitting area.
Kids can jump off the side into the 6 ft of water.
 
midwest_newbie said:
Pool depth is 4' to 6'
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4' is excellent for the shallow end. 6' is awkward since it's too deep for people to stand, but too shallow for diving, etc.. I'd suggest 5' or commit to a true deep end.

midwest_newbie said:
5 Globrite White LED lights
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Globrites are unreliable and use a proprietary niche. MicroBrites are also unreliable, but are nicheless and use standard 1.5" openings. You may have better reliability with white-only lights, and may also want to investigate Jandy lights. I have MicroBrites now, and I'm tempted to replace them with Jandy when they fail.

midwest_newbie said:
One 32" unblockable pool drain
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Main drain is optional. If you want one, great. If not, that's fine too.

midwest_newbie said:
Polaris Quattro Sport pool cleaner
Click to expand...
I'd recommend ditching the pressure-side cleaner and get a robot instead.

midwest_newbie said:
We will most likely go with salt chlorination. What equipment do you recommend for the salt chlorination?
Click to expand...
Excellent idea. If you have IntelliCenter, get an IC40 or IC60 (preferred). Make sure you get IntelliCenter load center with the built in SWCG transformer.
 
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