May be starting build this year!! Outside of Boston

[rmclain73]

Hello all!

We have been planning our pool for several years now and have begun the process in our backyard. With all the work that needs to be done it was to be a three year process from start to finish for financial reasons. This year we have removed trees, are currently in the process of regrading, building a good sized retaining wall, and putting in a fence around the yard. Next year was to be phase 2 which was to dig the pool in the fall then winterize. Phase three was to be the following Spring after the winter has let the ground settle and put in pool deck and landscape. Now that the yard is all torn up and not usable, we are thinking to just move ahead to phase 2 this year, and finish off next Spring. We are meeting with the pool builder this week to go over contract and I have some questions that I thought I would have more time to research.

Some info:

Kidney shaped pool 28x13.6, depth of 3-5 feet, 8500 gallons. Pentair cartridge filter with whisperflo pump. Polaris 280 with dedicated booster pump. Pentair Salt water generator. Pentair LED colored light, and Pentair heat pump. Everything is included in the price, with the exception of the heat pump.


Questions:

1. I can upgrade the pump if I want to a variable speed. Pool builder says with my size pool that I will not need much more than a 3/4 hp pump anyways and the turnover time will not be all that long. My electricity rate here is fixed throughout the day at $.22 a KW. We will also be running a salt cell, and heat pump so I wonder how this will all effect the amount of time the pump runs, and at what speed will be needed. I see the online calculators show I will save money with the VS pump, but those do not take into account all factors. No gas
line on the street, and the town will not allow for a propane tank. Heat pump is only option. Will I seen all that much in saving by upgrading to a VS pump over the Whisperllo?

2. Builder says with the size pool we are getting 1 LED light should be enough in the deep end pointing to the shallow end. What are your thoughts on this? Should I go with 2?

Builder is not really forcing anything on me. He is looking to save me money upfront. However I thinking more long-term.

Thanks for your input.

 

[pabeader]

Please do a search on here for info about that light. I have a flag that went up in my mind when I read that. Seems like there is an issue with longevity associated with it.

I'm sure others will be along shortly with more assistance.

 

[rmclain73]

One thing I thought I should add that I forgot earlier. Its $950 extra to upgrade to VS pump, while the Whisperflo is included with the bid. I have to follow up to make sure that its the 2 speed model though.

 

[ComputerGuyInNOLA]

Your pool is slightly smaller than mine which is 14 x 30 ft. And I have two Jandy Watercolor lights. I still have some dark areas. One thing you need to consider is the placement of the pool in relation to your house. Our pool is mostly rectangular so our builder suggested putting the lights in the pool wall closest to the house so when we looked out at night we did not see the light shining in our faces. This happened to be the long side of the pool. I am glad I did two lights since one would not have been nearly enough given it was on the long side of the pool.

 

[grottoguy]

I guess you have to figure out how often you will run the heat punp and if when running it the variable speed pump would be in high. It may make no sense for a variable speed (other people will have a better sense). You may also want to ask how much the heat pump is costing. I suspect a lot. You may want to consider having the PB plum for the heat pump ( costs very little to run an extra electrical conduit) and then decide after you have the pool of you actually need it. Boston is cooler than NJ so perhaps it's a no Brainer. But after using my pool this year I may not have gotten a heat pump even if I had no other option for heat. My pool is warm enough without heat and when I really need the heat I don't think a heat punp would make a huge difference.