Hello All,
So much already learned here - Thanks!
Awaiting arrival of our Intex 18'x9'x52". Gathering materials (and motivation!) to start the ground clearing and leveling process. To be honest - not looking forward to it, but have noted all the tricks here (and the Above Ground Pros free videos offer a lot of information - though they aren't going to get 59.00 from me).
So our current yard is pretty good size for AZ. Plus no neighbors behind or on one side of us, so an AGP works fine. The pic only shows a small portion of the total back/side yards (BTW this pic is in the dead of winter so everything is looking pretty dreary - its nice and colorful now!). But it is better suited for a rectangle. The pool will basically sit on the right side of the picture all the way back against the "L" shape between the butterfly to the left and the curbing along the right side. This puts it close to power which is off to the right of photo, and will allow for a small stair deck next to the paver patio. The length between the pavers and the curb by the butterfly is about 24'. It is about 10' width along the curbing that you can see towards the wall.
My questions are:
1. - I have irrigation in controlled in three "zones" by the controller. Thankfully all of the sprinkler heads along where the pool will be are all together in a single zone so I can just turn off that zone. Is the best thing to do just to remove the sprinkler heads completely when preparing the ground and cap them? Any other suggestions?
2. - There is one set of sprinklers that runs through the middle of the lawn now - basically from where the pillar is in the foreground all the way to the solar light near the wall. The problem is this line of sprinklers is only 10' from the right side curbing where I plan to seat the pool. I Hoping to be able to continue to use those sprinklers, but changing the heads so they would only sprinkle away from the pool. I really would hate to not be able to keep those sprinklers running to keep the remainder of the yard irrigated. But I see all of the suggestions to have AT LEAST 1' around the entire pool prepped. Can I cheat on this and be ok? Either by just having 6" or so on each side, or by placing it right up against the curbing on the right side (which would give me close to a foot on the side out in the middle of the lawn? Otherwise it is going to be a pain to keep the remainder of the lawn watered. Since part of the reason we are going AGP is to see how much use we get, I am trying to minimize damage to the landscaping as much as possible.
3. GFCI Power - Does the equipment need to be plugged into an actual GFCI outlet (with the reset button), or as long as the outlet is connected to a GFCI breaker am I OK? My house is fairly new so if the GFCI is tripped several outlets connected are down until reset.
4. For the area I am talking about clearing/leveling (10'x24' basically) is it worth renting a sod puller or mini bobcat for $75.00-$100.00 or should I just grin and bear it with some help and do by hand?
5. Finally, there isn't a lot of information I have found about how the water temp will do here during our long stretch of 100+ degree days. Do these pool coolers Pool Cooler | Pool Cooler Creates Refreshing Feeling In Hot Summer Days work at all? Suggestions?
Thanks in advance!! I will try not to ask too many dumb questions without researching first....
So much already learned here - Thanks!
Awaiting arrival of our Intex 18'x9'x52". Gathering materials (and motivation!) to start the ground clearing and leveling process. To be honest - not looking forward to it, but have noted all the tricks here (and the Above Ground Pros free videos offer a lot of information - though they aren't going to get 59.00 from me).
So our current yard is pretty good size for AZ. Plus no neighbors behind or on one side of us, so an AGP works fine. The pic only shows a small portion of the total back/side yards (BTW this pic is in the dead of winter so everything is looking pretty dreary - its nice and colorful now!). But it is better suited for a rectangle. The pool will basically sit on the right side of the picture all the way back against the "L" shape between the butterfly to the left and the curbing along the right side. This puts it close to power which is off to the right of photo, and will allow for a small stair deck next to the paver patio. The length between the pavers and the curb by the butterfly is about 24'. It is about 10' width along the curbing that you can see towards the wall.
My questions are:
1. - I have irrigation in controlled in three "zones" by the controller. Thankfully all of the sprinkler heads along where the pool will be are all together in a single zone so I can just turn off that zone. Is the best thing to do just to remove the sprinkler heads completely when preparing the ground and cap them? Any other suggestions?
2. - There is one set of sprinklers that runs through the middle of the lawn now - basically from where the pillar is in the foreground all the way to the solar light near the wall. The problem is this line of sprinklers is only 10' from the right side curbing where I plan to seat the pool. I Hoping to be able to continue to use those sprinklers, but changing the heads so they would only sprinkle away from the pool. I really would hate to not be able to keep those sprinklers running to keep the remainder of the yard irrigated. But I see all of the suggestions to have AT LEAST 1' around the entire pool prepped. Can I cheat on this and be ok? Either by just having 6" or so on each side, or by placing it right up against the curbing on the right side (which would give me close to a foot on the side out in the middle of the lawn? Otherwise it is going to be a pain to keep the remainder of the lawn watered. Since part of the reason we are going AGP is to see how much use we get, I am trying to minimize damage to the landscaping as much as possible.
3. GFCI Power - Does the equipment need to be plugged into an actual GFCI outlet (with the reset button), or as long as the outlet is connected to a GFCI breaker am I OK? My house is fairly new so if the GFCI is tripped several outlets connected are down until reset.
4. For the area I am talking about clearing/leveling (10'x24' basically) is it worth renting a sod puller or mini bobcat for $75.00-$100.00 or should I just grin and bear it with some help and do by hand?
5. Finally, there isn't a lot of information I have found about how the water temp will do here during our long stretch of 100+ degree days. Do these pool coolers Pool Cooler | Pool Cooler Creates Refreshing Feeling In Hot Summer Days work at all? Suggestions?
Thanks in advance!! I will try not to ask too many dumb questions without researching first....
Since you will probably have lots of kids and foot traffic around the pool, I would recommend capping-off those sprinkler heads before one gets stepped-on and snaps. As you may have seen from other examples, your pool pad/support areas are going to extend a good 1-2 ft beyond the actual pool. Some may depend on the specific model of your pool and what you chose to do around the pool for aesthetics. That will probably influence your sprinkler head adjustments. GFCI is a requirement. I'm not an electrician, but if memory serves me right, certainly a GFCI 20 amp dedicated circuit is a must. Pool pump cords are limited to 3' in length which means you need to have a GFCI protected outlet nearby. But there's a distance requirement on that outlet by the pool as well - 6' perhaps? Someone here will confirm. Removing sod/grass is not as easy as it looks. I know that from my first pool. Any equipment assist you can get - take it. The mist cooling apparatus is nice, but many folks also create their own out of PVC. Helps to cool the water a bit, provide aeration to raise pH (if needed) and makes it fun for the kids.
