Initial research

[jmcclelland]

Hi - I am so glad I found this forum. We are in the very beginning stages of installing a pool in our backyard. I have two very basic questions.
1) I have found so much conflicting information regarding gunite vs. fiberglass. Can anyone give me an honest answer on which I should be looking at. We live in the California desert, very little rain but high winds.

2) We also have a septic system -- how far should the excavation be from the septic tank?

Thank you in advance for any help. :?: :-D

 

[Richard320]

I can't answer the first question, never owned a fiberglass pool. The second question is probably answered by the county building codes.

But the reason I replied was to mention my pet peeve: skimmer location. I'm sure you have a prevailing wind. Put the skimmer at the extreme downwind spot. I don't care if the filter is going to be upwind and it means a lengthy pipe run; do it. You don't want to end up like me, cursing the builder for saving 10' of PVC pipe so all the surface debris floats right on past the skimmer!

 

[Bama Rambler]

Richard has the best answer. Different places have different rules about clear areas. Ours is 10' for structures (pools included) and 50' horizontal for wells.

If it were me, I'd choose gunite over fiberglass, but that's a personal opinion.

 

[JasonLion]

There is no one kind of pool: plaster, vinyl, or fiberglass that is uniformly better than another. They are all good in some ways, and less so in others. Fiberglass pools install much more quickly and are much less sensitive to water chemistry. However they get metals stains at much lower metal levels than other pools and there is less flexibility in the choice of overall shape.