Skimmers and Returns all on one side?

[geekfamily]

Our PB will be starting soon, once the weather clears up. His foreman came out last week and looked the site over. He seems really good. However, one thing he mentioned seemed odd.

Our pool will be a 18' x 35' freeform lagoon shaped pool. He said for the last few years, they have started putting the skimmers (x2) AND the returns (x4) on the same side of the pool...but the returns are much deeper/lower in the water. He said it serves two purposes, it is on the house side so you don't see them much...but more importantly he said the returns are down low in the water thus causing the pool to "overturn" instead of "swirl". He said there have been studies that show this configuration better mixes your chemicals/water temps since the deeper water is moving...not just the top surface.

Anyone heard of this? He said the Main Drains don't really pull in that much water (based on some dye tests) and this method they have found to be better for circulation.

Any cause for concern? Seems to me this configuration would be easier plumbing...but is it better for circulation?

Thoughts?

 

[jblizzle]

Are the skimmers and floor drains run separately to the pad and then adjustable with valves? If so you can get plenty of flow through the floor or a combination of both.

I would make sure you have a skimmer on the downwind side of the pool for the direction of your typical winds ... this may or may not be on the side by the house.

I can understand their theory of "churning" the water, but personally have not heard about this method. I have read about a single return added lower in the deep end. With the normal height returns, you can always turn the eyeballs either down or up toward to surface to adjust the water flow.

Maybe others will have additional thoughts.

 

[mas985]

It makes perfect sense to me and I think it should work quite well. In fact, probably better than the conventional methods. Plus tests have shown that main drains are not all that effective and can be eliminated in most situations.

 

[Richard320]

You need a skimmer at the downwind end of the pool. Period. Mine isn't, and no matter how I aim the jets, the slightest breeze will send the leaves right on past the skimmer, where they collect, get waterlogged, and sink. So I can fish them out later manually.

I wouldn't care if it added thirty feet of pipe; if I got to design my pool myself, I'd have a skimmer on the downwind end.

 

[geekfamily]

Thanks guys for the great comments!

A couple of responses...the two skimmers will be individually plumbed/valved at the pad and the two main drains will be plumbed together, but valved at the pad separtly from the skimmers. The house side of the pool is not downwind, but the adjacent end is...so I don't think the PB would have any problem putting one of the skimmers there...as it is nearly on the house side. The other skimmer would be against the house on the other end I am assuming. Here is the Pool Studio drawing of our pool http://www.troublefreepool.com/new-build-in-metro-st-louis-t56262.html.

Down wind is opposite end from the steps...so the 4 returns would be along the house side of the pool, down lower (not sure how low).

 

[msumoose]

I actually have this configuration on my pool, without the lowering of the returns. I hate it. If the returns were low, I might like it more, but the way it is now really does me no favors. I also have no main drain. I have a "low water pickup" on the deep end wall. I wish that I did. I can't stand the bugs that won't get to the skimmers because the returns blow them back out into the pool.

 

[RobbieH]

You need a skimmer at the downwind end of the pool. Period. Mine isn't, and no matter how I aim the jets, the slightest breeze will send the leaves right on past the skimmer, where they collect, get waterlogged, and sink. So I can fish them out later manually.

I wouldn't care if it added thirty feet of pipe; if I got to design my pool myself, I'd have a skimmer on the downwind end.

Yep, mine has this same issue.