New to Pools- "jumping" in

[Pvpool]

I just put down a deposit to dig next spring but looking for some comments on decisions I made or looking to make...

There are a few pool builders in the area and I went with the one I felt the most comfortable with (also less expensive, but that wasn't the main factor). A couple of the differences between builders (the one I selected is doing the first option):
-Fox Pool walls vs Kafko
-dirt backfill vs rock backfill
-pvc coping vs aluminum coping
-Hayward products (pump, heater and filter) vs Pentair
Any opinions on if I should push to have my builder change?

The design doesn't have to be final for a couple months yet, but we're thinking of the 25'x42' Aries style from Fox (http://foxpool.com/Downloads/FoxPoolCatalog.pdf). Thoughts on the design as well as if a diving end is worth it (I would think my family w/ 4 young children would love the deeper end but many have told us otherwise)?

Speaking of depth, does a 3' shallow end sound really shallow to anyone else?

Lights- assuming two would be good given size but I'd love other's opinions.

Salt water generators- what are people's opinions? My wife loves swimming in a pool w/ a SWG but I'm concerned about wear of the concrete around the pool as well as the coping. Also, with the BBB method explained here it seems the cost recovery of a SWG would be quite a bit longer than originally thought.

Any advantage to a heat pump vs a NG heater? The builder recommended against a heat pump in Iowa but others seem to be doing it...what am I missing?

Any other advice that I may be missing for a first timer?

Thanks and really appreciation the information. Looking forward to the spring!

 

[linen]

Welcome to tfp, Pvpool

I will give my thoughts on some of your questions.

Thoughts on the design as well as if a diving end is worth it (I would think my family w/ 4 young children would love the deeper end but many have told us otherwise)?

Me and my family (and in general their friends) love our deep end and wish it was bigger/deeper (it is just under 6' now in our above ground pool). However, I myself would not put in a diving board unless the pool was very deep and that deep area was large...I have heard of too many accidents. There is a lot of discussion of this on tfp.

Speaking of depth, does a 3' shallow end sound really shallow to anyone else?

That seems a little shallow to me, I would probably opt for 3.5'.

Salt water generators- what are people's opinions? My wife loves swimming in a pool w/ a SWG but I'm concerned about wear of the concrete around the pool as well as the coping. Also, with the BBB method explained here it seems the cost recovery of a SWG would be quite a bit longer than originally thought.

I like my swg. Most people with concrete have no trouble with a swg. It is those folks (especially down Texas way) that have a lot of natural stone, especially the flagstone they get down there that requires sealing (and often repeating this yearly).

As for the cost recovery, most analysis that has been done on here shows that generally the swg approach will not save money over using bleach/liquid chlorine. What the swg brings to the table is the convenience of not having to lug chlorine jugs and being able to maintain an FC level even when away from the pool for a few days.

Any advantage to a heat pump vs a NG heater? The builder recommended against a heat pump in Iowa but others seem to be doing it...what am I missing?

Although some heat pumps have been getting more efficient at lower ambient air temperatures, generally their efficiency drops when you want the heating most at the ends of the season. Also, heat pumps are generally good for maintaining temps. Up in our climate (I am in MN), often at the end of the season one will turn the heater on for weekend swims. This can work with a NG heater (though it will cost), but does not work so well with a hp since they take so long to heat the water. With that said, some in northern climates have had positive results with a hp. See: http://www.troublefreepool.com/aquacal-heatwave-100k-first-impressions-t62475.html#p585572

y other advice that I may be missing for a first timer?

For equipment don't fall into the trap of an undersized filter and an oversized pump.

 

[tgreen]

My 2 Cents worth.

1. We like the SWCG for the convenience.
2. I have all Hayward Products and a Pentair pump. Both seem to be about the same quality.
3. I like a cartridge filter since with a SWCG I do not want to back wash since I will lose some salt.
4. Have you given any consideration to water features. We added deck jets and the kids love them. Plus on a hot day, when they are first turned on, the water is a lot cooler than the pool temperature.
5. A good test kit.
6. Spend the winter reading this site. That is what I did and since our build was pushed back to mid summer due to weather, I was a lot better off when questions came up during the build and had a lot more confidence once the pool was finished.

 

[linen]

3. I like a cartridge filter since with a SWCG you do not want to back wash since you will lose some salt.

Assuming the pool using the sand filter is algae free, this is really not an issue. See: http://www.troublefreepool.com/sand-or-cartridge-filter-t70219.html#p581719 and http://www.troublefreepool.com/whic...-sand-cartridge-or-d-e-t67638-20.html#p558222

 

[Pvpool]

Thanks for the quick responses. I'm so looking forward to this process.

I'm not sure on size of the filter, but the builder gave me the option of sand or DE, however the pump is 1.5hp. The heater is 250,000 BTU...given the size I may ask him about going for a bigger heater.

The deck jets sound like a fantastic idea; what can I expect to be quoted for this? As far as other accessories, we are considering a diving board and/or a slide. I think the kids would spend most of the time jumping off the board or playing in the shallow end.

My biggest hang-up at this point is the pool depth. There is a nice shallow end (about 25'x17' although on one side it's not quite 17') and then it starts to slope to the deep end. The walls are 42" so I imagine the water line is probably close to 3' in the shallow end and around 8' in the deep end. To me that seems like an awfully shallow shallow end. Is this the case with most steel wall IG pools? Is there such a thing as a 48" wall?

Thanks to all for the great information.

Thanks again for all of the information.

 

[tgreen]

We used the Pentair Magic Stream II. I bought a set of 4 online for 250.00. The builder just charged for the labor and additional materials. I don't have a break down for just this, since several additional add ons were group together.

 

[DOMO]

Hi tgreen. Those magic jet ii's look great and very reasonably priced! How do they get hooked up? Do they run off the main pump or do you need a separate pump? Are they run in sequence/daisy chained off of one line from the pump or does each jet need a separate plumbing line? Thanks.

 

[tgreen]

I plumbed mine in after the filter and before the SWCG. They run off the main pump. I ran a separate line to each one with a valve on each line so the flow could be controlled.