Should the equipment pad look like this??

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bulldogz400 said:
Sure, but elevating is not the issue at hand. Sitting on cinder blocks (the aesthetics of it) sounded like one of the TS's concerns. Unless I'm reading it wrong?
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That's why I said there are landscaping options to make it look better. He already stated he may face it out with travertine, which would look really nice. Lattice panels would work, so would planter boxes. Just my opinion. What counts is agd38's opinion. Ultimately it's his money and he should get what he wants. :)
 
zea3 said:
That's why I said there are landscaping options to make it look better. He already stated he may face it out with travertine, which would look really nice. Lattice panels would work, so would planter boxes. Just my opinion. What counts is agd38's opinion. Ultimately it's his money and he should get what he wants. :)
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Very true! Planter boxes would be a pretty cool way to conceal the equipment, I like that idea.
 
I don't like it for 2 reasons, number 1, if the pads crack, the plumbing will likely crack, number 2, this is Florida and we have hurricanes, leaving the equipment up on an elevated pad for wind to get under just doesn't seem like a good idea. Plus honestly it doesn't look that nice. Sure you can pretty it up a bit, but I put in a heat pump about 8 years ago and I just bought a large slab stone at home depot, dropped it on the ground and put the heat pump on it, it hasn't moved or sunk or anything.
 
bulldogz400 said:
x2

I'd ask for him to do it the right way. Remind the PB that what may be just "another pool" to him is a very BIG deal in your life. Cutting corners shouldn't work.
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I would agree. You're going to have this pool for a long time, and you should be happy with it. I don't understand why they put the pads on cinder blocks. Are you in a low lying area with a lot of water?

When we bought our house, the pool was already here and the equipment was on the dirt and was a holy mess. We got new equipment and our PB did this, and we were very happy with the way it came out:
PoolEquipment_zps2c8555b6.jpg
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So I spoke to the foreman and the reasoning for elevation is primarily due to the flooding during our typical rainy season. when it pours here in Tampa it really pours.
I am not in a flood zone but I can see the puddle of dirty water that may occur in and around that area if so. Aesthically I am not pleased with the look though. If i do face it with travertine-Im sure it will be more pleasing. I am confident if I decide to, they will remove the cinderblocks and just lay the pre-fab slabs on the dirt. If so the plumber will have to reset some pipes for sure... I asked if the footers are being done next week why not just pour a 3x6 slab? In either case, the decision will be mine. Robl45 makes a good point, what if in time the heatpro weight cause the slab elevated to crack, it does weight 250 lbs.
 
How much weight is on those blocks and what are the soils beneath? To me the risk of settlement is greater with smaller bearing surfaces on the earth than with a distributed load on a slab at grade. If one of those 6 blocks settles, you are in for a good time lifting the slab, resetting the block to grade, and repairing any cracked fittings/pipes.

How long until rodents move in beneath?

I think you know my preference for this, but I'm just another pool owner. I'll leave pro advice to the pros.
 
Im in south florida on the east side, it rains here too, yet my pool equipment is on a slap on the ground and my sprinkler pump is too. You have a drainage problem if you going to get puddles and I still think you are risking a big issue if wind gets under there in a hurricane.

Agd38 said:
So I spoke to the foreman and the reasoning for elevation is primarily due to the flooding during our typical rainy season. when it pours here in Tampa it really pours.
I am not in a flood zone but I can see the puddle of dirty water that may occur in and around that area if so. Aesthically I am not pleased with the look though. If i do face it with travertine-Im sure it will be more pleasing. I am confident if I decide to, they will remove the cinderblocks and just lay the pre-fab slabs on the dirt. If so the plumber will have to reset some pipes for sure... I asked if the footers are being done next week why not just pour a 3x6 slab? In either case, the decision will be mine. Robl45 makes a good point, what if in time the heatpro weight cause the slab elevated to crack, it does weight 250 lbs.
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If they pour a slab there, wouldn't it still be elevated? That would be my preference. You certainly don't want to hang an invitation for anything to live under there as was mentioned, besides cracking and of course if you are not happy when you look at it. You are going to be seeing it for years to come.
 
I don't disagree with the builder's concept of raising the equipment up to avoid water damage during heavy rain events. I do think, however, that the concern over the slabs cracking is valid. If nothing else, i would have them build you a gravel base to place those slab on. You could essentially build a box out of either treated 6x6s or landscape blocks (i.e. Hardie blocks), then fill the box with washed 3/4" angular stone. Once the stone is installed, place the concrete slabs onto the stone base and re-install the equipment. If the stone is compacted correctly upon installation, it should provide a base that will not shift, preventing the slabs from cracking down the road. Match the Hardie blocks color-wise to your travertine. It should look nice and be very functional. I wouldn't leave any air space under those slabs no matter what you decide. With hurricanes, that is a bad idea. In fact, in your area, I believe most heat pump manufacturers recommend securing the heat pump via straps and bolts to a "secure base" (i.e. concrete) to keep them from moving in high winds such as hurricanes.
 

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The pool builder was very accomodating.
They installed a 4x8 slab by 8" in height!
The travertine masked some of the height of the slab, due to the slope needed for rain run off....
Real happy with this look, much better :D



 
Old thread....but that looks 100x better. Plus you won't be walking around in the dirt and having it splash on your equipment. For future reference, I'm sure those blocks would have settled with time, causing pipes to crack. Smart move on the foreman fixing it now (at time of install) versus coming back to bite him later, especially since you raised it as an issue.

Travertine looks A+. Nice.
 
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