About to Purchase a Pool - Thoughts on my Options? Need Opinion.

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RedSoxFan

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Jun 6, 2015
27
Boston/MA
My signature contains the configuration. What do you think of it? Massachusetts.
16x33 Kidney Vinyl, 8ft deep, 1 skimmer, 2 Drains, 2 water returns, Bench, cantilever edge. Going with Pavers. On the fence on the depth. 10 yr old and 2 adults. Will 8 ft deep be too small of a shallow end?

Do these sound right?

  • Hayward Cartridge C4030
  • SWG Hayward PL-PLUS - Hayward Goldline $2000
  • Hayward 1 HP Tri Star VSPND +$500 Is 1HP enough?
  • Aquacomfort ACT-1250 Heater $4100 (We have natural gas but plan to use the pool a lot.) PB says that even though we have a gas line - it will cost a fortune to heat. After reading TFPool, it's hard to decide.
  • Hayward Color Logic 2 LED $1250
  • Dolphin Atlantis $899
  • Cover Logic 7000MS $2400 ++ installation
  • Considering the Sense and Dispense add -on.

Just found this site. Thanks to all for your feedback. This site is amazing.
 
You will end up with a shallow end that is about 8 feet long. To me that is a bit too small. Not sure if yoru size limit is budget or preference. If it were my pool, I would increases the length to 35 or 36 feet, and if need be drop a different extra. As for the heater, gas does cost a lot per hour to run. A heat pump would be more cost efficient, but the downside of heat pump, is that when the air temp is really cold, the heat pump does not work. So you should ask yourself, if the air temp is cold, are you going to want to swim even if you heat the water to maybe 80?
 
I don't think two returns is enough for a pool that size. My pool is sort of kidney shaped 12*32 and I have three returns and a spa spillover and it's not enough. I wish I had six.

And if you know the prevailing summer wind, put a skimmer at the extreme downwind end, even if it means an extra forty foot pipe run. Any leaves or blades of grass or dead bugs on the surface will blow right past the skimmer otherwise, end up waterlogged, and sink so you get vacuum them.
 
Thanks for your thoughts. Much appreciated. Unfortunately, I am limited to a 33 foot length. Given that and your answer, I'm assuming you think I should go with 7 foot? Yes - we're in New England - and it being our first pool - we'll want to use it for as long of a season as possible. Just not sure how "expensive" it will be to go with gas - which provides more immediate heat and extends the season. If anyone is from New England - would love to hear your thoughts.

- - - Updated - - -

I never would of thought of that. Thanks for the suggestion. I will ask the PB to add a return. The wind blows in every direction where I am so I'm not sure where I would put the skimmer. Do you mean have a skimmer on each end of the pool?
 
I love that I have an 8 foot deep end, as I love diving in and diving deep in the water. So it is hard for me to say only go 8 foot, even though I think you need more shallow end. Is there any chance to making the pool 18 foot wide rather than 16, as that would increase the shallow end as well. Or, it there any chance that you can add a bench, swim-out or sun shelf on the side of the poo which would not add to length? Those types of features will bring some additional room as well.
 
Gas heater is the quickest way to add immediate heat to your pool, but even that takes a day or so to raise a significant amount of degrees. I live in a similar climate to yours and I wish I could go with a heat pump rather than my gas heater... maybe some day. Mostly because it would be a lot cheaper and I also don't like a hot pool. Anything over 82ish degrees is too hot for me and not refreshing. I have the separate hot tub if I want to lounge in warm water.

As far as skimmers and returns go, I would agree that you need more returns and another skimmer would be great as well. Two skimmers on opposite corners would be great if you don't have a prevailing wind direction. You can even forgo the drains if they are bottom/main drains. Many pools constructed in recent years are without main drains on the bottom. They are nice for closing the pool when you need to drain below the skimmers but a low wall side drain would be just as good. Main drains really don't do that much for circulation that can't be compensated for with more returns and aiming your returns to promote top skimming action on most of them and 1 return that is aimed down toward the deep end to circulate at depth.
 
RedSoxFan said:
I never would of thought of that. Thanks for the suggestion. I will ask the PB to add a return. The wind blows in every direction where I am so I'm not sure where I would put the skimmer. Do you mean have a skimmer on each end of the pool?
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If there is no normal direction, it shouldn't matter where they are. But the more returns you have, the better the ability to aim them where you need them to get the surface trash to the skimmer.

So you can visualize it... the breeze where I live generally comes from the west, almost perfectly parallel with the back fence. My skimmer is on the north side of the pool about eight feet from the end. The stuff just sails right on past, piles up against the east wall, and sinks. I've aimed the jet down at that end to push the debris out, but all it tends to do is get it to settle in drifts one the slope from deep to shallow. If my skimmer had been set into the east wall, everything would be funneled into it.
 
JVTrain Yev and Richard320 - thanks very much for your advice. Greatly appreciated!!!

I am going with a bench in the deep end (inset part of kidney) - so perhaps I'll keep it 8 feet deep. I am dealing with limited space - so 16x33 is the max width and length I can go. Thanks for the expert explanation on the returns/skimmers. I'll talk to the PB about it.
 
Glad to offer any help I can. One last note. Whatever you decide will make a great pool. Even if you decide I wish I would have made it shallower, or I wish I would have made it deeper, etc, you will be happy with the pool, and your group will alter their usage to maximize their fun with any type of pool. It is all too easy to get tied up in decisions, and stress out about it, and think of it is a no win decision. Getting a pool is a Win win decision, and you will love it. Good luck.
 
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