Our first design, did we pass?

[geekfamily]

Wow guys! I was out of town yesterday and came back to all these great ideas/feedback

Some really good thoughts, many of which I had not thought of

@anonapersona / @azheat - Those are some good points about the pump location. Unfortunately, the window on the "other" side is really a wall of picture windows, so very visible from the inside. I had not thought of the "sound" equation though (how could I not think of that!). But you are right, that is the garage, so it would be far from living space.

@sccs - Thanks for the deck jet pics, that helps a lot! Those look very cool. Will see how much they would add.

@jasonlion / bigdav160 - Thanks for the transformer discussion. It is much more clear now.

@anonapersona - Wow, you have lots to consider. Let me see if I can elaborate some. Pool will be on north side of house. We could rotate it some, but there is not much room for movement. You are right, the trees are close, and will cause leaf issues I am sure. This area is in the sun a good portion of the day, and we are really struggling with the sun/shade equation as it relates to decking. We are thinking stamped concrete, which will be hot. However, we did plan to have several umbrella sleeves installed, but may want more after hearing your story. We also thought about getting basic concrete from the PB, then having the local SunDek person out. The wife liked some of the "stone" looking sundek, but am afraid it might be too costly. When I called them over the phone, they said $2-$10 a sq/ft...so I am assuming the stone look would be closer to $10...on top of the concrete install. Regarding liner colors and temp. We live near St. Louis, MO. It does get hot during hte summer...however we were thinking of a dark color liner to extend the pool season, at the expense of water temp in the heat of the summer. Maybe this is a bad idea?? For the automatic pool cleaner, we were thinking robotic of some sort, but have not looked much. Am I right that they would only clean the bottom, and not the top (aka leaves). Any options for the top, except a pole and net? Oh, you mentioned wind direction. It comes form the "steps" end of the pool...blowing towards the deep end. A friend (who is not into pools) mentioned having the skimmer downwind, so debris blows towards the skimmer. Seemed to make sense...but I know where the experts are

Thanks everyone for sharing such great advice. I just hope after my build I am able to hop on this forum and "pay it forward"!!

We did schedule a few bids for later in the week, and sent my Pool Studio file to another for a bid.

I will keep you up to date!

 

[Swampwoman]

Just a completely madcap, off the cuff, comment: If your equipment deck is up against the garage, is there any chance you'd have room RIGHT INSIDE the garage? Just curious.

My home has its pool equipment inside a poolhouse/barn/studio and even though we do winterize it, technically, we don't really need to as it's also heated and kept at 55 degrees. I've had other folks with pools tell me I'm lucky because it helps the equipment last longer. I didn't come up with the plan (inherited the pool set up when we bought the house.) However, now that I have it that way, it seems handy.

 

[geekfamily]

@swampwoman - That is an interesting thought. Never thought of that. I will do some measuring when I get home. I think there is for sure room sq/ft wise, but not sure if I can make room, if that makes sense.

Also, I contacted another PB over lunch. He did another members pool on here, and he sounded pretty good from a short phone call. Here is the link to griff3333's build with this PB. There are many similarities between griff3333's build and ours (size, coping, equipment, etc). Any concerns with this PB from his build thread? http://www.troublefreepool.com/my-pool-build-st-charles-mo-t39048.html

Thanks!!

 

[techgirl]

Here is a picture of my home made deck jets, but from the planter. http://smile.webshots.com/smiles/afdab8001237013017ff22000abc8271

That looks very cool! We would love to do jets at some point but they're out of our budget now. What did you have to do to make those? We have a planter along the edge of our pool we're building very similar to those and will have irrigation running through there.

 

[geekfamily]

Just had the first PB out. He has been around for 40 years and seemed very knowledgeable. Most everything he suggested seemed reasonable based on our research here. Only a few things I am not sure about.

1) He suggested upgrading to a "Intellitouch microprocessor based Controller", and gave me a brochure for "Easy Touch". Assuming this is the same thing. He said it makes a real nice termination point, eliminates the need for the SWCG power center, and can drive the Intellibrite 5g LEDs.

Question: We were originally looking at the separate IntelliBrite 5g controller, for all the cool colors. Can the IntelliTouch do all the lighting effects...or is the LED controller still required?

2) The pool is lagoon shaped 6' deep, 13,700 gallons. He said the IC20 was enough. I know we want it oversized, so the IC20 is...but not by much. The IC40 does seem really big, as it is nearly 3x oversized.

3) We asked for Pentair cartridge 320. He said it was good, but he said the new Pentair sand was awful easy, and it is down to very low micron with some tech (ClearPro?). Just want to verify the cartridge is the way to go. Any thoughts?

Any advice from the pros would be much appreciated!

 

[bigdav160]

I have an EasyTouch.
I never really thought I'd want automation but I can tell you it is fantastic.

I have the IC20 on my 12,000 gallon pool and run it down to 25% and still maintain proper chlorine levels. Once the summer starts I'm sure I'll have to increase it's output or supplement with bleach.

The cartridge filter is probably big enough but for a few extra $$ a larger filter will make for longer maintenance intervals.

 

[JasonLion]

The EasyTouch is their mid-range automation system, while the IntelliTouch is their top of the line automation system. The features are generally similar, though if you have a great deal of equipment or need extra programming flexibility beyond what most people use, the IntelliTouch has some clear advantages.

Both models can control all of the features of the lights. The IntelliBrite Controller is more convenient if you want instant selection of any of the several modes. The IntelliTouch is more convenient if you only use a few of the modes or want specific light modes associated with the mode you currently have setup on the IntelliTouch (i.e. pool, spa, waterfall, etc).

 

[geekfamily]

I have an EasyTouch.
I never really thought I'd want automation but I can tell you it is fantastic.

I have the IC20 on my 12,000 gallon pool and run it down to 25% and still maintain proper chlorine levels. Once the summer starts I'm sure I'll have to increase it's output or supplement with bleach.

The cartridge filter is probably big enough but for a few extra $$ a larger filter will make for longer maintenance intervals.

Thanks bigdav160 for the help! Sounds like an IC20 on my 13.7 gallon would be just fine. That is good to know.

I noticed in your signature you have the EasyTouch, but also mention "actuators". I do not think this was included in my PB bid. Will the automation options of the EasyTouch be limited if I do not have? I will have three things going on: 1) Skimmer/Returns 2) MagicFalls (18" x2) and 3) Pool 5g LED's. I am guessing the actuators allow the pump to run either the water feature, skimmer/returns, or both automatically. Am I right in that without the actuators, I would need to manually change a valve for this....making it not really a "scheduled" activity. Any insight would be much appreciated

 

[bigdav160]

At a push of a button, I can put the pool equipment in spa mode.
Another button will turn on the water to the spillway and yet another to the bubbler fountain in the tanning ledge.

For me it's more than just convenience. It also prevents the kids from turning the valves manually.

 

[geekfamily]

Been meeting with several PB's so far on our design. One suggested a stone planter with a cascade/descent coming from the top...which sounded like a neat idea, since we don't really have any water features. This would be about 48" long and maybe 18" high, with a 36" waterfall (Pentair MagicFalls?).

Question is, what would be the proper way for this to be supported? I am assuming if no extra support (piers down to the concrete collar?) under that section of concrete would mean that part of the concrete pad could sink from the additional weight. Also, assuming some sort of drainage would be necessary, so the soil/plants would not overflow into the pool. If anyone has thoughts or even some construction pics on how to do this right, would be much appreciated.

Here is a pic of something similar to what we are thinking...at least from the front view....but on a much smaller scale (like 4' long, 2' deep, and only 18" high):
http://images.landscapingnetwork.co...-descent-spillway-artistic-group-inc_5311.jpg

Thanks!!