I am pulling the permit shortly. I plan to do much of it myself, but am going to work with a hot tub technician that does 5-6 pools/year. Just need to wait till some of his former clients open their pools so I can check his work.

I would like to use this thread to ask questions as they come up. Hope you gurus out there can help.

Here are the basics. It will be roughly 20x40' with a diving end (8') and 3.5' shallow end. I want the ability to add solar. I plan on using a pentair system including the intelichlor/easy touch, intelliflo and the largest or 2nd largest cartridge filter available. One, possibly 2 LED lights. a few deck jets placed in shrubbary (perhaps). I would like to do an overflow spa, but somehow a seperate hot tub down the road seems easier. If we don't do the overflow, i will do a bumpout with jets or at minimum, have jets at the stairs so I can sit in the path of the heated returns.

There is a pool manufacturer 1 hr away that is highly regarded: Highbury pools, so I will likely go with them since the builder is farmiliar with their kits.

I'll start by asking about tigerflex flexible pool and spa hose. The builder says it is all he uses and he only has ever used 1.5". From my reading, I find most suggest 2" plumbing. I also read a lot of negative comments from southern states where termites like the taste of tigerflex. It appears that in northern states and canada, tigerflex is a usual product as it will handle freezing and ground heaving from frost...

does anyone have a suggestion for an online Pentair dealer with reasonable pricing? I read if I buy 3 major pieces of equipment, Pentair will extend the warranty on those 3 items for 3 years.

(although I live in Canada, I live on the border, so I have a US shipping address in Michigan).

thanks!

Tigerflex is ok in northern climates since termites arent a big problem. Still, I'm not sure I'd use it underground. I love the stuff to plumb up the equipment pad though.
A lot of guys use black poly pipe to plumb a pool up north. You can get it in 2 inch. If you use black poly, it will move with frost heaves better and wont split like PVC might do. No underground joints to worry about except right at the return/suction fittings in the pool wall. Also, if a little water is still in the pipes after you winterize, the poly will have some give to it.

Purely my opinion. I'd go with a stand alone spa if it were me. You're going to close and winterize the pool in late september or early october. If you want to use the spa after that, you're out of luck. You will get more use out of a stand alone.

For a pool that size 2" is the way to go. It doesn't cost much more than 1.5" and is well worth it.

i'll push for the 2".

any recommendations for an online pentair dealer to get the pump, filter and automation so i can get the extended 3 year warranty?

would one pentair intellibrite color led light be enough for a 20 x 40 pool? i think we are going to go with a single roman end, (flat deep end wall with 2' radius). I assume the obvious place for a single light would be centered on the deep end wall. If we need a 2nd, it would need to go into the stairs. is this possible or a problem? or not worth the trouble and expense....stick with one in the deep end?

If the cost isn't an issue, I'd put in two, both on the long wall and facing away from your house/sitting area.

Definitely have 2 lights installed...even if cost is an issue. I just had a 18' x 38' installed and turned the light on for the 1st time the other night and was disappointed in the amount of light cast into the low end. Especially with the darker colors.

Ok, I will go for 2. For some reason I thought one on each of the ends facing each other was the only logical way, but 2 along the long wall is easierand will be shorter runs.... And avoids the curved panels. Thx

I amcurrently in discussions with an online retailer for a Graf deal on $4k with of penrair equip... Easytouch with intellichlor, latest intelliflo, intellibrite lights (need to add an extra light ), 420sf clean and clear plus filter, and possibly the kreepy crauly 720. Supposedly if I buy 3 OR MORE penrair products they will extend the warranty on all those items to 3yrs from 1yr.

Just finalizing a few details before ordering a kit. I have asked a question about skimmer/return locations in the pumping station forum, but wanted to include the picture of the pool here.

The pool builder will use the plumbing I provide, so I will get 2" for the two skimmers and the main drains for sure. The returns will be 1.5 or 2" (if more than 2 returns on one run).

the "pool house" is well under way

Thats a POOL HOUSE?????? Its bigger than some houses... LOL.
I love it, good job.

Nice shape. Same as mine but mine is only 16 x 28. One thing the builder recommended with mine was very wide stairs, which I'm really happy we went with. The wider stairs are great for just hanging out on. The builder put two returns on the stairs as well, one on each side.

Have a look here (you can't see the whole of the stairs, but it gives you an idea of how wide they are). They actually look a bit 'squashed' in the picture but they are quite wide.

shed-built-over-equipment-pad-t33292.html

***edit*** Here's a better shot from the other end of the pool

opening-pictures-chlorine-only-t19330.html

that's only the part above grade...the best part is 8' under.

ryc. we are practically neighboUrs, eh?!

Your pool turned out great. it looks like your pool stairs take the place of the roman "bump out". I believe the kit I am looking at adds the stairs to the bump out, so with the stairs, I believe the pool will be roughly 47' long.

I am guessing your stairs are 10' wide? I will see if that is an option for me. as it stands, the stairs and swim out are 8' wide. As long as i get a seat...all is good!

This is just my opinion but for what its worth adding lights are just another hole in the liner and don't do much but attract bugs, you may not have the same experience in your part of Canada but I used my light exactly twice before I never used it again, when my new liner went in I eliminated it.

One less hassle when you winterize, same goes for the bottom drain...they heave with the frost and can break the skimmer box when they do. I got this same advice four times when I had estimates for the new pool liner install, luckily my bottom drain wasn't broken (it was obviously always winterized properly) but its a common problem here in the Prairies where it gets very cold. The guys who do the liners around here aren't the same ones who sell the pool installations so they were pretty honest about the problems they see on a regular basis. I forsee a rechargeable LED light that I can throw in the pool at night in my future if I ever wanted a light in the pool.

BTW they said the same thing about the step returns, real common for them to fracture around the plastic couplings since they are close to the surface, both my step returns had broken and are now blocked off.

Just some food for thought.

pool kit has been ordered! sorting out the rest of the equipment now. If anyone has any suggestions or recommendations for or against the equipment speak now...i plan to order it in the next few days.

20x42 double roman with inwall ladder, and 8' swimout from NPW (already ordered)
top mount cantilever coping and foam forms from a local pool manufacturer
lots of extra braces
2 skimmers, 2 main drains, lots of returns (8 i think)
i have to find a reasonable source for some 2' flex hose...if not, i have ordered 400' of 1.5" and could double it up...
easytouch 4 with intellichlor 40
intelliflo
2 intellibrite 5
clean and clear cartridge filter 420sf
polaris 9300 or 9300xi
turbo twister slide
6 or 8' diving board (looking for recommendations)
4 deck jets

I like the deckjets with the LED lights built in. Wish I had done that...my deckjets are not lighted.

if i am breaking any forum rules, mods, please feel free to delete. since this is the "under construction" section, it seemed there might be a little interest in the construction of the "shed"