Signed contract last night, deposit paid!

Jump to latest Follow Reply
A

azjoshers79

0
Sep 11, 2015
305
Mesa, AZ
Could not figure out how to update my previous post. My wife and I finally signed last night. Paid the deposit to finalize design and start the permitting process. After changing our minds multiple times we finally settled on this design. Two small changes are not shown (designer working on the edits today), removing the 3rd step on the right baja self, and the first step on the left baja shelf. Also adding VB sleeves. I am building this as an Owner/contractor with the assistance of friend that is a Contractor. He will be managing the project and the subs for a small percentage. I am saving about 7-9K over going with a major PB. As previous posts stated, I had 4 estimates from the major PB in the Valley. The designs were slightly different and smaller but they were at $40-44K with 10' less perimeter and about 94 sq. ft less surface area, 1 LED light, no seating wall, and no raised beam and only 400 sq. ft travertine pavers.

Specs:
Dimensions- 38'x22'
Perimeter- 110'
Surface Area- 620 Sq. feet
Gal. 19,763
Profile- 4'-5.5'-3.5'
Raised Bond Beam- 12"-18"-12"
Travertine coping
All Pentair- 520 Cartridge, Intelliflo VS pump, Intellichlor SWG, Easytouch with Screen logic, Intellichem with acid container
A&A Magna Sweep In-Ground Cleaning System
Stonescapes Mini-pebble interior (Color-TBD)
4 Savi Melody LED Lights
3 copper scuppers
882 Sq. feet Travertine paver decking
New Price- $41K
Signed last night and permits to be submitted early next week.

I am on the fence with the Pentair IntelliChem. Is anyone using this system? Is it reliable? Worth the money?

IMG_1818.jpg
 
NICE! I like the pool shape!

NOW PLEASE make sure EVERYONE has a copy of the NEW plan! In fact make a poster size one to put up somewhere so it can be looked at. There have been SEVERAL pools that had changes made to the finial plan and somehow the old plans were used! NOT fun!

I can't wait to see it start!

Kim
 
If it were me, I'd get rid of the IntelliChem and just get the IntelliPH. You will find the ORP control of the SWG to be effectively useless unless you run the CYA (stabilizer) very low as CYA fouls the probes. Running an SWG with low CYA means your SWG will run harder and with more on-time thus shortening its useable life. All you have to do is search on ORP at TFP and you can read all the bad stories about it.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I would also reconsider the copper scuppers. While copper looks beautiful, it can potentially be a source of copper contamination in your water if the pH of the pool goes too low.

What are you going to do with heating? Without a heat source, your pool is going to only be useful from late May to late Sept unless you like swimming in sub-80F water. Most people find 80F to be the cut off given the huge amount of evaporative cooling your body experiences with our dry climate. I have literally seen my middle boy shiver and his lips turn blue on a dry June day that had 99F air temps.

Honestly, I would not install an in-floor cleaning system (personal preference) but buy a good robot instead. I'd much rather spend the money saved on not doing in-floors to buy solar panels or heliocoils instead.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ahh the joys of Tucson... There are very few days in June that are below 105. (In the Valley) my previous house has a pool and we used from April through mid October. It's 105 today in the valley. So no heating for me. Plus my neighborhood only electric and in not going to heat a pool on a electric heat pump. Just not worth money in the valley.

After much research I'm sold on the in ground. Locally I have not talked to Anyone who is not satisfied with their in ground cleaning system. And my in floor is less than some of the top robots. I was also hesitant on the copper scuppers but swg pools tend to have high pH problems which will not affect the copper the same as low pH. I'm still on the fence....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
azjoshers79 said:
Ahh the joys of Tucson... There are very few days in June that are below 105. (In the Valley) my previous house has a pool and we used from April through mid October. It's 105 today in the valley. So no heating for me. Plus my neighborhood only electric and in not going to heat a pool on a electric heat pump. Just not worth money in the valley.

After much research I'm sold on the in ground. Locally I have not talked to Anyone who is not satisfied with their in ground cleaning system. And my in floor is less than some of the top robots. I was also hesitant on the copper scuppers but swg pools tend to have high pH problems which will not affect the copper the same as low pH. I'm still on the fence....


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

All very good points. Tucson weather is very different from the Phoenix region (colloquially known as "The Valley" to non-Arizonans reading this). Given my local conditions, my suction-side cleaner works just fine with our debris level and so I put a higher premium on solar-thermal heating versus in-floors cleaners. If you have solar-thermal and a good pool cover (i.e., a pool designed for easy on/off pool cover use), then you can easily extend your swim seasons by a few more weeks on both ends. Friends of ours have solar and we had a cold spring here in Tucson (it did not warm up until late May) - they were swimming in the last week of March, we were swimming in late May. As well, they will be swimming well into November while we will probably only be using the attached spa by the middle of October. Just food for thought. You can always leave stubs in your plumbing design with a by-pass so that you can add-on solar later if you feel it would be a benefit.

As far as copper goes, as long as you can manage the water flow through it, i.e., proper shut-off valves or automation, then I'm sure it will be fine. There are times when you need to drop you pH low (7.0-7.2 range) and so you probably want to make sure your scuppers are shut off. They will certainly add extra aeration to your pool (along with the SWG and any other water features or bubblers you might have), so you will soon learn that (new pool plaster) + (lots of aeration) = (huge acid demand), at least for the first season. It's all very manageable, just need to be aware of it.
 
Thanks for the great information. My previous pool also had solar heating (previous owner installed) it worked very well. However, the pool had a DE filter and we had to be very careful not to send DE into the solar panels.

- - - Updated - - -

My contractor is confident that the Pentair VS pump will be enough for the 3 scuppers. I have noticed that most people have a separate 1hp whisperflo to run water features. Any thoughts or recommendations???????????
 
My waterfall runs on a separate 1.5HP whisperflo with its own wall drains and an additional return for safety (in case waterfall pipe ever got blocked.

My variable speed runs the pool, suction side cleaner and spa spillway/jets.

If you have an in-floor system, you're going to need every last RPM of the VS pump to make it work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The Intelliflo will definitely run your scuppers. Mine runs waterfall and solar together at between 1950 rpm and 2500. We don't ever run our pump above 2500 rpm, max is 3450. It pumps a LOT of water.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
JoyfulNoise said:
My waterfall runs on a separate 1.5HP whisperflo with its own wall drains and an additional return for safety (in case waterfall pipe ever got blocked.

My variable speed runs the pool, suction side cleaner and spa spillway/jets.

If you have an in-floor system, you're going to need every last RPM of the VS pump to make it work.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


This is what I am thinking. I am going discuss adding a 1hp whisperflo to run the scuppers.

- - - Updated - - -

so many options and so much to consider. I really want to get this right the first time. I am not wealthy enough to do this over.

- - - Updated - - -

pooldv said:
The Intelliflo will definitely run your scuppers. Mine runs waterfall and solar together at between 1950 rpm and 2500. We don't ever ripu ojr pump above 2500 rpm, max is 3450. It pumps a LOT of water.
Click to expand...

I guess we will never run the scuppers with the infloor etc running
 
Well, I think the most important aspect in your design will be ensuring that the plumbing and placement of the in-floor system is built according to the directions given by AA. My understanding is that they give guidance to PBs on each specific system layout to ensure optimal cleaning performance (Paramount Systems are similar). So whoever is doing the plumbing work, make sure they follow the plan as laid out by AA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I would skip the in-floor cleaner and any chemical automation.

I also would not put a WhisperFlo on a waterfall. WhispewrFlo pumps are designed for high pressure and would be inappropriate for a low pressure application such as a waterfall. The Intelliflo can easily handle the scuppers even at low rpm. How wide and how high will each scupper be? What is the design flow rate for the scuppers?

Is the main drain being tied into a skimmer? It should be run to the equipment pad.

What size pipe will be used for the skimmer lines?
 
Good luck with everything going smoothly! Looking forward to watching your build, and hopefully picking up some tips for myself along the way. One thing I've noticed is most folks here are not fans of the infloor cleaning, but like you, everyone I've talk to in my area highly recommends it. Kind of wierd? Another subject, the SWG seems to be not recommended by builders I've talk to, but fairly recommended on here...oh the choices....lol!
 
lastdon87 said:
One thing I've noticed is most folks here are not fans of the infloor cleaning, but like you, everyone I've talk to in my area highly recommends it. Kind of wierd? Another subject, the SWG seems to be not recommended by builders I've talk to, but fairly recommended on here...oh the choices....lol!
Click to expand...

Welcome :wave:

It's not so weird. In-floor systems are a very regional type of equipment. Few people outside the southwest and climates where pools run all year round would consider them. Since TFP runs from Canada to the southern boarder and beyond, it's not surprising that a lot of members just see it as an unjustifiable expense. When in-floors came in on the market they were very expensive systems to install, typically required larger more expensive pumps or their own separate pump and were not very reliable (low MTBF for various components). The in-floor systems have improved considerably and come down in price since then. They are also situational - not everyone's pool would universally benefit from an in-floor system. So in a lot of circumstance, a standard automatic cleaner or robot would be a better choice. So it's not that unusual to see a 50/50 split in opinion.

Salt water pools seem to be falling out of favor with PBs these days. I don't know if it's because they are not as profitable as they once were or if it's because they require design limits and installation modifications to the traditional decking materials. Perhaps warranty claims have gone up in frequency due to salt and so some PBs would rather avoid that risk. The facts are pretty clear though, salt water chlorine generators can really benefit pool owners and make maintenance of pool water chemistry very easy.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply