Minimum equipment pad width

Jump to latest Follow Reply
P

pfrank

New member
Sep 4, 2023
4
naples, fl
Our Landscape Architect took us into our project with the equipment pad located on the guest bedrooms side of the house. Turns out there is a 7.5' setback requirement and only 10.1' between that side of the house and the property line. The LA says they need at least 4' for pad width and we only have 2.5' available (10' - 7.5'). The LA now says the pad will need to go to the other side of the house which puts it under the master bedroom windows. This will also mean electrical feeds will be much more expensive and involved.

My question is what is the narrowest equipment pad that could reasonably be designed? We will have a 12k gallon inground gunnite pool with natural gas heater. Only one variable speed pump. Was going to do a Glacier chiller but it prob would not fit.
 
pfrank said:
Our Landscape Architect took us into our project with the equipment pad located on the guest bedrooms side of the house. Turns out there is a 7.5' setback requirement and only 10.1' between that side of the house and the property line. The LA says they need at least 4' for pad width and we only have 2.5' available (10' - 7.5'). The LA now says the pad will need to go to the other side of the house which puts it under the master bedroom windows. This will also mean electrical feeds will be much more expensive and involved.

My question is what is the narrowest equipment pad that could reasonably be designed? We will have a 12k gallon inground gunnite pool with natural gas heater. Only one variable speed pump. Was going to do a Glacier chiller but it prob would not fit.
Click to expand...
Pool heater is probably the item with the largest footprint. Look up the user/installation manual and see what it says for clearance requirements. That will likely dictate how large the equipment pad needs to be. Ideally you can also walk around all the equipment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DavidArmenB
I totally defer to the experts; I'm not one. But my heater alone is 23x33 inches. I think most gas heaters are close to this. That might be the tough case. The plumbing comes out of the 33" end, so add 8" for elbows. My pad is 4' wide with manifold hanging over the end adding 8". And it seems tight. E.g. pumps are supposed to have a 10" straight run of pipe at the intake. My pad is too small for that.

So what the PB is saying seems reasonable. Any chance you could get a variance?
 
Depending on the lot layout you might consider locating the equipment at the back of the lot rather than the side yard, and perhaps enclosing it in some way. In our city the side-yard setback is 10' for equipment, but only 5' from the rear property line.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
That's a tough one. In my jurisdiction I'd go down to the building department to find the plan reviewer for your layout. The smallest gas heater I know of is the Jandy JXI series and it's still not going to work. If you plead the case that you're only inches off they might grant a variance. Bring plenty of specs for all brands to show there isn't one that will fit your setback. You can also tell them it's ultra quiet so noise shouldn't be an issue. Wish I had better news. One thing to keep in mind is that solar heaters work real well here in Florida. Had one at my old house but we do need the gas heater during winter for a couple months.

Chris
 
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