Pergola Waterfall Feature Questions

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M

Misael

0
Jun 5, 2017
4
Saint pete, Florida
Hey Everyone, I'm having my pool renovated and facing some plumbing dilemmas. In the future, I want to build a pergola near my pool and have a rain effect water fall feature coming off the pergola, which will be approximately 2-3' away from the pool coping and 8-9' above the deck. I ran a dedicated 2" return line and stubbed it. The pool has a Jandy CS200 filter and a 2.7 hp VS flow pump with 4 returns(no vac line). Since it's a remodel, I have limited options on how to accomplish this. That being said, my questions are:

1. Tie WF suction to the pool drain OR skimmer?
2. Should i run a separate pump AND filter?

Most waterfall features require a minimum of 8 GPM per foot. The one I'm looking at is 4' long, totaling 32 gpm at minimum plus the extra volume needed to push the water far enough to go into the pool. This is why i thought just to run a separate pump and valve so the flow can be optimized.
 
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Misael said:
Hey Everyone, I'm having my pool renovated and facing some plumbing dilemmas. In the future, I want to build a pergola near my pool and have a rain effect water fall feature coming off the pergola, which will be approximately 2-3' away from the pool coping and 8-9' above the deck. I ran a dedicated 2" return line and stubbed it. The pool has a Jandy CS200 filter and a 2.7 hp VS flow pump with 4 returns(no vac line). Since it's a remodel, I have limited options on how to accomplish this. That being said, my questions are:

1. Tie WF suction to the pool drain OR skimmer?
Click to expand...
If you are planning on a separate WF pump, suction lines should always be dedicated to a pump and never shared between pumps or you might end up with some serious issues. Do both the skimmer and MD lines go pool to pad? You could use the MD for the WF pump and the skimmer for the pool pump and keep them separate.

Misael said:
2. Should i run a separate pump AND filter?
Click to expand...
Only if both pumps can have dedicated suction lines. But with a waterfall, it isn't always necessary to have a dedicated pump as long as this is the only water feature you plan on and the flow rate requirements are low.

Misael said:
Most waterfall features require a minimum of 8 GPM per foot.
Click to expand...
The rule of thumb is 12 GPM per foot.

Water Features - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Misael said:
The one I'm looking at is 4' long, totaling 32 gpm at minimum plus the extra volume needed to push the water far enough to go into the pool. This is why i thought just to run a separate pump and valve so the flow can be optimized.
Click to expand...
That is not much in terms of flow rates so your existing pump can easily handle that and you can control the flow to the returns and WF with valves as well as pump RPM for optimization so that is not an issue.

Do you have a spa with jets? For that, you might want a second pump.
 
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mas985 said:
If you are planning on a separate WF pump, suction lines should always be dedicated to a pump and never shared between pumps or you might end up with some serious issues. Do both the skimmer and MD lines go pool to pad? You could use the MD for the WF pump and the skimmer for the pool pump and keep them separate.


Only if both pumps can have dedicated suction lines. But with a waterfall, it isn't always necessary to have a dedicated pump as long as this is the only water feature you plan on and the flow rate requirements are low.


The rule of thumb is 12 GPM per foot.

Water Features - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com


That is not much in terms of flow rates so your existing pump can easily handle that and you can control the flow to the returns and WF with valves as well as pump RPM for optimization so that is not an issue.

Do you have a spa with jets? For that, you might want a second pump.
Click to expand...

Mark, thank you for helping to figure this out. Both the SK and MD lines go to the pool and are at the pad; I upsized the piping from 1.5" to 2" during the initial plumbing portion of the remodel. The trench at the pad is still exposed, and I can access everything. I have installed a three-way valve for the MD and SK going into the 2.7 hp Jandy pump. There is one dedicated 2" line for the four returns, the pool has no SPA or other water features.

I forgot to mention that the WF will not be done until late this year or possibly next year. I left a 3-foot stub near one of the pergola posts' intended locations.

Option A:
I can add a valve on the return for the WF and plan on going that route.

Option B:
If there is insufficient flow for the future WF, I can dig out the trench, redo the plumbing to add the second pump, and separate the MD from the SK. IF i need to go this route would it be necessary to add a second filter(like a CS100) to prevent debris from getting into the WF?

Thoughts?
 
Misael said:
Option A:
I can add a valve on the return for the WF and plan on going that route.
Click to expand...
Single pump?

Misael said:
Option B:
If there is insufficient flow for the future WF, I can dig out the trench, redo the plumbing to add the second pump, and separate the MD from the SK. IF i need to go this route would it be necessary to add a second filter(like a CS100) to prevent debris from getting into the WF?
Click to expand...
Depends on the kind of waterfall. A sheer descent requires a filter, an open pipe with a rock waterfall does not.
 
I can't tell from the info how the water is actually delivered to the top. If it is a large enough orifice, like an open pipe, it probably doesn't need a filter.
 
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