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Wow, I'm surprised somebody found this old thread! Thanks BTW, pool is still doing great, and so far the Diamond Brite is doing just fine, about 4 years in now. Jim

My pool is 3.5' sloping down to a 8' deep bowl for jumping/diving. No board though. I wouldn't have a pool without a deep end, unless I just didn't have to space to have a deep and shallow end.

Lookin' good neighbor! I'm over in Lafayette! Jim

Just going to jump in here and say you can certainly sub this out yourself if you are willing to fully educate yourself before you start and are prepared for alot of work. I self contracted my IG gunite pool. All is well and I'm happy I did it. I have nothing but top quality components and I...

It will work either way, but I looped mine. I think the general thinking is that it will improve your overall flow and keep all the returns flowing at the same rate. Otherwise you may get some strong and some weak returns. Jim

Well I don't have a spillover spa, just a raised planter with 3 sheer waterfalls and 4 deck jets. I used 2" PVC for suction side and returns. I've heard regularly of 2 1/2" suction and 2" returns. I personally think 3" is just a little bit overkill. My system runs very efficiently, but...

I think standard bullnose brick coping is common with a SWG. That's what I have and one year in, no signs of any problem. Jim

I dug a 8' deep end in soggy rainy February in South Louisiana. I'm curious why he doesn't want to go deeper. There are some considerations about the slope from shallow to deep. I think the general consensus is a 3 to 1 slope, but I used ~ 2 to 1 and it seems fine to me. My overall length is...

The coping will either be standard brick types that are usually like 2 1/4" thick (3" with the mortar) or cut natura stone which are usually around 1" + mortar. I used #6 bare copper to bond all the way from the bottom of the pool clamped onto the rebar, through both light niches and then up...

Dave, I'm just about finished with all the final landscaping and fencing. I've been holding off posting until I got it done. I'm offshore right now and for the next week. I've got a couple pics out here with me, but it's tough for me to upload much from out on this ship/satellite connection...

One more thing regarding the depth of your pool. Just my opinion... Either stop at 5' deep so people can stand, or go all the way to 8' so people can dive in safely. 6' is kind of a useless depth IMHO. You can't stand in it OR dive into it safely. Just another thought... Jim

Yes, Ask him about cost over runs due to cave-ins or bedrock. Also I don't know where your water table is, but does he have a plan for pumping water out of the pool if it rains heavy or you get water seepage from somewhere. Do you have your rebar and gunite crews lined up? This should all be...

We dug my pool in February in south Louisiana. My yard was a sloppy mess. It is much better and more pleasant when dry, but possible when wet. My biggest obstacle would have been hitting the water table, but we got lucky and got nothing but hard clay all the way down to 9'. It all worked out...

I have some of the same ball valves on my manifold. Those look like Jandy Goldline valves, same as mine. My pool is brand new this summer and I did all the plumbing myself and bought only quality components (I thought). I broke one of those handles off myself on Saturday. This valve is only...

I put an umbrella sleeve in the concrete deck where I have a table too, so I don't have to use one of those weighted bases that blow over. Just remember the bronze ones have to be bonded to the rebar grid in the concrete.

I do have a salt water pool and haven't noticed any corrosion issues on the umbrella poles. It would take along time for that aluminum to corrode up while submerged. I would really only be concerned mild steel or low quality stainless, or possible where aluminum would be in direct contact with...

I have a large tanning ledge and actually put two sleeves in so I can move the umbrella as the sun moves. I keep an umbrella in it all the time and am very glad I have them. I don't see any reason at all to skip them. Even if you don't end up using them alot, they are very small items and...

DMAN, deck-drains-anyone-t7751.html Here's a link to a previous post with someone asking questions about the deck drains. I got them from Ewing Irrigation in Lafayette. It's a nationwide chain, but I think they mainly sell to contractors so you won't hear about them much. One of those good...

DMAN, Sorry for the delay, I'm offshore and haven't checked in lately... My channel drains are 3" wide. The grates are removeable so it is easy to keep them clean. They drain very well and I get ALOT of water off my back roofline that drains onto the pool deck area. I did slope the stamped...

The beach entry can work both ways in regards to critters in the pool. I find that if the critters want a drink/swim, they will jump right in. They don't realize they can't get back out until it's too late. I've had to make a litte toad ladder to let them climb out of the pool instead of just...

What are your temperature variations from when they pressured up to taking the readings? If they did not purge most of the air out of the system, temperature will make the test worthless and very difficult to detect leaks. I pressure tested my plumbing up to 50 psi. That's probably more than...

Yes, press him for rebar. And make sure he bridges it. Rebar and wire mesh do no good if they are in the sand UNDER the concrete. Bridging is small blocks or metal ladders that hold the rebar up into the middle of the slab. Usually some old brick pieces. Your concrete will still crack...

I would go deeper than 6' if you plan on having people diving into the pool, particularly from an elevated spot. I love the idea of a diving rock instead of a spring board. I wish I'd included one in my build. Just think hard about the depth. I know it is difficult to squeeze every single...

This is Tahoe Blue Diamond Brite. I thought about making a custom blend, but in the end didn't want to complicate the installation. I'm happy with the color. The water is a very striking blue in the early morning and evening. I appreciate you letting me come out to check your pool out last...

Dave-DLSDO, Here are the pics of the plumbing pad and AutoPilot SC-60 cell manifold. You can see the acid tank/pump on the right. Not quite sure where it will end up, I still have alot of backfilling and landscaping to do. I'm saving the open spot on the equipment pad for a heater to be...

Dave, I've got the AutoPilot panels wired in, but not activated yet. The manifold is plumbed in, but not energized yet. Since I can't add the salt yet, it's not been high on my priority list. I have to get some more fencing up today and should get time to start working with the A/P this...

Re: Belldiver's Pool Build (New Pics!) The plaster crew showed up at 07:15 on Wednesday morning to clean 5 months of slime and toad corpses from the pool. They installed the return eyeballs and acid etched a few stained spots in the gunite. Hurricane Dolly was still waving a few outer rain...

Re: Stever's Pool Build (PICTURES FILLED!) Hoooray!!! Looks great! I'm scheduled for plaster on Thursday if Tropical Storm Dolly doesn't dump rain all over!

Mine is 3 1/2' to 8', but I put two 4' long x 1' wide x 4' deep standing ledges on the back wall of the deep end so folks can hang out down there too. That way I don't have to learn how to tread water and drink beer at the same time...

I've not had very good luck with teflon tape on PVC threads. PTFE paste or Permatex #2 works better. I think installing a couple unions like cruzmisl said would be a good idea for you for winterization too.