1-2 days from signing contract, advice welcome

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aschueler

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Jun 2, 2009
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Hello, as the title suggests we are about to build what everyone is considering a monster pool.

I really just want it for laps for me, but I have a wife and child (9 mos) who will certainly want to play in it a lot too. The dimensions are 20 x 60 feet. I originally wanted 15 X 75 feet (25 yards or meters is fairly standard lap length) but was talked out of it as being impractical.

So, here's the basic build we are looking at: 20 x 60 as noted, 36k gallons, 3 feet of kool deck surrounding with another 200 sq feet of decking for patio-like area. Rectangular shape. Either 2 foot or 4 foot radius corners (not sure yet); two skimmers, two main drains, 6 returns, two 400 watt lights. Auto chlorinator (not salt, I just don't trust it for some reason), pump is hayward 1.5 hp with DE filter.

Will be heated with solar panels, which takes up almost as much space as the pool itself.

Considering an automatic cleaner + booster for an added $1,175 but this sucker is already close to $60k with the fence and heat.

So. I have a feeling there may be some hayward bashing, as it's a common pump. Also, I am not sure what the radii of the corners should be.

Thoughts?

(Location: Northern Florida; pool with almost entirely be in direct sun without many leaves)
 
Just wondering if you really need a solar heater (unless you plan on swimming in the winter). We live in Texas and do not heat our pool. You can use a solar cover to warm it quicker in the spring and keep it warmer longer in the fall. We have a hayward pump and have not had any problems with it (our pool is 9 yrs old this year). We did have to replace the seperate pump for our jet vac several years ago tho. I would definately spend the extra money for the automatic cleaner and booster pump tho. It is much easier than doing it by hand. Good luck!
 
That is a big pool and not a very big deck.

The only reason I can think of to have a large solar system in Florida is if you plan to swim year round.

You should look into getting either a two speed pump (good) or a variable speed pump (better). Either one will pay for it's self in electrical savings, even though it is more money up front.

I doubt that a booster pump powered cleaner will do well in a pool that large. You usually need a cleaning robot for large pools.
 
The solar heat is indeed to swim year round, or at least nearly so.

We do get a little cool in the winters here; for example, we had lows in the mid teens this winter. Generally our highs, even on colder days, get into the 40's or 50's though.

I prefer to swim laps in cooler water, but apparently there will be some months (2-3) that it may be too cold even with the solar heat. I can handle mid 70 temps for sure, possibly 70-72 for laps.

Anyway, I can't afford a robot for sure. But maybe when my 9 month old gets a little bigger....
 
Welcome to TFP!!

And congrats on the impending build (I hope you realize we'll be expecting pictures of the entire process :-D )

The 2' radius corners usually look better than the 4', though on a larger pool the effect may not be as drastic. There is nothing wrong with either but you loose some pool space with the 4' corners, especially in the shallow end.

I like Hayward products and only bash them when they deserve it (dial-a-flo 3 way valves :hammer: , the first years of Northstar pumps :hammer: , not getting good quality stainless steel screws for the light faceplates :hammer:, discontinuing DEX 2400 - K tank o-rings :hammer: )

We're looking forward to your pool almost as much as you are :party:
 
FYI..that IS a monster pool...20 X 40 is a large pool...this is HUGE :shock:

One other advantage of the solar panels...you can use them to COOL the pool if the water temps get too high in the summer...just run the panels at night...will act like a radiator...

I will also advise against the chlorinator and suggest the SWG...this will make the pool chemistry very straightforward... :goodjob:
 
aschueler said:
Considering an automatic cleaner + booster for an added $1,175 but this sucker is already close to $60k with the fence and heat.
Click to expand...

That is alot of money! But for such a huge pool it sounds quite cheap from my references. When I summarize where I will end up I think we will be close to $38K in material cost for our little pond :hammer:
Looking forward to pics,pics and more pics :cheers:
 

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Thanks all.

For those that suggest a chlorine generator, can you suggest WHY it's superior to auto chlorinator? It costs a lot more, and I am putting a priority on swimming area more so than other creature comforts.

Thanks!
 
You don't have to fill it and can basically set it and forget it as long as it's doing it's job! 8)
 
aschueler said:
Thanks all.

For those that suggest a chlorine generator, can you suggest WHY it's superior to auto chlorinator? It costs a lot more, and I am putting a priority on swimming area more so than other creature comforts.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Chlorinators use trichlor tablets/pucks. They lower PH and they raise CYA. Over long term use, the CYA can build too high, causing overstabilization. The higher the CYA level, the higher the FC must be. Problem is overtime the amount of FC released daily can't keep up with the min required for the then current CYA, and you then must supplement with bleach. Should you have to shock - it's not very practical when CYA is over the recommended range - see the chart. The only practical way to lower CYA is thru water replacement, which then may require adjustment to the other levels. Now assuming one understand this and monitors the CYA levels, if one had a sand filter, the routine backwashing would help lower it some, winterizing a pool by lowering the water level would lower it some. But for a pool open year round with no routine water replacement, overstabilization is common and problematic, and sometimes water replacement is a real issue (high water tables, drought conditions, expensive water supply, etc.).

As for the PH, one must run with a higher TA (120 or so)to keep the PH more stable, and even then you will use more PH/TA boosting products, like Borax and Baking Soda, because the acid in the pucks are constantly lowering the PH/TA.

So you CAN use a chlorinator, you just have to understand what the pucks are doing to your pool, monitor these levels and make appropriate adjustments. Between the pucks, PH/TA adjustments and water replacements, and if FC drops and algae gets hold, all this can add up and get expensive.

SWGs are so attractive because aside from the initial investment, they are at the top of the list when it comes to automated chlorine systems, and once the water is balanced appropriately, there are few issues to deal with.

No pool care systems allows the pool owner to walk away and forget about it, that's just asking for trouble. Proper testing and adjustments, armed with a good test kit and the knowledge gained on this site and applying it, anyone can have a trouble-free pool.
 
Thanks for the thoughtful response.

It's hard to find a straightforward guesstimate as to how much chlorine I will need to add to the pool. I understand there are many, many variables involved, but what I am trying to get in my mind is a rough estimate so I can evaluate cost effectiveness of SWG versus chlorinator.

Your ideas are starting to sway me, which means a lot because I honestly thought the SWG was merely a gimmic. Like electricity or the telegraph.
 
aschueler said:
Your ideas are starting to sway me, when means a lot because I honestly thought the SWG was merely a gimmic. Like electricity or the telegraph.
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing about those horseless buggies, and the interwebs, THOSE are definitely gimmicks. :mrgreen:

Very nice pool.
 
3 words:
Salt water generator.

It's as close to fool proof as you can get. But for a pool that size, you might need two. Thats one big pool. I also dont think your planned deck is big enough, but thats just personel preference.
 
TWO?

Sheesh. I hope not. How do you find out? I assume there are specs to check out somewhere.

As far as the decking goes: it is fairly narrow along the sides, but we planned a little extra on either end -- the "patio" end and the far end. The far end will have the reel for the solar blankie, so we added a couple more feet. My pool installer brought up a good point; if it's 5 feet or 3 feet a single chair blocks the whole walkway anyway. If I get wider decking the price jumps dramatically. This is probably the best compromise.

Wifey took some pics of the ground with the barest outline of the pool stringed out. Will post them once I figure out how.
 
Depends on how many gallons your pool will hold if you need 2. One would do it, but you would have to run it flat out, maybe. Ask your PB. IMO, if your spending 60k on a pool, 2-3 k for a swg or 2 is short money.
 
Okay, they started today.

All they did for today was to scrape the ground surface and dump it in another part of our yard. We live on a farm and can use the soil/sand in spots, so they don't need to haul it off.

I went with the SWG -- two of them. The pool guy agreed that one would be running too much near its capacity and found a way to get two of them somewhat cheaper. Also, he said these are the "sense and dispense" types that use C02 to adjust pH also. We'll see how well that actually works. He said I can disable that feature if I want.

The decking actually looks OK from where they have it marked off; because it's rectangular and the sides are long, the 3 feet looks wider somehow.

Anyway, don't get too impatient for pics. I will post them soon.

Thanks for advice, I am sure there's more ?'s coming and updates if folks are interested.
 

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