Please review my build before I sign

[mikew2069]

Looking to sign a contract on a pool build this week. Please take a look at my build and let me know if there is anything in there you think I should change or add now. My main questions are:

1) Is the booster pump sufficient for the water features?
2) People seem to love or hate in-floor cleaning systems but I'm wondering if I should add one. You can't add it later so now would be the time.

• Pool Style: Custom Geometric
• Pool Size: (interior measure) 48 Long x 14.5’ Wide (widest point)
• Depth Range: 3 FT – 5.5 FT - 3FT
• 19,500 gallons approximately
• 7’ x 9’ (interior measure) spa flush with spillway.

• Steel Schedule: 1/2" commercial grade rebar tied 8" on Center
• Pool Structure: Pneumatically applied Gunite (4000 PSI)
• Beam: 12" Minimum Thickness
• Floor: 9" Minimum Thickness
• Coves: 9" Minimum Thickness

• Bond Beam: Box Style tied 8” on Center with 4 continuous 1/2'” commercial grade Rebar

EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS:

• Pool Filter: Jandy Cartridge 460 SQ FT cartridge filter with valve
• Pool Pump: Jandy e Series Variable Speed main pump
• Water Feature Pump Jandy e series 1 HP booster
• Polaris 9350 Robotic cleaner
• Heater: Jandy LXI low NOx 400K BTU natural gas
• Chlorination: Fusion chlorinator with Nature2
• Paramount Ozone water sanitizer
• Remote system: 1 Jandy I-Aqualink controller with I-phone connection for WIFI
• Pool Lights: 5 LED lights in pool

• Spa Light: 1 LED Spa Color
• Spa Jets: 8 vortex style spinning jets
• Spa Blower: 1 1.5HP Silencer Blower
• Pool/Spa all drains VGB compliant @ deep end and in the Spa
• Pool Skimmers (home run back to equipment)
• Pool/Spa Returns: 8 directional for max circulation and iris eyeballs for use with variable speed pumps

PLUMBING SPECIFICATIONS

• Hydraulic Design: Separate Lines for all Skimmers (with 2” skimmer line) & Main Drains (2 ½” line for main drain)
• Standard Pipe: All Schedule 40 PVC (Solvent-weld)
• Valves: Jandy multiport 2" x 2 1/2" (Neverlube)
• Overflow Line: Included / Tied into Deck Drainage System
• Deck drainage will have 5 area drains tied into 4” PVC taken to the back fence or street.
• Auto fill / leveler

ELECTRICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Ground Design: 360 Degree earth ground tied to steel structure of pool
• All lines are installed in conduit
• All electric lines included in price

STANDARD POOL FINISHES

• Coping: Travertine Tier level 2
• Interior pool and spa finish: White or Blue Quartz or Color Pebble finish Tier 1 (customer choice – multiple choices available)
• Water Line Tile: Ceramic Tile 6”x6” and 1’ x 1” for spa

POOL DECKING & DRAINAGE

• Deck Size / Material: 775 SQ Ft. of 4” brushed concrete base with steel schedule similar to the pool
• Polyvoid Expansion Joints: As required in deck, polyvoid between pool coping and deck with mastic sealer.
• SUNDEK acrylic finish on new deck and existing (upgrade @ $3.50 / SQ FT)

INCLUDED SPECIAL FEATURES

• 2 formal clean ups included.
• Water Features: included per plan
• Extra-large tanning shelf; 14.5 ’ x 6.5’ with two bubblers
• Raised bond beam 12” and 6” heights finished (faced) on both sides with split face stone or tile as in images with 3 brass scuppers
• 5’ rectangular fire pit finished to match the pool with the same materials picked in the raised beam (travertine coping and split face stone facing)

FEATURES NOT INCLUDED:
Existing utility re-routes such as gas, electric, water, cable TV, landscape repair and sprinkler repair. Fire pot features, water bowls or combination of both unless noted.

WARRANTIES

• Gunite Vessel : Lifetime Transferable Structural Warranty
• Jandy Equipment: 3 Year Parts & Labor Warranty (no fault/no worry)
• Workmanship: 2 Year from Date of Pool Start up
• Pool Surface: 7 years for Wet Edge Altima quartz, 15 Years for Pebble

 

[Brentr]

Welcome to TFP Congrats on your new pool build. Please post lots of pics and ask lots of questions.
Just a couple of things I can see however others like Kim will chime in.
1. Personally I would go with a SWG instead of Fusion chlorinator with Nature2
2. Personally I would go with a Robot cleaner instead of in-floor cleaning systems. ( Seems like a lot of things to break)
Let's see what others will think

 

[riley00dog]

Welcome! I agree with what Brent said. We are going with SWG and a robot. If the robot needs repairing or replacing its considerably easier and cheaper to do so.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mike,

Welcome to TFP... a great place to answer all your "Why do I believe in Magic?" questions...

It appears to me that your pool builder is trying to sell you the standard list of Jandy "Magic" equipment... Things like UV, Ozone, and Fusion/minerals are all Magic, but unfortunately there is no rabbit in the hat.. They make claims that they eliminate or reduce the need for chlorine... But the truth is that the only thing they do is remove money from your pocket and put it in your pool builders pocket..

You can use our search box (upper right of screen) and enter UV, or Ozone, or Minerals and you will find hundreds of posts on why all the magic in the world will not help keep your pool clear, clean, and sanitized.

In-floor system made some sense when your only choice was either a suction side cleaner or a pressure side cleaner, because both of these cleaners require your pump to be running... With the advent of Robot cleaner, in my mind, in-floor systems have gone the way of the dinosaur... It is like buying an old, black, rotary-dial telephone instead of buying a cell phone...

To understand what TFP Pool Care process is all about, I suggest you read our Pool School... You can start using this link... Pool School - ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[mikew2069]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll continue to keep digging through this site and will spend time in the pool school later.... does going with an SWG make your pool a “salt water” pool?

also out main reason for considering the in floor system is convenience and eliminating hoses or wires in the pool.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Thanks for the feedback. I’ll continue to keep digging through this site and will spend time in the pool school later.... does going with an SWG make your pool a “salt water” pool? also out main reason for considering the in floor system is convenience and eliminating hoses or wires in the pool.

Mike,

If you want an in-floor system buy it... I do not have an in-floor system and am biased against them mainly from what I read here at TFP... One of the things that I don't like is that it forces you to use your pump(s) to make it work. Not only that, it makes you run them a very high speeds. Kind of makes it almost senseless to buy a VS pump to save on electrical costs.

Another thing I don't like about them, is that they are often designed to be part of the return water system. This means that later in life, if you decide to not use the in-floor system for any reason, you are stuck with it as you can't just turn it off.

Yes, adding a Saltwater Chlorine Generator (SWG or SWCG) would mean your pool would be a Saltwater pool... I personally have three saltwater pools and if I were to build 100 more pools they would all be saltwater pools... Nothing is easier to maintain than a SWCG pool. Plus the wife and I love the feel of the water.. and you don't have that "Public Pool" smell when you get out. Keep in mind that the salt level in a saltwater pool is about the same as what is in your tears.. It is about 10 x less than what is in the ocean. You can't taste it...

I don't like the sight of hoses or cables in my pool either... This is the primary reason I'll never have a suction or pressure side cleaner.. With my Robot, I just pop it in the water a couple of times a week and let it run overnight and then take it out the next day. I do this more because of how it looks than anything else.. I have two rent houses that also have Robots, but since I don't have to look at them, they pretty much stay in the water all winter and only come out of the water when the renters are swimming..

Thanks again for posting,

Jim R.

 

[kabutotx]

SWG: I love mine and will always get saltwater pool now. Make sure you get one at least 40K gal or over. You want 2x+ the size of pool.
Pros:

• Adds Chlorine even when away. I only test weekly.
• Love the feel of saltwater pool.

Cons:

• Some have to add Muriatic Acid to keep pH down. I do about once a week due to high Alk in fill water.
• Not cheaper over time than liquid chlorine.
• Need to run pump longer to make chlorine. If electric rates are high can make it more expensive. VS pump helps.
• Have to adjust run-time during season changes and can't run when water get below ~60 deg. You have to add liquid chlorine then.

In-floor: I have in-floor. I still have to put the robot in occasionally. I think it helps in my area due to dust from the dust storms during monsoon season.

 

[mikew2069]

I was pretty set on not going the SWG route. That's the problem with these forums. You learn a lot but then it makes it more complicated throwing in more options, lol. My best friend's pool is SW and he was thinking about switching it over to chlorine because of the corrosiveness and the fact that it wears on the pump more. But they love the way it feels/smells.

 

[jeffchap]

... and the fact that it wears on the pump more.

Say what?!?! That's the first I've ever heard of that, and I've had SWGs for years. I wouldn't have anything else.


All pools will end up with some level of salt regardless of how you add chlorine. A non-SWG pool typically measures 1500 ppm salt, whereas the normal level for most SWGs is around 3500 ppm.

 

[Brentr]

I was pretty set on not going the SWG route. That's the problem with these forums. You learn a lot but then it makes it more complicated throwing in more options, lol. My best friend's pool is SW and he was thinking about switching it over to chlorine because of the corrosiveness and the fact that it wears on the pump more. But they love the way it feels/smells.

WOW Are you kidding me So not true. If your pool is installed correctly ie. proper bonding and grounding of pool equipment you will have no corrosive issues. Also I am living proof, our first pool was chlorine and I hated taking care of it. Lugging 5 gal containers of chlorine every week, it grew wary to the point that I hated pools and I hated anyone who loved pools. 10 years later the wife convinced me to build another pool and it is SWG and we love it. I almost don't have to do anything thanks to TFP Hope this helps.

 

[Jimrahbe]

I was pretty set on not going the SWG route. That's the problem with these forums. You learn a lot but then it makes it more complicated throwing in more options, lol. My best friend's pool is SW and he was thinking about switching it over to chlorine because of the corrosiveness and the fact that it wears on the pump more. But they love the way it feels/smells.

Mike,

As with everything we suggest, it is always your decision...

I suspect if you ask your friend, he will tell you that Saltwater is what made the Titanic sink... It is obvious.. it was floating in saltwater and it sank!! What else could it possible be??? As with everything, when you only know half the story, you never get the whole picture... Corrosiveness is not caused by the saltwater, but by the pH of the water. No matter whether a saltwater pool or a non-saltwater pool, if you don't maintain the chemical balance of your pool water, you are going to have issues. One of the main problems with having a saltwater pool is that they are so easy to take care of that they lull you into a false sense that you don't have to do anything... Pools are like babies and need to be taken care of on a daily basis... just because the baby poops in his diapers, does not make it the diapers fault...

Next time you talk with your friend, you might want to ask him if he ever heard of the Iceberg...

Thanks for posting and good luck with your pool build..

Jim R.

 

[mikew2069]

Say what?!?! That's the first I've ever heard of that, and I've had SWGs for years. I wouldn't have anything else.


All pools will end up with some level of salt regardless of how you add chlorine. A non-SWG pool typically measures 1500 ppm salt, whereas the normal level for most SWGs is around 3500 ppm.

He said that he's burned through a pump every two years or so and feels like its because the SWG requires the pump to run more? .... Keep in mind I'm a complete newb here. Just trying to soak in all the information I can and make a decision based on everyone else's experiences and opinions.

WOW Are you kidding me So not true. If your pool is installed correctly ie. proper bonding and grounding of pool equipment you will have no corrosive issues. Also I am living proof, our first pool was chlorine and I hated taking care of it. Lugging 5 gal containers of chlorine every week, it grew wary to the point that I hated pools and I hated anyone who loved pools. 10 years later the wife convinced me to build another pool and it is SWG and we love it. I almost don't have to do anything thanks to TFP Hope this helps.

Does the same go for natural stone coping, etc?

Mike,

As with everything we suggest, it is always your decision...

I suspect if you ask your friend, he will tell you that Saltwater is what made the Titanic sink... It is obvious.. it was floating in saltwater and it sank!! What else could it possible be??? As with everything, when you only know half the story, you never get the whole picture... Corrosiveness is not caused by the saltwater, but by the pH of the water. No matter whether a saltwater pool or a non-saltwater pool, if you don't maintain the chemical balance of your pool water, you are going to have issues. One of the main problems with having a saltwater pool is that they are so easy to take care of that they lull you into a false sense that you don't have to do anything... Pools are like babies and need to be taken care of on a daily basis... just because the baby poops in his diapers, does not make it the diapers fault...

Next time you talk with your friend, you might want to ask him if he ever heard of the Iceberg...

Thanks for posting and good luck with your pool build..

Jim R.

Appreciate the feedback and analogies, lol. He's not all anti-salt like you're drawing up. He actually likes the system, thinks its easy to maintain but his experience is that there is corrosion and they've burned through a couple of pumps. But it sounds like that can all be avoided.

 

[Brentr]

Like Jimm says. The key to good pool maintenance is making sure your pool chemistry is correct. Perhaps you should ask you friend to chime in here as burning up a couple of pumps is not normal

 

[PoolGate]

Non salt pool = 1 - 2 parts per thousand salt.
Salt pool = 3.5 parts per thousand salt.
Ocean = 35 parts per thousand.

Everything you've been told about a salt pool is a myth.

Equipment list looks good accept seems like a lot of lights. It is a long pool but still seems like 2-3 would be enough. Lights are a lot of money.
Trade Fusion for FusionSoft but don't use the mineral cartridge or else just use Jandy's regular SWCG.
You don't need the infloor system since you have a top of the line robot in your equipment list.
I would pin them down on a max out of pocket for electrical and gas work.
Also pin them down on a per foot price for extra decking. For that pool you have barely any deck at all that is like 3-4ft perimeter?

As a matter of clarification. Almost all pools are "chlorine" pools (A few exceptions like Bromine systems). You either manually add chlorine it or automatically add it via a device (SWCG) that separates the chlorine from salt.

 

[PoolGate]

FYI: If you can swing an upgrade on the heater, the Hi-E2 Jandy heater is 95% efficient compared to 80% for the JXi.

 

[OrangeAndBlue]

Agree with what has been said about equipment and SWG. I'll add something else that hasn't been mentioned:
I would re-consider the depth. Have you checked how shallow 3 feet is? 3.5 feet seems to be a standard shallow depth and personally I think that is still too shallow. I would prefer 4 feet in a sports pool unless this is exclusively for kids.

 

[mikew2069]

Non salt pool = 1 - 2 parts per thousand salt.
Salt pool = 3.5 parts per thousand salt.
Ocean = 35 parts per thousand.

Everything you've been told about a salt pool is a myth.

Equipment list looks good accept seems like a lot of lights. It is a long pool but still seems like 2-3 would be enough. Lights are a lot of money.
Trade Fusion for FusionSoft but don't use the mineral cartridge or else just use Jandy's regular SWCG.
You don't need the infloor system since you have a top of the line robot in your equipment list.
I would pin them down on a max out of pocket for electrical and gas work.
Also pin them down on a per foot price for extra decking. For that pool you have barely any deck at all that is like 3-4ft perimeter?

As a matter of clarification. Almost all pools are "chlorine" pools (A few exceptions like Bromine systems). You either manually add chlorine it or automatically add it via a device (SWCG) that separates the chlorine from salt.

Thank you for that. I’m really starting to lean towards the SWCG now based on everyone’s advice. The decking is almost all on the sides. There’s only 3ft from my patio to where the pool will start and then zero decking behind the pool. So that leaves about 300 sqft on each side but I will nail down the price per sq ft extra should we need it.

FYI: If you can swing an upgrade on the heater, the Hi-E2 Jandy heater is 95% efficient compared to 80% for the JXi.

Thank you - good info.

Agree with what has been said about equipment and SWG. I'll add something else that hasn't been mentioned:
I would re-consider the depth. Have you checked how shallow 3 feet is? 3.5 feet seems to be a standard shallow depth and personally I think that is still too shallow. I would prefer 4 feet in a sports pool unless this is exclusively for kids.

Yes that’s actually a typo. It should be 3.5-5.5-3.5. Considering doing one of the sides ar 4ft but I have two small kiddos so I’m thinking about them.

 

[mikew2069]

More questions.

How hard is it to switch to a SWCG later or visaversa if I do the SWCG now and want to switch later?

Also does the cool decking hold up ok or should I just do stamped concrete or something? Seems I’ll blow out the budget doing flagstone or pavers.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mike,

It is much easier to remove a SWCG later, then it is to install a SWCG later... the key is to make sure whatever SWCG you get, works with your automation system...

Removing it is basically just turning it off...

Jim R.

 

[PoolGate]

Thank you for that. I’m really starting to lean towards the SWCG now based on everyone’s advice. The decking is almost all on the sides. There’s only 3ft from my patio to where the pool will start and then zero decking behind the pool. So that leaves about 300 sqft on each side but I will nail down the price per sq ft extra should we need it.



Thank you - good info.



Yes that’s actually a typo. It should be 3.5-5.5-3.5. Considering doing one of the sides ar 4ft but I have two small kiddos so I’m thinking about them.

They won't be small forever but they will use the pool for years. Safety is a big concern with kids of course so do what you are comfortable with.