1963 pool resurection

With Solar it is best to add manual isolation valves on the panel supply and return lines after any control values. This allows you to totally isolate the panels when they are drained in the winter and after you clean your filter or do other work on the system. They can be simple ball values but Jandy values, while more expensive, are better. You don't usually use a 2 way actuated valve on the return side, an isolation value is usually used.
 
Thanks gwegan. No 2 way actuated valves being used.
Maybe I am explaining poorly.
The solar piping originates at the equipment pad, then is piped underground about 25' or so before again resurfacing next to the garage where the pipes will eventually rise to roof level for hook up to solar collector.
My question is at the equipment pad side. I wanted to know what needed to be hooked up there just as if it were a full install. I will just cap the pipes off out of the ground on the garage side until I have the solar collectors installed later. (Probably next spring
I don't have any programs to draw it out on, I guess I could draw it on a piece of paper and take a picture.
I just want to make the connections now during install. I have a 3 way solar valve and actuator which ties in to the easy touch for control. I can hold off on hooking up any automation for now, that's not a big deal I just want all the pipe work done at the same time so I don't have to cut brand new pipes out in a year or so. Would the isolation valves be best suited at the pad by the 3 way valve with the actuator or where the pipes come up out of the ground on the vertical?
Does that make sense?
 
Makes absolute sense. You would want the isolation valves a foot or two after your 3 way actuator valve and on the return side a few feet before the solar return rejoins the "main line." What you are trying to do is prevent anything from getting into the solar collectors during the winter and freezing (Ok so it never freezes in Long Beach) and trying to prevent anything that is residue that gets on the wrong side of the filter after cleaning from getting into the collectors.. Therefore as close to the actuator valve as is practical.
 
Ok, we are now in the coping stage. Coping first then tile for whatever reason.
My question to you is, how much of the coping should overhang into the spa? The original piece the pb brought out for acceptance was 14" wide. The coping that was delivered to the job is 16" wide. The spa wall is only 11"-12" depending on where you take your measurement from. (I assume this can be remedied later)
Anyway, my concern is if the coping is going to hang roughly 2" inside and 2" outside the spa, it's going to be mighty uncomfortable to lean back and relax. What is normal for the coping to hang out into the spa? 1" or so?
Thoughts?
 
well here is the coping on the pool

and the spa

however upon investigating how annoying the coping might be when leaning back against the spa wall, my wife and I noticed that the jets are poorly placed. the lower jets that were meant for the lower back seem to hit around the tailbone and the upper back jets hit right in the lower to mid back area. they will hit a little bit lower obviously after plaster. this was the first time we actually sat inside the spa so we hadn't noticed before tonight. this presents a pretty big problem at this point since moving them would mean removing the majority of the shotcrete to access the piping which is 3".
not really sure how to approach this issue or if we even should. yes, it would be a major setback at this point but impossible down the road.
I know the pb already thinks im a pain and ask too many questions and offer too many ideas that he would rather not deal with. if I hadn't we would not have anything close to what we have now. on one hand, it is our pool and we are paying good money for it and on the other hand it will be costly to change at this point. are we being ridiculous if we bring it up or stupid if we don't?
:confused:
 
A good pool builder will listen to his customers and maybe even learn something for the future. No one knows everything. It's your money and your pool. He gets to go away one day and not have to live with it. If you aren't happy or are concerned, ask him about it. I was a royal PITA for my pool builder and patio builder, but they both hung in there, and I'm very happy with the finished product. You won't sleep at night (it will drive you crazy) if you don't address it or at least attempt to, even if you decide to leave it as is...
 

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Lowering the spillway would lower the water level, or you could lower both that and the coping. Both would be easier than breaking out the walls to move the jets.
 
tile started today...
they were working on it when I got home. looking good.

then the tiles start to drift apart a bit...

I guess I need to stop coming home while they are working. they always seem to screw up when I am here. hopefully they will fix it before continuing. I am getting so tired of pointing these things out all the time and I know they are tired of hearing it.
when they were laying the coping I caught the guy putting the cut piece in the center of my stairway. I said, c'mon, really? why don't you put the cut piece near the corner where it turns? he said no, look, I have 2 full tiles on either side of it! so it is uniform. I said please humor me and switch it to the turn please. they didn't bring any extra pieces of coping so were reluctant to cut one because then they would come up short. really? no extras? this is probably the cheapest possible option for coping around and you have not even one extra piece? unbelievable.
on to the spa coping. the pb told me up front that he would bury the short piece in the back so you wouldn't really notice it. I said of course, that only makes sense. well, guess what? again they put not one but 2 cut pieces right where you will mostly enter and exit the spa. right by the inside step. wow.
by the way he also cut the jet pipes back so we could sit in it again and see that the locations are ok. last time I checked cutting a pipe shorter didn't raise the height of it.
but it will all be good in the end when we are splashing around in it. right?
 
It is set but not grouted. It will have to be fixed. The pb himself is pretty detail oriented. Just not his crew. He will likely fix it without me bringing it up although I will.
At this point I am much more concerned about the height of the jets and how to remedy that without having to tear the whole spa apart to re plumb. I really don't want to create job site animosity especially with so much work left to be done.
What a pain. I think I might have to go with chiefs idea of lowering the seats, coping and spillway 3 or 4 inches to adjust the jet heights. Essentially making it a 14 or 15 inch raised spa instead of an 18" raised spa. Not the end of the world but better than settling for that's there now and regretting it for the next 30 years.
 

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