Another where to locate my pool equipment pad request...

[pakman]

Hi, We're getting close to signing a contract soon for a 18x36 in-ground pool in SW PA. Starting to nail down some of the details in terms of concrete deck, etc but still not decided on the location of our pool equipment pad (pump, filter, SWCG, gas heater). We are also looking to get a 8x16 or 10x16 storage shed. Having browse this forum and internet, still not sure if we could (should) put the shed over the equipment, so we're looking to keep them separate. So we've got tons of questions but I'll start with these below. Note that our electric and gas will need to run from the far left side of the house. Unfortunately, that side of the house is where our living room and kitchen sun room windows are so we don't want them against the house anywhere around there. Putting it to the right side of the house near the garage (D) would involve digging underneath concrete walkways as well as getting possibly noisy for our neighbors to the right - gets echoey between our houses over there and would be facing their patio entrance. Far side of the fence opposite the house (A) seems like the most sensible location (shorter utility line runs and equipment noise less likely to bother us in the house and our good neighbors to the right). I would like to avoid the near right side of the fence (B) as that will involve longer gas/ electric line runs and is also where our elderly neighbors have a nice koi pond where they like to sit. Shallow end of pool is on the right side.

1. Should we have the equipment pad inside the fence? We'll have two gates - left and right side of fence. Or is better to put it outside? We would plant bushes around either way to hide it.
2. How much distance do we need to keep the equipment from the pool? Will that be a problem noise-wise for people in the pool and deck if it's too close?
3. Should we reconsider housing the equipment inside the storage shed? Storage shed would primarily be used for storing pool toys, pool cleaning stuff, and maybe some lawn tools.

thanks,

 

[Jimrahbe]

pm,

Welcome to TFP... a great place to find the answers to all of your new pool questions..

If this were my pool the equipment would be inside the shed "C"... Well actually I would divide the shed into two parts... the pool storage part and a pool equipment part. The storage part would have a concrete floor, while the equipment part would have a concrete pad surrounded by a rocky drainage area. I do not like the idea of pool plumbing ever coming up through concrete.

As far as noise goes, what are you talking about??? Anyone that builds a new pool should be using variable speed pump(s).. My pump is about 6 feet outside my bedroom window and is so quiet at low RPMs that when it was new I often went out just to check to make sure it was still running..

For reference, I run my pump at 1200 RPM and even running 24/7 it cost less than $20 bucks a month!

Thanks for posting.

Jim R.

 

[riley00dog]

I would also put it in the shed. It will also give your equipment great protection from the elements. Your shed will be almost the size of our pool [emoji23] You have space to give it a lovely home. Check out Costas build. His equipment lives at the Hilton!

 

[pakman]

Thanks and Jim thanks for the tip on the equipment pad. Makes sense in terms of drainage. I was hoping to get one of those premade storage sheds that they could just plop down. I'll need to see if they can deliver a shed without a floor or if I need to have it built on site. Anything I need to consider with the heater other than ensuring venting to outside the shed?

Also, don't seem to find much doing google searches. Seems I either get simple covers over the equipment pad or full blown pool houses with plumbing, bathrooms, kitchens and not so much for simple tool sheds.

 

[Jimrahbe]

pm,

Sorry, I was assuming that the shed was being built on site by the pool company. It would be pretty hard to put an already built shed over the equipment.

Jim R.

 

[BMK]

If you do put the equipment pad inside the shed, make sure you have enough room left over to store your outdoor furniture, umbrellas, pool ladders, and everything you don't want sitting out all winter. You'll be surprised at the amount of new 'stuff' you'll accumulate once you start using the pool!

 

[Dirk]

I have one of the quietest pumps around, and am, uh, hearing challenged at my age. My pump is, oh, 25' from my head while sleeping, through three walls, and I can still hear it. There is a whine produced at certain RPMs that I think is traveling through the slabs. Jim R. doesn't hear his pump so close to him because it runs non-stop at a very low RPM. And he uses a robot for cleaning, so his pump doesn't have to ramp up to higher RPMs, including super high for priming at least once a day. (Excuse me for speaking for you, Jim, correct me if I'm wrong.) I don't hear mine either at its lowest setting.

But if you'll be using your pump for cleaning, fast skimming, to distribute water for heating (solar or gas) or spa or water features, etc, you'll be running your pump at higher RPMs, the sound from which might penetrate to the neighbors, depending on their proximity to the shed. Especially heating, where your pump could be programmed to run at high RPMs only when the heater if running, which might come on and off multiple times per day. I find the changing of RPMs even more annoying than the steady thrum.

I would go the other way. I'd go with location A, with enough of a roof to keep out/off the elements, and retain all the available storage space you can in the shed. Got kids? Unless you plan to blow up the donut, the lounger, the other lounger, the dolphin, the shark and the beach ball every time they swim, that stuff can really fill up a room fast! Add to that the winter storage suggested by BMK, and the new gear you'll buy because "now we have a shed!!" and you'll fill that shed to the max right quick.

 

[bmoreswim]

I'd go with either A, simplest, noise will not be an issue. You'd hear it on high but not otherwise.

Or C. But with C I'd stick build and get more custom. I'd build a shed which also had a pavilion area over/onto the decking. Then I'd also continue the roof in a lean-to fashion for the equipment if it's not in position A. As Jim R said, having it in C, even outside there, won't bother anyone when running on low/med. I'm not sure about heating speeds needed though. Umbrellas are OK, but they are not to be compared to permanent pavilion style shade (big/permanent/not subject to wind). We have both because they do have their places. If you look in our build thread (see signature), you can see a pavilion, though it can be simpler if coming off of a shed. My ideal would have been a pool house with an attached pavilion, but we didn't have the room on the short-edge of the pool for both.

 

[Mam262]

Regarding the noise, if you are going with a variable speed pump as others have said, noise will not be an issue. Our pump is 8-10 feet from a seating area on our desk and no one even hears it when running at about 1,200 RPM.

 

[Jimrahbe]

I have one of the quietest pumps around, and am, uh, hearing challenged at my age. My pump is, oh, 25' from my head while sleeping, through three walls, and I can still hear it. There is a whine produced at certain RPMs that I think is traveling through the slabs. Jim R. doesn't hear his pump so close to him because it runs non-stop at a very low RPM. And he uses a robot for cleaning, so his pump doesn't have to ramp up to higher RPMs, including super high for priming at least once a day. (Excuse me for speaking for you, Jim, correct me if I'm wrong.) I don't hear mine either at its lowest setting.

Dirk...

Please speak up!!! I can't hear you over my darn pump!!!

Jim R.

 

[pakman]

thanks for the comments.

Yes, we've got a couple young boys, so we expect a full storage shed of inflatable pool toys. Good point on having room to store pool furniture (would save the hassle of rolling everything into the garage).

Actually now that I think of it, a bit silly of me to be over-concerned on equipment noise for the neighbors when I'm sure the boys will be making a lot more noise in the pool!

 

[BMK]

I think location 'A' is your best bet. You're going to find all kinds of uses for that shed / pool house and you may regret that you took up all the room with pumps, plumbing filter, heater, etc. It's not like that equipment isn't made to live outside.....
Is the fence your property line or just protecting the pool? If the latter, maybe consider going with 'A', but on the other side of the fence, with it's own gate access. That way it will still be where you want it, but you won't lose any valuable deck / play area by the pool.

 

[pakman]

Thanks. That also answers my other question, whether to have the equipment on the outside or inside of the fence if we keep it separate from the storage shed. There is lawn back there that slopes down towards a wall of evergreens that mark our property line. That area will mostly be unused unless we create a vegetable garden back there. I should have included these two pics in my first post.

 

[Dirk]

OK, these latest pics make me like A even more. It's about halfway between neighbors, and where I'd be happiest (and think it was the most "fair") if I was either neighbor.

Your neighbors have carved out a nice little oasis back there, why not give them a little extra cushion? Enclose the pad entirely, to provide some extra sound-proofing for you and your neighbors, and so nobody has to look at a bunch of pipes and pumps and gizmos. If I lived in front of that beautiful backdrop, I'd want all the neighbors to honor it and respect each others' views of it. Another reason to erect a stick-built, cute, little structure for your shed and separate pool pad shed, instead of store-bought, plastic boxes, if budget allows. Your neighbors have done a good job of that. That little sitting area looks to be attractive, and blends in well with the existing landscaping. I'd expect my neighbor to be considering the same if I lived there.

What is driving the location of the back fence? Can you push it back even farther, and move the pad a little farther away, to give you a little more deck or grass space inside the fence? My kids and their friends sometimes end up playing near the pool, not just in it. Your crew could have a little room to throw a ball back there, maybe play some badminton. Work up a little sweat and then just jump in the pool...

 

[pakman]

Thanks Dirk. We are looking to push the fence out to give the kids more room to play inside the fence near the pool, and we will still have a good amount of area of flat lawn to the right for playing ball. We should be able use the dirt from the dig to flatten that back lawn area as it does slope off to the trees. Our rear yard setback line is about 50' from the road, so I'll have to double check our HOA guideline if we can extend the fence into that area. Shed might be a no go but we could probably landscape around the pump to hide it.

 

[pakman]

Hmm, another pool builder is suggesting to putting under the living room window (far left side (just outside the left fence in the first pic). Along the lines of some of your suggestions here, he thinks the pump is quiet enough that it won't be nuisance there. Also this will save us substantially in term running and trenching gas and electric lines. Decisions decisions...

 

[Dirk]

Hmm, another pool builder is suggesting to putting under the living room window (far left side (just outside the left fence in the first pic). Along the lines of some of your suggestions here, he thinks the pump is quiet enough that it won't be nuisance there. Also this will save us substantially in term running and trenching gas and electric lines. Decisions decisions...

Yah, not a nuisance to him, after he drives away! They're quiet, not silent. That's right around the corner from your nice sitting area. You should be listening to the tinkle of a nice water feature right there, not the hum of a pump motor. And as I said, they're relatively quiet at low RPM, not when they first start up, not when they're running the cleaner or heater.

Plus, the pad is a collection of pipes and motors and a filter that is none to short. You're going to see most of that right out your window. A decent pad is 3 to 4' deep, so it's not going to be tucked away out of sight.

Is there any way you can get near a working pump similar to yours? A neighbor's pool maybe? One of these PBs' customers? You're trying to make a decision based on other peoples' ears. Mine might be somewhat sensitive to that particular sound, so I'm no better judge than anyone else...

 

[pakman]

Dirk, point well taken and my concern as well if it will be a eyesore from inside. I did have a chance to see one of our neighbors setup and their pump is located on their 1F bedroom floor. It is barely noticeable standing in front of it, but he did mention occasionally he can hear it.

Anyways, we'll have plenty of time to figure this out as we've decided to go with a PB who won't be able to start until next spring.

 

[jimim]

i would go with c also. it's what i did. my electrical is inside but equipment is outside. i had my mason build a wing wall to hide equipment for my neighbor. it also acts as a retaining wall to allow for a change of elevation into my neighbor so i don't slope off too much into him when i landscape.

i would stick build so you can customize as much as you want or have money for, cause believe me it can get out of hand once you start saying oh we are already doing this and so on. i'm in that situation right now.

yuo can check out my build for pics right in the past few posts to see the winf wall and how my equipment is laid out. i made sure it was very very servicable also.