Conduit and new UG pool construction

[mskovrinskie]

I'm in the process of having a 21'x38' UG pool installed. Yesterday, they excavated and tomorrow will be compacting (lots of fill earth in our lot). Before they backfill, they indicated I could install underground conduit to handle any future additions around the pool. I would like to get some feedback and ideas on what to run to 'futureproof' my pool install in terms of utilities to enhance the pool experience.

Here are some notes on the pool and planned uses for underground electric:
- One side of the pool will have hardscaping/pavers from the edge of the concrete deck to the house.
- The far side of the pool will be grass/landscape area, ideal for placing some rock speakers and landscape lighting.
- I definitely plan to install at least 2 outdoor speakers, connected to an amplifier about 50' away inside the basement.
- I also want to have a few low voltage landscape lights outside, on the far side of the pool away from the hose (same side as the speakers above). I've seen some debate on the forums about how close landscape lighting can be to the water, even if low voltage. Does anyone have thoughts on the true distance requirements for LV?
- Equipment pad is close to the far side location, so I anticipate I can put a transformer there and use existing electrical boxes with GFCI outlet already in place to power the landscape lighting from a timer.

So from what I already plan to do, I think I just need to run some 3/4" schedule 40 PVC from the house to the speaker areas, and also a separate run from the equipment pad to the areas that will have landscape lighting. I need to dig a trench from the equipment pad anyway to the house for underground gas for the heater and for the power to the equipment pad, so I can make the trench wider to accommodate any new conduit for these luxury items.

Does anyone have any links to guides/pictures/walk-throughs on how to do this or guidance on additional recommendations or conduit I should run to 'futureproof' this install?

 

[Belldiver]

I'm trenching in the power to my equipment pad right now. I have a shop out on the back of my property that I am running new power to at the same time. I'm also running 1" sch 40 PVC from the well on the back of my property up to the front for irrigation, and running city water from the front back to the shop. I'm burying 1" PVC conduit for future cable/phone to the shop, and another 1" PVC conduit from the pool pad to the house to pull control wires for a future automation system.

Everybody has different needs, but think about running a water line to have available on the far side of your pool, or for watering you lawn/plants from a remote point, instead of dragging hoses all over the place.

 

[ssabin]

mskovrinskie,

In general, you cannot run low-voltage lighting closer than 10 feet to the pool water horizontally unless that voltage transformer were GFI protected on its secondary, and that's really not possible with 2 conductor wiring. So, 10 feet is the limit. Not sure what restrictions you might have with speaker placement and its wiring, although from a safety standpoint, that is probably less of a worry.

Also, don't plan on mixing power feeds and low voltage wiring in the same conduit - that's not allowed. And using a common trench with multiple conduits will likely mean you have to provide some means to keep the conduits some fixed distance from each other within the trench if they are different utilities (water, gas, electric).

 

[mskovrinskie]

Due to the space constraints, it looks like I'll just have to do solar lights.

As far as the conduit, I plan to run the speaker wires in separate conduit. My township inspector specified a 6" separation between gas, electric supply, and any low voltage conduit.

 

[ssabin]

Sounds like you have a good plan!

I think solar lights will be the norm in the not-so-distant future anyways. They will get better and brighter, and they're cheap to operate!