DIY pool attempt - need technical and equipment advice

[rstephenson]

Attempting a little concrete and block pool. Was supposed to be a small plunge pool but somehow grew a little.
Main pool will be 8.5ft x 13ft x 4.5ft-ish deep. About 4000 gallon
Intend to have cartridge filter, salt water, electric heat pump heater

Please excuse the drawing !!

1) Need suggestion on where to place the skimmer and returns.
2) Pool cleaner suggestions ? Prefer to run off of vacuum or return ?? (vacuuming by hand wouldn't be difficult but trying to spoil the wife)
3) Can you recommend SPECIFICALLY what equipment you would choose ? Would like to oversize the equipment because that's just my nature. (Never had a pool but have had very large aquariums and filtration can never be too big)
4) What other features would you suggest to make the pool more enjoyable ?

(attempting to attach pics)

 

[rstephenson]

View attachment 137264View attachment 137265

 

[rstephenson]

 

[mknauss]

1. Depends on prevailing wind. That small of a pool one skimmer should be fine. Just have it on the downwind side. Returns depend on how deep the sun shelf is, etc. Be sure to bring every return you run back to the equipment pad with its own valve.
2. Get a robot. Only way to go. Look at Maytronics/Dolphin. S200 is the basic one, and does great.
.3. Variable speed pump, SWCG for a 15-20K pool, 200 SF or larger cartridge filter. Do you want automation?
4. None that I can think of. Most water features are not used much after the first few times. Noisy.

 

[rstephenson]

1) Do not really have a prevailing wind where it is located. (a fence and building cause the winds to be random). Would it matter whether the vacuum or return was on the opposite side of the pool ? Would either affect efficiency ?
The deck will only be a few inches deep. No more than about 6
2) Didn't even think about electric robots. All i'm familiar with is a Polaris that our friends have so that's where my head went
3) Automation would be nice........... to spoil the wife. lol
4) The only thing i was thinking was some kind of sprayer to help cool the water if needed ?

Great replies, Thanks !

 

[JJ_Tex]

For #4, a way out of the freaking pool!

All kidding aside, that is very ambitious and will be very interesting to watch your progress. Please keep posting.

 

[rstephenson]

For #4, a way out of the freaking pool!

All kidding aside, that is very ambitious and will be very interesting to watch your progress. Please keep posting.

The weird looking boxes on the side next to the sun deck are the steps. (will be added later)
i'm as interested in the progress as you all are. And the ambition MAY have come from a few too many drinks

 

[wireform]

You can add a WAVE POOL and spoil the wife again.

 

[mknauss]

I bet you have some kind of wind but if not, you want the returns to sweep the surface in such a way to create a swirl in the pool (imperceptible but there) to send the debris past the skimmer so it will be picked up. The shallow sun shelf would not be able to have a return. So you will have to sweep that occasionally.

If you want automation, you get the pump, SWCG, and automation from one company. Pentair, Hayward, and Jandy are the majors. A lot of us are Pentair owners so biased by that.

You can add a sprayer at or near the pool surface. For this size pool a chiller or even a heat pump/chiller might be quite viable.