First Pool In The Sunshine State - Seeking Opinions

[RV-Nomad]

Hello all! I am looking forward to getting to know all about the TFP life. We are ready to pull the trigger on our very first pool and would love to hear your thoughts. I am trying very hard to think of everything that we may want/need in this project but we do not have a large budget. As it turns out $65K is not a lot of money when it comes to a pool project. My biggest fear is that once we begin, it will be impossible or too expensive to make a change. This is a very permanent decision . Also note that the spa and pergola are not included in the price, these were added for effect. This does also not include a screen enclosure.

I have attached what we are considering and please feel free to chime in with your thoughts, concerns or suggestions! Below are some bullet points.
-Sport pool 18 x 30 (3' to 5' to 4')
-4 Nichless LED lights
-2 bubblers in sun shelf
-Jandy equipment SWG
-Tier 1 Wet Edge
-2 36" Sheers
-PCC 2000 Floor System
-In pool round table
-AquaCal SQ 166R

Thanks in advance and if this is posted in the wrong section please move it to the correct place.

 

[Jimrahbe]

RV,

I'm going to move this thread to our Construction forum..

Welcome to TFP... A great place to learn all about your new pool...

Well, you asked, so here goes...

You are worried about the budget but have selected a couple of items that really have zero to do with swimming...

I suggest you dump the in-floor system that will just end up making your plumbing more complex and harder to repair in the future. These might have made some sense 10 or 15 years ago, but in my mind they are a relic of the past. I would move into this century and buy a Robot pool cleaner, which does not require you to run your pump to clean your pool.

Sheers are pretty expensive and you need a lot of moving water to make them work. The problem is that the noise is nice for about 15 minutes and then it becomes just like living next door to a freeway... You will find that soon you will not use them at all. So, a lot of money spent on something that does not get used much. Another problem with waterfalls is that running them will continually drive your pH up..

If I lived in Florida, I would put the money saved toward a screen room...

But, as always, it is your pool and your rules..

Some other suggestions...

Make sure any SWCG is at least 2 x the volume of your pool.. This is because cells are rated when running at 100% output 24/7.

Because you have a SWCG (which I love), your pump will have to run longer. I suggest you get a Variable Speed pump or at least a 2-speed pump..

Do not fall for the UV and Ozone sanitizer "magic" that a lot of pool builders try to pull.

3' is way to shallow... go 4' - 6' - 4'

Get the actual list of equipment and post it here for our review.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[RV-Nomad]

RV,

I'm going to move this thread to our Construction forum..

Welcome to TFP... A great place to learn all about your new pool...

Well, you asked, so here goes...

You are worried about the budget but have selected a couple of items that really have zero to do with swimming...

I suggest you dump the in-floor system that will just end up making your plumbing more complex and harder to repair in the future. These might have made some sense 10 or 15 years ago, but in my mind they are a relic of the past. I would move into this century and buy a Robot pool cleaner, which does not require you to run your pump to clean your pool.

Sheers are pretty expensive and you need a lot of moving water to make them work. The problem is that the noise is nice for about 15 minutes and then it becomes just like living next door to a freeway... You will find that soon you will not use them at all. So, a lot of money spent on something that does not get used much. Another problem with waterfalls is that running them will continually drive your pH up..

If I lived in Florida, I would put the money saved toward a screen room...

But, as always, it is your pool and your rules..

Some other suggestions...

Make sure any SWCG is at least 2 x the volume of your pool.. This is because cells are rated when running at 100% output 24/7.

Because you have a SWCG (which I love), your pump will have to run longer. I suggest you get a Variable Speed pump or at least a 2-speed pump..

Do not fall for the UV and Ozone sanitizer "magic" that a lot of pool builders try to pull.

3' is way to shallow... go 4' - 6' - 4'

Get the actual list of equipment and post it here for our review.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks for your insight. This is why I am posting BEFORE I sign the contract.

 

[Flying Tivo]

+2 on removing the sheers and the bubblers. I installed 4 laminars and only use them to drive down TA, i used them maybe once every 2 months. 4 lights seams a little too much, maybe 3, and make sure they are pointing away from the house. The round table is nice but will get in the way of cleaning(robot). As for the design it looks awsome!

Fleipe

 

[Fuldo]

Jim R has all valid points.

The in-floor system not only has the downsides mentioned but they have two other considerations. They require a large volume of water to function so a high capacity pump would be required and would need to run straight-out a large part of the day for maximum effectiveness. This would require much more electrical energy and cost. The other downside is the floor jets constantly being raised and dropped when working and they'll likely be working when you're in the pool. A sports pool is shallow and often has a lot of physical activity so the elevated jets would be obstacles. That pool shouldn't require much cleaning and a robot could handle what's needed.

As Jim mentioned, a two speed or variable speed pump is a huge benefit and will save energy and be much quieter most of the time. It is likely also a local requirement where you are.

I think a screen room is almost imperative in your location. There are hundreds of pools in my Florida neighborhood and I don't know of one residential pool that isn't screened. Enclosing the pool and at least some of the immediate area will do the following:
Make the area more comfortable by greatly reducing sun strength.
Keep water cooler in the summer. Even with the enclosure your water temp will likely be 85-90 in the summer months.
Make the area cleaner and more comfortable by keeping pests and debris out.
Make the area safer by restricting pool access to little ones (probably code in your area)
Allow for more time outdoors with limited/no sunscreen due to greatly reduced UV.
Greatly reduce chlorine loss due to sun exposure. This will make your SWG system more effective and last longer.
Depending on the size and location the screen room structure may need to be bonded to the patio and pool equipment so designing it in at the beginning is much easier.

I'd rethink the need for a heat-pump pool heater. You won't need it most of the swimming season, it will be expensive to run and won't be very effective in the coldest months. I don't know about you, but swimming Dec through February usually doesn't appeal to me even in central Florida, the air temperature during that time is typically uncomfortably cool to be dressed for swimming!

 

[RV-Nomad]

+2 on removing the sheers and the bubblers. I installed 4 laminars and only use them to drive down TA, i used them maybe once every 2 months. 4 lights seams a little too much, maybe 3, and make sure they are pointing away from the house. The round table is nice but will get in the way of cleaning(robot). As for the design it looks awsome!

Fleipe

Excellent points. Thank you!

 

[RV-Nomad]

Jim R has all valid points.

The in-floor system not only has the downsides mentioned but they have two other considerations. They require a large volume of water to function so a high capacity pump would be required and would need to run straight-out a large part of the day for maximum effectiveness. This would require much more electrical energy and cost. The other downside is the floor jets constantly being raised and dropped when working and they'll likely be working when you're in the pool. A sports pool is shallow and often has a lot of physical activity so the elevated jets would be obstacles. That pool shouldn't require much cleaning and a robot could handle what's needed.

As Jim mentioned, a two speed or variable speed pump is a huge benefit and will save energy and be much quieter most of the time. It is likely also a local requirement where you are.

I think a screen room is almost imperative in your location. There are hundreds of pools in my Florida neighborhood and I don't know of one residential pool that isn't screened. Enclosing the pool and at least some of the immediate area will do the following:
Make the area more comfortable by greatly reducing sun strength.
Keep water cooler in the summer. Even with the enclosure your water temp will likely be 85-90 in the summer months.
Make the area cleaner and more comfortable by keeping pests and debris out.
Make the area safer by restricting pool access to little ones (probably code in your area)
Allow for more time outdoors with limited/no sunscreen due to greatly reduced UV.
Greatly reduce chlorine loss due to sun exposure. This will make your SWG system more effective and last longer.
Depending on the size and location the screen room structure may need to be bonded to the patio and pool equipment so designing it in at the beginning is much easier.

I'd rethink the need for a heat-pump pool heater. You won't need it most of the swimming season, it will be expensive to run and won't be very effective in the coldest months. I don't know about you, but swimming Dec through February usually doesn't appeal to me even in central Florida, the air temperature during that time is typically uncomfortably cool to be dressed for swimming!

 

[RV-Nomad]

Thank you. Those are all very important things to consider. I was thinking that I may regret not adding it and wanted to get some actual pool user input. I am getting sales pitches but most of them probably don't even have pools...LOL. I wanted the water sheers and bubblers for aesthetics but I can definitely see how it could be annoying after time and it will also help the budget. I have a salesman now telling me under no circumstances do I want a SWG pool and that it will actually HARM the concrete. Everything I see on this site is pretty much pro SWG. Your thoughts?

 

[Fuldo]

I converted to SWG only 6 weeks ago. I would have done it earlier based largely on encouragement from this forum but delayed only due to cost and cash flow, it just wasn't a priority. At this point I'm extremely happy I converted and I would recommend it to others. My only comment on negative aspects of SWG is that the only one I know of for certain is the up-front cost involved. I haven't heard of any credible tales of reduced liner/plaster life associated with SWG and a close friend has had a Florida SWG for 8+ years with no issues and swears by them. It's certainly more convenient than the alternatives and ultimately cost competitive even when amortizing the cost of hardware/installation. What most people don't realize is that the salinity level of a SW pool is rather low and in-fact not that much higher than a conventional liquid chlorine pool. In my case I was surprised to find that when I converted my salinity was already about half of what was needed for SWG operation, just a result of normal chlorine maintenance. It is true that many pool builders and repair people discourage SWG use, the person who restored my ignored and newly acquired pool was one of them. I can't explain why that is except perhaps they don't understand them well.

 

[Jimrahbe]

RV

I am sorry, but your salesman just knows what he is being told, unfortunately, he has no clue what he is taking about.

Think about it.. They make bridges that sit in seawater out of... oh, yes, concrete... Seawater has a salt level of 35,000 ppm. Saltwater pools have a level of about 3,500 ppm, about the same as your tears...

I have three saltwater pools.. all three have concrete decking.. I have owned them for between 7 and 5 years and I have had zero issues with saltwater.

Salesmen also like to say you need 'special' equipment that is rated for salt.. another myth..

If I build another 100 pools, everyone of them will be a saltwater pool...

The main reason that pool builders are against them is that don't understand how they work. They think they are a "turn it on and walk away" system. They are not... You have to routinely test a saltwater pool exactly like you do a chlorine pool... In fact a saltwater pool IS a chlorine pool. It just uses the salt to make the chlorine it uses. The other reason is that pool builders will often use the wrong size salt cell and then can't figure out why it won't keep the pool sanitized. You would think you could use a cell rated for 20K on a 19 K pool.. But you can't. Cells are rated when running at 100% output and 24/7... This is why we always recommend that a salt cell be at least 2 x the volume of the pool.. So a 19K pool requires a 40K cell.

We are not trying to sell you anything, we have no reason to make things up or to lie.. Can your pool builder say the same???

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[kimkats]

I am here to save you money so you can have a wonderful pool for your little one and doggy! I agree with all that was said above-ditch the in-floor, the bubblers, the sheers, and the table. We all KNOW your little one will get on top of that table and either break it or his self!!

Now lets talk depths- Go no less that 3'5" at any place in the pool. What do you think you will want to do in the pool? With a little one that is going to grow up faster than you want and be bringing friends home with him...........I am think a "sports" pool would be ideal for the future. I am really liking Jim's idea of 4-6-4 This will be great for volley ball and such. Your little can cannon ball in to the 6' area (NO head first diving!).

Kim (yeah guys I really am trying to save him money!!! )