First pool Tampa area - Plumbing question

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I've been undecided on what depth the sunshelf should be (and I keep second guessing after signing off on the design)...looking at pictures online, holding a tape measure up to me, etc. My boyfriend said that I should have gotten a kiddie pool and a lounge chair and tested out different depths...he was kidding...I thought it was a great idea! So that's what I did today and I feel much better with the depth we are at (15"). :)
 

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Nice. That's exactly what you should have done! Now the tough part is keeping an eye on the whole build process so that you get the depth you want. Those details often get overlooked when you've got a whole crew of guys shooting gunite, and then a second round of guys shooting the plaster finish. An inch or two to them is nothing, but your shelf depth can easily get lost in the shuffle. First step is to alert the PB of what you want, and make it clear to him that you're expecting that dimension to be dead on. Put that in an email, which carries more weight than a conversation. Make sure he knows if it's not dead on, you'll be holding him responsible for the redo. You can sugar coat that communication anyway you like, as long as the depth and your expectations for its execution are clear. If he pushes back and says he can't guarantee the depth, than at least you'll know up front who you're dealing with. I don't know what most PBs would say to that, but I would think a tolerance of ±1/2" would be reasonable.

Just to belabor... I was in a thread where we were discussing how an autofiller would come into play regarding shelf depth. Think about it: if you're manually filling your pool, and are not compulsive about it, your shelf depth could vary by a few inches from day to day, just because of the evaporation. If you don't go out with a hose to top off your pool just before you enjoy it, your shelf depth will likely always be off. But with an adjustable autofiller system, you can set the water level such that it would be at the correct height for your shelf virtally 24/7. If the plaster guys get the shelf depth within 1/2" of your expectation, then you can compensate for any difference by adjusting the pool's water level. Voila.

Sorry, that was a long way to go to describe how to go about keeping the right amount of your butt underwater, but you get the gist... 🤪
 
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TampaKathy said:
...My boyfriend said that I should have gotten a kiddie pool and a lounge chair and tested out different depths...he was kidding...I thought it was a great idea! So that's what I did today and I feel much better with the depth we are at (15"). :)
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Just like the guys at NASA... run a design simulation. You should have seen some of the quick and dirty things we did just to proof a concept. A chair in a kiddie pool is par for the course!:scratch:(y):goodjob:
 
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I've been hesitant to post about this b/c I am getting an in-floor cleaner which I know a lot of people on here don't like but I've had the subs here like 3 times and I'm still not happy with how the pipes are buried so I'm wondering if I should keep pushing or if I should chill out...the installation guide for the cleaner says there should be 2 inches of dirt above the pipes and then it is my understanding that there would be 3 inches of gunite under the rebar and 3 inches above. The way the pipes are now this is not possible. In some spots there is only 1 1/2 inches of clearance between the pipe and rebar so either the rebar has to go up 3 1/2 inches and I lose water depth or the pipes need to go down...which is what I said I wanted but I'm struggling to get them to do. So my question is, how much dirt, if any, do I really need over the pipes?
 

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TampaKathy said:
I've been hesitant to post about this b/c I am getting an in-floor cleaner which I know a lot of people on here don't like
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NEVER !!!! I don’t have to like them, you do. If you’ve done all your homework and make your own educated choice, then we all root for whatever you decided. Ask away anytime. :)

(Sorry I don’t have you answer, hang tight somebody will)
 
TampaKathy said:
He said that by code a pool plumber can't connect to household plumbing so I'll need another plumber for auto-fill...wasn't clear if I needed to arrange that or if he would.
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It has to be a Tampa /county code, it's not a FL code. Mine & my neighbors all have auto-fills attached to the water spigots.
 
TampaKathy said:
I've been hesitant to post about this b/c I am getting an in-floor cleaner which I know a lot of people on here don't like but I've had the subs here like 3 times and I'm still not happy with how the pipes are buried so I'm wondering if I should keep pushing or if I should chill out...the installation guide for the cleaner says there should be 2 inches of dirt above the pipes and then it is my understanding that there would be 3 inches of gunite under the rebar and 3 inches above. The way the pipes are now this is not possible. In some spots there is only 1 1/2 inches of clearance between the pipe and rebar so either the rebar has to go up 3 1/2 inches and I lose water depth or the pipes need to go down...which is what I said I wanted but I'm struggling to get them to do. So my question is, how much dirt, if any, do I really need over the pipes?
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Never be hesitant on this forum. That is the beauty of it - there are multiple opinions and things like IFCS is a personal choice which may have some advantages. I have been in many pools with them and found them interesting to watch.
Your views are correct based on what I have read on the forum and other places regarding plumbing. It may be a little difficult now for them to dig the trench deeper but they should have the plumbing lower to have a nice layer of dirt/gravel above it and away from direct contact to the gunite. Now is the time to fix it. If you show them the installation guide from the manufacturer then what can they argue not to do it.
 
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Thank you...yeah, I realize having the rebar there is going to make it more difficult so I assume that's why they are trying to avoid digging the trench but I tried telling them before the rebar was done that they didn't dig the hole deep enough to account for the pipes and they told me I was wrong...so now I'm irritated, like, I tried to save you work, don't be mad at me now!
 
panic_button said:
It has to be a Tampa /county code, it's not a FL code. Mine & my neighbors all have auto-fills attached to the water spigots.
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It is a county code for us. My builder is running the connection short by inch and then I will make the final connection. Even said the plumber will walk me through what to do while i do it. I just have to do it as they can't.
 
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TampaKathy said:
I am getting an in-floor cleaner. People I talked to like theirs.
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Can you show a diagram as to how the IFCS will operate? How many zones will yours have? Do you also have wall returns and if so are they separate from the IFCS or one of the zones? There are many questions on the forum regarding these systems and since you are latest I have seen to install an IFCS it would be great to understand how yours will work.
 

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