Getting Ready to Sign Contract - Questions

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LuschMommy said:
That's why I love this forum! Your advise is going to help us build an awesome pool! I've added upgrading from pressure cleaner to robot to my PB contract request. We're also going 8' deep in the deep end with a jumping rock. Keep the advise coming! ;)
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Better yet, have him drop the pressure cleaner (and booster if he had that) and take a credit. Buy the robot yourself and save the markup.
 
Your help is here. I'd get your pool built and only use the PB for warranty issues.
 
Just have yoru PB give you a manual vacuum, hose and pole. Teach you how to do this. Good to know how to do this anyway. But make sure that you plan for an outlet close to teh pool for a robot "in case you get one later". Someone else here can jump in, but they come with a 50-60 foot cord, so placement of outlet is somewhat important, since you cant use extention cord.
 
Yev said:
But make sure that you plan for an outlet close to teh pool for a robot "in case you get one later". Someone else here can jump in, but they come with a 50-60 foot cord, so placement of outlet is somewhat important, since you cant use extention cord.
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You can get PB to put an external outlet on your EasyTouch panel if the pad is closer to the pool than any outdoor outlets you might already have.
 
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I typed up all of the questions that have been offered in this thread and sent them to my PB. Do his answers make sense? The robot freaks me out a little as you plug it in and then submerge it in the water - goes against everything I've ever been taught. ;)
  1. From my research, 1 skimmer and 3 returns might not be enough for the size and shape of our pool. What do you think about adding 1 one more skimmer and at least 1 more return
    1. "the middle and large lagoon does come with 2 skimmers because of the size of the pool"
  2. The "Legend Auto Cleaner" is a pressure cleaner, correct? Could we swap that out for a robotic cleaner?
    1. "The legend cleaner is a pressure side cleaner which is what we recommend for vinyl versus electric cleaners because of there weight and the sharp sides on the corners. The pressure side cleaner actually cleans better and faster than an electric cleaner"
  3. To help with dog hair, we'd like to get the largest filter that makes sense.
    1. "The filter that will be on your pool will be the large DE filter because of the size of the pool"
  4. For the size and shape of the pool, do you think the 2 LED lights + LED bubbler would be enough to light the pool at night?
    1. "Two led lights and the 2 bubblers will be plenty of lighting for that pool in my opinion we could always add more if you would like"
  5. Does the EasyTouch come with the ScreenLogic? Is the IntelliTouch an option, and it is better than EasyTouch?
    1. "The easy touch does no come with screen logic that is just something that would be additional the easy touch is by far the best over an intellitouch the intellitouch is really just designed for a spa there is not as many functions as an easy touch"
  6. We need to make sure there is enough grass on both sides of the pool to allow for the landscapers to get their standing mower around the backyard without driving over our pool deck. If we downsized to the middle lagoon pool, and centered it, how much space would be on either side of the concrete in your site plan? Would it be at least 5 feet?
    1. "As far as the middle lagoon goes the decking layout is totally up to you but you will have plenty of space to get a mower by it without going over the deck."
Hopefully that covers everything. Contract signing is tomorrow and I want to make sure we're covered!
 
LuschMommy said:
Is the IntelliTouch an option
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I believe you meant to ask him about Intellicenter, not Intellitouch. At least from my reading of the threads, you were looking for the "newest" automation, and that is the Intellicenter.

Intellicenter comes with ScreenLogic built in. Some PB quotes that I have seen around here, add ScreenLogic to the Intellicenter, so just be aware it comes already.

Also, some PB have seen troubles in getting the Intellicenter, what appears to be delays in the Pentair supply chain. If you do settle on the Easy Touch, confirm it is not the "Lite" addition, and you can always add Screen Logic to that.
 
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See my inline comments below...

LuschMommy said:
I typed up all of the questions that have been offered in this thread and sent them to my PB. Do his answers make sense? The robot freaks me out a little as you plug it in and then submerge it in the water - goes against everything I've ever been taught. ;)
  1. From my research, 1 skimmer and 3 returns might not be enough for the size and shape of our pool. What do you think about adding 1 one more skimmer and at least 1 more return
    1. "the middle and large lagoon does come with 2 skimmers because of the size of the pool" Good.
  2. The "Legend Auto Cleaner" is a pressure cleaner, correct? Could we swap that out for a robotic cleaner?
    1. "The legend cleaner is a pressure side cleaner which is what we recommend for vinyl versus electric cleaners because of there weight and the sharp sides on the corners. The pressure side cleaner actually cleans better and faster than an electric cleaner" Ignore him. You'll need to decide who you believe. He is wrong on cleaning better.
  3. To help with dog hair, we'd like to get the largest filter that makes sense.
    1. "The filter that will be on your pool will be the large DE filter because of the size of the pool" Get the model # and we'll evaluate if it's properly oversized. But you'll also want to use hairnet over your skimmer and that will keep 99% of the dog hair out of the filter. Don't bother mentioning that to the PB - just confuses the issue.
  4. For the size and shape of the pool, do you think the 2 LED lights + LED bubbler would be enough to light the pool at night?
    1. "Two led lights and the 2 bubblers will be plenty of lighting for that pool in my opinion we could always add more if you would like" Good, just make sure he is referring to full size LED fixtures.
  5. Does the EasyTouch come with the ScreenLogic? Is the IntelliTouch an option, and it is better than EasyTouch?
    1. "The easy touch does no come with screen logic that is just something that would be additional the easy touch is by far the best over an intellitouch the intellitouch is really just designed for a spa there is not as many functions as an easy touch" That is his opinion. I'll tell you that you don't want the EasyTouch and one of our equipment experts can provide the reasoning. @Jimrahbe
  6. We need to make sure there is enough grass on both sides of the pool to allow for the landscapers to get their standing mower around the backyard without driving over our pool deck. If we downsized to the middle lagoon pool, and centered it, how much space would be on either side of the concrete in your site plan? Would it be at least 5 feet?
    1. "As far as the middle lagoon goes the decking layout is totally up to you but you will have plenty of space to get a mower by it without going over the deck." You'll need to evaluate if that is correct but if so, sounds good.
Hopefully that covers everything. Contract signing is tomorrow and I want to make sure we're covered!
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Thank you @bmoreswim! I appreciate your responses.
The LED lights are the Intellibrite 5G, so I think they’re large, and have party modes:whoot:
We’re definitely going to invest in the filter socks. I can fill a grocery bag brushing one of my dogs!
Adding the ScreenLogic to the Easy Touch is the same price as upgrading to IntelliCenter ($1500), so we’re going to upgrade.
We’re most likely going to upgrade to robotic cleaner, especially since I want it to clean the waterline. I didn’t see a brush on the pressure cleaner to do that. His statement about not being safe on vinyl is absolutely false, then? That’s a little concerning.
 
Yes, false regarding robot on vinyl. PB’s aren’t experts at everything. ;)Recommend hairnets over skimmer socks. Socks need washing hairnets get tossed. I replace mine daily during pollen season and any day my dogs swim. Perfect on the lights and automation. Lights were the unexpected surprise hit of our build.
 
You've gotten a lot of great input about your pool features as always. I'll suggest you look at some of the other aspects:
  • There's been a LOT of discussion about the dive board, depth etc. Are you absolutely certain about your choices? Don't sign until you are. After you sign everything becomes a change order. The longer you go the worse it gets. Costs will be way higher than you can imagine. Most think they're unfair but they're not. Cost of late changes are much higher than most people realize. Simply stated, don't sign 'till you're sure what you want.
  • What are the warranty terms? Do you understand what exactly is covered and how it will be rectified?
  • Make sure you understand your obligations such as access and start up.
  • If there are any words in the contract that you are not sure about. Indemnity, liability have meaning important to both parties.
  • Does the builder have responsibility for the entire job including permits, waste disposal etc?
  • What are the provisions for unknown underground obstructions?
  • Payment terms should be fair to both parties. Never get too far ahead of builder costs.
  • Is there a performance test required prior to final release of last payment? If not, there should be. Doesn't need to be complicated:
    • Pool holds water
    • Equipment works
    • Materials are as agreed
    • Quality meets agreed requirements
I hope this is helpful.

Chris
 
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JJ_Tex said:
Why cant you use an extension cord... asking for a friend.
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Regardless of voltage, where you plug somethign into an extention cord cannot be sealed. Water can get into this,and can cause some issues. Obviously you want to be into a GFCI outlet, which shoudl keep you safe, and water getting into this might not be an issue or cause any harm, I just would never do it.
 
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Excellent points @setsailsoon! Some of these I know the answers to, but not all. I’ve made notes to discuss with PB tomorrow.

For the robotic cleaner, we are looking at Dolphin Nautilus CC Supreme. I’ve watched videos and saw it clean vinyl and the waterline and it has excellent reviews. I know extension cords are a definite no, but I can’t find how long the power cord is (the side that goes into the outlet). I want to make sure the cleaner will be able to reach the entire pool.
 
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I finally found some info about the length of the power cord for the Dolphin - 6 feet. Where do you normally plug it in? I wouldn't think most people would have their pools that close to the house, and you can’t use extension cords. I know the other cord is 60’ long and maybe those together are long enough. I just want to make sure it will cover our entire pool. It’s large and curvy. Could anyone please help me understand that piece? Thank you
 
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I have 2 setups with mine:

1. Plug it into the covered patio - the cart and base station sit on the covered patio and the longer 60' cord easily takes care of the rest of the distance to the pool.

2. I didnt love it being on the patio as a permanent solution, so I added a storage shed along the side of the house which is out of sight and holds the robot + pool floats and toys. For this I use an extension cord (apparently this is not recommended... shhh) to the shed and plug it into the base station. The cart and base station stay out of sight by the shed and the 60' cord goes across the patio and into the pool when in use, which is about once a week. The rest of the time it is completely out of sight in the shed.

When we were building, I also added an electrical outlet by our spa for like $150 extra. That was my original plan for the robot, but I like my setup above better and just use that outlet for electrical for landscape lighting.
 
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