New OB build in La Quinta California - first time pool owner

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

Mike Clarke

Active member
Apr 16, 2019
30
La Quinta California
Hey all -

Amazing site you all have here, so many amazing contributors providing so much great advice.
I have been reading up on a lot of builds over the past week or so while my wife and I have been busy designing our pool. I have been taking note of all your suggestions so I hope I am heading in the right direction.

We have put together a design and I would love your feedback and criticisms on it.

Here are the basics of it.
Pool with spa - 17,500 gallons
35'x22' - 3.5' shallow end 7' deep end
Spill over from spa to pool 5'6"
4' sheer descents from raised beam to pool x2
All Pentair hardware and equipment -
intellibrite pool lights x2
intellibrite spa light x1
SWCG IC40 seems to be the right size
Pentair automation (521903) intellicenter i8
Cartridge filter (cc150) I know I will have a high pump demand because of the large spa spill over and the two large sheer descents. Figuring that two VS pumps will be necessary. Because of the risk of clogging sheer descents will I need two filters so that both the pool and water features are filtered?
2.5" suction lines throughout
2" dedicated returns
2 skimmers
auto fill, not sure that a overflow will be necessary, we are east of Palm Springs in the Coachella valley (not much rain out here....)
400,000 btu natural gas heater (460805)
Pebble brilliance "shoreline" pool interior
poured in place concrete coping and decking
glass 1"x2" waterline tile
Quartzite on front of raised bond beam and spa
Seriously considering no main drains....

The curved patio near the house (with the fire pit) is existing everything else including the putting green is new.
Hoping to get the design documents and engineering to the city and HOA by the end of next week.

I have already started asking around for sub contractor recommendations, but if anyone has any feedback for local subs out here I would love to hear them. Please take a look and let me know what I am missing or if I am headed in the wrong direction with any of this as it is all new to me.

On the google earth shot, our house is the one in the middle without the pool :)

Thanks in advance for all the questions I am about to be asking.
Mike

Screenshot (6).pngScreenshot (2).pngScreenshot (3).pngScreenshot (4).pngScreenshot (5).png
 
I personally don't like how high the deck is off the pool. Sure you could jump off it and into the pool, but it looks like to get back to the deck you'd have to walk through the grass?

Also, I would get the TA test and see what the TA of your fill water is. TF-100 Refills R-0007, 8, 9. If you have high TA all those waterfall features will drive up pH like crazy.

Lastly, if you plan on using a cover of any kind (solar, mesh, loc-loop style) the irregular shape will be difficult to match. If you plan on having the pool open year round and it's always warm then probably not a big deal.
 
I really like the design. It is going to be a great looking back yard. I like the raised area behind the pool. Creates a nice separate for the outside dining area from the house. Just make sure you run an outlet or two back to that area. The equipment looks good. I didn't see anything that stands out as a red flag.
 
Welcome to the forum!
The filter is very small. I suggest getting at a very minimum the CCP320 and if you have the room the CCP520 would be even better. With a filter, the bigger the better so you only have to clean it once a year.
Your fill water will be ~250 ppm CH, 130 ppm TA. So you will want to minimize all the spillovers, descents, etc for daily use. Only run them as necessary to chlorinate and for enjoyment.
Do not use any stacked stone, etc in splash zones. You will get calcium deposits in splash zones.
 
You don't need to filter water features and you will definitely need a second pump for the sheer descents. I would recommend two Intelliflo XFs.

Don't go anything smaller than the C&C520 for the filter or consider a Quad100.

The Raypak 406A is a much better heater for the same price.

The suction lines for the spa and water features should be 3"

An auto filler and an overflow is a complete necessity.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all your suggestions.

I should have noted that all of the grass to the right of the walkway that is connecting the existing patio (attached to the house) to the pool is actually artificial grass, including the putting green. I too am not a big fan of walking through the grass to get to the pool, this was a compromise with my wife as she wanted the pool pushed further back in the yard. There is also currently 9' of covered patio at the house before you even get to the existing patio. We were looking at the back raised patio as mostly for the kiddos enjoyment.

I don't plan on using a pool cover. We have warm weather pretty much year round.

We do however need to install a pool fence. Our kids are 6 and 9 with lots of friends with even younger siblings. With the grass and golf area in the back I don't want to fence it off right at the patio but I need to have a barrier before the pool. If I instal the fence right at the coping then I will be constantly setting up and removing the fencing. Fence with 3 or 4 gates? one at each tanning ledge, and one at each set of steps going up to the raised deck??? Suggestions welcomed on this problem.

I will update the filter specifications to at least the CC520, I had that one way undersized. I will need to check with the HOA and local code for backflushing DE filters into storm drains so the Quad 100 might be out.

Thanks for the heater recommendation Brian.

In looking around at pool levelers I came across this one. Looks like a clean design and it also has an overflow drain option. Does anyone have anything good or bad to say about it?
 
You didn't provide a link but Stetson makes the simplest and most reliable Auto filler which also has an overflow attached.

Whether you use a cartridge or the quad filter you don't need to install a backwash/multiport valve. The filters are big enough that they will probably only need to get cleaned once a year and the backwash backwash valves are very restrictive.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Excellent point I will make that modification for sure, as well as lighting for the pad area.

Although I plan on using a robotic cleaner, If I wanted to add a dedicated vacuum port in the pool would I just do that by adding an additional 3 way valve to the right of skimmer #1 on the suction manifold?
 
Alright guys all the permits are in and the dig day is quickly coming, scheduled to start tuesday 5/21. There is one issue, we have two palm trees that we are trying to save, but don't want to compromise our pool design and backyard layout when in the long run it is not that big of a deal to cut one of these down and replant to ensure that the pool layout is what we want.

The tree just to the left of the pool (near the spa) is not a big concern as it is over 4' away from the spa and the spa is raised 2' above ground level and is only 3.5' deep.

The tree to the right is the one that we don't know what to do with. It is just over 3' away from the water line and we are not in favor of moving the pool down towards the house and the other tree prevents us from moving the pool further to the left.

So big question is - Will the root system of a fan palm approximately 20' tall interfere with a gunite pool or the raised beam or coping? pool aerial.jpg
 
Hi Mike! Not sure if you have selected your builder yet, or if you have started your build. I interviewed a number of contractors before building our pool in Cathedral City. Let me know if you'd like to talk and I can fill you in on what I've learned.
 
Ahh - I should have read the entire thread ... congrats on the starting of the job! Not sure who your PB is, but I would highly recommend to be on site at every critical phase, and do your own measurements. I can't tell you how many huge mistakes I caught my the subs as well as their permanent crew.
A caution about the artificial turf. Today ours is 140°, and today certainly is not the hottest day of the year for us. If people are going to be required to walk on it to get from one area to another, they WILL need to wear some form of foot protection.

Before the time comes for them to dig the trenches for pipes, give some serious thought to other pipes that can go in the ground:

Plant irrigation. We have to separate lines throughout the yard, one that we use for trees and the other for smaller plants that require much less water.

Adding electrical around the yard.

Considering a BBQ? We prefer natural gas to propane (so much easier) so think about adding that if you have not already done so.

Underground pipes to run landscape lighting and speaker wires (if not going wireless:)

Hose bibs. One near the filter and a couple in the back yard.

OH!! And an overhead light at the equipment pad.

Get your Test Kit NOW! See what your fill water is, and start testing your neighbors pools. Your builder is most likely planning on maintaining the pool for the first 30 days. You have to let them for warranty sake, but I can tell you from my experience, coming twice a week to add Chlorine and Muriatic Acid will only result in dramatic highs and lows to your chemistry during the critical curing period. My PB allowed my FC to be 14 on a Friday and 2 on the following Monday. My MA ranged from 7.2 to 8.2 between visits.

Good luck! We’re neighbors let me know if you need anything

York
 
  • Like
Reactions: kimkats

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply