We know exactly what pool color we want... we just don't know what finish is going to give it to us! We want a deep blue with some glass and some shell... the abalone shell does indeed offer a sparkle to the water. We like Wet Edge Deep Sea Blue, PebbleTec Deep Cove. I actually have a company making a sample for me of the Wet Edge one, but with less black pebbles to lighten it up just a smidge, I think that is where we will land.
It’s good to know that someone who has all options available is looking at Wet Edge. My rear neighbor has Wet Edge and really likes it. It looks like you are going for a slightly darker blue than us, as we are looking for more of an aquamarine hue. We like Aruba as well, but I’m not sure if we like it better and it will be an upgrade.
Our pavers will be Flagstone (Brand), Traverstone (style), White/Pewter (color). We're doing paver coping, most likely in white, may do pewter depending on tile and surface.
No idea what we are doing for pavers yet, but we will probably get a sandy color.
Those are honestly some good time frames if they can hit them. I am sure I'll have other delays, but my issue right now is mostly with the dig. Other subs have less than 5-days lead time. I am under no illusion that I won't hit other snags, but I wouldn't be too shocked if they can pull it off... they're giving themselves some fluff with design and permitting. My issue is buying power, my LDS contractor has 80+ pools in their queue and I am only doing 1 of them... PBs may have 10+ at any given time and 50+ in a year, so they have to take care of the bigger client. I get it, but it doesn't make me any less anxious. I'm hoping for 10-12 weeks from the dig.
The difference in the VS pump vs the 1-speed is this... the 1 speed may be a 1.5HP, pulling 1500w, let's say it pumps at 80GPM under normal conditions, but your features only need 30GPM... to make the pump go at a lower flow, you have to increase head (resistance).... your PB will do this by running the valves at say half throttle or less to reduce the flow... the pump is still pulling 1500w... or more (may increase a bit with higher resistance depending on the efficiency point on the curve)... With a VS pump, if you need 30GPM, you can dial it in to 30GPM, effectively making it a 1/2 HP pump for instance, and reducing the power consumption. You do less work with artificial head introduced into the system, only using the valves to balance things, not to control the flow. Hopefully that explanation makes sense.
Your explanation does make sense, except it seems like maybe they could just use a 1HP pump instead of a 1.5HP. Then again, after reading some on here last night it seems like using one pump to power the spa, unfiltered and using the other pump to circulate through the filtration system and the water features may be the way to go. I’m really curious to hear what the pool builder has to say about all that. I’m honestly leaning towards two variable speed pumps now as it will give me more options.
The reality is that this may not be a deciding factor because the features are on a fraction of the time if you only use them when you're using the pool, but it is less work on the pump, and less hit to your electric bill. I think your assessment is correct though that a single speed pump can be dialed in with the use of valves to control the features.
. I wouldn’t mix and match equipment as it just doesn’t seem to work well, or at all. The problem I’ve run into is most pool builders in my area use Jandy and the ones that use Pentair seem to be extremely proud of their pools. For example, the one Pentair pool builder quoted me $90k for what I will get from this PB for $75k.
