New Pool in Richmond, TX

[Zsyedmd]

Hi friends, would love input on a pool we have started finalizing and hoping to sign on soon. We are first timers, so really no expertise in all of this. As a background- we are a big extended family with several family members who cant swim but would lounge. My kids are 16, 8, and 7 and pretty good swimmers, but lots of nieces and nephews that are under 5 and not strong swimmers.
1. DepthFor this reason, the pool is 4 ft to only 5 ft deep with a slide and hoop. Plus hookup for a volleyball. The PB recommended not going more than 5 feet so people can easily play Volleyball on both sides, can still do canon balls and use the slide. Not sure what you all think?

2) Also current plan is to have an automatic pool cover. My kids are older and good swimmers, but I still worry about accidents with any little kids visiting. Our PB said the mechanics have a 20 year warranty, and the material itself is 7 years. Is this a good investment you think?

3)will use a SWG chlorinator

4) due to salt water, and big family, considering porcelain decking and coping. Does anyone have any recs in the Houston area for this? Or any recs for or against porcelain pavers?
5) my husband wants to use the pool year round, and really likes to swim in jacuzzi warm water (I know its—different lol) Any recs on a heater that will work well? Currently have Jandy 400,000 btu gas, and pool cover will help also with keeping in heat I am told.




Thanks again!

IMENSIONS	POOL	SPA
WIDTH	23.00	7.00
MAX. LENGTH	35.00	7.00
Depth 1	4.00	N/A
Depth 2	5.00	N/A
Depth 3		N/A
AVERAGE DEPTH	4.5	3.50
PERIMETER	116.00	28.00
SURFACE AREA	732.00	49.00
INTERIOR AREA	1254	147

GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS waterline. ID​ DESCRIPTION​ QTY​ #1647​ 6 Port Valve 1 ea​ #5675​ Coping - Installation 129 lnft​ #11761​ Deck Special Bid: This is for Automatic Cover per bid 1​ #11770​ Gunite Special Bid: This is for Gunite Slide 1​ #3610​ Book - Houston 1​ BASE POOL #3564​ Geometric BP SS 1​ FENCE #8916​ Fence up to 2 section and self closing gates up to 2 2 ea.​ MAIN DRAIN FOR POOL #2772​ Dedicated Suction to pump measurement from drain to equipment 2.5in pipe 40 per.ft.​ SKIMMER #3605​ Ultra Quickskim Skimmer 3/4in ball valve 1​ #3604​ Main Skimmer Run Total 2" and 1" pipe 21 per.ft.​ #7189​ Pool Cleaner line must be purchased on all pools 1.5in pipe 29 per.ft.​ #2824​ Add Additional Skimmer with 1in return and ball valve 1 ea.​ #7192​ Additional Skimmer Plumbing Runs (3/4" pipe per ft.) 84 per.ft.​ POOL RETURN(S) AND TYPE AND OVERFLOW #2404​ Overflow City/County 1 ea.​ FILL TYPES MUST PICK ONE #2780​ Auto Fill Line 20 per.ft.​ MAIN POOL PUMP #199​ Jandy VS Plus Pump Variable Speed 2.7 THP 130 gpm at 50 ft. (Includes required GFCI Breaker) 130 gpm at 50 ft. of head 1 ea.​ FILTER TYPE(S) #204​ Cartridge 460 sq.ft. max flow 150 gpm 1 ea.​ LIGHTING #8158​ Jandy Watercolor 12V. LED Pool Light 100' 2 ea​ #2586​ Nicheless LED low 24 voltage light each 1 ea.​ #2594​ 300 Watt Transformer 1 ea.​ #2596​ Water Bonding Nicheless Light 1​ TIMERS AND AUTOMATION #2535​ I-Q904 Pool Spa I-Aqualink Client has gone over in detail that controller will handle all items needed to operate the pool in the manner they desire. 1 ea.​ HEATERS - HEAT PUMPS - CHILLERS #2555​ 400,000 BTU GAS Heater and non corrosive check valve Client understand they must get gas meter upgraded at their expense. 1 ea.​ GUNITE #2703​ Gunite Footer 12 ln.ft.​ GUNITE - STEPS-BENCHES-TANNING SHELVE(S) & BEACH ENTRY #3616​ Shallow End Steps Measurement 24 per.ft.​ #2612​ Tanning Shelf (ea) 1 ea.​ #2605​ Bench #1 (per ft.) 14 per.ft.​ #2608​ Bench #2 (per ft.) 7 per.ft.​ UTILITIES GAS COUNTY #2755​ Gas Line (per ft. plus 5' for ups and downs - Includes up to 10 FT & Gas Valve Regulator 48​ POOL WATERLINE (SQ.FT) #5625​ 6X6 KAUS BLU PORCELAIN TILE (KSPP-94) PORCELAIN 53 sq.ft.​ TILE AND COPING - GROUT COLOR,CUTS AND EXTRAS #2838​ Colored Grout Coping Colored Grout: 03 Silk 1 Included​ #7258​ Colored Grout Tile Colored Grout: 03 Silk 1 Included​ DECK ACCESSORIES - SLIDE SELECTION #7194​ Slide Plumbing Runs 1.5in pipe Per Ft 45 ln.ft.​ SPA'S #2649​ Standard Spa With 4 Jets Venturi with 1hp Blower 1 ea.​ #2650​ Extra Spa Jet for standard spa 2 ea.​ #11245​ Spa Plumbing Runs 44 ln. ft.​ SPA TILE LINE (PER SQ.FT) #5625​ 6X6 KAUS BLU PORCELAIN TILE (KSPP-94) PORCELAIN 14 sq.ft.​ SPA LIGHT (ONE MUST BE PURCHASED) #2656​ 12watt MINI Color LED Light for Spa 1 ea.​ SPA SPILLWAYS #3240​ Open spillway per. foot 25 sq.ft.​ SPA SPILLWAY TILE (PER SQ.FT.) #10005​ 6X6 KAUS BLU PORCELAIN TILE (KSPP-94) PORCELAIN 36 sq.ft.​ SPA FOUNTAIN #7751​ Spa Fountain w/ 1.5 ball valve 1 ea​ #7172​ Spa Fountain Plumbing Run 1.5in. pipe 40 ln.ft.​ FIRE PITS #3251​ Round inside diameter 26" by 12" high Key Valve Match Light 10" wide per. 13 1 ea.​ FIRE PITS VENEER (PER SQ.FT) #5300​ 1X2 SHELL BEACH SPLITFACE (KSSF12-13) Splitface 13 sq.ft.​ GAS RUNS FIRE FEATURES #8136​ Gas Run Base for Fire Features 1 ea.​ #8324​ Gas run for Fire Pits and Fire Features combined 140 ln.ft.​ #1045​ Number of Fire Features Requiring Gas 2 ea.​ LAVA ROCK #4036​ 50 lb. Box of 1 to 2” Black Lava Rock 1 ea​ WATER FEATURES #3382​ Gushers (need 18 gpm per gusher)(ea.) 3 ea.​ #7173​ Loop Plumbing 2.5" Pipe to 1.5" Pipe 60 per.ft.​ WATER FEATURES PUMP(S) #1076​ Water Feature pump 80 gpm 1 ea.​ #7181​ 2.5in. Suction Line for Booster Pump 140gpm. 40 ln.ft.​ INTERIOR SURFACE #7582​ Ocean Blue Pebble Sheen 1​ SANITIZERS #945​ Jandy Chlorine Generator 1​ AUTOMATIC POOL CLEANERS #2698​ Platinum In floor Cleaning System 1​ #8219​ Infloor Cleaning Heads 32 ea.​ #949​ Platinum Cleaning and In Floor System Plumbing Runs 2" pipe 465 per.ft.​ Adjustment​ 00​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

 

[Zsyedmd]

 

[JJ_Tex]

Welcome. Looks like you have done your research. I just saw 2 things:

1. You mention that you want porcelain decking/coping. I'm sure there are different finishes, but I would worry about it being very very slick when wet.
2. Your quote has an infloor cleaning system. Generally those are expense, and while nice, can also be the first things to break. Have you considered a robotic cleaner?

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Lovely ideas. My concern was also the infloor cleaner which would be entirely unnecessary if you had a robot. And all those water features will mean you will be *frequently* battling rising pH. Nice to look at for a few minutes but can be a bit noisy also.

Maddie

 

[kimkats]

Pool Cleaner line must be purchased on all pools 1.5in pipe

So why would you HAVE to have this when you have the infloor cleaner system??

Saying that I agree on the robot cleaner! I love mine and will buy a new one when this one dies!

NO to the porcelain decking or coping due to the slickness.

Kim

 

[Zsyedmd]

The porcelain pavers and coping are newer products with the same or more coefficient of friction as stone pavers, so not supposed to be slick

 

[Zsyedmd]

[

So why would you HAVE to have this when you have the infloor cleaner system??

Saying that I agree on the robot cleaner! I love mine and will buy a new one when this one dies!

NO to the porcelain decking or coping due to the slickness.

Kim

i am not sure

Welcome. Looks like you have done your research. I just saw 2 things:

1. You mention that you want porcelain decking/coping. I'm sure there are different finishes, but I would worry about it being very very slick when wet.
2. Your quote has an infloor cleaning system. Generally those are expense, and while nice, can also be the first things to break. Have you considered a robotic cleaner?

1. These are matte porcelain pavers meant for pool decking, with a similar coefficient of friction as regular stone. So not supposed to be slippery.
2. We were told it will help heat the pool more efficiently from the bottom up?

 

[kimkats]

Looks like you have some questions to ask your PB the next time you talk to him. Sure don't want to pay for something you don't needs.

For the pavers I would get a couple of fulls sized pieces and put water on them then slid your bare feet on them to see what you think about them after this.

In-floor cleaner-while it sounds like a neat idea it take great skill to install so that it works like it should. The slopping of the floor to the proper installation of all of the parts. Another concern is the fact these have many movable parts that over time will need to be worked on and parts replaced as they wear out.

If you angle your returns on the side of the pool properly and have a main drain in the deeper part of the pool that is all you need to mix up your water good.

Kim

 

[JJ_Tex]

2. We were told it will help heat the pool more efficiently from the bottom up?

I'm sure the marketing for the in floor cleaning says that

Just keep in mind that nobody here is trying to sell you anything, and make sure you do your research. Maybe the porcelain outdoor tiles are the next big thing, or maybe there is a reason why you dont see them much. Maybe you would love an in-floor cleaning system, or maybe you will be like the many posters we see that have spent $5k and more on a system that they dont love or requires many repairs down the road.

Lastly, I re-read your post and saw the comment where you said you wanted to swim year round. Most people around here have gas heaters, but most people are also only heating the spa and on rare occasions the pool. If you truly are looking to keep your pool temp 80+ degrees year round, I would look into a heat pump. They are supposed to be much more efficient if your heater is going to be used for long stretches. Plus you can get the added bonus of getting one with a chiller feature that will help keep the temps down, which is nice in July-Sept. There are also disadvantages to a heat pump, including the up-front price and it would take longer to heat your spa.

Good luck.

 

[Locotl]

I'm also in the Houston area... and inquired to my PB about porcelain... he said that they look good, and it looks very modern but you usually see them in Europe.. here in SE Texas with the clay ground and the shifting you will eventually get a cracked cement base and ruin the porcelain (which is usually 24x24). And that the only place he would use them is in the coping, but depending on the decking material that you are using you have to take into consideration the thickness of the porcelain tile against the decking material.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Holy moly.... having walked on porcelain in Italy in the rain, I don't know how I survived without a broken ankle or leg! That stuff was slippery as all get out! Now, maybe they add texture or something to solve that problem around pools but it makes me nervous just to think about.

 

[JRB100]

We kept our pool heated until almost Thanksgiving last year (400k NG) before the weather finally got to cool to keep up. The infloor system really helps heat the water evenly. We would start the heater now (2/28) except we just finished a renovation and will not be able to use the heater until late March.

 

[jennacarly]

What did you end up using for your decking? I have been looking at the porcelain pavers but in the sun they are hot.