Wanted to clarify for the OP, the differences in lights we are talking about. Looking back at the specs and the add ons, the PB has proposed....
1-Pentair Intellibright LED color change pool light
One Pentair GloBrite LED lighted bubbler--------------------------------------------$2,200
Two Pentair GloBrite LED lighted bubblers-------------------------------------------$2,800
The in
wall light is supposed to the the Intellibrite, and the
bubbler light is the Globrite.
To be clear, as a general recommendation, you do want to stay away from the Globrite line of lights for your IN WALL lights. They have a proprietary niche, and do not last long. They are an old light and one day, after many replacements, you will find you need to change and it will be really hard. The Intellibrite is a newer generation light (which the builder has listed), but, the newest, and best light from Pentair is the Microbrite. This is a standard socket for install, lasts longer, and easier to replace. And, you can even use after market lights in the same socket and a lot of them work with Pentair automation. At a minimum, I would ask the builder for the Microbrite.
For the bubbler, Pentair only has a "globrite" light in their line of lights pre-installed in their bubblers. They do not have a Microbrite as a line of lighting in their bubblers (looks like you may be able to retrofit from an above post). I just want to point out, that when most people say to stay away from Globrite, they do mean to stay away from the in wall version, but if you must install a Pentair bubbler, the Globrite is the only light option that comes in the bubbler. That being said, if you do want lighted bubblers, take a look at other, after market ones like
@TX2OBX mentioned and see if they integrate with the Pentair automation. Some have also reported here that the color from the bubbler lights do not match exactly the colors from the other Pentair lights. There is a chart somewhere which lists the color temperature of each Pentair light, and for example, the red is not the same red from the different lights. Some have said they can not tell a difference, but your mileage may vary. You could also look at retrofitting a globrite bubbler with a microbrite, but that will get even more expensive, and not sure your builder would be up for the task based on your previous comments.
This is just my take, but if it were me, I would stick with the bubblers, and skip the lighted ones. I have two bubblers installed on my sun shelf, and actually are quite happy with them. I looked at the lighted version, but at the time, the expense was so high, but the non-lighted versions were reasonable, and glad we went that route. The reason I like them....
-The kids do love them.
-They are easy to control with my valves to adjust flow (each bubbler has a separate valve)
-They are so easy to turn on and off through the Intellicenter. My intellivalves can turn on or off with the automation so when I want them on, click, and when off, another click. Yes, they are noisy, and when I want peace in the pool, they are off, but for fun times, I do like them.
-They do help me increase my PH when needed. My pool tends to be stable with PH, but water features tend to increase some pools. When my water needs a little boost up, I don't need to use anything else except the bubblers (or my slide) for a little aeration to tweak the PH.
-I have three Microbrites in my pool walls, and do not notice any dark spots on the shelf without the bubblers lit
-The bubblers are one of the options we knew if we didn't do it when the pool was being built, then they were never going in
One other note on lighting.... One in wall light is not enough for that pool. When you settle in on the design, we can take a look, but would likely need three or four in wall lights (hopefully Microbrites) to properly light up that pool, regardless of bubbler lights.
Regarding automation, I agree with
@ajw22
I suspect your PB is nudging you towards the stuff he can get.
a lot of PBs try to steer customers to their current stock, or something they can get easily. No one wants to build a pool with Intelliconnect, not really if there was a choice. That's why they are available easily. Some PBs also do not want to learn how to install an Intellicenter either, and can pass off cheaper automation to unsuspecting customers.
I really want the IC60, Intellicenter, and whatever the best pump is to go with this. I also do plan to add a heater down the road. Is there a certain package I should press for to be able to have all of this?
Then you should
absolutely demand this for YOUR pool. This is not
his pool, this is
your pool and these are not unreasonable at all. What are we talking about here? Reasonable upgrades on pool products! Not some kind of outlandish design or structure upgrade, just stuff from Pentair, that's all!
The kit you probably want is this one...
Out of stock right now, but probably could be gotten somewhere before you need it in the spring. Other members on this forum have been installing the Intellicenter with their new builds, they can be had, they just take a while to get them, and of course a PB willing to work with their customer to get it and install it.
I am really struggling with the water features, worried if I don't get them, I will regret it and it will be near impossible to add them later.
I know the feeling, its a hard decision. A lot of people put the deck jets in, and then don't use them because of the noise, but you really have to decide this one. I liked the laminar's a little better that the jets, especially the lighter versions, but the cost is still high, and you do need to reconcile that in your own head, the value vs. what you will get.
www.troublefreepool.com
