Planning my first build

[firstpoolbuild]

Hey folks,

I am planning to do my first DIY pool build and have put together some designs to make it easy to describe what I'm trying to do. I am simultaneously doing a home addition and attempting to use some of the same methods to simplify the build process and do similar things at the same time. So, that being said, is why I am planning this as an ICF pool - ICF is also what I'm using for the addition foundation. I've been relying heavily on advice across this forum to design and plan the build and I'm hoping that some of the experts here would be willing to take a brief look over my plans and advise if I'm messing anything up or doing anything glaringly poorly. I also wanted to ask, with an ICF pool - do I need to backfill and fill the pool at the same time, or is it OK to do one or the other whenever desired? With the lack of lateral support across the top, as there would be in a home foundation - do I need to design the footers similar to a retaining wall (extended footers around the outside) or would a typical 2x1 rule of thumb still apply and be reasonable in this case? Thanks for any insights or advice folks can share! In either case this forum has been a great help with my planning to this point.

One thing I am still on the fence about is including the auto-cover. From what I've seen these don't work well as winter covers and I am in the Northeast so I will likely have some snow days. I might just skip that and go with a standard winter cover+solar cover. Additionally, I am planning to put some pool foam under the liner on the floor to keep that area more comfortable and take the liner out of contact with the concrete. Also considering adding something thin and rigid on the ICF interior walls to help prevent deformation if someone kicks or pushes off the wall fairly aggressively.

Excited to hopefully break ground in a week or two! Will share photos as the project progresses.

[Edit] Adding photos directly as requested:






Have a great day,
Frank

 

[kimkats]

Welcome Frank! I am really looking forward to helping build your new pool! See if you can put the pics right inside your post. It makes it much easier for everyone to see at a glance. I will be on the look out for them!

 

[ajw22]

Picture Posting and Resizing - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[firstpoolbuild]

Welcome Frank! I am really looking forward to helping build your new pool! See if you can put the pics right inside your post. It makes it much easier for everyone to see at a glance. I will be on the look out for them!

Thanks! Nice to meet you. I updated the post as requested.

 

[ajw22]

Are your skimmers positioned into the prevailing winds?

Why two hydrostatic valves? Only one is needed.

Get an IntelliCenter not the 20 year old EasyTouch system.

You do not need the Pentair Colorsynch controller if you have a Pentair Automation panel.

A 4’ depth pool across the entire pool would be too shallow for me. I like to find the place to stand where water is about up to my shoulders.

What diverter valves do you want actuators on to be automatically controlled by the IntelliCenter?

Get rid of the Nature2 Mineral System.

Add IntelliChlor SWG system to chlorinate the pool.

You do not need a check valve in front of the pump intake.

11.25” steps can be difficult for some people. Consider installing a removable handrail. You never know when someone may become handicapped.

 

[firstpoolbuild]

Are your skimmers positioned into the prevailing winds?

Why two hydrostatic valves? Only one is needed.

Get an IntelliCenter not the 20 year old EasyTouch system.

You do not need the Pentair Colorsynch controller if you have a Pentair Automation panel.

A 4’ depth pool across the entire pool would be too shallow for me. I like to find the place to stand where water is about up to my shoulders.

What diverter valves do you want actuators on to be automatically controlled by the IntelliCenter?

Get rid of the Nature2 Mineral System.

Add IntelliChlor SWG system to chlorinate the pool.

You do not need a check valve in front of the pump intake.

11.25” steps can be difficult for some people. Consider installing a removable handrail. You never know when someone may become handicapped.

Hey,

Thanks for the feedback!

I actually didn't consider the prevailing wind. I was trying to set up the returns to direct water in a oval and try to keep water movement to guide the debris to the skimmers, wherever they were. I just checked a local wind rose for the summer months and it looks like the prevailing winds are opposite what I have designed. With the water returns pointing in that circular fashion, do I need to swap the skimmer still, or should it be ok as-is? I prefer the skimmer over the tanning ledge rather than on the sitting bench if its not a big deal.



I had two HVMD in case one failed or there was too much water for one to handle efficiently.

Good feedback on the intellicenter - I will check that out.

I would like to be able to control the water features separately from a phone or something - other than that I don't think anything would benefit from automated actuators.

I am starting to look into SWG, initially I was nervous this would make the water salty and uncomfortable but it seems like that isn't the case. I will definitely look into making that swap.

Is the check valve not needed just because its only checking such a small section of pipe?

I wasn't sure about the step depth either, seemed like in-water people were more tolerant of larger drops. I was trying to avoid a handrail just to avoid additional penetrations in the liner and additional steps to maximize the interior floor space.

Thanks again - definitely some items here to take a look at!

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

AF-1/2” overflow line may not be able to handle the amount of water that is needed to exit the pool for any type of weather related event such as a downpour, this is when you need the overflow to perform properly.

Typically an overflow line is installed to keep the pool water from being in constant contact between the coping and the tile (commonly too high for the skimmer to skim). In the diagram that is provided it may be set at too high of an elevation to accomplish this task (red lines).

I rarely see skimmers located on the tanning ledges.

 

[ajw22]

Yes, you need to move your skimmers into the winds. The winds are more powerful then any flow from the returns.

You never get the circular flow people talk about. For a rectangular pool the best flow comes from skimmers on one long wall and returns on opposite long wall. Two skimmers and three returns is the minimum. Then you can add returns on the ledge.

A composite handrail mounts on the deck and will not penetrate the liner.

 

[ajw22]

Handrails?

Pool is poured, deck (pavers) going in soon. There are no handrails in the plan, and I'm pretty sure we'll want/need them eventually. What are my options to prep for a handrail for the pool steps and the spa at this point?

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[kimkats]

Nice design! You are going to have the ultimate "play" pool with the single depth! Hold a tape measure up to the adults in the family to see where 4' will hit them. I am 5'5" and would be happy with a 4' depth but that is me.

The skimmer on the shelf worries me. I worry someone with long hair or a top tied with stings might sit in front of it and the hair or sting get sucked into the skimmer opening. Not big odds but not worth it when you can easily move it.

Kim

 

[firstpoolbuild]

Yes, you need to move your skimmers into the winds. The winds are more powerful then any flow from the returns.

You never get the circular flow people talk about. For a rectangular pool the best flow comes from skimmers on one long wall and returns on opposite long wall. Two skimmers and three returns is the minimum. Then you can add returns on the ledge.

A composite handrail mounts on the deck and will not penetrate the liner.

So in this layout, with the winds, you would advocate for just putting both skimmers on the wall beneath the retaining wall, then have three returns on the opposite wall push water that direction and possibly still leave the other two (one at the bench and one at the ledge) to help with dead spots? Thanks for sharing the handrail, that's an easy add for sure.

 

[firstpoolbuild]

Nice design! You are going to have the ultimate "play" pool with the single depth! Hold a tape measure up to the adults in the family to see where 4' will hit them. I am 5'5" and would be happy with a 4' depth but that is me.

The skimmer on the shelf worries me. I worry someone with long hair or a top tied with stings might sit in front of it and the hair or sting get sucked into the skimmer opening. Not big odds but not worth it when you can easily move it.

Kim

Thanks! Yeah, I don't love it there, I was just trying to have the two skimmers somewhat opposite one another and trying to avoid putting them under the retaining wall in case I ever needed to repair them. I guess it really only saves me 30 extra inches of digging though and honestly could be simpler since then it would just be digging dirt and not breaking up concrete. My wife is a similar height, thats why we went with that consistent 4' - so she could comfortably play games in the pool. I'm a bit taller but I don't mind crouching down to bob around in there.

 

[ajw22]

So in this layout, with the winds, you would advocate for just putting both skimmers on the wall beneath the retaining wall, then have three returns on the opposite wall push water that direction and possibly still leave the other two (one at the bench and one at the ledge) to help with dead spots? Thanks for sharing the handrail, that's an easy add for sure.

You cannot put skimmers in a 30" high wall. The skimmers need to have a deck around them so you can get to the skimmers to clean then out.

Not considering the prevailing winds I would put skimmer SK-2 where WI-4 is. And put two more returns under the retaining wall at 1/3 points with WI-2.

A skimmer could go on the upper left wall if you do not do the Pool Safety cover. A skimmer there and SK-1 could do the job.

SK-2 definitely needs to be moved off the tanning ledge.

 

[ajw22]

Do you intend to put lounge chairs on the tanning ledge?

Tanning ledges work great for gunite pools. You have a high risk of chair legs wearing holes in your liner on the tanning ledge. I think tanning ledges in liner pools are not very practical.

 

[firstpoolbuild]

Do you intend to put lounge chairs on the tanning ledge?

Tanning ledges work great for gunite pools. You have a high risk of chair legs wearing holes in your liner on the tanning ledge. I think tanning ledges in liner pools are not very practical.

I do not, its more just for the kids to play in a shallower depth.

 

[firstpoolbuild]

You cannot put skimmers in a 30" high wall. The skimmers need to have a deck around them so you can get to the skimmers to clean then out.

Not considering the prevailing winds I would put skimmer SK-2 where WI-4 is. And put two more returns under the retaining wall at 1/3 points with WI-2.

A skimmer could go on the upper left wall if you do not do the Pool Safety cover. A skimmer there and SK-1 could do the job.

SK-2 definitely needs to be moved off the tanning ledge.

Ah, good point on cleaning. I could probably put some cove access to the skimmer lid within the wall above skimmer so it could live under it, and I could still access it. Putting it on the left wall would put it on the sitting ledge, that seems just as bad as tanning ledge. Is there a reason that would be more preferable compared to replacing WI-4 with a skimmer or putting them in the opposite wall with access coves in the retaining wall above?

 

[firstpoolbuild]

AF-1/2” overflow line may not be able to handle the amount of water that is needed to exit the pool for any type of weather related event such as a downpour, this is when you need the overflow to perform properly.

Typically an overflow line is installed to keep the pool water from being in constant contact between the coping and the tile (commonly too high for the skimmer to skim). In the diagram that is provided it may be set at too high of an elevation to accomplish this task (red lines).

I rarely see skimmers located on the tanning ledges.
View attachment 609596

Good catch! I will look at addressing that. Thanks! The skimmer in the tanning ledge does seem to be a point of concern.

 

[ajw22]

Is there a reason that would be more preferable compared to replacing WI-4 with a skimmer

I think you will find debris will often not get into your skimmers when it is windy if they are in the SK-1/WI-4 locations.

or putting them in the opposite wall with access coves in the retaining wall above?

Let's see what @AQUA~HOLICS thinks about skimmers along the retaining wall.

I cannot envision how you can get to the "access coves" and clean and maintain the skimmers without risking falling in the pool.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

I advise against locating the skimmer within the raised retaining wall.
Many construction complications could arise and I would be curious to see what a steel engineering firm would require to allow a void in a retaining wall.