Quote from Southeast

[patriot6]

Quote review. Does this look reasonable? Reputable builder with decades of experience.
I'm responsible for electrical cost; not included in contract.

Cheers!

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You DO NOT want a tab chlorinator with a heater. No matter the check valve you put in place, the acidic chlorinated water it holds in the tower will back flow into the heater and destroy it. @1poolman1 can give you a thousand examples of this.

Get a salt water chlorination system. Don’t listen to the builder BS about how salt is bad. It’s not.

Make sure you understand the difference between grounding and equipotential grid pool bonding. Watch some videos by Mike Holt on the subject. Even the most experienced electricians fail to understand the concept and how to properly implement pool bonding. Since the contract states you are responsible for all the electrical work that makes you LIABLE for any injuries that could happen from faulty electrical work.

 

[JJ_Tex]

I also do not see any automation like the Intellicenter. With a pool that had no spa or heater, I would likely not recommend automation, but if you want to be able to control your pump, lights, etc. remotely from your phone, now would be the time to do automation.

I also noticed they are not removing the dirt from your dig. I assume you want this/have a plan for the dirt? They also have the fence, any sprinkler repair, and sod repair done by you. That is smart, as long as you are expecting it. I've seen people dislike their pool quickly if they are hit with $15k of unexpected costs from these items so I wanted to make sure you knew they were not included in your bid.

 

[patriot6]

You DO NOT want a tab chlorinator with a heater. No matter the check valve you put in place, the acidic chlorinated water it holds in the tower will back flow into the heater and destroy it. @1poolman1 can give you a thousand examples of this.

Get a salt water chlorination system. Don’t listen to the builder BS about how salt is bad. It’s not.

Make sure you understand the difference between grounding and equipotential grid pool bonding. Watch some videos by Mike Holt on the subject. Even the most experienced electricians fail to understand the concept and how to properly implement pool bonding. Since the contract states you are responsible for all the electrical work that makes you LIABLE for any injuries that could happen from faulty electrical work.

Ok, thanks. I will quote out a salt water chlorination system, although no heater on the pool. They have a few electricians that do most of their work; they just don't price it out as I'd imagine that cost varies significantly from project to project. I appreciate the suggestion and will watch those videos.

I also do not see any automation like the Intellicenter. With a pool that had no spa or heater, I would likely not recommend automation, but if you want to be able to control your pump, lights, etc. remotely from your phone, now would be the time to do automation.

I also noticed they are not removing the dirt from your dig. I assume you want this/have a plan for the dirt? They also have the fence, any sprinkler repair, and sod repair done by you. That is smart, as long as you are expecting it. I've seen people dislike their pool quickly if they are hit with $15k of unexpected costs from these items so I wanted to make sure you knew they were not included in your bid.

Yes, I'm not too interested in automation. Not a smarthouse kinda guy; I've even got a dumbphone as my daily. Good catch on the dirt. I'm on 10 acres with a tractor/loader and always in need of some fill dirt.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Do you ever go on vacations or plan to go away from the home for more than a few days? If so, then you really should consider automation even if it is fairly basic. You want the pool pumps to run on schedules and for any valves that need frequent adjustments (on/off) to be automated. It’s not a “smart home” thing, it’s simply a convenience thing. Having to remember to turn pumps on/off, or turn a cleaner valve one, or remember to turn then off (usually what most people forget), becomes an annoyance after about Day 2 of pool ownership. The best pool is one where the systems are scheduled and don’t require you to remember to run something that way you can monitor the chemistry and make adjustments as needed.

Automation doesn’t have to be expensive and there are low-cost models from everyone of the major pool equipment manufacturers. Even basic electromechanical time clocks are ok, but they are fairly dumb and not easily configurable. For a salt water chlorine generator you need to run a pool pump longer so having automation helps.

Do NOT get suckered into single speed pumps. Get a variable speed pump for your pool. The cost savings are real and the government regulations have basically made single speed pumps obsolete so any single speed pump someone wants to sell you has been sitting in their warehouse for years.

 

[patriot6]

Do you ever go on vacations or plan to go away from the home for more than a few days? If so, then you really should consider automation even if it is fairly basic. You want the pool pumps to run on schedules and for any valves that need frequent adjustments (on/off) to be automated. It’s not a “smart home” thing, it’s simply a convenience thing. Having to remember to turn pumps on/off, or turn a cleaner valve one, or remember to turn then off (usually what most people forget), becomes an annoyance after about Day 2 of pool ownership. The best pool is one where the systems are scheduled and don’t require you to remember to run something that way you can monitor the chemistry and make adjustments as needed.

Automation doesn’t have to be expensive and there are low-cost models from everyone of the major pool equipment manufacturers. Even basic electromechanical time clocks are ok, but they are fairly dumb and not easily configurable. For a salt water chlorine generator you need to run a pool pump longer so having automation helps.

Do NOT get suckered into single speed pumps. Get a variable speed pump for your pool. The cost savings are real and the government regulations have basically made single speed pumps obsolete so any single speed pump someone wants to sell you has been sitting in their warehouse for years.

I'm quoted the intelliflo3 variable speed pump (as depicted in the jpeg of my quote).
From my limited research, this pump should offer programmability and automation, right?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I'm quoted the intelliflo3 variable speed pump (as depicted in the jpeg of my quote).
From my limited research, this pump should offer programmability and automation, right?

I have an original IntelliFlo that’s 12 years old. Great pump. Not sure about the latest version but it will allow for some basic scheduling I believe. Controlling valves with it is a different story. Also, if you go with a Pentair SWG then it will need its own power supply to run it. Not sure if the new IF interfaces with an IntelliChlor power supply. At that point, you might as well look at their IntelliCenter/SWG bundle. See if that makes sense. The IntelliCenter would provide the power for everything and give you a couple of high voltage and low voltage relays that can be programmed/scheduled for different uses. Maybe there might be some landscape lighting in the future that you could wire through that. Lots of flexibility.

Others will have a better idea of the latest Pentair offerings … maybe @ajw22 has some thought …

 

[PoolStored]

Get a test kit when they finish the pool. Link-->Test Kits Compared
I don't think it is an issue in LA, but test your water for CH. If it is north of 250, might consider putting your autofill on a water softener.
Three lights are A LOT of light. I have one of these on my 20x40 and is plenty.

I agree with @JoyfulNoise. Contract is explicit, they are not responsible. Have them be responsible for the bonding and grounding (different things). When we get pool owners with bonding issues, it can be a nightmare.

Electrical Bonding - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Bonding vs Grounding

Electricity and water don't mix. Learn a few basic tips how to keep your family safe when dealing with electricity around your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

See also page 7:

https://www.mikeholt.com/files/PDF/23_FREE_PDF_Swimming_Pools_Hot_Tubs_and_Fountains.pdf

 

[JoyfulNoise]

One thing to remember is that bonding a gunite pool has to be done BEFORE the gunite shell is shot. Now most building inspectors will not pass a pool pre-gunite if there isn’t the correct bonding setup but there’s always the off chance that the inspector misses it. It’s been known to happen. Then you’d be left with trying to bond the pool shell after the fact and that’s a nightmare.

Better to have the pool contractor do the bonding or at least ensure that the necessary copper bonding wires are in place and accessible.

 

[ajw22]

I'm quoted the intelliflo3 variable speed pump (as depicted in the jpeg of my quote).
From my limited research, this pump should offer programmability and automation, right?

The IntelliFlo3 comes standard with WiFi and Bluetooth control through the Pentair HOME app.

It has an optional IO Board that provides two relays for controlling high-voltage things through the pump and app.

The new IntelliChlor PLUS SWG has SMART SENSE that connects to the IntelliFlo pump through RS-485 so you do not need to use a relay to turn the SWG on and off when the pump is running.

In summary, you get basic automation for the pump and two devices and no valve actuators.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Bonding points on the rebar cage.

 

[patriot6]

Get a test kit when they finish the pool. Link-->Test Kits Compared
I don't think it is an issue in LA, but test your water for CH. If it is north of 250, might consider putting your autofill on a water softener.
Three lights are A LOT of light. I have one of these on my 20x40 and is plenty.

I agree with @JoyfulNoise. Contract is explicit, they are not responsible. Have them be responsible for the bonding and grounding (different things). When we get pool owners with bonding issues, it can be a nightmare.

View attachment 633689

Electrical Bonding - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Bonding vs Grounding

Electricity and water don't mix. Learn a few basic tips how to keep your family safe when dealing with electricity around your pool.

www.troublefreepool.com

See also page 7:

https://www.mikeholt.com/files/PDF/23_FREE_PDF_Swimming_Pools_Hot_Tubs_and_Fountains.pdf

Thanks! Man, do I have some questions about water, lol. We're on well water with a water softener system with iron reduction. I've been exploring whether this water would be ok for my autofill. I'll attach some results here, just in the chance that someone can offer thoughts.

Regarding lights, thank you for that input. We had originally discussed two lights, but my builder suggested a third as he thought there might be a "dead" spot in the middle with some shadowing. Not sure if that's really relevant. Maybe I can save some money there.

 

[patriot6]

No one has really commented regarding $.
Is this quote reasonable? I have two others around the 110-120k mark.
Always leery to accept the lowest bid, but this builder has the best reputation among the three.

Rendering attached for reference.

Thanks!

 

[JJ_Tex]

Its hard to compare prices between different geographies due to prices of sub-contractors, demand, competition, etc.

I can speak for my area (Dallas) and your quote would be a really good price. Its hard to get a bare bones pool under $100k here these day around here.

We always recommend getting at least 3 quotes, which you have done.

 

[PoolStored]

Thanks! Man, do I have some questions about water, lol. We're on well water with a water softener system with iron reduction. I've been exploring whether this water would be ok for my autofill. I'll attach some results here, just in the chance that someone can offer thoughts.

Your water should be fine for autofill. Your water softener cannot handle a pool fill. Would need to regen many times. Might look into getting water trucked in...

Regarding lights, thank you for that input. We had originally discussed two lights, but my builder suggested a third as he thought there might be a "dead" spot in the middle with some shadowing. Not sure if that's really relevant. Maybe I can save some money there.

Pentair's guideline is to aim for 4 lumens per square foot of pool surface. For example, if the pool is 500 sq-ft, you need 500x4=2000 lumens.

Inyo Pools also has a good blog on How Many Lights Do I Need For My Pool? with a table summarizing the coverage of the different Pentair lights.