Small Yard, Big Pool Dreams - New Build - Lakewood, California

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So the plumbers have been busy tearing up what little is left of our yard. Trenches and pipes and equipment everywhere and barely any room for walking around. We did manage to get a few pics last night and I'll have a time lapse vid up later. But here's what it looks like now:




The equipment is definitely bigger and takes up more space than I anticipated:



 
You're going to love having all those pictures of all those pipes someday. I needed to know where mine are, for a project, but had to alter the plan because I didn't want to dig up my whole yard just to find 'em. So I had to compromise. I wish I knew where all my plumbing is! Take lots of pics! I, of course, would be more compulsive about it, and probably lay out a tape measure for the photo so I could know exactly were everything is in relationship to walls and pool and whatever. But that's just me...

Nice pad. Yah, they fill up quick! I see some sweep 90s in there. Me likey!
 
I was going to ask the same thing when I saw the panel right in front of the filter. Looks like the plumbing goes into the house wall and then back out? Did they have to do that due to space constraints? From those pictures, it looks like it would be tough to tear down the filter to clean it.
 
RC121 said:
I was going to ask the same thing when I saw the panel right in front of the filter. Looks like the plumbing goes into the house wall and then back out? Did they have to do that due to space constraints? From those pictures, it looks like it would be tough to tear down the filter to clean it.
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Picture is kind of at a weird angle - the pipes don't go into the garage wall - it curves right there and heads down behind the filter and connects to another pipe I think. Yeah, I'm not so sure about placement of the panel - I don't know what's "normal" since I have no reference. Does that placement seem odd or wrong? There definitely isn't a lot of space to work with in general on our pool. Ultimately there will be a fence right in front of where we took the picture from hiding all that equipment from the pool area itself.
 
Looks like the plumbing goes into the house wall and then back out?
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I was wondering about that. I figured it was an illusion or that they just hadn't finish plumbing that and we're looking at the backside of a 90. Does that go into the wall?!?
 
Oh, we were writing at the same time. Illusion. Check.

I've seen plenty of pictures of the control box mounted like that. It's always looked weird to me, but it's probably fine. I like mine mounted to the stucco wall, though. Just seems more solid. I suppose someone could crash into yours hard enough to compromise the conduit running into it. That's one con I can think of. That and the one mentioned, that it's in the way of the pad should you need to maintain or fix something behind it. Oh, and you do have to give a good press to its buttons, I wouldn't like it if the thing was giving and rocking around from that. Of course, once everything's back filled it'll be sturdier than it is right now...
 
So is the panel mounted directly in front of the filter? I think normal is generally mounted to stucco as Dirk mentioned, but doesn't mean it can't be mounted where it is. My concern was the picture makes it look like the panel is directly in front of the filter, with the pump on one side and plumbing on the other. With the cartridge filter, you'll have to be able to access the filter and pull the top half straight up so you can clean the cartridges every now and then. Looks like you could access it from the filter side, but you'll have to reach over the pipe coming out of the pump and going to the filter.
 

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Here's a new pic of the equipment. I did ask the project manager about the placement of the panel. He said they generally try to place it to give the smallest footprint. And he said code requires that nothing be in front of it.

If it were me and not worrying about code, I would loved for it to have been above the heater - easy access - on the wall and out of the way. But that wouldn't be allowed by code so it could be where it is or it could be on the wall on the other side of the heater. It's 6 one way, half a doze the other to us because that is not a huge space behind our garage and down the line we want to put a small storage shed back there so if the panel were placed on the wall after the heater, it would eat into the usable space.

So we're content with where it is. I asked my spouse what he thought about getting to the filter and he seemed to think that once all the concrete is back and we're not trying not to fall into trenches, it should be easy enough to access from the side.

 
hollywoodfrodo said:
I took your advice and took pics of all the pipes and angles. Probably not quite as anal about it as you would've been - no tape measures! :p
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Ha! As long as you can get your bearings from something else in the pic, you're golden. Just something to jog your memory about where everything is.

It would be nice if I could stand right in front of my panel, I have to admit. I have to lean over just a bit (so mine wouldn't pass code, I suppose). It's not like you're going to be cleaning that filter very often. Seems like a fair trade off to keep your other available real estate.

Not to belabor (well, ok, that's what I seem to do here at TFP!)... I can see you being able to get at the filter top OK-ish. How's the reach to the drain plug? I've only seen mine done so far, but I'm pretty sure you have to be able to open that drain plug before you clean the filter. And from your pic's that looks to be on the back side of your filter. Can you get at that OK? Sometimes you have to get a wrench in there, too, to free it up.

I was in a discussion here a while back about modifying that drain with a valve that would make it significantly easier to deal with, and that's when you can actually get to them OK (they can be kind of a pain). If you can barely get to yours, or not at all, maybe that's something to explore, and/or ask the PB about. Not sure what Pentair would have to say about that, in terms of functionality or warranty, but maybe worth a a little thought before the PB disappears...

Here's the conversation, post #23:

Switch from DE to Cartridge ... talk me off ... or push me over the ledge - Page 2
 
Good read about switching to a valve. I'll have to check out the drain plug placement and see if it looks easy enough to get to. NOTHING is easy to get to right now with the hole and trenches. It's like a tight rope walk. Every time I walk around the pool I'm in fear of plunging to my untimely death! :shaking:
 
Yah, when I look at build pics, I'm amazed at how they cut the dirt for sides and steps and trenches and how it all just stays there, in spite of everyone trampin' around on it. I'd be nervous about cave ins. Tread lightly, as they say!

By the way, that conversation about the drain valve didn't completely resolve. We didn't determine that anything could be properly screwed into that drain whole, because it's an o-ringed plug. I haven't pursued this yet myself, and hadn't planned to until I next need to empty my filter. Which from the looks of it might be next year! My filter is still running very clean at this point.

It's just a fantasy idea until one of us figures it out, or determines for sure that it can't, or shouldn't, be done.
 
More videos! More videos! More videos! More videos! :party:

Huh, they dug and laid pipe after the rebar. I wouldn't have guessed that. What a pain. That was my "learned" for the day!

Keep 'em comin'!!
 
I think your panel location is good. As long as you can get to the filter and everything else. I will be having to lean right over to access mine.

Love the video. Keep them coming. Curious as to how they dug the trenches with the rebar in place. Seems like they made life hard for themselves doing it that way. It’s done though and that’s the main thing.
 
Dirk said:
Huh, they dug and laid pipe after the rebar. I wouldn't have guessed that.
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They were supposed to do the trench/piping in the middle of the pool only BEFORE rebar, but they didn't make it out. When I asked the project manager about it, he basically said they'd still do it just the same but it would definitely be a much harder job for them - just the way it goes sometimes.
 

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