Wanting feedback on design of future Owner built pool

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Yositoco

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Mar 13, 2018
17
spring
I plan on doing an owner built pool later this year in the Houston area. I'm thinking of starting in October-November timeframe so that the summer build rush winds down and the subs have better availability. The wife and I have narrowed the design down and I'm currently looking for suggestions in the design and the equipment. Here is the equipment list proposed by one of the pool builders that provided me a quote that I've used as reference.

All opinions are welcomed.

Size
Pool 26x16
Spa 7x7
Perimeter 90 lf
Depth 3 1/2 - 5
Area 4725 s.f.
Decking 312 s.f.

Equipment Qty Spec
Filter 1 Jandy Filter system
Pump 1 2 HP Jandy Stealth
Cleaner 1 Polaris 280
Heater Laars 400,000 BTU
Rainbow 320 Chlorinator
Skimmers 2
Main Drain 6
Returns 8-Jul
Pool Light 2 300w Lights
Spa Lights 1 100W Lights
Aqualink PDA 4 1
 
No mention of chlorination method?? I would go with a SWG or Stenner pump for liquid chlorine.

Also,lose the Polaris and get a nice little robot. Much better at cleaning, and cheaper as you don't have to be running the pump to get the pool clean.

I'd also suggest going min 4' and then up to 6' depths. 3.5' is seriously dull. The more shallow a pool is, the more its going to feel swampy warm in the hottest of summer days.

Maddie :flower:
 
y.

Some random thoughts... (As most of my thoughts are.. :p )

You list a Polaris 280, which is a pressure side cleaner, but you don't show the required booster pump. :p Pressure side cleaners are ok, but kind of like having an old black rotary-dial phone, when you could have a cell phone... (You might want to check out Robot cleaners..)

What would be the purpose of 6 Main Drains??? Most pools have one main drain that has two separate covers to prevent entrapment.

Not sure why so many returns??? You list 8... Most pools have 4 or 5... Are you counting the spa drains and returns? If so, than I would think that 8 total would not be enough...

Not sure if the Jandy pump is a single speed or Variable speed pump, but I believe it should be almost illegal to install a single speed pump in a new pool build.. :p

Have you actually used a gunite Spa?? If not, you really should try one before buying... The are not all that comfortable, and while they make a great visual impression they are often not used much once the newness wears off.. Since they add about $10K to a pool build, they can be a costly mistake.

I have never heard of anyone saying my pool is too big, I wish I had a smaller one.. Since you have plenty of room you might think about making the pool bigger..

Well my random generator has quit working for now.. :rolleyes:

Thanks for posting and good luck with your project.

Jim R.
 
my .02. Use 2" plumbing (not 1.5) and use Jandy or Pentair valves (not the ball valves you find in a hardware store). For the filter you just need to figure out what type you want. If you don't have a place to backwash to then you'll have to go with a cartridge. I also vote for robot.
 
Forgot to list the chlorine system. It's a rainbow chlorinator 320. Any thoughts on it?

The only reason I was thinking of the 3.5' is because our youngest is 5 yr old but your point is valid especially in the hot Houston summers.

Any suggestions on robot? I had read about dropping the Polaris but haven't done research on the robots. Thanks for the comments.

- - - Updated - - -

When you say gunite spa you mean you would rather have a tiled spa than a plastered one?

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks, Definitely going with 2" suction and return line for the pool. Any issues with using a 1.5" reducer at the return fitting?
 
No matter what brand chloinator is, if it uses pucks we're all like "uh oh".

Kids hang out on stairs, then stand in the shallow end on noodles and then every other place they can't stand they use floats, rings, noodles, deep diving swimming for sunken toys, etc.

A lot of us here really like the Maytronics Dolphin line. You can get them online or from stores locally. Some online are made by Maytronics and re-labeled for certain online stores. I have the Dolphin Discovery purchased at Doheny's for example. It is the same as the Maytronics E-20 or S200. Great lil cleaner! Dohenys Pool Supplies Fast

A pool attached "spa" really only gets warm. You don't get seats that lay back, or pulsating jets or high octane blasts of steaming water on your lumbar area, etc. For *that* stuff we like stand alone hot tubs which get hotter, and do more. It frees up the pool to just be a pool, and it gives you far more options.

I don't know the answer to that last question.....sorry!

Maddie :flower:
 
Lots of good advice thus far. 4’ min depth! Your young one will be swimming like a fish in no time and until he’s ready you have the sun shelf to play on.
Seems like a lot of drains but I’m a fan of returns but 4-6 would be fine.
SWG for sure and a robot (Dolphin is popular).
Are the trees already in place? How big are they and what are the prevailing winds?
Get ready to redo the sod in the back. Do you have pets as it will be a big mess. Oh but the fun and joy of having a pool await...
 
So exciting I love LOVE your design--would it be possible to make the pool larger? Especially if you have kids. The spa and tanning ledge take up about 30% of your pool space. I have a similar wall with sheer descents and flower pots that I was dead set on getting, and if I could do it over I would skip those and put that $ towards enlarging the pool. We rarely run the sheer descents now, in fact one of them is clogged and not working anyway. My pool is 40' and I wish it was larger! Plus a smaller pool gets really hot in Texas. Not fun when it feels like a warm bath tub in August.

Also, we have a few umbrella sleeves in the decking near the tanning ledge instead of in the plaster on tanning ledge. The builders we talked to didn't like putting sleeves directly in plaster. You can hold up umbrellas to see where they cast shade to decide where to place the sleeves. If you just have a sleeve in the middle of the tanning deck, most times during the day the shadow of umbrella won't actually be over the area where you want it. We did a bubbler/pool return that makes a little fountain in the middle of our tanning ledge. Now that we've had the pool for a years, I think it's really all you need when it comes to water features.

How old are your kids? If you make your pool larger, you can have them put sleeves for volleyball too! I also wish I would have had the sleeves for one of those basketball goals installed...
 
Many people here like their robot cleaners, but if you browse the Pool Cleaners section you will also see the many problems folks have with them. I suggest you keep your options open and if you decide to go with a robot cleaner have the pressure cleaning return run and capped off at your equipment pad. If you decide to go with the Polaris cleaner have an electrical outlet installed near the pool where the robot can be plugged into.

Kids grow up fast and learn to swim like a fish. Design your pool to accommodate the young prople they will become if you plan to stay in the house long term.

Consider bumping out the hot tub so a corner connects with the pool but gives you a larger shallow area.
 

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Thanks for all the advice I really appreciate the input and comments. I will be changing the depth to 4-6. I might eliminate the raised wall and just keep a bench in the deep end and might make the pool a couple feet larger.
 
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