What Equipment to Request in Bid

[meischa]

I'm putting together my layout and equipment plan to begin the bidding processas this will be my first saltwater, I still get confused on what I do and don't want for this pool. I want to know before sitting down with the PB what pump, heater etc to request in the bid.

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Jimrahbe]

m,

Welcome to TFP... A great place to find all the answers to your new pool build questions... No matter what color your county is...

Well, normally that is now how it works.. It is always a good idea to know what type of equipment you want, but most pool builders want to use their preferred brand of equipment.

It is never a good idea to mix brands of equipment in most cases.. there are a few exceptions, but as a general rule it makes the most sense to stay with the same brand.

I doubt you could go wrong using any of the big three brands of equipment. Pentair, Hayward and Jandy. If, for example, you really want Pentair, then it would make sense to eliminate any builders that will not provide Pentair equipment. It does not even make sense for them to bid the project.

It makes sense to supply your pool builder with a general description of what you want the pool to look like, and what features you want, but at the same time, I would want to be open-minded about what the pool builder recommends...

In my case, we had some ideas that changed based upon the designers experience and I believe made our pool look a lot better than my original plan.

I guess my point is.. You don't need to be too structured during your hunt for a pool builder.. It is kind of like a job interview.. you are just looking to see if they are a good fit.. Do they seem responsive, is the price anywhere near what you can afford, etc.

"Assuming" they even come back with a bid, you can then start narrowing down the exact details of the pool construction and equipment.

As a general recommendation, you want a saltwater pool, with no UV or Ozone, and a variable speed pump.

Once you start getting feedback from your bidders, post the info here and we can help you get things fine tuned.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dirk]

Hi meischa, welcome to TFP!

+1 for saltwater pool and a variable speed pump.

Additionally:

I like my automation system (schedules the equipment and allows me to monitor and control my pool from my phone or computer, even while away).

I wouldn't want a pool in our neck of the woods without an auto fill system and an over flow system.

If you have hard water in your area, as I do, I'd recommend connecting the auto fill system to a water softener (mine is connected to the one for my house).

And if you go with a plaster or pebble pool, and are lazy like me, I can give you some thoughts on acid injection systems.

Between my automation, saltwater pool, my acid system, and following TFPC religiously, I don't do much at all to maintain my pool...

 

[meischa]

I'm back with a list of equipment I want feedback on. It is:

Pentair 011018 IntelliFlo VS HP Pool Pump, 3 Horsepower, 230 Volt
Pentair EasyTouch 8 Automation Control System
Pentair Mastertemp Heater 460736 400K BTU Natural Gas
Pentair Booster Pump LA01N (for pressure-side pool cleaner)
Pentair IC40 Salt Chlorine Generator system
Pentair 40sqft filter with backwash
(3) Led pool lights Pentair

Some items were not specified by the PB, I added specs I saw on this this forum. Are these good choices for my size pool. I don't what filter to specify, what do you recommend?

Am I missing important equipment. I know I need the autofill as mentioned above.
Acid injection, hmmm more research.

 

[Jimrahbe]

m,

Everything on your list looks ok to me, but here are a couple of things to think about..

Pressure side cleaners were being build when my parents used a black rotary dial telephone, and have not really changed much since. If you still use a rotary dial phone, then your will love your pressure side cleaner. But, if you use a cell phone, and would like to move into this century, cleaner wise, you should look into a Robot cleaner. With a robot, you do not need a booster pump and do not need to run any pumps to clean your pool. Plus, they do a much better job..

Heater... the Pentair heater will work just fine, but most people here like the RayPak heaters better. This is one case where it is not important to use the same brand as the automation. Do you plan on a Spa?? If not, what would you use the heater for in California?

While a DE filter will work, I find that they are much more of a pain than a cartridge filter... I have both DE filters and a cartridge filter.. Any filters I buy in the future will be cartridge filters.. You do not need a multiport valve (no backwashing) and you don't need to buy or mess with DE.. Either will work, I just like the cartridge better. If you go DE, a 48 sq.ft. would be as low as I would go, even on your pool.. Keep in mind that the bigger the filter, the less often you have to clean it. In my case, I do that two times a year.. once in the Spring and once in the Fall..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[meischa]

Funny, I looked up the Pentair Booster Pump and it came up for the pool cleaner. I do want the robot, I just thought the verbage "pressure side cleaner" was a fancy name for robot, what do I know, not much. I will ask the PB what the pump is for, I'm sure he told us but can't remember.

I'll check out the Raypak heater. I know I've had that brand before. Yes we do have a spa and want it to heat fast. The pool is small the spa is big.

I'll also look into a cartridge filter, I've always had a DE filter.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Jimrahbe]

m,

Keep in mind that my ideas work best for me... You have to decide what is going to work best for you... I'm just giving you ideas to research to see if they might work better for you.

Jim R.