Planning to GC own pool

[cdocon]

Hello from Natchitoches, Louisiana. I am a first time pool builder and will be GC'ing the construction of my pool. I found this website from the website of Ben Choi. I am appreciative of any help that I gain from this website. Again, Hello!

[ Merged from separate, and now deleted, thread- PoolDoc ]

After getting 3 bids for an IG pool from local builders. My wife and I have decided to GC this pool ourselves. We have a neighbor who GC'd his IG pool last year and will be helping us as well. We have decided to go with an 18 x 36 IG gunite pool. Depths will be 3.5'-6'-4'. A 4 x 8 tanning ledge on the long side nearest our patio. 3 Steps that span the width of the pool on the 3.5' side. On the 4' side, there will be two corner ledges (seats). We are planning 2 bubblers in the tanning ledge. 3 deck jets on the opposite side (without the tanning ledge). The long side of the pool with the deck jets is close to our river, so nothing on that side that would impede a view. 2 skimmers on the house side of the pool.
We are going with a Hayward SwimClear cartridge filter with 425 sq ft capacity. Also, a Hayward TriStar pump. I am thinking for this size pool a 1.5 HP dual-speed motor. We like the Hayward Turbocell 15. The salesman of one of our pool bids said that we should do the automatic salt chlorinator.

I really would appreciate any and all advice/suggestions/warnings from the contributors of this forum. Thank you for all your help in advance.

David & Katrina / David O'Con

[PoolDoc]

Did you subscribe to his site?

I'm curious, because the last time I looked (about 6 months ago), it looked like he may not be actively maintaining it any more.

[cdocon]

I did subscribe Pool Doc. I wanted to be able to access the pages that were locked. I got an email from him. I hope I am able to gain some information from this site that relates to my location as alot of things that he has written about in AZ do not apply to me in LA.

[mas985]

cdocon,

Welcome to the forum! Let us know too if you are interested in an energy efficient pool design. Many potential pool owners give second thought to the energy efficiency of their pools but it tends to surface after they receive their first power bill when it is too late to do much about it without a lot of extra cost. Energy efficiency is an area of my particular interest and would be happy to help in any way possible. But here is a short list of the major trade offs:


In-efficient Design Elements:

Small pipe diameter - 1.5" plumbing can be very inefficient
Small filters and filters with backwash valves tend to have higher head loss
Large single speed pump uses a lot of energy without much benefit
Water features/spas require high flow rates and also increase water evaporation although sometimes you just want one and there are ways to make them more efficient.


Efficient Design Elements:

Large pipe diameter - 2.5" pipe can be 20% more efficient than 1.5" pipe
Large filters and especially large cartridge filters have very low head loss
Two speed or variable speed pumps can offer over 50% reduction in energy costs

[cdocon]

Thanks Mark for the info. I definitely want to more energy efficient, even if that means a little more cost upfront. I want to go with the Hayward cartridge filter with 425 ft filtering. A Hayward Tristar 1.5HP dual speed motor. An automatic chlorinator which is also a Hayward. And we are thinking a Polaris 280 vacuum with its own booster pump. Does this sound like a good way to go?

Thanks,
David and Katrina

[mas985]

Is the 1.5 HP two speed up rated (SP3210X152)? If so, then that would be a good choice but you could go with a smaller pump if you want even more energy savings. The Pentair Whisperflo WFDS-3/24 is a little smaller pump is about 5% more efficient than the SP3210X152. Any particular reason you chose that pump?

If you plan on going with solar at any point, you might think about a variable speed pump, especially if you are already planning on an automation controller. VS pumps make solar flow rate optimization much easier and in some cases can result in a lower lifetime cost. Plus with bubblers and deck jets, you have some flexibility in setting the height and look with a VS.

Also, there are pretty good cleaners out there that don't require booster pumps. ThePoolCleaner is one that comes to mind and operates at lower flow rates and pressure than most cleaners.

Once you get a schematic of your plumbing layout, post a picture.

[cdocon]

Is the 1.5 HP two speed up rated (SP3210X152)? If so, then that would be a good choice but you could go with a smaller pump if you want even more energy savings. The Pentair Whisperflo WFDS-3/24 is a little smaller pump is about 5% more efficient than the SP3210X152. Any particular reason you chose that pump?

If you plan on going with solar at any point, you might think about a variable speed pump, especially if you are already planning on an automation controller. VS pumps make solar flow rate optimization much easier and in some cases can result in a lower lifetime cost. Plus with bubblers and deck jets, you have some flexibility in setting the height and look with a VS.

Also, there are pretty good cleaners out there that don't require booster pumps. ThePoolCleaner is one that comes to mind and operates at lower flow rates and pressure than most cleaners.

Once you get a schematic of your plumbing layout, post a picture.

Mark,
Yesterday I visited a friend who installed an IG gunite pool last year. He has "The Pool Cleaner" and says he really likes it and again, no booster pump. I think I will go with that cleaner. Speaking of energy efficiency, how does this combination sound: Hayward Ecostar variable speed pump, Hayward Aquarite inground chlorine generator, and Hayward SwimClear 425 sq. ft. Cartridge filter. I priced this combination out at $2,658.97 from Pool Supply World. We probably will not be able to convert to solar energy at this point. I only chose the Hayward brand because my neighbor has it and says he is pleased with the way it works. Really, that's the only reason. I may try to buy the same exact combination from my local PB. But only if he will sell it to me for the same or lower cost. I need to have this equipment here in the next few weeks. Is there anything I'm missing in terms of equipment?

Thanks for any and suggestions/replies.

Katrina

[mas985]

If you are going with the EcoStar, then I would recommend the ProLogic or AquaPlus controller/SWG all in one unit. Also, make sure you get the 3-year warranty when you purchase from a single vender. If Hayward won't give you the extended warranty, then there is always Pentair which seems to get better reviews on the forums. But I have Hayward as well and have been happy with the equipment.

[cdocon]

Mark, the price for all that gear came in at around 8k! So let us simplify this a bit. What do you think about the following: Pentair WhisperFlo Pump, 1.5 HP (43492), Salt water chlorinator- Swimpure Controller & T-CELL 15 (40K Gal) (81230), Hayward Swimclear Cartridge Filter - 425 sq. ft., Polaris 280 (60002), Pump Booster (Polaris) (60015). We are planning on having 3 deck jets, 2 bubblers on the tanning ledge, and 2 in-wall returns. Would we need another booster for all of these returns?

========================================

This new plan comes in at half the price of the previous plan and is from Leslie's. We have a Leslie's dealer 1 hour north of us.

David

[mas985]

EcoStar: $1149
Goldline AquaPLUS w/cell: $1290
Hayward C4025 SwimClear: $729
ThePoolCleaner: $469.50

That is about half of what you have. How did you get to $8k?

But if you want to go cheaper, I would at least get a lower HP two speed pump. The pump you chose is single speed and will not be very efficient. Also, I would strongly suggest going with the same manufacture for everything so you can get the extended warranty.