Looking for some feedback, new build

[BigDave]

... So, if I put multiple returns in, how far apart should they be? ...

I think the law is three feet. Four or five feet would be safe. The idea is to prevent entrapment - so, far enough that one person can't cover both at the same time.

[DennisP]

I think the law is three feet. Four or five feet would be safe. The idea is to prevent entrapment - so, far enough that one person can't cover both at the same time.

No, I meant eyeball returns, not drains...

Yeah, I looked up the national code on the drains... Five feet are the preferred spacing, so for the dual main drains 5 feet it is...

I will be adding dual drains... Ordered everything up today that needed to be and bought the rest of the SCH40 2" fittings locally... I am putting in dual 2" main drains teed into a single 2" line... Since everything else is 2", why go with 1.5" on anything is my thought...

Also, I will be hardpiping them with 2" SCH40 PVC just like everything else... I figure why use flex PVC underground since there are always concerns about leaks and issues over time... seems like properly run and solvent-welded SCH40 PVC or even black poly tubing are the preffered methods...

I also figure the hardline with the tee in it will afford for a more solid mounting of the drains... I don't think I really want to mess with using concrete to set them... I figure I will mount them about 1/2" down from the top of the 1.5" foam floor and compress the foam around them so that it kinda funnels down to the drains... That way the kids will be less likely to mess with where the vinyl connects to the drain top... I also hope the foam coupled with the hardline piping should make them pretty stable long-term...

[BigDave]

No, I meant eyeball returns, not drains...

My bad. Sorry. Doh!

... Since everything else is 2", why go with 1.5" on anything is my thought...

As you point out 1.5" is easier to assemble, fittings are cheaper, 2 x 1.5" has about the same cross section area as 1 x 2". OTOH no reason not to build it with 2".

[DennisP]

Well, as it stands all the "help" I should have had in regards to equipment and operators has been a major disappointment all summer... Right now I should have two options for skid steers for the weekend and if both fall through I am almost ready to throw in the towel for this year...

I just don't know if a mound of 18yards of crushed limestone 5ft tall will be viable over winter??? (it is covered in a huge tarp with a bunch of pavers holding the edge down, so I know it will stay covered, I just don't know how much of it will solidify over the winter with moisture and stuff)

Even if I could get it spread out and compacted, I am seriously running out of time with this coming Saturday as the *last* really warm day of the summer here, and the last chance I have to get the pool up and the liner in with any decent heat!

If it doesn't happen this coming weekend, the most it would be would seem to be low 70s... Even with sun I am concerned it won't make the liner workable enough...

If not, then I am almost at the point of saying screw it for this year, look into an in-ground setup for spring (either a Radiant installed in-ground, a DIY kit with steel sides and vinyl liner, or a complete fiberglass DIY setup), since we haven't done anything on-site and I figure the biggest part would be hiring someone to excavate out the old pool area and then engineer the new pool install... All of the equipment pad and everything else is already done, so really there is no electrical outside of bonding, and it would just be a matter of "all at once" doing everything else to get it knocked out ASAP come spring...

So, we will see what the rest of the week brings... I am finishing up the additional valve for the main drains at the pad this week, which should allow me to fill all the rest there in at least, as well as possibly doing the rest of the trenching manually to run the PVC and gas pipe out to the final locations in the yard since we are going to be having some rain so digging the clay we have here should be pretty easy... But beyond that I still have to wait and see...

[CarlD]

Why wouldn't the crushed limestone be fine come spring? I've had base sand sit all winter under a tarp and it was fine. It's probably not a good idea to install a liner this late in the season--you'll just lose a year of it's life for nothing. I'm planning on replacing mine after this season, but I'm not installing it until the spring. I want to get the other work out of the way, first.

[DennisP]

Yeah, I thought about the same thing, but it is a used pool anyways, so if I get two years out of it (say three winters) I will be happy... Since then I will just plan on replacing it with a same size, newer pool...

It is a new liner, a new ladder, newer equipment, etc... The pool itself is maybe 4-5 years old, but in really good shape, but not perfect...

I was just shocked that Wilbar won't sell touchup paint for the uprights... They want you to buy all new uprights... Crazy...

But, yeah, if we really like the Morada RTR (what we have) we may just replace it with another one if I can get it... If not I may go for an all resin pool so I have the option of going saltwater if I want, but will be doing the BBB method with a planned upgrade to a peristaltic pump and liquid chlorine injection next year...

[CarlD]

ANY chlorine system can work with the BBB method!

[DennisP]

Well, we got started as of yesterday... Everyone around here has been busting their butts getting stuff done...

Basically got the circle for the pool and walkway around it dug out yesterday... The guy working the skid steer is awesome, basically got it within a half inch everywhere... amazing really...

Then he came back with an excavator today and trenched for the PVC plumbing and the gas lines for the outdoor kitchen and oven areas... Only clipped the cable line and a power wire for the back lights/outlet... The cable line was a simple splice and fix and I found both ends of the power wire so that should be a simple splice as well...

Pulled out a "weed tree" that was out of place and overgrown, two burning bushes that someone poisoned before I bought the house, and another burning bush got clipped by the excavator and lost about half of it, so that one might have to come out... I actually have to check and see if I am just going to end up removing all the burning bushes and replace them altogether, otherwise it might look bad to just replace the dead ones and broken one...

Looks like some rain is coming, but I just heard I should have good enough weather to get the plumbing finished tomorrow morning and the trenches filled back in...

We will have to see if the weather will hold out and if I get some sun to put the pool up... Would really suck to go through all of this and have no pool up this year... Regardless if it would be only able to be used for a week or so, it would be enough to validate all the hard work for the kids...