pool assistance, part II

[mas985]

A couple of considerations.

First a waterfall or spillover will not only increase evaporation but will also raise the PH in the pool. SWG pools also seem to raise PH so you will be using a considerable amount of acid when dealing with both. So if your water is expensive, as is mine, I would shy away from water features but it is a personal choice. I would go with the SWG since it really has a lot of advantages but not many disadvantages.

Also, I have kids and the deep end with a jump board was a key buy for me. They are on it all the time and spend very little time in the shallow end.

I went with plain white plaster since I wanted a light pool anyway and did not think the other materials were worth the cost for extra life. At the time is was twice the cost for twice the life and they will probably have better materials by the time I need to replace my plaster. I would stay away from colored plaster as that will molt and fade over time so if you really want color then it would be worth the cost to go with the higher end materials.

Hot tub for me was worth it and the kids spend a lot of time in there when not on the jump board. It is especially nice in cooler temps since I can easily heat that without heating the entire pool.

One thing I would really suggest is pay attention the pool plumbing. Most pool builders do not have a good handle on hydraulics. A couple of tips:

It is nice to have separate suction lines with ball valves for each skimmer and the main drain all the way back to the pad so you can not only adjust the flows but also easily empty the pool when needed. I would suggest at least 2" lines if they are separate and 2 1/2" if combined.

It is not necessary on the return lines to be separate but again it is nice to have to be able to adjust the flows. One thing that separate lines does provide is low head loss. This is important to keep the flow at maximum and run time at a minimum.

If go with a spa, I would suggest either a 2 speed pump or a 3/4 HP circulation pump combined with a higer HP pump for the spa jets. Do let the builder talk you into single speed 2 HP pump for both the spa and the pool as this will cost you big bucks in electricity.

In generally, I always believe that both energy and water effiiciency should be top considerations when building a pool. Costs will only go up in the future.

[shrike]

I can not thank you enough for your replies.

there are indeed so many considerations, it is quite overwhelming. I really appreciate the third party opinions.....