Steve's pool project 1-24-07

[skamp]

I called your PB and the lady that answered said they dont build pools in my area. Odd, less that 40 miles from their offices? When you see your PB next you may want to ask if they build in Kingwood. I could throw a referral your way! Thanks

That is odd. I know they build a lot of pools and maybe they just stay in this area. I will ask them next time I speak with them. Thanks!

Steve

[mmcguire]

A 2HP pump for a waterfall can be overkill and expensive. Then again if the waterfall is large and you want a lot of water then 2HP may be needed. When I did mine I installed a valve to route some water back to the pool. I also did a dual speed 2HP pump. This gives me the ability to run on low most of the time because it is cheaper and on high when I want a lot of water. On high I also can adjust the valve to get exactly the amount of water I want. Just some random thoughts.

Also did I miss the autofill? I would always do an autofill.

[skamp]

A 2HP pump for a waterfall can be overkill and expensive. Then again if the waterfall is large and you want a lot of water then 2HP may be needed. When I did mine I installed a valve to route some water back to the pool. I also did a dual speed 2HP pump. This gives me the ability to run on low most of the time because it is cheaper and on high when I want a lot of water. On high I also can adjust the valve to get exactly the amount of water I want. Just some random thoughts.

Also did I miss the autofill? I would always do an autofill.

I am getting a 3 ton waterfall with about 1.5-2 tons of border rock that will have some weeping water. I will ask about how they valve it. As far as the autofill a lot of the builders do not want to do them because of problems. Have people here seen a lot of problems with autofills?

Steve

[26theone]

I am getting a 3 ton waterfall with about 1.5-2 tons of border rock that will have some weeping water. I will ask about how they valve it. As far as the autofill a lot of the builders do not want to do them because of problems. Have people here seen a lot of problems with autofills?

Steve

I am interested in the same info. One builder I am considering includes an autofill. The other says he doesnt like them because they can mask potential leaks.

[mmcguire]

I would say get the autofill. Even if you just turn it on while you are on vacation it would be worth it. My .02

[ehorn]

I have a comment on the 2HP pump for the waterfall, I seriously doubt it needs to be that big. I have a 3/4HP pump on mine and it flows a lot of water. I can adjust the flow to the waterfall as it's got two outputs, one to the waterfall and one back to the pool. You can lower the waterfall output by diverting more water back to the pool. So far I can make it run like it's got a high flow stream by diverting half the flow back to the pool.

As for the autofill they installed one on my pool. The only danger I can see is that it has a valve on it that can be prone to cracking due to freezing temperatures. I have to put a towel over it if the temperature gets too low. It does have a bleed valve for this but a towel is quicker and more effective. You can turn the water source off to the autofill and then this way only fill it when you want to. The mechanism is very basic works like a toilet, just a float valve.

What I wish I would have done differently is watched the plumbing of the spa better. They didn't put any return lines to the spa so I have to run the jets to get the spillover.

[skamp]

I have a comment on the 2HP pump for the waterfall, I seriously doubt it needs to be that big. I have a 3/4HP pump on mine and it flows a lot of water. I can adjust the flow to the waterfall as it's got two outputs, one to the waterfall and one back to the pool. You can lower the waterfall output by diverting more water back to the pool. So far I can make it run like it's got a high flow stream by diverting half the flow back to the pool.

As for the autofill they installed one on my pool. The only danger I can see is that it has a valve on it that can be prone to cracking due to freezing temperatures. I have to put a towel over it if the temperature gets too low. It does have a bleed valve for this but a towel is quicker and more effective. You can turn the water source off to the autofill and then this way only fill it when you want to. The mechanism is very basic works like a toilet, just a float valve.


What I wish I would have done differently is watched the plumbing of the spa better. They didn't put any return lines to the spa so I have to run the jets to get the spillover.

I will have to ask about that larger pump. I am really on the fence with the autofill. It does not seem like that big of a hassle to turn the water on when needed. They do plumb a fill like but you have manually turn it on and off. I also though about hooking the fill line to an extra sprinkler actuator and run that zone from the pool control. I will have an extra zone now due to the pool taking up a good portion of the backyard. As far as the spa I am 99% sure they have separate returns so you don't have to run the jets. Thanks!

Steve

[Ready2swim]

I know it seems small but I would consider 2 lights in your pool...we had our pool built this year and it is strikingly similar to your design. In the beginning our builder said one light was enough...just before they sprayed the gunite I changed it to 2 lights and in the end I was very glad that I did. I put both lights on a dimmer because the builder said it would be too bright but so far I have never touched the dimmer.

One other point that I saw someone else make was an auto filler/drain. I opted to not do this and it has been the largest pain with my pool. I also live in the Houston area and you know how much rain we have had lately...i have had to drain the pool several times in the last few weeks just to keep the water from overflowing...likewise last summer I was adding to the pool every other week. All it takes is one time to forget that you are dumping or adding water and the investment of an auto filler would have been paid for several times over.

[skamp]

I know it seems small but I would consider 2 lights in your pool...we had our pool built this year and it is strikingly similar to your design. In the beginning our builder said one light was enough...just before they sprayed the gunite I changed it to 2 lights and in the end I was very glad that I did. I put both lights on a dimmer because the builder said it would be too bright but so far I have never touched the dimmer.

One other point that I saw someone else make was an auto filler/drain. I opted to not do this and it has been the largest pain with my pool. I also live in the Houston area and you know how much rain we have had lately...i have had to drain the pool several times in the last few weeks just to keep the water from overflowing...likewise last summer I was adding to the pool every other week. All it takes is one time to forget that you are dumping or adding water and the investment of an auto filler would have been paid for several times over.

I forgot to mention in my original change list that I am going with 2 lights instead of the single.

They are going to add an overflow so the pool will never overflow. I am still on the fence about the autofill. The PB I am using says the only one they trust is a digital one and it costs a lot of money. It seems like a lot of people here have not had problems but I have had a number of PB's tell me they are a lot of trouble. Thanks!

Steve

[RocKKer]

I am very happy with my autofill. It is a sump with a float in it, not digital, never had issues with it, 3 years now (other than the recent freeze in CA, but that was my fault).

The only problem was when I first got it running, plumber used alot of silicone on joints and they didn't flush anything and the filler valve was clogged with bits of silicone. No problems after I cleaned it out.

I also have autodrain. Both of these low-tech solutions IMHO are well worth the costs. I got these because I wanted to make my pool as low maintenance as possible.

You don't need anything digital for the autofill - autofill uses a float like your toilet, do u need a digital autofill for your toilet?