my pool, shed, equipment photos if interested here..

[tenax]

i've been meaning to do this for awhile in case anyone is interested in some ideas and it can be helpful. i built the pool shed 2 years ago (the first one was not a shed..it was my like doghouse size yet the owner had crammed in the pump, sand filter and a heater into it. swear to god it was like 3 ft high with this heater stack coming out of it. so, i embarked on building a new spacious shed with lots of additional storage. basically left all equipment in place, added size to the existing pad by pouring another right next to it and started to work. the job was completed last year with an autopilot, new pump, new heater, timer, control box slaved to the intermatic timer for the pump, heater and a pilot, solar blanket and reel and winter net leaf..it was an expensive season to be sure, but i'm sure enjoying it this year. (especially after reroofing my house over 2 weeks basically by myself, i sure loved that pool everyday for my sore old muscles and joints.

[tenax]

a few more shots:

[NWMNMom]

WOW, ambitous!! Great job. Your pool looks wonderful too.

[tenax]

well, i read somewhere last year that why would someone sink 30,000 dollars (or more) into a pool and not use it? because of a decaying heater, too much maintenance, heater bill too high with no cover, we had used a bare minimum prior to last year..even though we didn't put the pool in, i took that statement to heart and decided let's make the best of it. 6000 dollars or so later and a bunch of work, it's done and i'm quite proud of it..(i love my big pool shed) almost 3,000 of that was the electrical and natural gas which i couldn't do much of myself. the rest was the autopilot, solar cover and reel, new pump, zeobrite, net cover and bags, timer, new ng jandy 2 heater. i decided to eat the pain all in one year and be done with it. it's paying off in spades this year. i've already said a number of times to my wife that i love having a heater that automatically turns on, no pilot to worry about..they should make them no other way..and the poolpilot of course is simply fabulous. the pool is basic in style, but remember, i'm in alberta canada where in my city, there are maybe 250 private pools, 81,000 residents and 8 months minimum of non swimming weather so it's quite a luxury. our deck is really nice and big and comes right up the back of our house and a covered deck. what you can't see in the background due to lighting is the privacy fence with a huge gorgeous park behind it and tons of beautiful trees as a background. we lock our back gate at night cause you never know if someone might want to take a late night dip, but only once in 5 years do we think that "may" have happened and they didn't cause any damage (my wife remembers a guy and girl's voice giggling and laughing and thought she heard splashing..i slept through it..she was too tired to worry about it..and oh yeah, we've had a family of ducks in our pool for 3 seasons..only in spring and fall after the chlorine level goes way down. funny to see them jump in for a swim then a mamma, papa and 5 babies sitting on the deck in the sun "tanning away"

[iwannapool]

Great pool shed, everything in place and a place for everything. I very much agree with your philosophy of doing things right, or as much as you can, the first time.

I have learned over the years that cheaping out or trying to take short cuts usually costs more in the long run. Lifes too short, do it right and enjoy!

[tenax]

why thanks, iwannapool. i did have another shed by the way on the other side of the house that was a pool shed for storage of pool toys, cover etc. it also became the home to bikes in the winter, my lawnmower, chainsaw, wheelbarrow so i definitely felt in planning i needed more space for my stuff. this shed you see is very tall by design by the way (peak is about 11 ft high). the wall that you can't see has a long rack for rakes, shovel, leafblower etc for my backyard, plus i wanted it high enough so i could fit in 3-5 ft long shelves. the other thing in my thinking was more height, less heat settling at equipment height..it gets warm in the shed with a pump and heater running, but not unbearably hot. the between the plastic vents in front for air intake and the whirlybird on top, it ventilates quite nicely. i was surprised as well how much heat my swg throws. hot too touch. i can see why they have a fan on it now!

[anotherpyr]

How warm does it get in the shed? I was thinking about putting the pump and all in a shed, but I was afraid that the shed would get too hot and not offer enough ventilation for the pump. Did you do anything special to help ventilate the pump motor? Where I am it can get into the 90s during the summer months although 85 is probably the norm.

[tenax]

it's been that warm in my shed, anotherpy with no issues with the equipment at all..if it's 85 plus outside, i don't run my heater any warm..don't need to but think about it being 83 and my heater will run to maintain my 85. it feels about as hot as standing in the sun on an 90 degree day. i've worked in the shed when it's that hot with stuff running and while hot, it's not so hot that i can't stand it, if you know what i mean.(and i'm not a fan of weather over about 85 the way my wife is) i did nothing special to ventilate the pump motor..the only things i did were:

-put the double plastic vents according to spec for fresh air intake to the heater which is required by codes in canada. i would say they are 1.5 times the required square footage needed for proper intake. i was going to put one but it was so easy to do, i thought better safe than sorry.

-whirlybird- i was prepared to buy a powered whirly bird if necessary. i haven't needed it but if i did, easy to swap in. fyi, i have a powered whirly bird in the roof of my house..it's amazing how much heat it removes. unbearably stifling hot in the attic on an 85 degree day if it isn't running. comparably, the shed is nowhere near to being that hot..just comfortably hot. i do get a bit of shade from some mature trees all around it, but the face of the shed you see gets a lot of sun for half the day with no protection. i really think the key is the height of the shed. the shed dimensions by the way are 8 x 10 and i believe it's 10 ft to the peak. i put in double 120 watt bubbles for lighting which is not super bright given the height of the shed but bright enough to work in. i intentionally redid my plumbing to give the pump breathing room from the heater and the filter. the original pump was kind of squeezed between the 2. the way the pump is now plumbed, i have it set back so that the end connected to plumbing sits about 6 inches back from the edge of the heater i think and there's about a foot clearance all around. i'll take a few more pics so you can see more specifically how i've got that stuff arranged and post shortly.

-and so you know, i have no end air vents at all..again, was something i could have considered doing but wasn't necessary.

[tenax]

i lied..my pump is in further than i thought..but before it was about a foot further up..the motor is clear of any blockage the way it is now:



shot of house and shed so you can see the scale of the shed and trees around it. the back half of the shed roof rarely gets any sun with the cover from mine and neighbor's trees, but you can see how much sun the front side gets..tons!



just wanted to show off my lo-tech solution for when i super chlorinate with chlorine bleach or getting set for winter/spring with all the crap from the pool. just a simple tube that replaces inline my autopilot manifold



just another shot of my pool. reel and solar cover at the end. the apple tree provides nice shade so i don't need to bother with the white cover most days



further, i'd say i was correct the first time. shed peak is about 11 ft. i'm guessing my walls are 9 ft plus..i was going to put in a cathedral ceiling, but those darn trees were in the way. LOL

[ellry99]

Nice pool.

It looks like you have a solar cover. I just got one. How do you take it off? Do you have a reel? I have been just pulling it off and folding it up, but that is getting to be alot of work....