New PB Houston, Information overload!,,

12 years ago

Hi everyone I have been lurking for a few weeks and have learned much, i am grateful that I have found this site!

Now we are receiving bids back and hope to go with the below bid... Not sure what questions to ask from here, we are new to the entire process and if it is anything like building our home, I want to know what I am paying for is what we are getting, or if there is a better option... Please let me know if I should be asking some really important questions that I have no idea to ask at this point.. I feel like I am trying to tread water here but am sinking as this information is over whelming when you don't know what it all means in the first place.. So bear with me please..

The Specs:

Pool size 16 x 37 482 sq. feet

Perimeter 102 LN feet

Depth is 3.5 feet - 6 feet

7 foot kid area/ Tanning ledge will be 1.5feet deep with bubbler in middle

2 benches and 3 steps

Water feature : 5ft long 12inch raised wall with a 24 inch wide sheer decent

Back wall along easement and grassed area will be a 40 foot 6inch raised wall

530 sq feet of sprayed deck includes existing concrete patio with ( is this a kooldeck that other are refering too ? )

Tile: 6" Frost proof tile, and markers on steps and Benche's

Coping: 1 foot of flagstone around entire pool

Plaster : Diamond bright ( any light color)

Equipment: this is where I am most clueless !

Filter: 425SF Cartridge Hayward

Pump: 2 HP Tristar Hayward

Chlorinator: Inline

Ozonator: Ultrapure

Cleaner: Pool Vac Ultra Hayward

Pool lights : 2 white 500 watts each Hayward

Structure Info:

Gunite Shell ( lifetime warranty) walls and floor minimum 9" thick

Gunite bond beam 12x18"

Steel reinforcement: 12x18" bond beam -4bars #4 (1/2") continuous.

Walls and floor -#3(3/8") 8" on center

Pluming:

40 LN feet. Heavy wall PC pipe size 2" for all out lines and 1 1/2 in return lines.

2 Skimmers, 6 returns and 2 main drains.

Dedicated line for Cleaner, Fill Line & overflow, separate valves for skimmers and main drain.

Electrical: 100 LN feet .

Adjustable Intermatic timer for pumps. A GFCI receptacle wired into all lighting and grounded with #8 bare copper.

Price includes, all city permits and HOA approval process, removal and fixing of existing fence, damage to grass will be replaced, final clean up and start up, pool school....

So I am looking for as much input from anyone as to what questions do I need to ask what is missing what is not ok for the pool size ( pumps, types of lights, filters or what ever) ....

Thank you all so much for reading the long post...

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Comments (5)

golfgeek
12 years ago
texasheat,
A 2 HP pump is too big for the pool size. A 3/4 or 1 HP would be plenty. Lower flow rates mean longer cycles between filter cleanings.
Ask for an automatic water filler. This eliminates the need for you to add water by hand. Evaporation in the heat of the summer will be significant.

You might also ask about any injections that may be done to the soil before the deck is poured if you have expansive(clay or adobe) soils.

It's also pretty easy to use the plumbing and electrical allowances. It's common to include all plumbing/electrical in the bid to avoid you being charged extra.

It's probably not Kool Deck if they using it over existing concrete. You should ask them about this. It may be an epoxy coating.

Ask if they use an expansion joint between the flagstone coping and the deck. They should!
Good luck.
janderson100
12 years ago
It looks like the 2 HP motor is going to be used for the source of the pool, bubblers and sheer descent. This is probably the reasoning behind it. Is the booster pump included with the auto vac?

Spraydeck is an okay finish to a concrete deck. It is very similar to Kool Deck. Holds a little better though. The problem with spraydeck and kool deck is that they usually only last 3-5 years and need to be sandblasted off and re-done. This makes if expensive over the long run. A longer fix is to stick with the brushed concrete, sure cosmetically its grey, but they could stain/color the concrete. This is a little more expensive up front but much better on the upkeep and maintenance of a pool. FYI i see about 300 pools a year. Kool deck is okay, but you will want to figure out the cost of sandblasting and re-doing it all 5 yrs down the road. Also, if any water gets under it, it will start bubbling or flaking (delaminating) off. Ive replaced tons of these.
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cmanley33
12 years ago
Janderson100 - How do you feel about pavers rather than brushed concrete - concrete tends to crack and need to be replaced. Pavers are more expensive up front but are they worth in the long run?
womanowned
12 years ago
I believe you will find the 1.5 ft depth of the tanning ledge to be far too deep. I usually build mine at 6" - 9" of depth. 17" of water would be over anyone's head if lying or perhaps even sitting down. Too deep for small children. I would also switch to a variable speed pump. It will cost a bit more upfront, but reduced operating costs will quickly recapture the cost and to continue to provide savings. I am not sure how energy efficient the Tristar pumps are (I use Pentair), but they should be able to provide you with that data. Problem with a variable speed pump is that you would probably need to change from an Intermatic controller (old fashioned time clock- I still use them when cost is a big issue) to a computerized one. UltraPure is a good ozone system (don't let Mr. New Jersey dissuade you from this type of sanitation! Life is different apparently in Houston than New Jersey). The only problem with the Ultrapure is that the ozone is injected through the pump, which can cause the pump seal to fail. I am now using Ozone Joe's which bypasses the pump. Lastly, I don't think the Ultra pool cleaner has a very good reputation (it didn't when I used Hayward years ago). You might check on alternatives. I don't see a booster pump for the cleaner. It's hard to find a decent suction line cleaner that won't frustrate you to death from being slow and sluggish. I don't like automatic water fillers if you have an overflow line built in your pool. They operate like flush valves on a toilet and can get stuck. They are better and less expensive alternatives to Diamond Brite, although it is a good product. Use the savings for LED pool lights or a computerized controller.
poolguynj
12 years ago
LOL womanowned. We'll continue to disagree on ozone for residential pools, likely till one of us goes to Heaven. If you didn't do such nice work and maintain such a stellar reputation, I'd flame on, but you are one of the good guys in the business.

Most variable speed pumps have their own timer built in.

By and large, I have found Pentair and Jandy/Zodiac products to be better engineered than Hayward.

Suction side cleaners, as a class, are very slow and somewhat trouble prone. I have found pressure side cleaners and robots to be faster and very effective.

I agree on LED lighting vs. standard incandescents.

Scott

New PB Houston, Information overload!,,

Comments (5)

golfgeek

janderson100

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