I would replace the rocks with a coarse groundcover like cotoneaster, and then plant a fine-leafed tree like one of the larger crepe myrtles, or honeylocust. The leaves will sift down thru the groundcover and not need to be raked. I don't have a pool, so I'm not sure how fussy pool filters are. How many leaves wind up in the pool depends on where the pool is in relation to the tree. Our winds tend to blow from the north, so if the pool is to the south of the tree you WILL get leaves in the pool. You could call Capitol Nursery or Green Acres Nursery in Sacramento for knowledgeable advice, and also check with a pool service company to see how fussy pool filters are about leaves.

Hi Packerfan, We are new to this, also in So Cal, and just posted our new pool build stats with some questions today; (North County San Diego pool + putting green). I'd love to see more pictures and any helpful websites you found in the process of building your beautiful pool! Nancy

I'm in the N. TX/S. OK area and I'd say that's a very, very good price. Then, when I saw the draw schedule, it made me wonder if this price was too good...you know, get the customer to sign on the dotted line, do a bit of work and collect a lot of cash to finish up other customers' projects. Anyway, I'm sure you'll research your PBs and find one that won't get the cash from you and move onto others' pools. Definitely adjust that draw schedule, though, as it's way too top-heavy. We had paid almost 60% by gunite stage and had a 10% draw to pay at completion and that was not at all effective in getting our pool to a timely completion. Also... we knew a couple in the SA area that put in a pool a couple years back. They were in a northern subdivision (I think) where the PB hit rock just a few inches below the surface. According to this couple, the PB ended up boring and cutting through solid rock for most of the pool! Be sure that possibility (extra time, labor, equipment) is covered in your contract so there are no surprises.

Peter- Thanks for the link to the Intelliflo technical discussion. Obviously this was an Intelliflo only discussion and only addressed low speed efficiency. Variable speed pumps with BPM motors will always use less power than a PSC motor at low speed. There is no argument here. However, variable speed at higher speeds suffers from large power consumption due to two primary power robbers 1) high current inversion of AC to DC power in the VFD, which is very inefficient and produces a lot of waste heat as a result 2) Compromised impeller design because the impeller can not operate at peak efficiency for a large gpm range so the engineers have to make a choice where they want to optimize the impeller and at the same time a choice at where the impeller will not be very efficient. In the case of Intelliflo, from their published power, TDH and gpm curves, they have optimized for low speed operation and rightly so, but this choice also causes the higher speed efficiency to be miserable. Also of note, while I agree with your warning of using FLA to estimate power consumption, I would also add that the Intelliflo curve is true power consumption in watts and not FLA. Using FLA to calculate 2 speed pump power is worst case and, to your point, will only be better in the real world which makes the 2 speed even more favorable over variable speed. Just wanted to offer a balanced view here. Variable speed has its own merits, mainly low speed efficiency and ability to tune flow to plumbing resistance for optimum performance. But, to suggest using a variable speed pump for multi-tasking, which requires higher speeds, is not doing the energy conscious homeowner any good. In the case of pools with multiple water features or in-floor cleaners which require higher flows, multiple 1 speed or 2 speed pumps that are tuned for the higher flows will always save energy over a variable speed that is trying to inefficiently cover a large operating range. jj- In your case with a floor cleaning system...the floor cleaner will have to run for about 2 hours a day to get full rotation of the heads and full cleaning. For other hours of the day, the pump can ran at low speed allowing the pump to operate easier against lower resistance providing turnover and filtering for your pool. A variable speed or a 2 speed will both provide energy efficient operation for your cleaning and filtering needs. Only you can make the decision if you want to spend the extra money for the variable speed. To help you justify the extra cost for variable speed over 2 speed, use 200 watts per hour savings over 2 speed at low speed and 1,000 watts per hour cost over 2 speed at high speed. Knowing how long you will run the pump at high and low speed will allow you to calculate how much money is saved per day with variable speed and 2 speed, helping to make your decision. Hope this helps!