Our PB also doesn't like to use auto-fill because of the same reason. He's concerned about not catching potential leaks as soon as possible. If you have the autofill, he says you won't know you have a leak until you get your water bill. Of course you can put one in and not use it until you're sure there are no leaks. Our PB also thinks they are unreliable and may not turn off. I plan to use and automatic sprinkler valve for filling and program it to something that keeps up with evaporation (after we are sure there are no leaks).

He did put in an overflow drain. It connects to the landscape drains.

The over-flow is a necessity...the auto-fill is a nicessity. Have them hook up an underground pipe from the water value to the pool so that you don't have to drag your hose out all the time...which is what we have to do. Its a PITA. Then you can alway put your own auto fill on later that way.

Part of any maintenance program is to turn off the auto fill on occasion to monitor these things. The rule of thumb is if you hear the auto fill running and you know you have not used the pool or backwashed, you have a leak. For evaporation, the amount of time a filler is on is minimal. For water loss, it will be on at times you are not using the pool.

Overflow in my opinion is not as important but a real nice option. Once a pool is filled to capacity, it becomes nothing more than a slab of concrete in terms of heavy rainfall. Properly drained, a yard will take water away. The overflow simply keep the water level a a point where skimming works in the presence of heavy rainfall.

A pitfall of the overflow is excessive chemical use in the swim season. Waving water displaces through the overflow and is replaced by untreated water in the auto fill.

A pitfall of the auto fill is more water line scale as the water level remains static and can cause a build-up.

squirt,
DITTO repair guy.
IMO an auto-fill should be standard on every pool built. They are reliable, require very little maintenance. They help prevent seal failure when pumps run dry from low a water level in the pool. They actually save water because people tend to over fill their pools and sometimes forget to shut off the hose until the water reaches the deck.
It's an inexpensive feature to add.

Thank you all for your posts. Now that we've been shot-creted and getting ready to plumb is it too late to add the over-fill hole/slit above the tile? That's where it goes, right? Do you add more than one? Our pool is about 17 X 30 curvy. I read some people saying it was in their spa and others in their pool. Do you put it at the high or low grade of the property, or is that not an issue?

Regarding the auto-fill...are there different ways to put a AF in? I want the PB to use a high quality way of doing it.

Thank you!
S

Quote: "Now that we've been shot-creted and getting ready to plumb is it too late to add the over-fill hole/slit above the tile? "

The overflow is in the back of the skimmer. You might ask them if they can retro an overfill into your skimmer.

An autofill is an absolute must in my opinion. I can't imagine having to drag a hose to the pool daily to top it off (temps are running in the 100's here and we're losing 1/2" to 3/4" of water a day to evaporation). We use the autofill just like a replacement for a hose- we turn it on when the pool needs to be filled and turn it off when it's done. The nice thing is that unlike a hose we don't have to worry about checking on it to turn it off at just the right time. We also don't have to worry about unrolling and rolling up a hose! Usually I'll check the pool level when I get home from work, if it's low I turn on the valve and then turn it off later that evening. Our PB actually tried to talk us out of this 150.00 add for the reasons listed in other posts above, but man am I glad I stuck to my guns on it!

Thanks Tresw,
I'm printing all this for hubby to call the PB.

I printing him a picture from another post that had a large rectangle slit above the tile and below the pool coping. I assumed that was the overflow drain...kind of like the hole in every bathroom sink. Am I incorrect about what that slit is? I just thought it would drain into there and recirculate. I don't know how to post the picture but this is what another thread says is an overflow device:

http://pages.scrippscollege.edu/~jeff/poolweb/poolweb-Pages/Image207.html is the link to the picture that shows the overflow device.

If that didn't work it's on this thread:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pools/msg0810295730834.html - scale down to the link that says "overflow device" - it's the 5th comment down

So s this different than a proper overflow device?
THANKS!

Quote: "Am I incorrect about what that slit is? I just thought it would drain into there and recirculate."

Probably so, the one my boss has is actually built into his skimmer but it's the same principal (water gets too high, it spills through the overflow). I'm sure either type works fine. The water doesn't recirculate though, the overflow drains the water off somewhere else (like to an alley or a drainage ditch).

Auto-fill is a must have. You can just let it run so the pool stays at the same level so you don't get waterline marks all up and down your tiles. I turn mine off for a couple days every few months and see if the water drop is excessive indicating a leak.

The best overflow is the wide mouth one that sits in the bond beam and connects to a landscape drain system. Once the gunite is shot, you can cut it out as needed depending on how the coping will sit. It extends across the bond beam and connects to the nearest landscape drain.

One issue I've found with the skimmer version is that they are too small. Oil will build up in the line and debris will stick.

I love the auto fill!!! I think it is a must too!
I would hate to have to drag the hose over and sit and wait for it too fill, when we had our above ground pool we had to fill it alot due to Vegas heat, and there were many of times I came back from the store and the backyard was flooded due to me forgetting I had turned it on! Now no more worries! I do listen for it every time I go out to make sure it is not running non stop.

Here is a link that might be useful: my blog

OK...I talked to my PB and he says that IF I wanted AF/OF they would do it, but that they would not do the AF float system. Instead they would use a Jandy Levelor. He says they are superior to a floater. He says IF we do an auto-fill then we have to have an over flow too because if the valve were to malfunction then the overflow will let the water out.
Now he says they do the OF skimmer type...but repair guy says not to go that route...is everyone in agreement on this because the pool is already cemented. I hate to get a crack over this if they go to chip it out.
Any feedback on the Jandy autofill systems?

Thanks again everyone!
S

squirt,
I have installed both. IMO there is little difference in the failure rates. They are small. For 25 years I've installed auto-fills(float). That's maybe 5,000+ pools. I've had about 6 calls that were frantic about how to turn off the auto-fill. That's about a tenth of 1%.
Sounds like your builder is looking for problems where none exist.
I rarely use an overflow because we get less the 15 inches of rain each year. All overflows can get plugged with leaves and debris. A little preventive maintenance helps.
Most auto-fills also have an overflow connection. Good luck.

I have not had an auto-fill in either of my pools and I lived. lol

However, it was nice to just turn a knob and have it fill up the pool. I have an autofill I could hook up but don't ever bother except when I'm going on vacation. I'm outside all the time so filling the pool up is just something I do while I'm doing something else.

If you don't have an overfill though...your pool will get full with rain water and you will have to go out to drain it. Typically that is in the middle of deep winter when the outside temps are around or below freezing. If you let it stay completely full, you will get rain, your landscaping and rain runoff with intermingle with the pool water contaminating your pool water.