I experimented and wound up with something strange. I decided to leave the walls and surrounding patio intact when I filled in my pool. (I suppose I had visions of a humongous koi pond.) I had electricians and plumbers disconnect the electricity and plumbing, I drained the pool, then jackhammered holes in the bottom for drainage, then dumped 7 or 8 big truckloads of fill dirt into the pool, and finally dragged the old pool equipment to the curb. It cost only several thousand dollars, preserved the surrounding patio, and gave me soil deep enough for large trees to grow in it. But that huge underground concrete bowl tends to drain water very slowly. After really a heavy rainfall, the ground is covered with standing water for at least a couple days. Smaller puddles of water can sometimes remain for weeks. The soil can stay soggy sometimes for months. So what I effectively wound up with is what is called a "bog garden" or "rain garden". Only swamp-tolerant trees and plants will grow in it. It never needs watering, which is a positive. But it often looks like a swamp, which is not a common or even attractive appearance to many people. It is definitely providing a landscaping challenge! This post was edited by s8us89ds on Sat, Feb 16, 13 at 4:03

I am sure this blog has clarified all your decisions for you, but if not, just get 5 more quotes from pool companies and you'll be just as enlightened as you are now. Rather than concentrate on the specifics of a pool e.g. filtes, pumps, etc. Concentrate on the business you are buying from. Check how long they have been in business, how many complaints they have had on the BBB and pay particular attention to unresolved complaints. Does the pool company have a service department and a retail store to support you when you need help? The pool company has to live with your pool after the sale and they want to sell you a package they can support. My personal belief is that if you choose a reputable pool company (do your homework) and feel comfortable with the sales rep, you should let them recommend what components will go into the pool. To a very large extent, your budget will determine which type of construction will be employed in your project. Vinyl being the best value, gunite or shotcrete being the most versatile in design, and fiberglass with a shorter construction time. Technology has made great strides in the pool business particularly in sanitation, finishes, pool chemistry, and construction materials; they are better than ever. The swimming pool today can be a sparkling clear, forever clean compliment to your home.

Well, it is a really fun idea to consider. One suggestion I have is to find out if the critters you want to provide a habitat for are able to reproduce and survive at the depths the pool would provide. For example, do frogs need a shallow area at any stage in their life? I wouldn't be surprised if they can feed better in shallow water. Can you adjust the depth to meet their needs? If you are interested in enjoying some birds that like water (ducks?) they like water that is shallow enough so that they can get to the plants growing on the bottom. I know they eat the plants and would guess they eat some larval insects that live in shallower water. I do have a friend who has a shallow pond maybe 15 inches deep and 10'X 10'. Without a great deal of effort it seems to have achieved a balance that allows everything to survive without any pumps or filtration. She lives in Hawaii and her pond has guppies (little fish she put in), frogs (or toads) that arrived on their own and a number of plants. Her pond has been on its own for years. There is a forum on ponds at Garden Web. I have provided the link to it below. If you do create a pond from your pool I hope you describe your experience as you gather it! It is such an interesting idea. Here is a link that might be useful: Pond Forum

ronnatalie...I agree with you 110%. Theory of electricity isn't rocket science...at least at this level. (there are applications when it's above all but the best minds in the business) But knowing the codes and why they are there is what separates those who think they know from those that really do know. I don't know. That's why I'm here...and regardless of my previous post directed at you, I really do appreciate all your input. You obviously know much more about this than I do. I have a copy of the NEC. And I still don't get all I need out of it. So I'm in awe of you guys that know this stuff like the back of your hand. But I do have another question for you pros if I may. One thing we are doing here is cleaning up a bunch of switches, relays, timers, etc into one enclosure. The enclosure we are using is an Intermatic with provisions for a timer and another switch of choice...which will be an air switch for the spa jet pump. We are also going to mount the timer for the floor cleaner valve that needs to cycle every half hour. Plenty of room for this. But some of the existing boxes are plastic, one is metal. None are grounded...not even through the rigid conduit. (rigid conduit only goes to plastic box) The new enclosure has a grounding block. Since the feed from the main panel has 3 sets of hots for 240V pumps plus one hot and neutral for 120V service to the pool, and one green ground wire, would I be safe (legal) to run the ground from the house panel to the pool panel grounding block and distributing it from there to where required? Also, none of the boxes (metal or otherwise) are bonded. I intend to attach a bonding wire of correct size to the existing bonding wire for the pump motors with an approved copper or brass lug and attach the other end to the new panel enclosure. Should that be safe? According to what I read in the NEC, that should do it, but it's not specific. And lastly, the existing rigid conduit out of the ground will not align with the new panel enclosure knock outs. I want to shorten the rigid conduits and attach flexible metal conduit to them to run to the new enclosure. I can't find a reference to this procedure anywhere in the code. Is this safe and legal where it's obvious the rigid conduit isn't uses as a ground? And even if it were, wouldn't tying in my ground wire to my enclosure take care of compromising that ground with flexible metal conduit? Thank you for your advice.