We are having our Pool Built. What should I look out for?

[smcrea]

We are getting an in ground Shotcrete pool built. It has a raised beam of about 12 inches. With an attached spa and a waterfall.

The demo starts in about a weeks time.

The pool company seems excellent and we feel comfortable with them. However I always like to have a bit of knowledge on these things so that I can keep an eye on what is going on?

Would like some advise on what I should keep an eye on when they are building the pool.

Also features that experts on this forum would consider critical. Safeguards for avoiding expensive issues such as leaks, cracks in years to come etc.

Thanks for any help!

[muss08]

Is your spa raised above the pool's water level? Is the waterfall a spill over from the spa or separate from the pool/spa? What kind of equipment are you going with (pump(s), filter, heater, control system, etc.)?. How big is the pool going to be? I can make some recommendations if I know this stuff. After they shoot the pool with the shotcrete and it sets visually inspect the pool yourself. Look for any cracks- these can be problem areas especially if you see a light white streak under the crack. These is called efflorescence and these cracks should be grinded out and filled. The efflorescence can seep through your finish and be noticable in the pool. What is the pool being finished with? Plaster? Are you installing a pressure side automatic cleaner?

[smcrea]

Is your spa raised above the pool's water level? Is the waterfall a spill over from the spa or separate from the pool/spa? What kind of equipment are you going with (pump(s), filter, heater, control system, etc.)?. How big is the pool going to be? I can make some recommendations if I know this stuff. After they shoot the pool with the shotcrete and it sets visually inspect the pool yourself. Look for any cracks- these can be problem areas especially if you see a light white streak under the crack. These is called efflorescence and these cracks should be grinded out and filled. The efflorescence can seep through your finish and be noticable in the pool. What is the pool being finished with? Plaster? Are you installing a pressure side automatic cleaner?

OK.. to go into a little bit more detail..

All the pool equipment is Pentair. Can't remember the exact model numbers but I can get them for you if we need them.
The pump is the pentair variable speed pump ( I think that it has 4 programmable speeds). This will be used to circulate the water, also to push it through the solar heater and also through a waterfall that will be dropping down from about 4 to 5 feet from a raised retaining wall into the pool. This waterfall will be a rock feature. We will also have a smaller rock waterfall feature that is at the other end of the pool. For the spa they are using a second pump when we want to bubble. The spa is raised with a spillway into the pool. As I mentioned the pool has a raised beam of about 12 inches. We will be putting 2 skimmers, one big one and one side skimmer because of the raised beam. (Apparently you access this from the inside the pool to pull the basket. The pool will have a Pentair salt system. The size of the pool is not symmetrical.. it's freeform, but in it's widest point it is about 14' and it's about 34' long at the longest point. Depth goes from a Shamu set, to 3 1/2' down to 7'. We wanted the 7' because although it's not recommended people WILL jump from the wall with the waterfall into the pool!
Soil conditions are basically sandstone.

One question that I have is do you recommend the use of a hydrostatic valve? A 2nd and really dumb question is.. do all pool have a drain at the lowest point?

The pool will have a pebble finish.

Thanks for your help!

[muss08]

Nearly all pools have a bottom main drain in the well or deepest end. This really ensures good flow through the pool (helps to stop "dead zones" in circulation and allows stagnant water in the lower areas of the pool to reach the filter) and does a much better job than skimmers at sucking in very small particles floating in the water. They are not a must have but helpful. I would definitely go with hydrostats but they come in different forms. Some are installed directly in the pool shell, some are in the bottom of the skimmers, and some are in the main drain. I would recommend some form of hydrostat especially in the lowest area of your pool. If for some reason you need to drain the pool in the future (whether for renovation years down the road or a good cleaning) these ensure any ground water sitting under the pool's shell will enter the pool and not cause your pool to float. I've seen this happen one time where the entire pool shell lifted up about a foot. Needless to say the owner needed to completely reinstall the pool (thank god for insurance). If your spa uses the same filter as your pool make sure there are check valves on both the return and suction side of your spa. This will make sure it doesnt drain down into the pool when the pool is not running. I'm a bit confused about the second pump. Is this pump solely to circulate the spa or will the main pump do this? If so for bubbling action you would only need an air blower. I would recommend a seperate pump for the two waterfalls. The variable speed pumo is a great idea and will save you a ton of money on electricity.

[smcrea]

Many thanks for your help!!!

If I think of anything else then I'll let you know.

Thanks Again!