Architect and structural engineering

Patrick Marr provided architectural and structural design for my home addition/remodel, which may never be covered much on this blog. Also, Pat was a consultant on our pool/yard project and assisted in the selection of the Landscape Architect we used. Being both an architect and engineer, Pat is uniquely positioned to assist his clients in conceptual design, construction documents, and the practicality of construction by truly understanding the structure.

While located in Santa Barbara, CA, USA (805-898-2096), Pat utilized modern technology to communicate with us in Orange County, CA (about 130 miles northwest of Orange County through stereotypical LA traffic). Face-to-face meetings were used when needed but many times a “picture” and simple phone call kept our project moving along on-track.

Pat did not provide the structural engineering for our pool since the pool builder had a relationship already established with his own engineer that specialized in swimming pool design. However, I would have trusted him to provide the engineering or point us in the right direction if his help had been needed.

Fantasy Pools Problem

Fantasy Pools in the Sacramento, California, area have been having problems paying their subcontractors, which is creating a real problem for the pool owners. It looks like they were new to the market (GardenWeb from June 2006). Unfortunately they got themselves into trouble in less than six months (GardenWeb from November 2006).

Please see iVillage GardenWeb Censorship

“Concrete” Pool Wall Construction

Pool Nerd has recently posted a good description of the workings of a reinforced “concrete” swimming pool wall. It is well worth the look if you are new to concrete construction practices.

Pool Salt Information

Salt water chlorine generators (a.k.a. SWG) requires the addition of salt to the swimming pool water to facilitate the generation of chlorine gas which is instantly dissolves back into the water (how it works is for another time or link). By now hopefully most people have learned that not all salt products are appropriate for swimming pool use. Contaminants in salt can create other problems for the pool owner, so it is best to use one of the products that are intended (or acceptable) for use in swimming pools.

While I am sure there other products acceptable for use in swimming pools, I have always had very good luck when using Morton salt products. I used Morton Pool Salt to get my original salt level up (about $10 for 40# in my area), to maintain my pool salt level I have switched to the same Morton System Saver II Pellets (less than $4 for 40#) that I have been using in my water softener for about two years. At first I was using a “chlorine floater” which worked fine but took forever to get 40# into the pool. Now I have a 5-gallon bucket that I drilled a bunch of holes in, which I can put in the whole 40# of salt (with a concrete block over the top to keep it from floating). All the salt is dissolved in less than an hour and the bucket keeps it from staining my plaster.

I heard back from Morton today when I questioned them about the difference between the two products and/or their safe use in swimming pools. Here is their answer:

“Morton Pool Salt is a plain salt product. Morton System Saver II pellets contain resin cleansing additives. Water softened by pellets is drinkable; however, if you have any type of specific health concerns, please see your doctor. Either product can be used in your pool.”

Pool Contractor

I used Titan Pool Center from Anaheim, CA, 714-998-9620, to construct my pool. I recommend Dale Jochims, the owner, to anyone who is interested. My wife and I selected Titan Pool Center primarily based upon two personal recommendations, interviewing Dale, and viewing some of his completed projects. While they were not necessarily the least expensive pool builder, we felt confident Dale knew what he was doing, would complete the project, and treat us fairly, which he did.

Problems with Saltcells.com

This on-line retailer seems to have taken some peoples money without providing the product. You can find more information at this string on iVillage GardenWeb.

Please see iVillage GardenWeb Censorship

Pool Maintenance Manual News

The third edition of “The Ultimate Pool Maintenance Manual” (ISBN 0071470174) will be available by the end of March 2007. I expect to receive my copy as soon as it is available and will put my preliminary review up shortly there after.

Also, I am planning to interview the author, Mr. Terry Tamminen, as part of my more in-depth review, so add a comment here if you have any pressing questions.

My short review of the second edition may be of interest at this time.

FYI: Amazon is taking pre-orders for shipping as soon as it is available.

Reflections on the Pool

California Designs for Swimming is another coffee table book; however, the accompanying text is very readable. There is a chapter on Historic Pools that I wish was longer and more informative. Melba Levick’s photographs are excellent and well worth the time spent viewing.

If you are considering a new pool or major pool renovation, this book is worth a trip to your local library or picking up used.

Published in 1997 (ISBN 0847820149) I was surprised that the information did not yet seem to be stale.

The Swimming Pool

Here is another coffee table book with excellent photographs of not only the swimming pool and spa, but the entire “outdoor room” including the furniture. The first chapter provides a basic overview of many of the decisions that are needed during new construction or a major pool renovation.

All of the pools are not your typical backyard swimming pools; therefore, I found even the “Classic” pools are very lavish. The author Martha Baker is an accomplished landscape architect; however, I did not find many ideas here that I think would be beneficial to the average pool owner.

If you are considering a new pool or major pool renovation, this book is worth a trip to your local public library. I would hesitate to purchase this book unless you are creating a high-end pool section in your personal library.

Published in 2005 (ISBN 0609610767) I expect this will book will not have a significant following.

The New American Swimming Pool:

Innovations in Design and Construction, 40 Case Studies, is basically a collection of “award winning” residential swimming pools and spas from the late 1990’s. This is truly a coffee table book with lots of nice photographs. All of the pools shown are not your typical backyard swimming pools; however, these are all projects with landscape architects involved, so there are many nice hardscape and landscape ideas to go along with the pool designs.

If you are considering a new pool or major pool renovation, this book is worth a trip to your local library or picking up used.

Published in 2001 (ISBN 0823031756) it will take many years for the provided information to become dated, so I would not expect updated editions or follow-up versions frequently.

Automatic pool cleaner suction hose

I learned this lesson first many years ago when vacuuming my parent’s pool I plugged the 1.5-inch copper suction pipe with leaves from their peach tree. It became apparent to me again as I began to use my new Navigator pool cleaner…always use a leaf canister with the suction hose.

While I was lucky enough not to plug my new pool’s pipes, the first time the kids were tracking leaves in from off the nearby grass it became apparent that these leaves are collecting in the pump basket (a.k.a. pot) where they slow down the suction flow from all sources. However, when using a leaf canister with the vacuum, it is like catching the debris in the skimmer basket; my three suction lines “rebalance” themselves for a more efficient flow.

For less than $50 I have reduced the strain on my pump motor and hopefully will not have to unclog my suction lines.

Automatic pool cleaner suction line location

My pool has two skimmers along the south wall spaced at approximately quarter points and the pool vacuum suction port is located between them. The five return “jets” directs the surface water in a clockwise motion towards the skimmers. Since the pool vacuum port is located between the two skimmers the hose is always being pulled towards the skimmers, which appears to reduce the effectiveness of the vacuuming in the far corners (especially at the shallow end).

If I had to do over again, I would strongly consider locating the vacuum port directly across the pool along the north side, so the hose would be less likely to be influenced by the skimmer suction.

That’s it, nothing too significant.

Lessons Learned

I have been slow to keep up during the past holidays (and for other reasons) but now I am getting back up to speed. I have wanted to add this section for some time now as a place to collect my thoughts.

While I do not know that I have learned any big lessons (my checkbook is thankful), there are some things I wish I had thought through more and/or ask the pool builder about prior to or during the construction process, or things I have learned as I maintain my pool/spa/yard.

Horsepower Rating

If you have wondered “what is the difference between Full-Rated and Up-Rated horsepower for pump motors,” you are not alone. While I figured out it seemed to be a marketing distinction (a.k.a. ploy) by looking at the flow curves for my Pentair WhisperFlo pumps, the on-line retailer POOLplaza has a short article explaining how this slight of hand is executed. The bottom line is “use the pump/motor curves” for making your choices.

My earlier post “Pump and Motor Efficient Sizing” is related, and may be of interest at this time.

Pool Electrical Hazards

While electrocution in swimming pools and spas are relatively rare, last October Pool & Spa News had a good article “Shock Waves” about the hazards associated with electricity and water, especially in older construction. Also, they provided a link to a Consumer Product Safety Commission safety alert about providing ground-fault protection for pools and spas.

The Pool Biz

The Pool Guy's The Pool Biz blog which primarily addresses his concerns and problems with salt water chlorine generators (a.k.a. SWG). This site is very opinionated but definitely worth a check if you are planning on adding a SWG to your existing or new pool. He appears to be a pool builder and/or service provider in Texas. It is quite obvious that he has a chip on his shoulder but it appears that his intentions are to honestly inform the pool owning public about his concerns with salt added to pool water.

I have a SWG, which in my opinion has only worked marginally since it was installed during 2006 summer. I have not had any of the problems he has noted on his website, but I think one method for minimizing some of the potential damage is to quickly wash off the pool deck to minimize the potential problems associated with higher concentrations of salt on the deck from evaporation.

Heat Pump Applications

Swimming Pool & Spa Heat Pump Application (ISBN 0912524529) is as the name implies, is a book about the details of marketing, designing and installing heat pumps for swimming pools. In this 1989 book Mr. King does a good job of presenting the benefits of the electric swimming pool heat pump when compared to other types of pool heaters.

Heating System Sizing (Chapter 7) information is applicable to any pool/spa heating system. The conclusion that electric heat pumps are very cost effective is not surprising; however, I believe solar heating is equally or more cost effective in the Sunbelt when using the same criteria. Fuel (primarily natural gas) provide the quickest heat gain and can be more efficient when heating is provided only a few days a week or month. Heat pumps shine the most in areas where the pool is to be heated for an extended period of time during moderate temperatures without ample solar heat potential (e.g., out of the Sunbelt).

While I do not have a heat pump, there seems to be significant gains in both efficiency and popularity over the last decade. Here is a link to Pool Heat Pumps, which appears to be an informative and helpful on-line retailer.

Freedom’s Price

This is a new links section added that has nothing to do directly with swimming pools or spas, but is still relevant because I could not enjoy my swimming pool if others had/did not pay for my freedom.

Arizona Pool Design

Swimming Pool Phoenix is the blog for Arizona Pool Design. There is a wealth of information for the pool builder, soon to be pool owner, and pool owner. Currently this site is getting a new post almost daily (many are pulled directly from other sources). During a quick review, a few items appeared to be misleading (e.g., Three Must Have Chemicals for Your Pool, October 31) so use common sense when using any of the information.