Job in progress: Tulare project
December 28, 2008 - Pool equipment area, pumps, plumbing
We're making progress in the equipment area, connecting the filters, pumps, and supporting plumbing. Each piece of equipment was pre-planned to provide plenty of space for easy maintenance. I must apologize for the mess on the equipment area floor, the pine tree overhead is dropping needles constantly.
There are four pumps, three of which are Pentair IntelliFlo 4x160 (VS-3050). Each one has own dedicated ozone generator, these are the three silver boxes mounted on the wall behind the pumps. They are Paramount ClearO3 units. Ozone is a great supplemental sanitizer and can kill some forms of bacteria that chlorine alone can not. The IntelliFlo pumps on either side are connected to oversized sand filters and make up the pool and spa filtration system. They return the filtered water into the pool and spa through the in-floor cleaning system. The IntelliFlo in the middle is a spa booster pump that only comes on when the owners want that extra "umph" from the spa jets.
There is also a specialty pump that is dedicated to running the water fountain. It's not connected yet, but you can see it in the 1st, 3rd, and 8th photo. It's big, black, and sitting just behind the 6" PVC pipes. The pump is a Pentair EQW500, a low-head pump with a 5 horsepower motor. It will push around 750 gallons per minute (GPM) necessary for the fountain.
The 4th photo shows a network of three Pentair IntelliChlor units. These apply an electric current to the water passing through them and generate chlorine from the salt in the water. This chlorine is used in the pool as a sanitizer to kill algae, bacteria, virii, etc. The salt water system also has a pleasing feel to it and will not dry your skin. The salt content is very low compared to the ocean, opening your eyes underwater will not cause any burning. In fact the pool water is VERY similar to your tears.
The heater we've chosen for the pool is a very high-efficiency 750,000 BTU commercial unit. You can see in the 8th photo still wrapped up and in it's shipping crate. We'll probably be installing it tomorrow (Monday).
December 5, 2008 - Pool in-floor nozzle bodies installed, tile on bridge
The pool has chicken pox!
Actually, the red dots on the pool floor are part of the in-floor cleaning system. If you look at the previous photos, you'll see pipes all over the pool floor. We've cut these down and installed "nozzle bodies" that will house the pop-up nozzles after the pool is plastered. For the time being, the red caps keep debris from falling into the plumbing system.
The tile contractor has also done a terrific job. The bridge columns, barstools, and backsplashes are wrapped in 1" square glass tile. You'll also see the tile along the perimeter of all the pool steps, making them easier to see and adding some more elegance to the pool.
October 24, 2008 - Equipment pad underground plumbing
Our equipment area has been excavated down 24" to allow us easy access to our plumbing. We've plumbed all the pipes to come up through the equipment floor exactly where they are needed to avoid clutter once the pumps are installed (all the clutter will remain underground). This area will be filled in with compacted soil to bring us up to our grade before pouring the concrete slab.
You'll see two canisters (first photo, just to the left of the pipe manifold) in place. These act as a pre-filter before the pumps to catch debris that are picked up by the cleaning system. Each one has a basket that is easily serviced without having to go to each pump's strainer.
Most of the plumbing is 3" schedule 40 PVC and is oversized to reduce friction and heat loss. This has a higher initial cost, but is much more effecient and will save on electric and gas. The large 6" pipes will provide the capacity to move over 750 gallons per minute to the waterfall.
September 17, 2008 - Formwork removed, concrete decking poured
August 11, 2008 - Bridge arch formwork, stairways gunited
To dress up the bridge and tie into the style and theme of the house, we're installing gunite archways between the columns. Formwork was put in place to provide shape and hold the gunite in place until cured. A network of rebar was epoxied into the bridge slab for structural integrity.
The steps leading up to the bridge are now in place as well. A ramps on either side of the steps are the base for beautiful stone balusters.
July 11, 2008 - Bridge forms removed
The formwork was removed, showing the bridge in it's raw form.
June 13, 2008 - Bridge fountain plumbing
The 750 gallons per minute of water needed for the fountain needs some pretty large plumbing. We designed the system to deliver maximum flow with very little restriction. A 6" PVC pipe feeds a 6" manifold the reduces into seven 3" pipes that fill the basin for the fountain.
June 8, 2008 - Bridge formwork and rebar
We've designed a cantilevered area (the bridge) that will be turned into a stunning glass block fountain with over 750 gallons per minute of water flow. The first step is installing hefty formwork for the 11" thick concrete slab, then rebar is installed.
May 23, 2008 - Gunite 2nd day
The gunite is now complete. You can really start to see the shape of individual features now. Benches, play shelf, barstools, steps, etc.
May 22, 2008 - Gunite 1st day
Given the size and detail of the pool, gunite had to be shot over two days. It is a concrete-like material that is sprayed at high velocity out of a nozzle, not unlike a firehose. The mixture is much dryer than average concrete which allows gunite to stick to walls and not fall.
May 19, 2008 - Rebar installed
Once the plumbing was finished, we regraded the soil to form a nice, gentle slope on the pool floor. The rebar was then installed to form the reinforcement grid in the pool. This steel network serves to keep the gunite pool shell together and resist the forces of the soil, water, and temperature.
April 26, 2008 - Plumbing started for infloor cleaning system.
Easy cleaning was a big part of the pool's hydraulic design and installation. We opted to use an in-floor cleaning system to keep the pool pristine. The pipes that stick up from the pool floor are just for this purpose. Just before plaster, these pipes will be cut flush with the pool floor and nozzles installed. Over 75 nozzles will be used on this pool.
The cleaning system works similar to an irrigation system. There are 24 "zones" in the system, each with 3-6 nozzles. When the cleaning system is active, the water valves (seen in the last 3 photos) cycle between the zones, one by one. As a zone is activated, all the nozzles in it will pop up and spray the pool floor with a powerful stream of water. This ensures that debris end up in the deep end of the pool where the main drains pull in the debris.
Another advantage of infloor systems is heating efficiency. When the pool heater is activated, hot water is introduced into the pool from the pool floor. Since heat rises, the warm water on the bottom makes it's way to the top. This allows the pool to be heated evenly, without the typical "cold bottom" of a typical pool.
April 11, 2008 - Pool excavation
The layout and excavation of the new pool took two days, not bad considering the pool is over 3 times the size of an average swimming pool. The 10 foot deep end exceeds ASPI code for a 1-meter board. Visible are the main benches, steps, and large play shelf. The pool goes right up to the bar area allowing people in the pool to be served food and drinks.
March 3, 2008 - Initial photos
Our clients had an existing rectangular that was removed to make way for the upcoming yard. The "stage" in the background was installed by the previous owners. Our first design decision was to keep this stage and incorporate it into a new swimming pool.
