All Plumbed Up

   Progress continues with the plumbing of the filtration equipment, light installation, and rough in for gas and electric supply to the equipment pad.  Inspection for the underground pipes is tomorrow, after which the trenches will be filled.  Eli says his crew should be done by Wednesday and plaster will be early next week with water coming soon after.  We're racing to the end as the check list grows shorter.

   The sun deck bubbler saw the addition of this translucent collar and the RGB led light.  The water flows around the light and there's an additional clear cap and water diffuser that will attach to the top of this.  There's an optional snorkel and eyeball if you want that look and a winterization cap that I might have to pick up.

   Here's what the lights look like installed.  They're all RGB lights so we can make lots of different colors in the pool.  I'm not sure if the software cycles colors or if you have to manually change the color of the lights and they remain static otherwise.  Even if the native software doesn't cycle colors, I'm sure I could write an automation to have the colors change periodically.  I wonder if I could find an integratable chlorine probe and have the lights display colors based on the value.

   All the lights and return jet flanges have been installed.  The grass side wall has two lights and one water return.  I think this return is plumbed together with the jet in the deep end.

   Here's the return in the deep end with the deep end light.  When I winterize the pool, all the return jets will be on at the same time since they're all on a single ball valve.  If the blower is strong enough, I can get all the returns to push air and cap them off one by one.  If it's not, I'll have to cap them and uncap them in pairs (grass and lake) to make sure the primary runs are blown out.

   Here are the lake side returns.  There will be pool return jets that screw into the return ports, but I haven't seen what they look like yet.  Often they're aimable balls, but we'll be rotating the water counter clockwise around the pool.  During the winter time, you don't need to drain the water below the return jet level, but you do need to use a blower to evacuate water in the lines and plug the jets to prevent water from flowing back in.

  Here's the gas and electrical conduit supply coming from the house.  They're not currently connected but inspection is required on the run before it's covered over with dirt.  The water pipes have been covered but the electrical conduits remain visible for inspection.

   The rats nest of black wires is all the LED lights before they're wired into the automation panel. The panel box is sitting wrapped in the black garbage bag so I haven't gotten my eyes on the actual hardware but everything I've found on the part number shows that it has an air and water temperature sensor.  The water temperature sensor is self explanatory, but the air temperature sensor can be used for freeze warning conditions.  Anything that can be automated will be provided by this unit, so hopefully Jandy isn't stingy with their output information and software APIs.

   Here's what the pad looks like after the plumbing has been installed.  All the unions where the supply and return pipes are connected are unfortunately buried under the ground and I didn't get to look at them.  If I did want to connect a valve to each of the returns, still grouped in 2s, I would have to dig them up and hopefully have enough line to add the appropriate connections.  Not the worst job, but not super fun either.  They left enough hard PVC to make repairs or new connections so I won't have to replace everything.

Here are the filtration components after the filter canister and water heater.  The clear thing in the T coupling is the additional sacrificial anode.  Next is the copper water sanitizer.  Those go into the heater which has it's own sacrificial anode, which was moved to the front input.  The 90 degree sweeps that Jandy supplies have a half inch plug for something, but I'm not sure what they're for yet.  From the output of the heater, we have a check valve to prevent water backflowing from the supplies.  Since the whole equipment pad is lower than the pool, if we don't have a check valve on the returns, water could backflow through the returns, back into the filtration system.  Lastly, is the salt water chlorinator.  Although the way it's installed isn't in the recommended configuration in the manual, Eli says it's okay.  The manual does allow those ports to be used, but suggests it to be in the vertical position.  The sensor will be in the end port, which is supposed to be the serviceable component.

   Here are the two supply pipes coming into the pump.  One is a combined skimmer input and the other is the main drain.  Hopefully there won't be a problem with how the two skimmers are plumbed in.  Going from two, 2" pipes into one 2" pipe, which is further combined with the 2" pipe from the main drain is a pretty drastic flow reduction but I'm probably over thinking things.  As long as the pump isn't being starved for water, it should be just fine.  One thing that I requested to be added is a T on the pump input, that will be capped off.  It will allow me to connect a blower to the system for winterization.  Other people have drilled the clear pump cap to attach a cyclone blower to blow out the system, but I would rather have a junction in there.

   Lastly is the return side of things.  All of the returns are fed from the right side of the manifold.  The power actuated valve on the left is for the bubbler and allows remote control of the bubbler water flow.  The valve for the water jet returns has a 2" to 1.5" union so again, I'm hoping the flow isn't choked too much with this reduction, then further reduced when it splits two more times down stream.  I have experience calculating hydrodynamic flow rates in pipes from my marine aquarium days, but from what I've read online, pool designers don't really care about matching cross-sectional flows of the plumbing.

   Thanks it for now.  Inspection is tomorrow and they can bury the lines and start wiring everything up.  There are still a few rocks that will need to be moved to complete the wall after the trenches are filled, the pavers need to be repaired, and we're requesting that a rock is placed in the center planting bed and the first rock in the wall is moved so it's not touching the oak tree there.  Things should wrap up on Wednesday for the crew and there will be some quiet before the plaster guys come next week.  So much of our lawn irrigation has been destroyed, I'm scared to see how much the repair bill will be for that.  American Lawn Sprinkler is coming out next Monday to give a quote for that work.  Also, we'll need to get the pool fence installed some time soon after the pool is completed.  Lots of last items on the list before we can call this complete.