Indoor Swimming Pool Design Architect Aquascape Consulting Dehumidification Vapor Barrier Moisture Control

Why your indoor pool project requires an aquatic consultant who specializes in indoor pools.

Learning Curve

People think that they can invent inexpensive solutions to the issues that plague indoor swimming pools.  And, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but they have all been tried before and they have all failed.   

Do not waste your time and money on "things that might work."  The key to a healthy and safe indoor pool is dehumidification and controlling vapor transmission.

Vapor Barrier

 A vapor barrier exists to prevent the transmission of water vapor (microscopic droplets of water) into the building envelope.  Once that occurs, many terrible things happen to the building and occupants:

black mold
corrosion of wiring
rusting pipes
dry rot
short circuit of electrical components
water damage
soggy drywall
decay of building fasteners, brackets and structural elements
respiratory problems:
     pneumonia
     asthma
     Legionnaire's Disease
     upper respiratory ailments

Controlling Vapor

The main key to controlling the moisture in the air (humidity), is to remove it.  While pool covers, temperature control and ventilation are important, together or by themselves they cannot mitigate the water vapor that will emit from the pool.  Like gravity, it cannot be prevented or turned off.

However, once into the environment, the humidity can be controlled.  Dehumidifiers dry the air and return the dried into the envelope.  Provided the natatorium has a properly installed vapor barrier, the moisture ends there.

Mechanical Engineer and HVAC Contractor

You do not want to hire an mechanical engineer or HVAC contractor who is not experienced with indoor pools.  Though there are many reference sources available for them, you do not want them learning or experimenting on your project.  

This is as much as a science, as it is an art.  Though dehumidification ducting and systems may be sized properly, installing the registers, returns or controls in the incorrect location will negate the efficiency of the entire system.

It's been done before

Because you don't want to spend the money on a dehumidification system, don't think that you have struck upon an alternative solution.

Every "bright idea" has been tried:
     skylights
     sliding doors and windows
     heaters
     pool covers
     A/C vents 
     fans
     Heated glass
     screened rooms
     moveable hydraulic floors
     heated pool decks

The ONLY solutions to controlling the humidity in the room are a dehumidification system, building an outdoor pool or leaving the pool empty.

Experience can save you a bundle on the learning curve.


Paolo Benedetti, SWD, Principal
Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa
www.AquaticTechnology.com
International Swimming Pool Consulting and Design, Aquatic Consulting, Watershape Consultants, Expert Witness, Hydraulic Design, Landscape Architecture, Construction Management
Office: 408-776-8220
Email: info@aquatictechnology.com
Major Markets Serviced:
San Francisco, Palo Alto, Atherton, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Clemente, Pacific Palisades, Escondido, Scottsdale, Seattle, Phoenix, Tempe, Portland, Aspen, Vail, Park City, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Austin, New Orleans, Madison, Detroit, East Hamptons, South Hamptons, Cape May, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cherry Hill, Toms River, Salt lake City, Boise, Denver, Santa Barbaara, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Oceanside, Big Sur, Napa, Sonoma, Sausalito, Danville, Belvedere, Montecito, Palm Springs, Midland, Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Osaka, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Tokyo, Cairo, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Lisbon, Bonn.

Aquascape Consulting, Watershape Consultants, Aqua Designer, Swimming Pool Construction

We provide consulting and design services to property developers, architects, landscape architects, general contractors and swimming pool builders.  

As an internationally recognized expert and leader in the field of swimming pool construction and design, we can offer cutting edge and state of the art construction and design technologies.

Beginning with a site visit and design review, we will consider many items oftentimes overlooked by "pool builders turned designer/consultant."

Prevailing winds, seasonal location of the sun, broadcasted shade, privacy from neighboring properties, lines of sights and view angles - are just a few of the geographic items that we will consider.

Our extensive training, travels, education and knowledge of architecture and construction is unparalleled amongst aquascape designers and consultants.  This allows us to offer economical and innovative solutions to design and construction issues.  

Our open collaboration with other design professionals and architects results in a seamless set of project plans and specifications, that eliminate cost over-runs and change orders. 

Our dedication to the client and their continued operational and maintenance expenses are paramount.  Through functional designs that incorporate the lowest construction and operating expenses, you can be guaranteed that you will have the most trouble free aquascape possible.
 
Paolo Benedetti, SWD, Principal 
Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa 
www.AquaticTechnology.com 
International Swimming Pool Consulting and Design, Aquatic Consulting, Watershape Consultants, Expert Witness, Hydraulic Design, Landscape Architecture, Construction Management 
Office: 408-776-8220 
Email: info@aquatictechnology.com 
Major Markets Serviced: San Francisco, Palo Alto, Atherton, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Clemente, Pacific Palisades, Escondido, Scottsdale, Seattle, Phoenix, Tempe, Portland, Aspen, Vail, Park City, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Austin, New Orleans, Madison, Detroit, East Hamptons, South Hamptons, Cape May, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cherry Hill, Toms River, Salt lake City, Boise, Denver, Santa Barbaara, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Oceanside, Big Sur, Napa, Sonoma, Sausalito, Danville, Belvedere, Montecito, Palm Springs, Midland, Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Osaka, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Tokyo, Cairo, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Lisbon, Bonn.

Dangers of DIY Swimming Pool Builders & .COM Consultants

You are considering building your own pool and being your own contractor.  You have located a "pool construction consultant" who professes to save you thousands of dollars.  They even call themselves a "pool builder."

Hidden Dangers

There are many dangers in hiring an unlicensed "consultant" to assist you to build your own pool.  The potential pitfalls of hiring a DIY swimmingpoolbuilders .com type of business are plentiful.

Lack of Insurance

An unlicensed "consultant" is trying to escape the expenses of running a lawful and legitimate contracting firm.  They do not have the expense of liability insurance, let alone being able to qualify for coverage.

Reputable contractors possess liability insurance to protect you and your property in the event of any calamity.  They also possess insurance certificates from each of their subcontractors as well. 

The T's are crossed and the I's dotted!  Everyone is protected.

Lack of Licensing

Because "consultants" lack the proper licensing, a property owner will have little recourse in the event there are problems.  And, as in most construction projects there will be something that goes wrong. 

Having a State Contractor's license, means that there is a license bond on file with the state.  The State Contractors Board also functions as a consumer protection and enforcement agency, in the event of serious construction defects.

Licensed Contractors must also qualify of a license.  This means that they cannot have prior criminal convictions.  They must have years of of practical experience actually building pools.  They must pass a tests on contractor's law and business practices.  They must also pass a test, ensuring they have a minimum level of knowledge about acceptable workmanship practices of their trade.

How would you know if the on-line "DIY pool builder-consultant" is a convicted child molester, registered sex-offender, ex-con or has prior convictions for fraud ?  

The State Contractor's Licensing Board only has records available for those firms and persons that possess (or possessed) a Contractor's License.  They do not maintain a database of individuals who have been prosecuted for operating without the proper licensing.

This is all for the consumer's protection. 

Liens & Financial Responsibility

Licensed Contractors are required to pay their subcontractors and to obtain lien releases from them.  These protect the property owner from unpaid subcontractors placing liens upon their property.  Even stale liens can taint the title to a property, making a future sale difficult.

Licensed Contractors must maintain a minimum level of financial stability, in order to operate a legitimate contracting firm.

Contact Information

Licensed contractors cannot hide behind a website.  They must publish their physical address, license number, owner's names and their telephone number on all of their web pages and advertisements.  They are not allowed to hide in the crevasses of the Internet.  

Carefully inspect any "consultant's" website.  
Is the name of the responsible person listed?
Is their physical location listed?
Is there a Contractor's License Number shown?

If this information is not listed, how are you going find them when you have to sue them in court?

Worker's Compensation Insurance

Licensed Contractors can only hire subcontractors that possess the proper workers compensation insurance.  They must have copies of these insurance certificates on file before any work begins.

If a subcontractor does not have the proper workers compensation insurance coverage then the PROPERTY OWNER IS LIABLE for any employee injuries that may occur on their project!

If an employee gets cut with a circular saw, falls off a ladder, gets impaled on rebar, becomes buried in a trench, or driven over by a tractor - then the resulting lawsuit and medical bills are the responsibility of the property owner.  And all because of the lack of a piece of paper proving insurance coverage.

Crossing the Line

If a "DIY consultant" designs the pool, provides the engineering, specifies the equipment, schedules the subcontractors, gathers the lien releases, sells the equipment, performs periodic inspections of the work (either in person or via digital pictures) - then they are actually performing the work of a contractor and a LICENSE IS REQUIRED (CSLB Case #620053266).

There are many intricacies of building a swimming pool.  Overlooking a single item can be catastrophic - even deadly.  

Electrocution, suction entrapment, hair entanglement, incorrect floor shapes and slopes, cracked structures, mudslides, damaged building foundations, generic or mail order structural engineering, broken pipes, corroded rebar and substandard shotcrete/gunite are common construction faults and defects.

The Bottom Line

As a DIY owner/builder - Do you know enough about how to build a swimming pool, without asking questions of the subcontractors or idiots on the Internet or DIY websites?

If you answered no, then are you a gambler?
 
Paolo Benedetti, SWD, Principal 

Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa 
 www.AquaticTechnology.com 
International Swimming Pool Consulting and Design, Aquatic Consulting, Watershape Consultants, Expert Witness, Hydraulic Design, Landscape Architecture, Construction Management 
Office: 408-776-8220 
 Email: info@aquatictechnology.com 

Major Markets Serviced: San Francisco, Palo Alto, Atherton, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Clemente, Pacific Palisades, Escondido, Scottsdale, Seattle, Phoenix, Tempe, Portland, Aspen, Vail, Park City, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Austin, New Orleans, Madison, Detroit, East Hamptons, South Hamptons, Cape May, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cherry Hill, Toms River, Salt lake City, Boise, Denver, Santa Barbaara, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Oceanside, Big Sur, Napa, Sonoma, Sausalito, Danville, Belvedere, Montecito, Palm Springs, Midland, Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Osaka, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Tokyo, Cairo, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Lisbon, Bonn.

Heat Bending of Swimming Pool Pipes - Swimming Pool Experts Opinion

Bending PVC pipe by heating it to create bends and turns is acceptable, so long as there is NO DISCERNIBLE signs that the pipe was heated.


Brittleness and Weakness

The PVC pipe should only be heated to the point where the pipe becomes soft enough to bend it in the desired shape.  The pipe diameter should not be reduced or crushed.

The exterior of the pipe should absolutely show no sign that the pipe was heated.  There should be no discoloration, burning or melting of the plastic.

Click on the image to enlarge it:

Burnt PVC swimming pool pipes

Burnt areas of PVC pipes become very brittle and weak.  These areas are susceptible to decay and breakage.  

I don't have to tell you the havoc that can be wreaked upon a swimming pool, hillside slope or pool deck if there are plumbing leaks under or within the concrete structures.  Plus, they are not easy to repair.  The long lasting damage to the pool, property, soils and site are oftentimes irreparable.


Proper Equipment

Using pipe ovens or heat blankets instead of propane torches are temperature controlled methods of heating PVC pipes and conduits.

Failing to keep a torch moving causes burned and scorching of the plastic.  Even a building inspector with a pea brain will reject any burn pipe that they observe.  

Don't risk your project to brittle pipes - insist that they be replaced before they are "set in concrete."

Paolo Benedetti, SWD, Principal

Aquatic Technology Pool and Spa
www.AquaticTechnology.com
International Swimming Pool Consulting and Design, Aquatic Consulting, Watershape Consultants, Expert Witness, Hydraulic Design, Landscape Architecture, Construction Management
Office: 408-776-8220
Email: info@aquatictechnology.com

Major Markets Serviced:
San Francisco, Palo Alto, Atherton, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Malibu, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Clemente, Pacific Palisades, Escondido, Scottsdale, Seattle, Phoenix, Tempe, Portland, Aspen, Vail, Park City, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Austin, New Orleans, Madison, Detroit, East Hamptons, South Hamptons, Cape May, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Cherry Hill, Toms River, Salt lake City, Boise, Denver, Santa Barbaara, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Pebble Beach, Oceanside, Big Sur, Napa, Sonoma, Sausalito, Danville, Belvedere, Montecito, Palm Springs, Midland, Manhattan, Greenwich Village, Osaka, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, London, Seoul, Sydney, New York, Tokyo, Cairo, Istanbul, Athens, Rome, Lisbon, Bonn.