I'm in the process of building an in ground lap pool out of an old 40' shipping container. It's an off grid install. About 13,000 gallons when full. There is no heater or spa associated with it as I live in Costa Rica and it's always hot, so cold water is what I want in the pool.
The first question is skimmer placement and returns (as there is no deep vs shallow end) One idea is to place a skimmer on one side in the middle, 20' from each end and circulate around the 2 ends. The other is to place a skimmer at each end? As for returns, it sems a combination of units closer to the bottom and ones at the top would work better for a 6' depth. Maybe 2 drains somewhere in the middle of the floor, maybe 6' apart?
For a pump, I'm looking to use a 1 HP DC solar panel powered unit? I don't have a grid tie option. I think they are single speed. The equipment room could easily be at the level of the bottom of the pool to minimize head, though a pump large enough to divert water 50' uphill to my water tank would be good in case of water shortage, though I could wire in a different pump for that purpose only, as it would infrequent.
For filter I'm leaning towards a cartridge type. I also want to use an ozonation unit to keep chemical use to a minimum. I want ot be able to run the pool water through an RO unit if needed to back-up my dry season water supply inside my house. The system I am looking at includes an air dryer to dehumidify the air, the O3 unit, and a contact tank for proper mixing.
Alo thinking of a suction side pool vacuum, though the port may be fine and manual cleaning vs trying to use one of the robots. the side walls are ribbed so I doubt they will clean the walls very well.
I'm assuming I can use skimmers, returns, drains and other through wall components used in vinyl or fiberglass pools, the ones that have gaskets front and back. These would be placed within custom steel frames with steel faceplates and welded into the walls as needed. There is no liner. The welding is the waterproofing and primer will keep it from rusting. I'm replacing all the wood floor panels with welded steel plate. This project is under construction. There are no permit requirements.
Any suggestions on design/ placement of parts/specs etc are appreciated. I would buy the components through Inyo and fly to FL to pick them up or have them shipped out of Miami.
With thanks to any experts who wish to chime in...
