How far is too far - Distance from house to pool

RV10 · Feb 20, 2017

Hello all,

We've just bought a new house on 5 acres in Senoia, GA. It's a new build and the septic lines are in the back yard, starting ~50 away from the house, running parallel to the back of the house. Of course, we'd like to put an inground pool in that runs parallel to the back of the house. I measured it out yesterday and judging from indentation of the last field line, it appears that the pool will have to be about 110' from the back of the house. It's on 5 acres so we have plenty of room. Just curious of what to be aware of and the experiences of those with the pools not real close to the house.

I plan to build a 40x30 shop plus a 10 foot porch facing the pool with bath facilities so that should help with the distance but it sure seems far back. Obviously, we could have new field lines put in but don't really want that additional expense on top of new house, new pool and new shop.

Your experiences are appreciated.

Regards,
Doug

BTW, likely going with a Tallman Fiberglass pool, 16x37. Being close to the factory, we stopped by last Friday and were given a tour of the plant. Interesting process of building a FG pool.

salty87 · Feb 20, 2017

We have a grove of oak trees in our 'backyard'...on 10 acres. Septic lines/tank are on the side of the house or that could have worked. For those reasons we opted to build the pool on the front side of the house. It's probably about 60' away from the front door. Very welcoming sight when coming home. The windows on the front of our house just happened to offer a better view too so the pool is more of a feature. Works for us. With larger lots the definitions of front and back yard can become a little blurry.

Good luck with your planning and project.

domct203 · Feb 20, 2017

Welcome to TFP!

Straight, horizontal runs of pipe have very little effect on the pumps head (or ability to push water), elbows, ball valves, rooftop solar, etc are much worse.

Also, will the pump's location rise or drop below the water level in the pool? While pumps rated for inground pools are rated to self prime (draw water up into the pump that sits above water level), the more rise the more difficult it is for the pump to prime.

Rsmith · Feb 20, 2017

Welcome to TFP. I think your first concern in Senoia would be a fence tall enough to keep the walkers out. :brickwall:

RV10 · Feb 20, 2017

Rsmith said:
Welcome to TFP. I think your first concern in Senoia would be a fence tall enough to keep the walkers out.

This is true!!

induce · Mar 15, 2017

Doug,

IMHO, consider moving the septic system. Pool/Shop/backyard stuff are big projects. Put em where you want them now.
We have moved two septic systems for pools and glad we did both times. If you have the soil site, you will be glad you did in the long run.

pooldv · Mar 15, 2017

Our pool is a little ways off from the house. Maybe 50'-60'. Pics in my pool thread, link in sig. Can the pool be by the shop? Put a porch on the shop for the pool and you can put the equipment behind it and save an electric run too. A quick sketch of your layout might get some creative help from some folks.

bmoreswim · Mar 15, 2017

Our pool is 85' behind our house as the crow flies. But to walk to it, the paths are 110' and 150'. It couldn't have been any closer for us (or further for that matter). We had to go out past the basketball court and down a hill, but before the septic field. The solid septic pipe goes on the side of the pool to the tank. For our usage, we really like it. I'm a super outdoor person. I really enjoy being able to use the space between the house and pool for things that frankly happen more often than swimming; playing with the dogs, playing all manner of catch with the kids, basketball (year-round), etc. The best thing I can say about the location is that when I go to the pool, it feels like I'm getting away from things. The house is like a distant memory when I'm there. I'm not tempted to run in and do a load of laundry (HA - just wanted to see if you were paying attention - my better half does that - and I'm grateful), do some quick household task, or basically attend to anything that feels like real life. I can be totally away from it all. It's not uncommon for me to go to the pool and spend 3 or more hours down there without going back to the house. If the kids want me, they have to come outside, at least to the deck and find me. It's not for everyone, and we are in Maryland where our pool season is much shorter. But I honestly prefer the distance. So to answer your question, 130' of walking distance is not too far for us. You can see the particulars of our site, and Google Earth view in our build thread - link is in my signature.