New pool.... plumbing and equipment considerations

[PoolDoc]

I assume you're considering a concrete pool? You can't drain a fiberglass pool in flat ground, except in arid areas, and you can't drain a vinyl pool at all.

+ Pools can function with or without a main drain, but it's much harder to drain the pool without one. A MD also improves circulation; without one the deep end can be rather static. Do they help with cleaning? Not so much.

+ If you have leaf and seed debris, definitely get a pressure side cleaner with its own bag. Only those cleaners have the capacity do hold a fair quantity of leaves without stopping anything else up. A pressure side cleaner also improves circulation, so if you have one, a MD doesn't matter as much. (But you still can't drain the pool without one!)

+ All 3 majors have some good equipment and some junk, though I personal prefer Pentair & Hayward to Jandy.

+ The more skimmers, the better you'll collect leaves, etc.

[jrbrown]

Thanks. Pool will be vinyl. Need to be able to drain below the returns for winterizing.

[PoolDoc]

It's a lot easier with a main drain. Otherwise, you'll have to have a separate pump just for the task.

You *ALSO* need air-tight valve on the skimmer line; otherwise, when you try to drain the pool, you'll suck air out of the skimmer, and lose prime. Individual ball valves on the MD and skimmer lines would be good -- but one caution: ball valves trap water in BOTH the closed and the full open position. To winterize them, you have to put the handles on a 45 degree angle.