re: OT Pool Owners- Questions

Salt
Gunite

Are you saying 5-6 feet deep or wide? You want what's called a cocktail pool. Something to stand and have a drink in.

I had a large gunite, 20 year old pool at my last house. We loved it and it was beautiful (nice deep, slate color), but the age of the equipment and the gunite surface made it a lot of work. It was chlorine... sand filter. I was constantly battling algae and clarity issues.

I just put in a pool at our new home in May. We put in a small, 'Roman' shaped fiberglass pool. It is also chlorine, but has a cartridge filter. So far, it has been virtually maintenance free. I usually vacuum it once a weekend, and its all good. It's always sparkling clear. I think its a combo of modern pumps & filters, plus the fact that algae is not able to attach to the surface as easily as gunite.

I have heard horror stories with salt systems tearing up plumbing the other pool equipment. We did our pool for about $50k, all told, and it was put in, in less than 2 weeks.

Smaller is better. Easier to keep clean.
Best advice in this thread.

Salt, chlorine doesn't matter.

Don't do it. They are expensive to build and a pain to maintain.

If you're going to take the plunge, don't go the SWG route. Chlorinate your pool with tablets and liquid bleach. Make sure your builder locates your pump in an inconspicuous spot where you won't hear it as much. Finally, shop around before deciding on a pool builder. Mosr use the same subs and offer the same warranties.

quote:

---

My husband

---

quote:

---

says that if he were to die I could learn

---

well thats good to know since it could very well happen since

quote:

---

copper ion system

---

is too slow in killing bacteria and viruses to prevent disease transmission



chlorine4life

I bought a house with a 30k gunite pool, chlorine, sand filter, and a Letro pool cleaner.

I had landscaping around it but no deciduous trees (only palms, small shrubs & ornamentals).

I could go away from it for a week and the only maintenance it might need would be to have the strainers cleaned.

I would turn over the water with the main pump at least three times per day in the Summer. This is very important to proper pool chemistry and filtration.

It took me the first year to get it dialed in, after that I never used the test kit.

I changed the sand media exactly once, after Katrina put salt water in the pool.

I could go three or four days in the winter not checking it at all.

It was nice to move away from it because it is one less thing.

Keys-
Minimum foliage in or around it
Do not skimp on running the main pump
Get a good auto-chlorinator
Get an auto pool cleaner

Had mine 12 years, originally salt, now chlorine. would rather have salt. Unless you plan on swimming laps I would recommend a smaller pool. Kids have just as much fun in a smaller one as a larger one. We have a liner, which after seeing a neighbor go thru hades with a gunite resurfacing I am glad we have a liner. Ours is 35000 gallons, wish we would have gone with about 20000. The deep end doesnt get used as much, kinda wish it was all about 4 foot. Definately get a pump that pumps out water behind the liner...dont know what they are called, but we dont have one.

We used Cajun Pools in Breaux Bridge, and would use them again. The manufacturer is Leisure Pools. Both have good websites. I think LP is out of DFW, and one of the largest manufacturers in the world.