Anybody have advice on swimming pools for home...

[rtimgray]

We have talked about installing a swimming pool at our home for several years, and now we are talking a lot more seriously about it. Years ago, we visited some local pool shops and got some pricing on both above ground and in ground pools. We've let the idea linger for quite a while, but now that our home addition is coming to an end (by next spring), we are looking to do another project, and everybody in the immediate family is in favor of a pool.

Right now, our idea is for an above ground pool that will be semi-recessed into a hillside (make a level surface for it with retaining walls on the uphill side) and then build a deck with fence around it. Our intended uses will be swimming for both leisure and excercise, so we are leaning towards a oval pool. I've just been looking around online for a week or two and as a result have far more questions than I did before.

I was wondering if anybody on here has experience with pools, above ground or otherwise, and if they could offer some advice on the subject. It seems that shopping for a pool is alot like shopping for a tractor, because I have a lot of the same questions:

1. Local dealers vs. online retailers?
2. Any recommended brands?
3. Materials of constructions: aluminum, steel, resin, other?
4. Chemistry advice?

That's kind of the top line questions. Any advice anyone has I would love to hear.

Thanks.

 

[Jimbrown]

I have never owned an above ground pool but have owned 4 in ground. I don't think I have ever delt with an honest pool installer. Some how things just never work out the way the are supposed to.

I kinda look at above ground pools as temporary and disposable which is good in a way as I assure you that you will get tired of messing with it.

If you really plan to keep it for 5 years or more buy high quality pumps and filters. Plan their location carefully. The things are noisy and you don't want to have to listen to them when inside the house. Plus the are ugly.

Buy a good automatic pool cleaner.

The newest chem system is salt with a device to convert it to chlorine. I have not used one and use powdered chlorine.

I had one fiberglass pool I don't like them. I don't care what they claim you will get fiberglass shards from the edges.

 

[Bird]

I don't think I have ever delt with an honest pool installer.

:laughing:In 1978, we had our one and only in ground pool built. Of course in Dallas there were a number of companies to select from, but I knew a former police sergeant who was in the business of doing the electrical work for pool companies, and he had a pool in his own yard. So I called him for advice. I'll never forget what he said. It doesn't make a lot of difference which company you use. There's not a %#@&& in the business that won't lie to you and you'll want to kill'em before you go swimming!

I don't know about now, but at that time it was customary for the contract to call for one-third payment when the hole was dug in the yard, one-third when the material (filter, pump, railing, etc.) was delivered, and the final third on completion. The only thing that saved me was the fact that I told the salesman he had to change that contract to single payment the day I went swimming, and he did that.

I would never wish our pool building experience on anyone. I noticed a neighbor had a big hole in their back yard for 2 years.

 

[radioman]

When I moved here , it had a above ground pool. I never had a pool and never experienced having one. But I can tell you that the last 13 years has taught me alot. This year is the first year I ever had a problem due to unusual colder winter and have ice damage so I am looking into replacing the pool now. The pool manufacture for my current pool has gone out of business and I cant get parts for it anymore. My insurance denied my claim saying ice is not covered for damages so I am looking at footing the bill completely myself to replace it. I am currently liking the sharkline pool as it has a 60 year warranty and I never heard of a above ground pool lasting that long.

I can tell you this much -- if you dont have a good base for the pool and just throw sand on the ground for base, you will see little problems pop up after 5-10 years esp on clay soil. The installers will not be around 5-10 years or they will have changed business names so you will be out of luck.

As for chemistry - I have compiled a short tricks /tips for myself to save money on chemicals.I hope my notes helps others. I posted this in my notes section in facebook:

This is a summary of pool chemicals information I have gleaned and/or plagiarized for my taking care of my pool.
Disclaimer - I am not an expert, nor am I a perfect being. Let me know if there are mistakes and I'll correct them.

1. Never fight pool's PH. Always work with its natural PH.
2. The ideal pool PH is 7.2 to 7.4
3. IF your copper levels is at .02 ppm or higher, you shouldn't mess with the pool's PH levels.
4. Is alkalinity low? check ph first. Before you attempt to raise the alkalinity levels first get the PH level at 7.6 or higher
5. When you raise the PH, add chemicals into skimmer. When you lower the PH lowering chemicals, never add to skimmer.
6. If you have an above ground pool with vinyl liner, calcium is not needed.
7. When shocking your pool, stay away from diclor or triclor chemicals.
8. Always use non organic form of chlorine to shock the pool. Use calcium hypoclorite (HTH) or sodium hypoclorite (bleach or liquid chlorine)
9. If you are using bleach - avoid name brand clorox as it has "goo" in it. Always use generic brand that is unscented. The scented stuff has goo in it and I wouldn't want that stuff in my pool. Look carefully on the bottle active ingredients and make sure its 6% bleach not the expensive crappy 4 percent stuff.
10. before backwashing - always shock and adjust the alkalinity levels first!
11. Don't let stabilizer level drop below 30 ppm.
12. There is no need to run to the pool place and pay for premium price for same stuff you can get at super walmart and use common everyday products.
Need to shock? use walmart 6% bleach
Need to raise PH? use borax or the 20 mule team
Need to raise the alkanity? use baking soda
Unfortunately to add stablizers, you need to go to pool section or place thanks to your local government regulations .
algaecide - again you need to go to pool section or pool place
13. algaecide works best when you have chlorine in pool because it strips away the cell walls of algae so chlorine can do its job. SO this being said - shock and use algaecide same time.

 

[furnone]

We have talked about installing a swimming pool at our home for several years, and now we are talking a lot more seriously about it. Years ago, we visited some local pool shops and got some pricing on both above ground and in ground pools. We've let the idea linger for quite a while, but now that our home addition is coming to an end (by next spring), we are looking to do another project, and everybody in the immediate family is in favor of a pool.


,
Right now, our idea is for an above ground pool that will be semi-recessed into a hillside (make a level surface for it with retaining walls on the side) and then build a deck with fence around it. Our intended uses will be swimming for both leisure and excercise, so we are leaning towards a oval pool. I've just been looking around online for a week or two and as a result have far more questions than I did before.

I was wondering if anybody on here has experience with pools, above ground or otherwise, and if they could offer some advice on the subject. It seems that shopping for a pool is alot like shopping for a tractor, because I have a lot of the same questions:

1. Local dealers vs. online retailers?
2. Any recommended brands?
3. Materials of constructions: aluminum, steel, resin, other?
4. Chemistry advice?

That's kind of the top line questions. Any advice anyone has I would love to hear.

Thanks.

We live in CT and have practically the same setup you describe. We bought a Johnny Weismuller extruded aluminum interlocking panel pool in 1990, with a Hayward sand filter and it is still in excellent condition. I don't think JW pools are still available but the parent company, Esther Williams, may be.

Friends and family have seen their steel or sheet aluminum pools collapse and die decades ago, while ours continues almost like new.

We bought the 18 x 33' x 54" deep pool at Namco Pools in Danbury, CT for $4,000 in 1990' less a $20 discount when they bet me that I could not fit the entire pool package in the back of my Saab hatchback...

If I were to buy another pool today, I would only seriously consider extruded aluminum. We have replaced the liner twice over the years, only because of staining from leaves. The contractor who originally installed it did an excellent and on time job, both then and for the two liner replacements.

 

[RDrancher]

Above or in-ground? It really depends on where you're located and what kind of soils exist there. If you really want an in-ground, are you talking gunite/shotcrete, fiberglass, or liner?

Back in the late seventies I was on a pool dig crew in SoCal. In the summers we dug a pool a day for gunite/shotcrete pools. Flash forward to the late 80's and 90's and I owned a concrete company in the same area. I had one crew specifically set up to set deck/skimmer drains, coping and concrete decks. We were very meticulous in out work and never did have a callback, but I heard of all kinds of horror stories from pool company salesmen and especially their customers. Pool companies are notorious for getting a lot of money up front, dragging their feet during the build...blaming subcontractors and then holding funds from the subs for as long as possible. Upon arriving at a new pool to do our work, it was the norm to hear, "What took you guys so long to get here?" from the customers. Chasing pool company payments was just as typical.

In the mid 90's, I built two start-to-finish shotcrete pools for relatives. With good subs and no pool company in the way, both went off without a hitch. When I moved here to Texas (where expansive soil is prevalent), I started advertising for epoxy injection and immediately began to get calls from pool owners and pool contractors to repair cracked and leaking gunite pools. I worked on three or four, but it was pretty apparent that most of the problems stemmed from bad dirt in the dig and poor drainage plans, so I dropped that portion of my business. Too much liability and too many headaches.

I've had one shotcrete and one fiberglass pool at my own homes, but these days its inexpensive above ground pools for me. I purchased a pretty decent pump and filter, and buy a new liner pool every three years or so. It's cheaper that way. If I were going to go with an in-ground these days, it would be a framed liner pool.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would never own a house with a pool, they are just a hole to pour money into. It is just too much work to keep up for so little benefit. Lots of folks do like them though, but installation cost is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cost to maintain and the time needed to do it.
I would suggest that you go with an above ground pool to see if you are going to be able to keep it up. Less money invested in something that you may find out that you don't want it later. Also if installing an above ground pool, make sure that you sterilize the soil so nothing grow, especially nutgrass as it will grow right thru a plastic liner.

 

[Walkin Horse]

My two happiest days with a pool was the day I got it and the day I took a sawzall to it. I like a hot tub. Easier to clean and maintain.

 

[rtimgray]

Hey, thanks to everyone for the responses so far. Here's a couple of things to clarify:

1. We're pretty much set on an above-ground pool, somewhere in the range between 18x30 and 20x40. I've read that pools are alot like tractors and pole barns - nobody ever got one and said "Wow, I should have gotten a smaller one." There also seems to be an economy of scale - the price per square foot goes down. Size is not a constraint for us, because we have plenty of room in our backyard.

2. The pool will be located probably about 100' to 150' from the house and we are planning a pool maintenance building as well. We have ready access to electrical and water to serve the area.

3. I'm planning on doing as much of the install as possible. My plan (always subject to change) is to level off an area about 5' bigger than the pool is going to be all around and do the surface prep. I've seem some folks say to install it on level ground, some on sand, some on concrete, some using some sort of base-board (I think like foam insulation maybe). I don't know what's the best, but I do plan for it to be a long term investment, so a few more bucks up front will be okay.

4. My wife and I used to lap swim for exercise at a local gym when we got a free membership through my work, but that has expired, so we don't do it anymore, but we both enjoy swimming and so do the kids. I'm guessing we will only be able to use the poll for 4-5 months out of the year, but hopefully it will be thoroughly used during those times.

5. Anybody experienced with saltwater pools? Is that a new thing?

6. I'm really curious on the material - looks like one vote for extruded aluminum, which seems to be the middle price between steel and resin.

I've talked to several folks at work here that have pools, and they say many of the same things that posters have: there is a significant upkeep cost, but if you like the convenience of swimming/relaxing in your backyard, it's tough to beat. They all have above ground pools, FWIW.

Thanks again - looking forward to getting more comments.

Good luck and take care.

 

[forgeblast]

We have a small above ground. It has a tubular frame and we take it down in the winter. Its just enough, doesn't even have a sand filter just a skimmer filter.