considering new purchase...

[DonnaBos]

I am trying to learn as much as possible about purchasing a new above-ground pool.

I had one growing up, so am familiar with the upkeep. I would like to get something more permanent than the Intex seasonal models.

I went to Namco (larger company in CT) and was quoted the following, and need opinions:

Closeout 15x25x52" Oasis, 10" molded resin top rail
2 yr/ 50 year warranty
20 gauge liner

$2269 pool and liner
2HP motor pump and filter package with automatic cleaner and all hoses, etc ($1500)
Thinking that I would like to upgrade to salt water (SWG?) at some point, maybe next year, so thought the resin would be a better option to avoid any corrosion - all the other pools have steel frames.

The branch manager who made the quote was telling me to expect spending around $150 on chemicals each season.

$1600 for full install by contractor (only gave me one name), includes leveling and sand

I would have a friend help me rent a bobcat to dig the hole - I'd like to get it at least 1/2 way in ground.

Does this even begin to sound reasonable? I called a family-owned business during the week, and he immediately started talking about an above-ground that STARTED at $10,000!! I live in CT, but am a single mom, looking to do this instead of taking the kids away for a vacation this year.

Thanks for your advice....

 

[Suziqzer]

You can likely get by for less money if you buy items individually.

A concern wih buyin a package deal is that a 2hp pump is oversized for the pool and you will spend much more in electricity ha t you need to. It can make a big difference in your electric bill. You will want an over sized filter, saves you from having to clean it as often, and a smaller pump. Many recommend a 2 speed or variable pump, which I wish I had but we bought a used pools and are using what came w/it. It is normal for pool stores to sell larger pumps than needed in pkg deals.. Bigger has to be better, right? Not in the case of a pump.

I would do some more research on pricing and see what you can come up with.

We paid less than that for install, but it was off season and we helped -actually did a lot of the work ourselves Except for using the ground equipment.

 

[DonnaBos]

Thank you for weighing in. I had read about the pump vs. filter - I will talk with the branch manager about that. I'm afraid that I have to depend on the contractor to install - I'm simply not strong enough myself to be much help.

 

[Kias]

Hi! Welcome to TFP!

Go to pool school here, graduate, and the chemical usage he quoted will be way less.

We have about the same size pool. I use maybe fifty bucks a season in chemicals.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[Kias]

Oh, and I have a two speed 3/4 HP pump that I leave running 24/7. The electricity is cheaper than if I ran it on high for eight hours a day. I think that pump was around 500 a couple of years ago.

Or was it 350.. Brain is fuzzy, sorry.

-edit-

Sorry, I looked at my receipt, it was $198.93 delivered. But the place I got it from no longer sells anything but chemicals..

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[DonnaBos]

While saving some money on the yearly maintenance is a good thing, I am more concerned about the thousands of dollars I'm about to spend on purchasing....

For those in the know, does this seem like a good price for the model? What is a recommendation for a filter and pump?

 

[Kias]

The price for the pool sounds about right, for my area anyway. But, as been said, that 2 HP pump is way oversized. My pool was doing just fine on a 1/2 HP, but I went to 3/4 because I wanted a two speed, and that's the smallest two speed I could find.

You'll still want the maintenance kit with the pole, net, and brush etc... What kind of automatic pool cleaner is in that quote?

The rule of thumb is, get the smallest pump you need, which in your case would be right around 3/4HP, but get the largest filter you can afford.

What filter is in that quote?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

 

[DonnaBos]

The filtration system is 22" sand filter with 2HP pump. The auto cleaner is called a Kokido zap vac.

Looking at the ads, they also offer a 150 sq. ft. element filter, or a 67 GPM DE filter (all with the same pump) for the same price.

 

[Durf]

2 speed pump is the best way I run mine 24 hours a day on low.

 

[Suziqzer]

I don't know anything about an "element filter". Some here prefer the DE to the sand because it filters to a smaller micron. I'm just fine with my sand filter. I have considered doing what some do and adding a small amount of DE to my sand filter so it will filter out finer particles, but that's really just because my pool takes so little maintenance that it would make me feel like I was doing something more.

I think it all comes down to preference. Others may chime in and say why they prefer one over the other.

I've not heard of the vac they are talking about. We just use a hand held. We tried one automatic one, a Diver Dave, but he doesn't work well for us. We haven't decided on trying another one yet.

 

[linen]

I think the "element" filter is a cartridge filter, the size also suggests this.

That pool you listed is about 9800 gallons...so not real big. Although a bigger filter is generally better, our tfp recommendations would be 1.9 sq. ft. (~18 inches in diameter) minimum sand filter, or 148 sq. ft. minimum cartridge filter, or 14 sq. ft minimum DE filter.

If you can defiently ditch the 2 hp pump and go with something smaller such as a single speed 3/4 hp pump or a <1 hp 2 speed pump.

 

[DonnaBos]

OK, went and spoke with another pool company, although locally, family-owned. The prices are right around the same thing. They also do a 1 HP pump, said that the law in CT and CA requires that all new sales are for high-efficiency, energy-star rated pumps that use little electricity.
The other place must be a 1 HP pump, not 2...going through all the ads, they all say 1 HP.

Now, I really have to look at my budget. I had hoped to get the whole thing done around the 3G mark - didn't take into consideration that installation was going to be half of that! The manager at Namco did give me the manufacturers installation directions, so I could ask one of the guys I know if he wanted to take it on. The manager also said that most of it was easy, except for getting the liner in without too many wrinkles. Installing just the liner would be about $400 vs $1600 for a complete install (including leveling and sand).