Aluminum or steel wall ???

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wbilotta

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Jul 17, 2012
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Hopefully this is the correct place for this question. We're shopping and we have two different stores quoting us on 27' above ground pool. One has an aluminum wall, the other is coated steel. The aluminum pool comes with a Waterway pump/filter setup, the steel has a Wayward setup.

Is aluminum or steel better ? My neighbor asked how strong is the aluminum when someone kicks off to swim ? Which filter setup is better, Waterway or Wayward ?

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
One thing to consider might be whether you will consider a SWG (saltwater chlorine generator) in the future. Check with the pool manufacturers if it voids the warranty. I would think the steel manufacturer may not like the salt, but the aluminum may not care as much.

Beyond that I know little about AG pools.
 
Aluminum doesn't rust but it will corrode. Corrosion is just as bad as rust where the life span is concerned. We have built both and one will survive about as well as the other. The biggest factor is how well you take care of it. IMO go with the hayward system over the waterway system.
 
What brands are the pools?

Do they have resin bottom rails, risers and top seats?... or steel? ... or a mix? I think I prefer Resin, no chance of rusting or corroding.

I guess I would prefer steel walls as opposed to Aluminum in that I think they would have more strength when being pressed down, like on top of the seat cap. If rust and corrosion are similar factors, I prefer steel. I have steel walls and the only ruse I have seen was round the skimmer mouth. None inside or outside the walls in general.

Waterway and Hayward are pump/filter manufacturers, not the pool maker. I prefer Hayward also.

I forgot, I think about 50% of the pool's cost is in the equipment and liner. These are not typically made by the pool manufacturer.

I would think the warranty and quality of the pump and filter to be more important. The walls are essentially a long steel band with some screws holding it together with top and bottom rails. The liner is a large piece of PVC that may or may not leak and if you get more than x years or it is damaged by humans, it's not covered, and if it is, does the warranty include installation?

The pump and filter need to work everyday for the life of the pool. They need to be sized correctly or you are forever maintaining it. If you are sold a "minimum/builders/value setup" you will be working on it all the time. If you size the equipment based on the recommendations here, you will get a trouble free pool.

I am not an expert, just someone who wanted to give you some things to think about.
 
Mine is all aluminum (lots of it) and very strong, made by Johnny Weissmuller. Also must be all of 20 years old so they probably don't make them like they used to. I'm the second owner, I got it free because the previous owner was done with it and didn't want to buy a new liner. The lady said it was top of the line for an AGP back then. I also like Hayward, they seem to have pump parts for all their old models which means they don't just phase them out like some brands (Proline in my case).
 
Techguy, just noticed in your sig you have an Aquabug. Does that thing work well? I don't mind vacuuming but there's better things I could be doing. I have one of the Baracuda type ones but it always gets stuck on my steps and misses a lot.
 
My bug runs circles on the floor of the pool and it takes her about two hours. I don't ever vacuum manually. I just attach the hoses, sink her to floor of the pool, and turn on the pump. I have a DE filter and if the floor is dirty, she will plug the filter and the pressures will max out if 15 minutes or less. I bump the DE and away she goes.

I am planning on doing this tonight, I need to change the DE anyway. Today, the DE is so dirty, I can only run the skimmer for 1 hour before needing to bump. When I do it this way with a dirty filter, I will work on other yard projects while she is running. I can hear the difference in the pump and I can adjust the eyeball to make more noise...less noise? time to bump or clean the filter. The last time I changed the DE (cellulose actually) was June 1st.

If the filter is clean and the debris is light, I can run her overnight and she gets 100% of the debris.
 
Nice, I see one on CL for $50. I also use DE, may be the same unit as yours or the older version. it has a bunch of bolts around the rim so you can take it apart, the newer ones look easier to deal with. It's kinda funny how it is because mine seems to eventually settle itself to where I hardly have to bump unless I have a ton of junk to suck up. At the beginning of the year I had to change the DE multiple times in a week to clear the pool of all the pollen. I haven't changed it since. I bump it when the pressure creeps up or I feel the flow is a bit low. Otherwise, I really like how clean it makes the water.
 
The aluminum pool is being offered by American Sale and it's an Impulse made by Vogue. The steel pool is sold by The Great Escape and it's a Sentinelle made by WilBar. The aluminum comes with the Waterway filter, the steel comes with Hayward.

The top and bottom plates are resin as are the uprights on both pools.
 

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What king of pump and filter? We have a Waterway 2 speed pump with Cartridge, it does a mighty fine job filtration and the 2-speed is very nice for both energy usage and noise (I hate when you can hear the pump when swimming, but on low you cannot). Generally Hayward is a more preferred and recognized brand, but Waterway certainly is not a bad choice!

The resin plates and uprights at least are the way to go. Our old pool at the old house had an Aluminum top track and plates, what a pain that was, especially when they bent.
 
Mike,I would get it for$50. Parts are easy to get.

OP.. It appear both Vogue and the sentenelle are both owned by Wilbar. They also own AquaLeader and several other brands. I don't know if they differentiate the brands and manufacturing or are they all versions of the same product when it comes to steel walled pools. some lines, like Sharkline have some all metal lines and some all resin products... And some blended
 
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