Hello TFP! This is my first post!
We recently bought a house with a 22,000 gallon in-ground pool from the mid-70s that is in okay condition, but needs resurfacing. It has stains, chips, and a big mark (rusted rebar?). We have trees with a lot of leaves and pine needles. We have a baby, so we need a fence or mesh barrier (we have an old fence from the seller. I've attached photos of some stains, chips, and the big (possibly rust) mark. Equipment: Hayward Pro-Grid DE filter. Hayward RS 750 pump. Aquabot turbo. Solar pool cover.
I have a few questions for your collective knowledge and experience:
- I'm trying to make the pool (and house) lower maintenance, and I'm happy to buy even expensive stuff to help save time. What does everyone suggest to cut maintenance time?
- I need to replaster in the next few years. What will this cost? I'm thinking of getting something more durable than plaster. What will this cost? Any suggestins other than Pebble-Tec? Will our trees stain Pebble-Tec, so I should stick to a cheap material?
- To save time, I think I'd like a saltwater generator. I gather it will cost about $1000 installed for a good one, plus $400 every 4 years for a new cell. Any thoughts?
- I have a single speed pump that uses $80 of electricity per month in the summer (half that in the winter). I think a variable-speed pump will pay for itself. I have a friend who runs his at low flow 24 hours/day, and I'd like to do the same. I expect it to also cost $1000. Any thoughts?
- There is no heater (though there is a capped gas hook-up). I'm thinking of going solar thermal. Any thoughts?
- I have an Aquabot with a broken timer (I sit a rock on the switch and it runs until I turn it off). It gets stuck on the VGB anti-vortex drain I installed, on the thermometer, sometimes even steps perhaps every other hour. Are there better vacuums? Can I leave in all the time? When I resurface, should I get a suction-side port installed, and do I need a special pump for such a vacuum?
- We live near San Jose CA, so there's not much of a winter though the pool is too cold to swim. Can I close pool to save maintenance, chlorine, and pump cost, or is it easier to leave the pool open?
- I'd love an automatic pool cover, but because of the swim-out I do not think there is enough space (we have a small yard). Any options? (I've even considered filling the swim-out -- I don't think it could be converted into a spa.)
We recently bought a house with a 22,000 gallon in-ground pool from the mid-70s that is in okay condition, but needs resurfacing. It has stains, chips, and a big mark (rusted rebar?). We have trees with a lot of leaves and pine needles. We have a baby, so we need a fence or mesh barrier (we have an old fence from the seller. I've attached photos of some stains, chips, and the big (possibly rust) mark. Equipment: Hayward Pro-Grid DE filter. Hayward RS 750 pump. Aquabot turbo. Solar pool cover.
I have a few questions for your collective knowledge and experience:
- I'm trying to make the pool (and house) lower maintenance, and I'm happy to buy even expensive stuff to help save time. What does everyone suggest to cut maintenance time?
- I need to replaster in the next few years. What will this cost? I'm thinking of getting something more durable than plaster. What will this cost? Any suggestins other than Pebble-Tec? Will our trees stain Pebble-Tec, so I should stick to a cheap material?
- To save time, I think I'd like a saltwater generator. I gather it will cost about $1000 installed for a good one, plus $400 every 4 years for a new cell. Any thoughts?
- I have a single speed pump that uses $80 of electricity per month in the summer (half that in the winter). I think a variable-speed pump will pay for itself. I have a friend who runs his at low flow 24 hours/day, and I'd like to do the same. I expect it to also cost $1000. Any thoughts?
- There is no heater (though there is a capped gas hook-up). I'm thinking of going solar thermal. Any thoughts?
- I have an Aquabot with a broken timer (I sit a rock on the switch and it runs until I turn it off). It gets stuck on the VGB anti-vortex drain I installed, on the thermometer, sometimes even steps perhaps every other hour. Are there better vacuums? Can I leave in all the time? When I resurface, should I get a suction-side port installed, and do I need a special pump for such a vacuum?
- We live near San Jose CA, so there's not much of a winter though the pool is too cold to swim. Can I close pool to save maintenance, chlorine, and pump cost, or is it easier to leave the pool open?
- I'd love an automatic pool cover, but because of the swim-out I do not think there is enough space (we have a small yard). Any options? (I've even considered filling the swim-out -- I don't think it could be converted into a spa.)