New Inground Pool Owner in Texas

[pcarman]

Hello everyone. My wife and I just moved into a great home in Texas with an inground pool. As far as we can tell the pool was installed
in 1982. The pool inspection we had performed prior to the purchase was mostly favorable. It noted good plaster, pump, aux pump, DE
filter. The aux pump is for a cleaner, that was missing. We just purchased a Polaris 280. There is also a spa without a heater. Heater
was removed but gas plumbing remains. The inspection company gave us quotes for heater, spa light (existing one was not working) and
the Polaris 280. The $3,000 for the MasterTemp 400 is lot of money in my opinion. But what do I know? Anyway my goals are to understand
and learn as much as I can so I can make informed decisions and save some money doing as much as possible myself.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Tom in Texas

 

[JayBauman]

Welcome to the board!

Depending on configuration, you can buy that heater for as low as $1500, so it would seem that they are charging you quite some "pool tax" for installation. First, you have to decide if you will really use the spa, which will go a long way to helping you decide how to justify the expense. If you think you'll really use it, shop around. You should be able to find a much better installed price than what you've been quoted.

 

[kriv]

Tom, I was in your spot 7 years ago when I moved into a house with a pool in Plano. This website is amazing for helping you to understand what is going on with your pool which will save you $$.

The light isn't hard to change as long as the screw in the cover isn't frozen.


I suggest talking to a pool repair company or two and see how their estimate lines up with the inspection company. 1 stop pool supply on Spring Creek is also a good honest pool store in the area if you are looking for somewhere to see some of those heaters in person.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Pcarman,
Welcome to TFP.

You have come to the right place for learning how to care for your own pool.

In order to know what your pool water doesnt or does not need, you will need to get yourself a very reliable water test kit. Most of us here use the TFP 100 test kit. Its the best value for the money that is available on the market. Here is a link to them. www.tftestkits.net

Next, in order to know which chemical does what, and what your water is supposed to be (chemical wise), click on the large POOL SCHOOL button at the top of the page. Start with the ABC's of pool chemistry.
http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/123-abc-of-pool-water-chemistry

No one expects you to perfectly absorb all of the chemistry right away, so feel free to ask any quesitons you have about it.