Fudgebar's pool build- have a lot of questions...

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Lori, have you searched TFP? There are plenty of such discussions in the pool build forum. This post is seeming off topic of such a long thread :roll:

I know you have a lot of questions, but I think you will need to take this one step at a time. Have you made the basic decisions yet, fiberglass or vinyl? Cart or Sand or DE? If you search BK406's posts, I know he has recently discussed backfill...and no matter what you do, all concrete decking will eventually develop cracks...just some more noticable than others. You could alternately just use pavers all the way around.

Please realize that our members are from all over the world, so what may have worked best for them, may not be the best advice for the NJ area. That said, you need to get as many quotes as possible from pool builders...they are the experts! But 1st you need to decide on the basics, then get as many quotes from reputable builders and specify what you are looking for and eventually you will see a trend emerge...eg type of backfill/filter/swg etc. Once you are at that point, if you want to bounce it off of us for an opinion...we'll be here :goodjob:

Unfortunately, you have asked us so many different questions in such a short period of time that are quite frankly all over the place. I know I am confused when reading all the different posts and varied opinions that I have a hard time understanding how this is going to help you narrow down your pool choice?
 
Can anyone recommend a good cartridge based filter?....

Can anyone recommend a good cartridge based filter?....Are they all relatively the same quality or are is there one preffered over the other?

Im thinking about a Hayward Star Clear or the Swim Clear (not sure what the differences are) My research has led me to beleive I need about a 100-150sq ft system for a 14x28 rectangle pool which is about 15,000 gal

Any recommendations?


thanks

Lori
 
Re: D.E. or Cartridge with SWG?

fudgebar said:
Can anyone recommend a good cartridge based filter?....Are they all relatively the same quality or are is there one preffered over the other?

Im thinking about a Hayward Star Clear or the Swim Clear (not sure what the differences are) My research has led me to beleive I need about a 100-150sq ft system for a 14x28 rectangle pool which is about 15,000 gal

Any recommendations?


thanks

Lori
Click to expand...

I can't say what the difference are between star clear or swim clear but I'm happy by the way my swim clear has performed so far.
I have about the same capacity in my pool and I have a 425 sq ft and I woulden't go under that size if I were you. Despite what other has told me can I feel that the power from the outlets has decreased quite a bit from 1,5 month of usage and I use skimmer socks. I don't think I need to clean it yet but as I said I have a over dimensioned filter for my pool.
I would still choose a cartridge filter if I would build me a new pool, the only thing I regret is that I didn't orderd a spare set of carts to trade with.
 
Re: D.E. or Cartridge with SWG?

Henry, thanks for the advice....I actually am staying in Palm Springs, CA on vacation this week so I was able to get a first hand demonstration of the rental house pool guy servicing a Swim Clear Cartridge filter. So I got to see how easy it was to just pull the 4 filters out and house them down....However, my only concern is that the pool guy needed a few tools to open the top. he used a socket wrench to unscrew a brace around the top, then had to tap it with a mallet hammer to pry it open. Then on the closing art, he had to seal the inner rim with some sort of jelly like lubricant to close the lid, then had to rescrew the top back on with some force

Im concerned a bit about the physical labor involved each time i need to clean the filters.....How frequently do you think I am going to need to do this in New Jersey? once every swim season or every month?
 
Re: D.E. or Cartridge with SWG?

How frequently you need to clean the filter depends a great deal on how large it is. A smaller filter will need to be cleaned more often. The smaller filters often have much simpler ways to open the top, but then you need to open them up much more often.
 
Re: Can anyone recommend a good cartridge based filter?....

I have the StaRite 450 SF filter, and I like the Pentair Clean & Clear Plus 420 SF as well. I clean mine every 6 months, if it needs it or not, and it often does not! Takes a whole 30 minutes to hose down. Bigger is also definitely better!
 
edie_tn said:
I just saw this thread and wanted to comment on the fiberglass vs. vinyl, as I have had both. I had a vinyl pool built in my last home. It was 32x16 and went to 8ft. deep. It was perfect for when the kids were growing up. It had the the ugly white coping pipe which I just learned to deal with. In time, there were folds and creases in areas at the bottom and the sun faded the portion of the liner that was above water, especially in the corners. The liner had pulled away from the corners by the 7th year.

I knew when I was ready for another pool, I did not want to put in another vinyl pool. After alot of research, and to my own surprise, I chose fiberglass. I have not had to add one single other item to this pool so far this season. The water is perfect. I purchased the TFP test kit and test it regularly. Since I spent so much time throwing chemicals into my last pool, I am in shock as to how easy this pool is.
Click to expand...

I simply don't agree that fiberglass is better than vinyl. We're on our third vinyl pool (inground at our first home, above ground and another inground at our current home), and we have NEVER, EVER experienced a single problem with our liners, water, chemicals, etc. As a matter of fact, the reason we went with vinyl this last time is because our friends' fiberglass pool has had so many problems with metals sticking staining the sides of their pools this simply wasn't an option. It seems that their pool is closed for swimming more than it's open due to all the problems they've had. As a matter of fact, as I type this, their kids are at our home swimming since their pool is once again not able to be used.

 
Re: Can anyone recommend a good cartridge based filter?....

Is it correct to assume that regardless of the brand I buy, Pentair, Sta-Rite, Hayward, etc....they will all require some basic tools to open and close the top of the Filter hood?

When I watched the pool guy open it up and take out the filters to clean, even tho it looked pretty simple, it still looked like it required some physical effort to wratchet the nut off the bracket/brace around the hood, then hammer it off to free it from the bottom mount.......other than that, I really loved the simplicity of just having to hose down a few cartridges and put them back into the filter and your back in action again with no loss of water, or chemical balancing

Plus the cartridge filter seems to give the water a nice crispness once its cleaned out.
 

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Re: Can anyone recommend a good cartridge based filter?....

My pool builder told me that our filter can go for the entire season here (May through Sept) without being cleaned, and he was correct. Even without using a skimmer sock, the pressure rises only a few points. Now that I've started using a skimmer sock, I'm curious to see what any difference will be.

Taking apart the filter is easy - it only looks intimidating at first. Speaking for Hayward, the tools are standard. Have a ratchet wrench on hand and writing down the size makes it easy for the next time.

I thought at first I couldn't open it up, etc. but proved myself wrong - it's actually easy once you've done it a couple times.

Best,
Jan
 
Re: Can anyone recommend a good cartridge based filter?....

fantastic..I think Im going with that one. Star Right System 3?.....which model should i get for a 14x28 15,000 GAL pool?

Wow these are more expensive than the sand filters....they are close to $1000


thanks all
 
Re: Can anyone recommend a good cartridge based filter?....

fudgebar said:
Is it correct to assume that regardless of the brand I buy, Pentair, Sta-Rite, Hayward, etc....they will all require some basic tools to open and close the top of the Filter hood?
....
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. I have the Pentair Clean & Clear 200. It requires no tools and is easier than the pump basket to open.

I believe the size required is dependent on pump flow rates and your pool environment (leaves, insects, dirt/sand, etc.).
 
1zuggy: Just to clarify, I never stated that fiberglass was better than vinyl. My vinyl pool was absolutely the perfect choice at the time, was larger, was great for my growing kids, and I was very happy with it. I merely stated a few things that went on with my pool "personally". And I never had any dramatic issues with the pool. My choice to go with a fiberglass pool this time had nothing to do with my previous experience with a vinyl pool. This was a choice I made because of what I was trying to accomplish in my current yard. Kids are grown, and needs were different this time. My feeling is that "any" pool is a joy to have and they all serve the same purpose, swimming and a wonderful backyard setting.

As noticed here in this thread, choosing what type pool to purchase is a tough thing to do, and I think any choice made by fudgebar will be a good one.

Hope everyone is enjoying the remainder of the summer!
 
folks...i'm back to let you all know im in the market again for a pool and this time I am trying to find a very reputable, good quality vinyl or fiberglass installer in the northern NJ area that isnt too pricey with their work.

Im looking at approx a 13 x 25 rectangular pool with walk in under the the vinyl entry steel steps across the entire shallow end that give a nice clean look


Im debating whether to go with a Gas heater or a Heat Pump.....I will be using the pool mostly on weekends only during the summer. Dont plan to be doing much during the week since we both work


any thoughts?....thanks
 
Im sorry folks but I wanted to share with you all my pool...it was actually built right at the end of August 2014. The irony of this whole thing is that it was built so late in the summer that the construction was completed until October and we literally had one weekend to test swim in it in the middle of October before it was closed. So I wanted to share some recent photos with you all of this year's opening a few weeks ago, and let you all know that I appreciate all the help each of you have provided and thank you for being there for me to help me on this journey! You may see alot more of me now in the Water Chemistry section :)

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fudgebar said:
Im sorry folks but I wanted to share with you all my pool...it was actually built right at the end of August 2014. The irony of this whole thing is that it was built so late in the summer that the construction was completed until October and we literally had one weekend to test swim in it in the middle of October before it was closed. So I wanted to share some recent photos with you all of this year's opening a few weeks ago, and let you all know that I appreciate all the help each of you have provided and thank you for being there for me to help me on this journey! You may see alot more of me now in the Water Chemistry section :)

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Absolutely beautiful!!
 
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