pool renovation options and timeline

[sdtfp]

If you do not put in the 2nd skimmer, then I would keep the main drain functioning. If you go with the 2nd skimmer then you could close off the main drain. I am a firm believer that any inground pool should have a minimum of 2 suction lines.

The main drain is an issue for me because its an anthony/sylvan style pool where I imagine its a little bit more tricky to close then a regular pool where the main drain is a separate line. This is the only pool Ive owned, so I am not sure on that. All I know is that I cant go by 90% of the pool closing videos out there.

I spoke one company a second time and got some more insight now that Ive had this discussion here. So here where I stand.

Company 1: Resurface, replace coping, replace tile line, replace skimmer, and replace niche light. They use diamond bright and said SGM is extra. I dont know if thats worth it. They also said they can cap the main drain for me. So they put a plug in the drain and in the pipe on the skimmer side. This guy did not seem familiar with anthony/sylvan plumbing, so i am not sure how good of an idea it is. One thing about this company is that they are "rebranding" and changing their name since I last spoke to them months ago. I hope this is not due to some legal issues from bad work.

Company 2: Like company above they will resurface, replace coping, replace tile line, replace skimmer, and replace niche light. In addition, they will add a second skimmer and redo plumbing from pool to filter pad. Here i need to ask if they will close main drain for me. And I need to ask how much excavation they will do. From them I got the impression that its not much. But from company #1, they said id have the excavate all around the pool. I also need to ask them about my returns since I would like that optimized and the guy didnt mention it.

Both companies will do whatever I ask as far as the filter area is concerned. So basically switch to a cartridge filter, add variable rate pump, add swg and add heater. I am not going to worry about this until next year so I can avoid more questions right now.

So company #1 seems to be more of a keep what you have and make it look and nicer. And company #2 is more of a change the design of your pool without getting a new pool. I need to compare the pricing side by side. And I need to talk to company #2 again because I am not sure of several things. It seems like the plumbing upgrades they spoke to me are incomplete or I didnt get the whole picture from speaking to them.

 

[ajw22]

Plaster warranty’s depend on the reputation and willingness of the company to fix it, not on words on a document. If the company does not want to stand by their “warranty” you will have no way to compel then to do anything.

 

[sdtfp]

Start-up New Plaster

The first few months are the most criticle for a newly plastered pool. We're here to share best practices to ensure the plaster will last for many years.

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You should read this too:

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

thanks! I spoke to one company about this and they explained they brush the pool daily for two weeks and balance the ph. I am not sure they are doing it right, but they warranty the work for 5 years. In any case, I will keep on top of it as well.

 

[sdtfp]

Plaster warranty’s depend on the reputation and willingness of the company to fix it, not on words on a document. If the company does not want to stand by their “warranty” you will have no way to compel then to do anything.

that's scary, ill try to research the companies and try to get an idea of how reputable they are. I'm sticking to what I think are small to medium companies and not just a 2 man company.

 

[HermanTX]

anthony/sylvan style pool

Can you explain this to me? My research shows Anthony & Sylvan is a pool builder. They build all types of pools.
How does this relate to your discussion on main drain.
From my experience, a main drain is either plumbed directly to the suction side of the pump or it is plumbed to the second opening on a skimmer (1 of the 2 ports on bottom of a skimmer). Is yours done differently?
Just trying to learn something if there is something unique about your setup.

 

[ajw22]

Can you explain this to me?

At their time Anthony/Sylvan used some skimmers designs and construction techniques that were proprietary to them.

Just trying to learn something if there is something unique about your setup.

It allowed them to claim they built superior pools to the competition.

Anthony/Sylvan Pools (that used to be two companies before they merged) was the “Cadillac “ of pool builders in the Northeast.

 

[sdtfp]

Can you explain this to me? My research shows Anthony & Sylvan is a pool builder. They build all types of pools.
How does this relate to your discussion on main drain.
From my experience, a main drain is either plumbed directly to the suction side of the pump or it is plumbed to the second opening on a skimmer (1 of the 2 ports on bottom of a skimmer). Is yours done differently?
Just trying to learn something if there is something unique about your setup.

yes mine is a third way to plumb the main drain. It is on a T, as pictured in the diagram. The way i interact with it is that I have a 2 tier plug. When closing, I push just enough of the bottom plug to clear out the skimmer with forced air coming from the pump suction end of the pipe. Then I can push more and clear out the main drain. Then I can push more to close it all up. TBH I cant really picture it too well until I do it every year. It is my guess that having it plumbed differently would be easier for closings. I've seen videos of people using a "gizmo" an it seems simpler. So at one point, I was thinking that maybe I want to make the main drain line go directly to the pump. But i dont really know the benefits or drawbacks of that. Now I think I should just permanently plug that main drain and just not use it. But I am concerned whether that would make it easier to close or not. I assume I'd be able to use the gizmo if I did that.

 

[Uhhello]

A picture might help. Generally, you want the skimmer facing prevailing winds (so stuff gets blown to the skimmers. My pool has two skimmers. There was a crack and previous owner had capped it off. I ran the first year on one skimmer (30K gallon pool) and it worked fine. If you hand handle the bit of work to clean, one skimmer isn't a real problem.

What is the ACTUAL make and model of the VSP and the cartridge filter? What is the size of the salt cell? (hint you want at least a 40K cell for your pool). Have them specify make and model of all equipment in the quote.

Not sure what the question is? The only differences between 110 and LED are the look the light puts off, and there will need to be a transformer placed somewhere for the LED.

The main drain doesn't really do much and if you capped it off, you wouldn't notice any difference in water quality. I don't have a main drain and it works just fine. Many builders are now building pools without main drains because of studies like this one:

http://www.poolinspections.com/manuals/drains/pools-without-drains.pdf

In NYC? I would think that you get enough rain, and if you needed a bit of water, you can run your hose. Fills are great in areas with high evaporation (NV, TX, CA etc.)

You need to make sure your gas line is big enough for the heater. Check with your HVAC people and your gas company, have your heater size handy. They should be able to recommend a solution. The easiest solution would be to change the pressure and add a regulator near the heater. The line capacity is determined by diameter and pressure. By increasing the pressure, you should be able to get enough flow to the heater. The regulator will convert the pressure to the right pressure for the heater. Or you may need a new meter.

Without pics, going to be really hard to help. Can you post some pics of the areas in question?

Wish I saw this post before I built our pool. Good info on main drains.