Recent content by SoCalGuy

FWIW, it cost us $2500 to have a gas line that ran through the middle of our yard re-routed so the pool could go in. Price included about 100 ft of trenching. That was about 15 yrs ago.

Howdy neighbor. Yep, rates are ridiculous here in America's Finest City. Go with a VS pump. We did and it made a big difference. Got a $200 rebate from SDG&E for a Pentair Intelliflo, which we installed ourselves. We're still in second-tier territory most of the time, but our bills have...

Squeaking, screeching and whining usually means the bearings are going bye-bye. If the motor feels unusually hot to the touch, it's almost certainly the bearings. Yes, just the motor can be replaced. If you're mechanically inclined you can even replace just the bearings.

To each their own, but why not just turn on the water feature from the house before the kids get in the spa? Then off when they get out? What else do you need to adjust when you're in the spa? If you absolutely have to have a remote, a basic 4-function controller is about $200, and they're...

Trim back the vegetation around the pool! I'm not kidding. It makes a huge difference in how clean the pool stays and how much time you have to run your equipment. Seriously. You'll thank me.

Yes, label says "silicone lubricant".

What Brian said. Our builder told us how great pebble was, how much longer it would last than plaster, how smooth, durable, and beautiful it was, etc. etc. In all fairness, it was very nice at first. But within a few years the color started fading, light and dark streaks started appearing and...

3" pipe isn't required for an Intelliflo. The manual recommends 2" but, as Jim said, they work fine with 1-1/2".

You know, our spa side controller stopped working last year and I deliberately haven't replaced it. Not a great loss. Do you really need to constantly adjust the temperature, turn the jets on and off, switch the lights, etc. from inside the spa? I figure it's just another thing for the kids...

Shape made no difference to our builder as far as cost. A free form simply made more sense for us due to certain peculiarities of our yard.

We're 15 years into a pebble finish and honestly I would have gone with plaster if I'd have known then what it would look - and feel like - now.

^ Exactly. The 4 wheel model handles slopes better. Ours goes back and forth from deep to shallow end without breaking a sweat. It's a good cleaner, you'll like it.

This is making me want a slide...

IMO pump run times simply depend too much on factors specific to each individual pool to make any broad generalizations about what a "sufficient" run time is. Geography, climate, vegetation, wind, equipment, pool size, pool shape, and water depth are all factors, as well the pool ower's...

Still no pics. :(