pool renovation options and timeline

HermanTX said:

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.

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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.

PoolStored said:

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You should read this too:

Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading

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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.

ajw22 said:

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.

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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 said:

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.

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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.