Andy, I really wish you had someone in your area that had a SWG pool or even just a well maintained chlorine pool so you can see and feel how good it is!
Kim
Greetings, Andy! I'm just down the road from you on Grand River (northern tip of Ada.) I am not SWG but do use softened water for makeup water, so its a "bit" salty -- and instead of "slimy" many people comment on how nice my water feels
My pool is a 15-yr-old built by Polynesian but I wasn't the original builder...bought the place in 2011 foreclosure. When we bought it, it was a swamp, but due to being in a former catch basin on side of hill (ergo high water table) we were advised not to drain it -- which is how we found TFP and subsequently recovered it, as you can see in my profile pic
You've already selected a PB, of which I have no direct knowledge, but will say that in our case there are two things I think Polynesian did well in the build of our pool -- the liner is ancient and has held up really well considering its neglect/abuse when foreclosed...its a lantham liner in a style that hides a lot. The second thing that was brilliant is they plumbed a sump under the diving well that ties into our pump system so we can pump off water from heavy rains, etc. I think in our location this has helped maintain the integrity of the liner etc. a great deal.
From my experience, there are a couple of thing I can confirm for you:
1. The natural gas cost of maintaining heat 24/7 at around 88 - 90 ranges from $300ish in shoulder season to $200 in July and August. Due to tight footprint, we do not use a cover. We do use CoverFree, which helps a little, but the thing about the solar pills and CoverFree is that they're less-effective when wind disturbs the surface or when you're filtering, which in my case, is always
(We filter continually because we get a very heavy debris load from mature trees and a terrace and this has proven the best way to manage it.)
2. In our location, with some shade on pool, we consume roughly from 2 ppm per day (approx half gallon of 12%) but can get up to 3 - 4 ppm if there's tons of pollen etc. getting in or heavy use.
We buy cases of refilled 12% from Polynesian because I hate wasting the plastic bottles, which in this arrangement, they recycle. I keep 3 cases on hand and every second week cycle out 2 cases of empties.
Though we have an inline chlorinator, I only use it (with pucks) for vacation. The water is a million times nicer and I never have to worry about haziness, algae outbreaks, or high ccs (that chlorine smell) by using the TFP method and targeting slightly above range on the cya:chlorine chart.
For me, its not about cost savings or convenience as it is having the confidence of a well-controlled and sanitized pool with great water to share
But in the long run, this treatment approach avoids the endless cycle of expensive and mostly useless troubleshooting products inevitably "required' once cya levels ave gotten too high with pucks.
Your PB will not likely be familiar with or advocate this treatment method but it is 100% science-based and verifiable, but not especially in the industry's interest to discuss, as it renders virtually all commercial products unnecessary. Trust me that one of the former techs at Polynesian is now a believer after all other efforts to recover the swamp failed
The exceptions re useful commercial products might be metal sequestrants, like Metal Magic made here by Haviland, for people on well water like me. Even to add borates, I can get what I need from an online chemist at half the price of commercial formulations
Hope some of that info helps. PM me if you'd like to swing by and take a dip. Heavy schedule in the first half of my week, but I'll be around more later.
PS Had a pool party Friday night for some biz associates. Most frequently asked question IN the pool was why my water didn't smell like chlorine, and what did I do to make my water feel so nice. The irony was my FC was at 8 ppm for the party...while puck pools at 2 ppm stink of ccs
