I would love some input!

[numberonenole]

Trying to decide which above ground pool to buy. Two places sell them locally, but they do not install the pools. You have to have an independent installer, which means they don't warranty themselves...you would have to go to the manufacturer if something goes wrong. This is what I have narrowed down to:

1. Local Pinch-a-Penny store
24' Seaspray Allure
Pentair Sand doller SD40 19" 150 lbs sand
Pentair Dynamo Pump 1 HP

2. Local Leslie's
24' Belize
Hayward 20" 200 lbs sand
Hayward Pro Series 1 1/2 HP

3. Propools.com
24" Seaspray Allure
Hayward Dream Line Series 23" sand filer
Hayward 1 1/2 HP Power Flo Matrix Pump

They all have a 20 mil liner and a wide mouth skimmer. The cheapest is the propools. I am wooried about buying such a large purchase online, but when I learned about the local stores' policy it seemed like the same thing. Let me know what you think! Thanks!

 

[SMWill42]

Are there not any pool stores in neighboring towns? Some pool stores will travel 50 or more miles to install AG pools without charging extra for the distance around here (just outside of Atlanta).

I would try to get at least a 25mil liner if I were you.

Susan

 

[257WbyMag]

I'm not sure where you are located, but it's strange to me that you can't locate a dealer that will do the install for you as well. Putting in an AGP of that size would be tough, even for the adept DIYer. Are you in a rural area?

 

[PaulR]

I'm no expert but the pumps feel a bit oversized. How many gallons are we talking here? Any extra water features? If you have say 24' round and 4' deep that's not even 14K gal, and most AGP pix I've seen have the pump/filter snuggled right up to the pool, so comparatively short pipe runs. I have a 20K gal IGP with 30' runs easy, and a 3/4HP has been just fine.
--paulr

 

[numberonenole]

Thanks for the replies. I am south of Tallahassee in the woods of North Florida. You would think in Florida I would have better options! Lots of builders for in-ground pools around here though. If only I had the money!

The pool would be 52" deep. Would that mean the gallons would be calculated by (24*24*4.3333*5.9)? That comes to 14726 gallons, but it wouldn't be filled to the top. The pump would be right next to the pool.

SMWill42, is the 25 mil liner that much better? When I asked the Leslie's guy about it he said it was special order and a seperate order so I would have to buy the 20 mil liner with the frame and then buy the 25 mil liner so I would have an extra, unwanted liner hanging around my house.

PaulR, from what I've been reading during my research I am concerned about the pump sizes AND the filter sizes of the two local choices. Shouldn't I have a 22" filter for a 24' pool?

Thanks again! Keep it coming!

 

[PaulR]

For a flat-bottom pool, gallons = surface area x depth x 7.48
(748 gallons per 100 cubic feet; not sure where you got 5.9).
A 24' square pool at 52" would be (24 x 24 x 4.33 x 7.48) = 18,655 gal.
A 24' diameter round pool would be (12 x 12 x 3.14 x 4.33 x 7.48) = 14,644 gal.
--paulr

 

[JasonLion]

The equation numberonenole used is correct.

Given dimensions in feet and volume in gallons:
Volume of a round pool is pi * Radius² * Depth * 7.48.
Converting to diameter gives pi * Diameter² / 4 * Depth * 7.48
Bringing the constants together gives pi / 4 * 7.48 * Diameter² * Depth
Or 5.875 * Diameter² * Depth

You never fill the pool completely full. Realistically, if you have a 52" pool side wall you might have at most 4' of water, so about 13,500 gallons.

 

[waste]

not sure where you got 5.9)
--paulr

In this thread CarlD gives a good explanation of using 5.9 as the multiplier 8) Also in that thread you'll see that 52" isn't the water depth on most AG pools


EDIT -- HMMMM... Jason answered whilst I typed - the site usually informs me when someone is posting while I am, but I didn't get the message this time

 

[PaulR]

Cool, the 5.9 makes sense. Uh, now maybe somebody who knows what they're talking about can address the question about pump/filter sizing? All I can (and did) say is based on one data point, my own gear.
--paulr

 

[waste]

Cool, the 5.9 makes sense. Uh, now maybe somebody who knows what they're talking about can address the question about pump/filter sizing? All I can (and did) say is based on one data point, my own gear.
--paulr

mas985 would be the guy to talk to on sizing issues (though JasonLion is also excellent on the topic as well as quite a few other folks here) 8)

 

[JasonLion]

As a general rule you want the largest filter you can get and the smallest pump (or a dual speed pump or a variable speed pump). A larger filter is more efficient and doesn't need to be backwashed/cleaned as frequently. A smaller pump can save on electricity.

Any of those filters will work, but the larger filter would be convenient to have. I have a 19" sand filter on a 19,000 gallon pool. It works but it needs to be backwashed more frequently than a larger filter would and reduces overall system efficiency. On the pump, Hayward has a dual speed pump available in that series. That could save you a substantial amount of electricity.

On an above ground pool, the smallest available pumps are sufficient for normal circulation and save electricity, but they don't do very well at vacuuming. A two speed pump is great because you can circulate on low speed to save electricity and turn it up to high speed when you want to vacuum.

 

[numberonenole]

Thanks for everything! I enjoyed the math talk. I have a math degree but have been a stay at home Mom for almost 5 years so my brain has turned to absolute mush! I can tell you the name and rhyme for almost every train on Sodor (Thomas' home) but I can't figure out why 2 pools that are both 24' round and are made by the same company have different capacities.
Round 24’ X 52” 14,500 gallons
Round 24’ 12,974 gallons This one doesn't specify the height but it is supposed to be 52" also.

I have learned more about the Pinch-A-Penny pool today. They work closely with the installer and do seem to back up their product (for the first year at least) so I am leaning towards them. I like to shop local when I can.
The pool is a package though, so I can't change the pump to a two-speed. I was able to upgrade to filter to a 22", but then the pump goes up to a 1 1/2 HP.
Is the only negative on the big pump that it uses a lot of electricity? Am I looking at an increase of $100/month on my electric bll? As always, thanks for the help!

 

[SMWill42]

When I bought my pool I ask for a 25mil liner and the pool store changed it from 20mil to 25mil free of charge. We brought the pool home so we did not have to pay extra for them to deliver it. They were supposed to start installing the pool 2 days later. It was raining the day we bought it and the ground was too soggy (we have red Georgia clay). It rained nearly every day for 2 and 1/2 months. When they finally got to install pool and liner the liner had ants all in it (big problem where I live) so they gave me another 25mil liner for free.

Be sure that you overkill on the ant poison before the pool is installed or you will have ants eating through your liner.

Susan

 

[frustratedpoolmom]

If you can figure out a way to upgrade to the 2 speed, I'd highly recommend it.

 

[numberonenole]

Well, I wasn't able to change the HP of the pump, but I was able to upgrade to the 22" filter for only $24. I ordered the pool from the local Pinch a Penny store. The owner was really nice and sat down with me for a while and told me honestly what I needed and didn't need to buy. Thanks for all the input!
We do have ants galore down here (monster sized) so I will have my husband spray the area really good. Thanks for that tip! I imagine y'all will be hearing more from me when it gets set up...

 

[JoshU]

I'm no expert but the pumps feel a bit oversized. How many gallons are we talking here? Any extra water features? If you have say 24' round and 4' deep that's not even 14K gal, and most AGP pix I've seen have the pump/filter snuggled right up to the pool, so comparatively short pipe runs. I have a 20K gal IGP with 30' runs easy, and a 3/4HP has been just fine.
--paulr

One thing to remember is that an in-ground pump is different than an above ground pump when you are measuring HP. In-ground pumps use 56-frame motors while above ground pumps use 48-frame motors so the HP is not directly comparable.