Hi all. In the thick of our pool build here in New Orleans. Roughly 28 x 15, free form pool, "sport" type pool - 3.5 ft on either end, to a depth of 5.5 ft in middle, bench and tanning ledge, a couple of "bubblers." Doing traditional chlorine (that's what my wife is familiar with, as she's had pools in the past). We have had the gunite in for a few weeks now and are hopefully going to be installing equipment ASAP, if the rain ever lets up here, so this is a bit short notice (may be moot, as it may happen tomorrow), but just wanted to run the equipment list by the wise folks here for any feedback. Seems our builder knows what they're doing and is using quality stuff, been happy with them so far. Here's what we've got (all Pentair, except for heater):
Clean & Clear Plus Cartridge Filters (160340)
Intellibrite 5G White LED Pool Lights (2, need to verify this - she says they are 500W equivalent, but the part number she provided previously was only for 100W equivalent, which seems too little)
Intelliflo 3HP Variable Speed Pool Pump Ultra Energy-Efficient, 230V (011018)
Rainbow Automatic Chlorine/Bromine Feeders (R171096)
Hayward HeatPro Titanium 140,000 BTU AHRI Residential Pool Heat Pump (HP21404T, this is what we have for our pool in FL, and we are very happy with it)
One thing that is still up in the air is automation - initially hadn't planned on it (pool builder didn't think it was really worth it), but I kind of love the idea of being able to control the heater, lights, etc. remotely, so she's giving me some options, so that may happen.
One thing that is definitely still up in the air is pool finish. Our pool in FL was built in the 80s (not by us) and has the original plaster which is showing its age, but so far we've been able to put off refinishing. So our initial thought was just to go with marcite, as that seemed to be tried and true, lasts for a long time. Then we learned that marcite is not what it used to be (namely because they no longer include asbestos in the mix) and doesn't last nearly as long as it used to, so it was back to the drawing board. Our pool builder says 80% of the pools they do in Diamond Brite, but we are just not sold on Diamond Brite, for various reasons. Then we were introduced to Wet Edge, and really like their products, and from everything I've been able to find, it's a solid product. Our pool builder unfortunately does not offer it (or at least has not done it before), and there's actually only one installer in this area, so we are talking to him about doing it.
Now here's the rub. We were initially drawn to the Luna Quartz line (leaning heavily toward Pacific, but also considering Aruba), but it turns out this guy is offering a few of the Satin Matrix lines (probably the only ones we'd consider would be Northshore Caribbean or Northshore Tahoe) at the same price as the Luna Quartz, so the part of me that loves a good deal feels like we should go for that. BUT, my wife is really no fan of pebble-type finishes, she is very concerned about the texture, even of the Satin Matrix (and I think she's correct that there definitely is a difference in the feel - I don't personally think the Satin Matrix is "rough," but it's definitely more texture to it that the Luna Quartz, and she prefers the smooth feel of that). I have been trying to find a pool around here with it, so we could at least see what it looks like and feels like in reality, but unfortunately that is proving impossible. So I think there's a good chance we'll end up with Luna Quartz, but was just curious about folks opinions on that as well.
Sorry for the long-winded post, but this is all new to me and there's so much to learn and make decisions about! Thanks so much in advance for any thoughts, feedback, red flags, etc.
Clean & Clear Plus Cartridge Filters (160340)
Intellibrite 5G White LED Pool Lights (2, need to verify this - she says they are 500W equivalent, but the part number she provided previously was only for 100W equivalent, which seems too little)
Intelliflo 3HP Variable Speed Pool Pump Ultra Energy-Efficient, 230V (011018)
Rainbow Automatic Chlorine/Bromine Feeders (R171096)
Hayward HeatPro Titanium 140,000 BTU AHRI Residential Pool Heat Pump (HP21404T, this is what we have for our pool in FL, and we are very happy with it)
One thing that is still up in the air is automation - initially hadn't planned on it (pool builder didn't think it was really worth it), but I kind of love the idea of being able to control the heater, lights, etc. remotely, so she's giving me some options, so that may happen.
One thing that is definitely still up in the air is pool finish. Our pool in FL was built in the 80s (not by us) and has the original plaster which is showing its age, but so far we've been able to put off refinishing. So our initial thought was just to go with marcite, as that seemed to be tried and true, lasts for a long time. Then we learned that marcite is not what it used to be (namely because they no longer include asbestos in the mix) and doesn't last nearly as long as it used to, so it was back to the drawing board. Our pool builder says 80% of the pools they do in Diamond Brite, but we are just not sold on Diamond Brite, for various reasons. Then we were introduced to Wet Edge, and really like their products, and from everything I've been able to find, it's a solid product. Our pool builder unfortunately does not offer it (or at least has not done it before), and there's actually only one installer in this area, so we are talking to him about doing it.
Now here's the rub. We were initially drawn to the Luna Quartz line (leaning heavily toward Pacific, but also considering Aruba), but it turns out this guy is offering a few of the Satin Matrix lines (probably the only ones we'd consider would be Northshore Caribbean or Northshore Tahoe) at the same price as the Luna Quartz, so the part of me that loves a good deal feels like we should go for that. BUT, my wife is really no fan of pebble-type finishes, she is very concerned about the texture, even of the Satin Matrix (and I think she's correct that there definitely is a difference in the feel - I don't personally think the Satin Matrix is "rough," but it's definitely more texture to it that the Luna Quartz, and she prefers the smooth feel of that). I have been trying to find a pool around here with it, so we could at least see what it looks like and feels like in reality, but unfortunately that is proving impossible. So I think there's a good chance we'll end up with Luna Quartz, but was just curious about folks opinions on that as well.
Sorry for the long-winded post, but this is all new to me and there's so much to learn and make decisions about! Thanks so much in advance for any thoughts, feedback, red flags, etc.