I think I am about to commit to this crazy idea and get going - at least get my money going away. We have decided to go with the 24' x 52" Doughboy Autumn Breeze because of the resin top rails and the price difference wasn't much at all compared to the Copper Canyon all steel model we were looking at. The top rail would be 6 1/2" vs 7" but the verticals are the same width. The Copper Canyon had a much better looking wall pattern but we plan to put a deck completely around the pool so that doesn't matter to us.
One of the concerns I had was the slope where the pool sits. Where we want the pool there is about a 2 ft. drop across the 24' width of the pool. The paperwork the pool store had on the builder they use mentioned extra charges for slopes greater than 1 ft. Someone from the pool store came and looked and said it would not be a problem but I wanted the actual installer, who is not an employee of the store, to see the site. I managed to get the builder (only AGP builder I know of in this area and seems to work exclusively for the pool store where we are getting our pool) out to see the site today and he said there would be a 25% upcharge on installation because of the slope (25% of $1950). I told him I thought that was pretty high for a little more dirt removal so we might change our location a little. We had planned on buying the pool in February (to get a discount) but scheduling the build for late April. The builder said if we scheduled in March they would forego the upcharge so I think we are going to shoot for late March now. I have to move a burn pile, fill in that same burn pile, move my yard fence back about 25' and a few other things before they show.
Another concern I have is location of the pool equipment. My electrical would come out of a detached garage and I was planning on putting the pump and filter on a slab right outside of it and run pvc piping underground to the pool. It would be about 55' to the pool. The water level of the pool would still be about 18 - 24" higher than the pump suction so that seems okay. I just wonder about the longer run. The builder said that was too far but they were thinking I would be buying the standard package from the pool store and need to be close enough to hook up my 3' hoses. It didn't seem as big an issue when I told them I planned on doing that myself, not them. I'm still riding the fence on that decision. I could place the equipment closer to the pool but then have a longer electrical run but I plan on having an outlet on the deck anyway as well as another service outlet near the pool (more than 10' away but less than 20'). The wire for bonding the pump would be shorter so there are plus and minus points. The builder said the same thing Doughboy did about bonding a pool with resin verticals, they said the end caps could be used to bond. At least they knew about bonding. I wouldn't have thought about it until reading through this excellent forum.
The pool builder said they don't use patio blocks under the vertical supports and have never had problems. We do have hard clay soil around here and they use a tamping machine to pack the ground so I guess that will be okay. Doughboy recommends pavers but does not require them for any warranty concerns. Oh, the pool builder said he has never looked at the instructions for Doughboy - I hope he was kidding. The builder has 32 years experience doing this and has built over 3200 of these pools for the pool store.
The pool store where I am buying this pool has a great reputation as does the Doughboy pools around here. My wife knows a few people where she works that have them, or their parents have them, and they have lasted for many years with no issues. They have been using these same builders for many, many years also. However, the pricing for their packages seemed high to me so I am going to get my own "stuff". I have decided to go with the Pentair dual speed 1 Hp Optiflo pump and the Pentair Clean and Clear 200 cartridge filter. The builder and the pool store both think I am crazy for going with a cartridge filter. I priced the pump and the filter at the pool store (they had to check since they normally don't sell the Optiflo pump and cartridge filters - they do sell the Pentair Dynamo pump/sand filter combo in their package) and the pump price was about $150 more than I can find elsewhere and the filter price was double so I will be getting these through the wonder of the Internet. Their package pump was the Pentair Dynamo 1 Hp single speed and the Pentair SD40 sand filter.
Oh, I almost forgot. I do have my TF-100 test kit in hand already. Ready to go on the pool chemistry.
I've rambled on enough for now with no pictures to sweeten the pot (I do see why everyone enjoys pictures) but I will have pictures in future posts as things progress.
One of the concerns I had was the slope where the pool sits. Where we want the pool there is about a 2 ft. drop across the 24' width of the pool. The paperwork the pool store had on the builder they use mentioned extra charges for slopes greater than 1 ft. Someone from the pool store came and looked and said it would not be a problem but I wanted the actual installer, who is not an employee of the store, to see the site. I managed to get the builder (only AGP builder I know of in this area and seems to work exclusively for the pool store where we are getting our pool) out to see the site today and he said there would be a 25% upcharge on installation because of the slope (25% of $1950). I told him I thought that was pretty high for a little more dirt removal so we might change our location a little. We had planned on buying the pool in February (to get a discount) but scheduling the build for late April. The builder said if we scheduled in March they would forego the upcharge so I think we are going to shoot for late March now. I have to move a burn pile, fill in that same burn pile, move my yard fence back about 25' and a few other things before they show.
Another concern I have is location of the pool equipment. My electrical would come out of a detached garage and I was planning on putting the pump and filter on a slab right outside of it and run pvc piping underground to the pool. It would be about 55' to the pool. The water level of the pool would still be about 18 - 24" higher than the pump suction so that seems okay. I just wonder about the longer run. The builder said that was too far but they were thinking I would be buying the standard package from the pool store and need to be close enough to hook up my 3' hoses. It didn't seem as big an issue when I told them I planned on doing that myself, not them. I'm still riding the fence on that decision. I could place the equipment closer to the pool but then have a longer electrical run but I plan on having an outlet on the deck anyway as well as another service outlet near the pool (more than 10' away but less than 20'). The wire for bonding the pump would be shorter so there are plus and minus points. The builder said the same thing Doughboy did about bonding a pool with resin verticals, they said the end caps could be used to bond. At least they knew about bonding. I wouldn't have thought about it until reading through this excellent forum.
The pool builder said they don't use patio blocks under the vertical supports and have never had problems. We do have hard clay soil around here and they use a tamping machine to pack the ground so I guess that will be okay. Doughboy recommends pavers but does not require them for any warranty concerns. Oh, the pool builder said he has never looked at the instructions for Doughboy - I hope he was kidding. The builder has 32 years experience doing this and has built over 3200 of these pools for the pool store.
The pool store where I am buying this pool has a great reputation as does the Doughboy pools around here. My wife knows a few people where she works that have them, or their parents have them, and they have lasted for many years with no issues. They have been using these same builders for many, many years also. However, the pricing for their packages seemed high to me so I am going to get my own "stuff". I have decided to go with the Pentair dual speed 1 Hp Optiflo pump and the Pentair Clean and Clear 200 cartridge filter. The builder and the pool store both think I am crazy for going with a cartridge filter. I priced the pump and the filter at the pool store (they had to check since they normally don't sell the Optiflo pump and cartridge filters - they do sell the Pentair Dynamo pump/sand filter combo in their package) and the pump price was about $150 more than I can find elsewhere and the filter price was double so I will be getting these through the wonder of the Internet. Their package pump was the Pentair Dynamo 1 Hp single speed and the Pentair SD40 sand filter.
Oh, I almost forgot. I do have my TF-100 test kit in hand already. Ready to go on the pool chemistry.
I've rambled on enough for now with no pictures to sweeten the pot (I do see why everyone enjoys pictures) but I will have pictures in future posts as things progress.
but I wanted to make sure I could do it!
