So confused, looking for advice...

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Rachellb

0
Feb 24, 2018
3
Mableton
We are just starting a pool build and have some questions. I have several friends who have installed pools recently and everyone including our builder has different advice. Here are my questions:

- in floor cleaning system vs dolphin vs polaris?

I have heard in floor system is nice but you still have to brush pool?? Obviously much higher upfront cost ,but have also heard the heads can break frequently? I have 2 rambunctious boys and a husband who has no interest in doing any work maintatinin our pool, so low maintenance/durability are most important. Pool builder recommends dolphin or polaris.

- chlorine vs salt water system vs UV system?
Pool builder recommends chlorine, tells me salt systems are causing corrosion issues. Friends have put in UV systems but have only had pool for less than a year. As a cold whom had constantly green straw like hair from chlorine, the salt water or UV systems really appeal to me.

Looking for input from people with no skin in the game so to speak.

Pool will be 18x 42' rectangle with a spa overflowing into deep end.

Thanks for all your advice!
 
Welcome to the forum!

There are members with in-floor systems here. Also robot owners. So you should get some good advice on them.

Read this Pool School - How to Chlorinate Your Pool
Also Alternative sanitizers and pools--The Truth!!

UV systems you will find are useless. The sun is the biggest UV system there is. Unless this is an indoor pool.

Chlorine can be added via solid products (trichlor, dichlor, or Cal Hypo); Liquid chlorine (aka bleach), or a SaltWater Chlorine Generator.

The solid products add chlorine plus Cyanuric Acid or Calcium. Both items that are a problem when you get too much in your water.

Liquid chlorine and SWCG's add no undesirable items.

Saltwater pools are not corrosive. It is the pH that is not managed and controlled that corrodes items involving a pool. A spillover spa is the typical culprit in driving pH too high.

Lots of information. Take it slow, read the forums and Pool School.

Take care.
 
HI! I am so glad you found us! You are so right in that we do not have any skin in your game. We just want you to have the best pool for your yard and for it to be as Trouble Free as possible!!!

Cleaning system-no to the pop ups for the very reasons you stated. YES to the robot-Dolphin has a great name and great product. Do a search in the white box at the top of this page to find MANY threads about them.

Here is a link to a thread to help you know why NOT to pick the UV system (you get LOTS of UV from that big yellow ball in the sky).
Alternative sanitizers and pools--The Truth!!

Here is our link about SWG:

Pool School - Salt Water Chlorine Generators

They make life SO easy! As for the "fears of corrosion" PLEASE ask him to give you the address to the pool that has said corrosion so you can take pictures and share them with us as we have not seen any real life problems from a SWG. If you like I can find some people who LOVE their SWG and will never have a pool without one.

Can you please tell us what state you are in. This will really help us help you as different areas have different needs in some areas of the pool build.

Kim:kim:
 
I recommend the Maytronics (Dolphin) Active 30i as a robotic pool cleaner. In-floor cleaning systems are nice... until the heads begin to fail. They are also an added concern to consider when winterizing the pool. That can be a headache. Additionally, I’d go with saltwater. UV will not due you any good when the water is even a little cloudy as the rays won’t penetrate turbidity. Saltwater is the same as chlorine except the salt is converted into chlorine. It generally requires less maintenance. The green hair generally is caused by copper in the water.
 
Rach,

Welcome to TFP... a great place to find the answers to all your new pool questions... :shark:

Well you have come to the right place..

First, unless you don't get sunlight in George, then UV is worthless... You still have to have some type of sanitizer.. I suspect that your friends with the UV are still "shocking" their pool every week or so...

I am very, very, pro saltwater pools for many reasons.. But.. a Saltwater pool is a Chlorine pool. Instead of adding chlorine as 3" tablets in a dispenser, a device called a Saltwater Chlorine Generator turns the saltwater into to Chlorine.. It uses the same saltwater over and over...

If you follow the TFP pool care principles, your hair will never turn green..

Ask your pool builder to show you damage to a saltwater pool.. I bet he can't. Most things you hear about saltwater pools are all myths passed down from pool builder to pool builder, getting worse each time. To hear them tell it, saltwater is what caused the Titanic to sink.. it is obvious.. it was in saltwater and it sank. What else could it possible be??? :p

Saltwater pools are the easiest to maintain.

The salt in the water makes the water feel better on your skin... Unlike a public pool, when you get out of a saltwater pool, you don't feel like you have to take a shower...

You can open your eyes underwater and feel nothing... the salt level in a saltwater pool is about the same as your tears..

With a saltwater pool, and following our principles, you will never have to add a weekly dose of Pool $tore shock.. in fact, you'll never have to add any expensive pool store "Magic"... Ever...

As far as the in-floor systems... In the old days when the only choice was a pressure side cleaner or a suction side cleaner, the in-floor system was a good third option. But today, it just does not make sense to use 1970's technology, that requires you to run your pump, or pumps, at high speed, just to clean your pool.. Instead of using the technology that gave us the old black rotary-dial telephone, I highly suggest that you buy a Robot pool cleaner.. Technology wise it is more like today's cell phone.... :cool:

I'm sure you will get more replies, but one thing for sure.. no one here is trying to sell you anything... unlike most pool builders...

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
Rachel,

I posted on a thread earlier today that if I were building a pool, I would not install a floor system. This is based on personal experience. We inherited a Caretaker. It's fine, but it requires some attention. I personally like the challenge and tinkering with it to make it do its best. Sounds like you guys may not want to do that. I would think a robot would be much more fun for the boys and husband to watch and "play" with.

I also put in a big vote for salt-water chlorine generation. It does not turn hair green and it does not corrode things. Plus it is easier to keep on top of your chlorine/sanitation levels. With liquid chlorine, you have to add it every day during the hot summer. Like having to walk your dog multiple times per day if you don't have a yard. Too much mundane work and tough to go away for any time at all. Become a regular here, follow the Trouble Free Pool Care recipe, and you'll love the convenience of the SWCG.
 
Bleach is better, when water temp is lower 50s in anyway you have to use bleach. If you want , you equiped DIY chlorine pump.
In floor cleaning, Sound good but if you are going to purchase one of good robot, better to buy dolphin I do not think so in floor cleaning system needed.
And your own teat kit. Taylor 2006C...
Then Enjoy your pool
 
Welcome to TFP!
Rachellb said:
As a cold whom had constantly green straw like hair from chlorine, the salt water or UV systems really appeal to me.
Click to expand...
It's been said, but deserves to be repeated: chlorine was not the key contributor to that problem. The consistency of your hair would likely have been due to mismanagement of a pool. Could be pH, could be that the active chlorine level was too high (such as a pool with no CYA but 2-3 Free Chlorine, which due to the buffering effect of CYA is much harsher than a TFPC managed pool with higher chlorine levels). The green tint though is 100% NOT from chlorine. Copper in the water, added as an algaecide, causes green staining to hair and pool surfaces. At TFP we avoid the use of algaecide (especially copper algaecide) while also keeping the chlorine levels in a good balance for comfort and killing algae, which solves both of those problems.
 
Welcome to the forum. My 2cents is go with the salt water pool it is a must in my eyes "really" it's a a huge help when days get long and I don't want to check the pool today. I does the FC for you.
And yes to a pool robot I have a tiger shark one its not to smart but it cleans good.
Also a good test kit will help tf100
I cant say much on the spa as i don't have one but i can wish.
 
We just learned that a new pool requires daily maintenance...especially if you have plaster/pebble finish - it does not matter what kind of cleaner you have. The cleaner is not performing water tests and adding chemicals to maintain your water chemistry, which is the most important aspect of pool maintenance. Unless you are going to do the pool work yourself - " a husband who has no interest in doing any work maintain our pool" - will be a problem. We found that pool maintenance companies come only once/week for ~$100/month...$25/visit. If we could find a company willing to come out once / day, imagine the costs...none of the companies were willing to even give a price to come every other day to test/adjust the pool during these volatile weeks.

In our case, I assume that once the water is balanced and the pebble finish has finished curing, once a week will be ok - but right now the pH is rising very quickly. Seeing how fast the pH can spike to dangerous levels, I will never go more than a few days without testing/adjusting (again).

 

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I chose the Paramount PCC2000 in floor system when I had the pool built, and 20 years later, I consider it the best $2000 bucks I have ever spent! I've only had to replace 4 nozzles in 20 years, and Paramount still honors their lifetime warranty! I've worked on a few of the older Caretaker systems, and they don't perform nearly as well as my PCC2000
 
Thank you all for your input. Sounds like saltwater is the way to go. Itmeil def be me doing maintenance so would like to keep it as simple as possible.

I think we are going with a pebble tech finish, but still need to research a little more.

Jury is still out on the cleaner. I like the idea of the self cleaning heads and not having something on a hose going around the pool. My concern with that is the kids breaking it. Really seems to be a mixed bag of reviews on the in floor systems
 
Robots do not have a hose. Only an electrical cord. And they are easy to remove from the pool.
 
We have a Dolphin S300 - Our pebble finish is still curing, so we don't use it very often right now - we've been instructed not to use it during the first 90 days...but we did have had it in the pool a few times already and it does a really great job cleaning up leaves/pollen/dirt & sand. It's super easy to use (put in water, plug in and press start button) and easy to clean the self contained - quick release filters (simply open the hatch, handle pops up, pull out filter basket and give a good rinse. Hose down the robot itself, coil the power cord and put it all away.)

I bought it for the wife, thinking it would keep it clean so she would have less work to do - but, since we aren't supposed to use it for the first 90 days, she has to us the manual vac anyway right now. (I'm away on business - or I would be taking care of it most of the time)

I say off of this to make sure that you are prepared (mentally and educationally) for the required maintenance as soon as the pool is filled. There are no magic potions and, unless you have lots of money, no one is going to be there every day - besides you and your family. The first couple months are crucial to a lifelong pool - the water chemistry was on a roller-coaster at our house and the wife was not mentally prepared or educated on home water testing and the importance of maintaining pH levels.

I had educated myself and was prepared for this - but the pool build took months longer than it was supposed to and my work trip was advanced by a couple of months. My plan to teach the wife via hands on training was fouled - and - the pool builder failed to educate her appropriately.

I'm not trying to scare you - it isn't really all that hard - but you have to be prepared for a bit of daily work. If you let it go, it gets harder and harder to get it back under control.
 
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