Polyshield or not?

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D

docthebiker

0
Jul 18, 2010
50
Central Illinois
I have not been able to make an install date yet. I talked to the installer and they were strongly advising a Poly Shield? They want to charge an additional 300 dollars for purchase and install! My question is this....is this something that is strongly advised to do? I have been trying to stay in a budget here...and if the end result means me having a liner that lasts MUCH longer then I will do it!

Question 2...the store that I am buying the pool from advices in the area that I live in (Central Illinois) that I run my pump/filter 24/7.


Background...getting a 18 foot above ground with Hayward 110 cartridge filter with 2hp pump. This will also be hooked up to a nature 2/chlorine tube.

Thanks much in advance!
 
Yikes! First off 2 hp is way too much pump for an 18' pool! If you are good at math, you can follow the steps on this page to find out what size pump you need. I have a 1/5 hp on my 21' pool and it is way too much pump! When it finally bites the dust I will replace it with a 3/4 or 1 hp 2 speed pump. There is nothing wrong with running a pump 24/7 if that is necessary, but most people get by just fine with a 4-8 hour run time. You will see a significant jump in your electric bill if you run a 2 hp pump 24/7.

I am not familiar with the Poly Shield. What is it supposed to do?

docthebiker said:
I have been told that this is similar but better and cheaper than Happy Feet? I still do not know what the terms Happy Feat and Poly Shield really mean for sure!
:hammer:
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O.K. so it is an under layment for the liner. I don't know if the liner will last longer if you use it or not. I just have sand under mine. Several people here use one of the foam based under layments with their pools and have been happy with the results. Is Poly Shield specified for use with pools?

Personally I would skip the nature2/ chlorine tube. Nature 2 packs add copper to the water which can become problematic over time, and chlorine pucks can cause CYA to rise too high over time, which would require a drain and refill to remove.
 
Thanks...well I have talked to three stores and they all told me that this pump would give me better circulation. I am still learning...so I will do some more follow-up on this. The Chlorine/Nature 2 device was a throw in so it is not really costing me.

The poly shield goes in the bottom of the pool and along the walls, then the sand is put on top of the shield. This is supposed to prevent sand washout and to keep things from coming up into the liner. That is what I was told...so I just need to verify if this is worth the extra 300 dollars! Thanks again!
 
Out of curiosity, I Googled Polyshield and discovered that it seems to be some sort of AGP underlayment. I haven't heard of it before but that doesn't mean anything really.

Agreeing with zea3, about the most you would want for a pump is a 3/4 HP. I'd get a two speed to really get the savings. I also have WAYYYYY to much pump thanks to my PB. I'll tell you what, I can't wait for that thing to break so that I can go get a 3/4 HP two speed. The 2 HP is spendy to run.

I second skipping the N2 also.
 
docthebiker said:
Thanks...well I have talked to three stores and they all told me that this pump would give me better circulation.
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And my question back to them would be...Better how? More power doesn't always mean better. That's why there are more golf carts with 9 HP 4 cycle engines than there are golf carts with 350 small block V8 engines. Both will haul your golf clubs for 18 holes, but one uses a lot less fuel to do it.

Of course, you can go with the 2 HP and it will work fine for you. It'll just cost you more to use it is all. We are just all about helping people make the best decisions that they can with their money here by teaching you what we have learned from our own mistakes, trial, and error. :goodjob:
 
The polyshield will give u a lifetime install warranty. Its nothing more then super cheap probably .03 visqueen. They should sell it as that a lifetime install warranty as other then that it keeps worms and the like out of the sand base. I run a 2hp on my 24' and it really does keep it nice and clean. I am currently running 24/7 but plan on trying 16-18 hr's a day here soon. I plan to leave it off during the day when the rates are the highest. I have the nature 2 and use trichlor tabs. Do not buy the plastic chambers for the nature 2 instead buy 1" trichlor tabs it breaks down to roughly $3 per refill compared to $12 using the cartridges. You can pop the black lid off and fill it up yourself and save. I have been using a cartridge about every 8-9 days in central il also.
 
Thanks folks....I appreciate all the info! Talked to the installer again tonight....the pool dealer told me free installation. I have it in black and white...however the installer said that he spoke out of turn. The bottom line here is...I am getting the polyshield now for 100 dollars....and the total install including sand and bricks will be $482. This includes leveling my location as well. So...in the end I am about 20 dollars cheaper than I thought.

gqjeff...I wonder why it is they tell us in central illinois to run our filter 24/7. Its funny cause everyone I talk to has an oversized filter and pump compared the the norm here! Anyhow....against my better judgment I am going to stick with the 2 hp for now since the two pple I know in my small town have pretty much the same setup.

I will however remove the nature 2 (to rid the copper). And as soon as I use up my supply of the pucks...will try the BBB method! Also the Polyfoam is actually more like a foam.

I know I have much to learn....and I appreciate all the info that you folks are providing greatly! I am hoping to have the new pool up and operating within the next week if all goes well!

Thanks again,
Doc
 
I was actually told I could run it for 12-14 hr's a day. I have just for this first month ran it 24/7 to get a handle on the pool. I figure less troubles with the pump running full time to start with. I plan to scale it back to 18 hrs a day here soon.
 

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