Hello, I am new to this forum, so ANY and All input will be greatly appreciated!!! We are getting ready to open our pool up for the season and are seriously considering a SWG, but all the reviews I have read and 'pool companies' I have talked to either disagree with doing it or say it's great. I would like to hear from someone who has had a unit in their above ground pool for more than a year and their thoughts please. We have a 24' a.g. 52" deep, vinyl liner, metal walls with protective coating on them. I have read the rust issues with the caps and understand rinsing them off, and if that is the worse thing then great! We are so tired of chasing this pool all year long! We were told yesterday by a 'pool rep' that 'oh no, he seen a SWG above ground pool after one year and he was able to put his finger thru the side of the pool wall from the rust.... Would like to get going immediately on this. Any help would be so great! Thanks! :-D
HELP! Get as many positive as negative thoughts on a SWG!
- Thread starter btah02
- Start date
Re: HELP! Get as many positive as negative thoughts on a SW
Welcome to TFP!
I have an above ground pool that we installed 4 summers ago (we put it up late late summer.. too late for swimming
) and I happened upon a clearance Intex SWG that fall. I didn't know what it was and did some research, went back and bought it, and we are starting our 3rd season with it.
I love the swg and will replace it when it goes out. It makes pool maintenance a breeze and I really don't think it's caused us any problems as far as rust goes. I couldn't imagine lugging chlorine home all the time. :-D If you were really concerned, I imagine you could rinse down the pool after you've had some splashing fun just for precaution.
We bought a used pool that was several years old which we took down and reinstalled with a new liner and a few new nuts and bolts that didn't make the move well. It is showing some tiny amounts of rust, but very minimal... I can't say for sure that it wasn't there when we bought the pool. I know the previous owner used pucks and such, so there was no previous salt exposure to my knowledge.
I think you will find mixed reviews about a lot of things in pool maintenance. If someone hasn't used a product themselves, it's hard to know if they are giving accurate information... and who knows, if that guy with the 1 yr old pool got a defective pool and it wasn't the swg's fault .. ? Without a side by side comparison, same pool model, different pool maintenance... it's too hard to know for sure.
Let us know what you decide.
Welcome to TFP!
I have an above ground pool that we installed 4 summers ago (we put it up late late summer.. too late for swimming
) and I happened upon a clearance Intex SWG that fall. I didn't know what it was and did some research, went back and bought it, and we are starting our 3rd season with it. I love the swg and will replace it when it goes out. It makes pool maintenance a breeze and I really don't think it's caused us any problems as far as rust goes. I couldn't imagine lugging chlorine home all the time. :-D If you were really concerned, I imagine you could rinse down the pool after you've had some splashing fun just for precaution.
We bought a used pool that was several years old which we took down and reinstalled with a new liner and a few new nuts and bolts that didn't make the move well. It is showing some tiny amounts of rust, but very minimal... I can't say for sure that it wasn't there when we bought the pool.
I know the previous owner used pucks and such, so there was no previous salt exposure to my knowledge. I think you will find mixed reviews about a lot of things in pool maintenance. If someone hasn't used a product themselves, it's hard to know if they are giving accurate information... and who knows, if that guy with the 1 yr old pool got a defective pool and it wasn't the swg's fault .. ? Without a side by side comparison, same pool model, different pool maintenance... it's too hard to know for sure.
Let us know what you decide.
Re: HELP! Get as many positive as negative thoughts on a SW
I've had a SWG for almost five years and totally love it. In ground vinyl liner pool, no issues with rust or corrosion what so ever.
SWGs are extremely popular and some significant percentage of all pools in the US have them with only a few problems here and there. Of course you hear about the problems a lot even though they are very rare because dramatic stories are more fun to talk about. Unless you have a lot of natural stone work or can't afford one I strongly recommend getting a SWG.
Many problems that have no relationship with the SWG are also getting blamed on SWGs. The pool industry is conservative, and when something goes wrong the first thing they blame is whatever is new or different. SWGs only really took off in popularity perhaps ten years ago, so they get a lot of grief that they don't deserve.
I've had a SWG for almost five years and totally love it. In ground vinyl liner pool, no issues with rust or corrosion what so ever.
SWGs are extremely popular and some significant percentage of all pools in the US have them with only a few problems here and there. Of course you hear about the problems a lot even though they are very rare because dramatic stories are more fun to talk about. Unless you have a lot of natural stone work or can't afford one I strongly recommend getting a SWG.
Many problems that have no relationship with the SWG are also getting blamed on SWGs. The pool industry is conservative, and when something goes wrong the first thing they blame is whatever is new or different. SWGs only really took off in popularity perhaps ten years ago, so they get a lot of grief that they don't deserve.
Re: HELP! Get as many positive as negative thoughts on a SW
Our pool is inground so I can't comment on the rust issues, but I can tell you that we have been completely happy with our salt system. Our pool was installed in 2005, and we have had beautiful, crystal-clear, low maintenance water every summer. After the initial balancing when opening the pool, we might have to add something once or twice at most, all summer. We had an above-ground pool years ago that we used chlorine tablets, shock, etc in, and the difference between the amount of work required is amazing. We were constantly adding and correcting in the chlorine pool, with frequent trouble with cloudiness and algae. These problems have been nonexistent in our current pool.
Our pool is inground so I can't comment on the rust issues, but I can tell you that we have been completely happy with our salt system. Our pool was installed in 2005, and we have had beautiful, crystal-clear, low maintenance water every summer. After the initial balancing when opening the pool, we might have to add something once or twice at most, all summer. We had an above-ground pool years ago that we used chlorine tablets, shock, etc in, and the difference between the amount of work required is amazing. We were constantly adding and correcting in the chlorine pool, with frequent trouble with cloudiness and algae. These problems have been nonexistent in our current pool.
MikeInNH
0
Re: HELP! Get as many positive as negative thoughts on a SW
I have an Intex 2 button SWG for our AG pool. I like having it but it does have some pros & cons. All in all the pros way outweigh the cons. You can see in my sig how long I've had it.
Pros:
-easy to deal with, my cl levels are pretty constant
-cheap to run
-no jug to deal with
-bees don't like salt water (huge plus in my area)
Cons:
-with Intex you need to make sure it runs. electrical blip, low pressure and low salt will stop it. still need to monitor cl level.
-any leaks around filter will make your pump motor parts rust quicker (I ignored a leak and needed to buy another pump, Craigslist is my friend)
-the directions say to shut it off when swimming so then need to reset unless running at off times (may be Intex only issue)
-besides my old pump, the only thing I see corrosion on is the metal poles on my wedding cake steps at the water line
I have an Intex 2 button SWG for our AG pool. I like having it but it does have some pros & cons. All in all the pros way outweigh the cons. You can see in my sig how long I've had it.
Pros:
-easy to deal with, my cl levels are pretty constant
-cheap to run
-no jug to deal with
-bees don't like salt water (huge plus in my area)
Cons:
-with Intex you need to make sure it runs. electrical blip, low pressure and low salt will stop it. still need to monitor cl level.
-any leaks around filter will make your pump motor parts rust quicker (I ignored a leak and needed to buy another pump, Craigslist is my friend)
-the directions say to shut it off when swimming so then need to reset unless running at off times (may be Intex only issue)
-besides my old pump, the only thing I see corrosion on is the metal poles on my wedding cake steps at the water line
Re: HELP! Get as many positive as negative thoughts on a SW
I add a little salt (2-3 bags) at the beginning of the season, turn on the SWG and I have no issues with chlorine for the entire season. What's not to like? I do have an inground, but I wouldn't know any difference between inground and above ground with respect to ease and convenience.
I add a little salt (2-3 bags) at the beginning of the season, turn on the SWG and I have no issues with chlorine for the entire season. What's not to like? I do have an inground, but I wouldn't know any difference between inground and above ground with respect to ease and convenience.
Re: HELP! Get as many positive as negative thoughts on a SW
Thanks everyone for the responses....we ordered a SWG last night. Now will patiently await it's arrival and the start of our swimming season.
Thanks everyone for the responses....we ordered a SWG last night. Now will patiently await it's arrival and the start of our swimming season.