Trying to decide on PB and other stuff... Any advice

[dsncs]

Hello everyone! My husband and I have are finally getting a pool... we think...

We have interviewed pool builders, researched equipment, looked at pools, steps, liners, etc., looked at BBB and have narrowed it down to 2 PB so far and 1 maybe. All monies are about the same, the problem we're having is "HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?" This is what we've been promised so far... Ya'll tell me who you would choose from this list! PLEASE!

TRUE L - 18'x43'x28' (Inground Vinyl)

PB 1 - $38,200 - - - FORT WAYNE POLYMER POOL SYSTEM
Choice of Liner; IntelliFlo VS 3050 EE Pump by Pentair; IntelliBrite LED Lights (Qty 2); IntelliChlor Chlorine Generating System; Polaris 280 Automatic Cleaner w/ Booster Pump; EasyTouch Automatic Control System; 6' diving board; 8’ wide step w/ (2) 32” stainless steel handrail; Qty 3 Returns; Qty 2 Surface Skimmers; Pentair SD80 Sand Filter; 4' concrete decking on 2 sides; 8' concrete decking on step end and diving board; Full electrical; All Pool Maintenance Equipment
(NOTHING INCLUDED FOR GROUND WATER CONTROL - - Cost Extra)
BBB Rating - Satisfactory

PB 2 - $38,600 - - - STARBRITE POLYMER POOL SYSTEM
Choice of Liner; Hayward Northstar High Performance Pump; SAM Colored LED Light (Qty 2); Saltwater System with Controls (Brand Unknown); Polaris 280 System; 6' diving board; 8’ walk-in step w/ (1) stainless steel handrail in center; Qty 3 Returns; Qty 2 Surface Skimmers; High Capacity Sand Filter (Hayward); 4' concrete decking on 2 sides; 6' concrete decking on step end and diving board; Electrical hook-up / $1500 electrical allowance for other; All Pool Maintenance Equipment; Hydrotherapy fittings (2) on steps; One load of rock for Ground Water Control / Addt'l loads extra charge;
BBB Rating - None given

PB 3 - $35,000 - - - RIVERA POLYMNER POOL SYSTEM THIS IS THE MAYBE!
Choice of Liner; STA-RITE Pump; SAM Colored LED Light (Qty 2); Chlorine Generating System; Barracuda Cleaning System; 6' diving board; 8’ wide step w/ (2) stainless steel handrails; Qty 3 Returns; Qty 4 Surface Skimmers; Pentair SD80 Sand Filter; 4' concrete decking on 2 sides; 6' concrete decking on step end and diving board; Full electrical; All Pool Maintenance Equipment; GROUND WATER CONTROL - - Cost Extra
BBB Rating - Unsatisfactory


And could someone please tell me WHAT is the advantage of having a "2 speed" pump versus the standard pump??

Thanks so much!

 

[JasonLion]

I would pick between PB 1 and PB 2 based on references and how you felt about them. The IntelliFlo pump on PB 1's package is a nice perk and if this was all I had to go on I would pick that package for that reason. But really your confidence in the builder to complete the pool in a timely way is the most important criteria and you need to talk to people they have built for recently to get a sense of that.

Most pumps are single speed pumps. A two speed pump has an electricity saving low speed in addition to the regular high speed. Running on low speed is a great way to save electricity. Note that the IntelliFlo is a variable speed pump, which can save even more electricity than a two speed pump can be running on even lower speeds. It is nice to have high speed once in a while, for vacuuming for example, but it uses more electricity.

 

[whoozer]

I agree with Jasonlion. I would tend towards 1 or 2. If a PB has an unsatifactory rating at the BBB take it for face value and take them off your list or else you are setting yourself up for failure. This is too much of an investment to fool around with. Also ask for pictures ask to visit some pools they have built. Ask for phone references etc. This will help you feel more comfortable with your decision. It doesn't gaurantee anything but increases your odds of having a better PB.
I am getting the intelliflo vf pump with my new pool being built. It will help with electrical savings in the long run (to keep it simple). Good Luck and ask lots of questions here and read lots of other builds to educate yourself on the good the bad and the ugly

 

[TresW]

I'm surprised your "maybe" is the only one that has an unsatisfactory BBB rating. I agree with the others, remove them from your list ASAP. If you do any reading on TFP you'll quickly discover that pool builder problems will quickly turn your exciting backyard improvement into a horrible nightmare that you constantly lose sleep over! Ask anyone that has been through it and they will tell you they would gladly go back and pay more for a high quality PB.

 

[j4ydubs]

Congrats on taking the first steps toward a pool. The most important thing when selecting a PB is the company and employees. If you don't feel good about the people or company, move on. if you're dealing with a salesman, ask to interview the project manager that will be assigned to you. After the sale, you won't see the salesman again. you'll be dealing with a project manager (could be called something else). Also ask for their payment schedule. Try to keep payments until specific jobs are completed. Inspect the job and refuse to pay until it's corrected. After they get the payments, service might go down and your leverage is much less.

Looking on the BBB is a good thing, but don't stop there. Do a Google search of the company name and see what comes up. Look a couple pages deep. Also do a search for "<companyname> problem". This might turn up something interesting, like forum reviews or other ratings. Based on what you posted, PB3 would be off my list.

After all that and they are still neck and neck, then we can look at specs and equipment. Based on what you posted, I'd go with PB1. They're including a better pump and 2 foot more decking on both sides. I'd recommend going with more decking if you choose PB2. I'd also find someone close to you and ask if ground water or hard digging was a problem. That way you'll kinda know what to expect.

John

 

[SeanB]

If have not already read this article, it might help:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/sticky.php?s=9

Otherwise I don't have anything to add, other than I might steer clear of the Intellichlor swg. I have one and had to have the cell replaced the first year. Pentair was great and there were no problems, but others have reported issues as well - enough so that I would be reluctant to recommend one at this point.

I think waterbear has an AquaRite by Goldline which he recommends, and there are lots of good things said about the Auto-pilots as well.

I recommended a Liquidator for my parents who just had their pool built. It's only been in use a few days, but so far it's great.

 

[dsncs]

Thanks!



Thanks everyone for your input. We are still in the process of choosing... PB is definitely a NO!
We are planning to do some more research, talk with some more pool owners about their systems, what they would have done better, what they wish they hadn't done... etc etc etc. It's a long process, but in the end, it's worth it... or so I've been told! LOL

Thanks again!