About to be a pool owner!

[Merlot]

We started a pool build just about 6 weeks ago and should have the finished product in 2 weeks. My husband grew up with a pool, but I have never really had anything to do with them :lol: And as it was, the pool care, I'm sure, went to his parents.

At the moment, our first concern/question is what type of vacuum to get. We are in FL, the pool is inground and I assume it's gunite, we are getting a uv (ozone) water purifier with chlorine to adjust as needed (?). We plan on doing the maintenance ourselves and that's really all I know. The pool is 3ft to 5.5 ft deep, 27 feet long and 15/11 feet wide (depending on which end). It is not in a screened enclosure. Will have a Jandy cartridge filter and 1 HP pool pump.

TIA for any advice and I hope to see lots more in the future, with good news, of course

 

[Merlot]

Some pics...We are another week or so past this point, I think the pump comes tomorrow.

 

[brownsburg]

i don't mean to start off your thread on a sour note, but please tell me that they're going to tie that skimmer into the pool wall with rebar and cement. otherwise, it will pull away from the pool and crack.

 

[crek31]

Welcome to TFP and congrats on a beautiful pool. I'm sure you will get tons of enjoyment from it and will love this forum for helping to keep it trouble free and crystal clear! If you haven't gotten a good test kit yet, order one today -- you won't regret it.

 

[Merlot]

i don't mean to start off your thread on a sour note, but please tell me that they're going to tie that skimmer into the pool wall with rebar and cement. otherwise, it will pull away from the pool and crack.

Hmmm...I think it is all part of the same pour...let me see if the latest pic shows anything. B/c I have no idea really, they did all the rebar and then shotcrete, now it's finished off w/pavers.

Ok, just took this one. I know nothing about what should/should not happen w/pool construction, but if we are looking at potential problems, I'd rather know so I can be on the lookout for them :lol:

 

[Merlot]

They have promised to give us everything we need to know to take care of the pool, including a video, yada yada yada. But I'd certainly appreciate some recommendations on brands for test kits, vacuums, etc.

 

[lbridges]

i don't mean to start off your thread on a sour note, but please tell me that they're going to tie that skimmer into the pool wall with rebar and cement. otherwise, it will pull away from the pool and crack.

OP - how are the pavers set? Are they sitting on top on a concrete pour, or just in sand/gravel? I too would have expected to see a concrete pour, at least around the skimmer(s).

If you're taking care of the pool yourself - I would suggest the TF-100 - you can find the link on this site, or just go to TFTestKit.com (I think that's the right name). As to cleaners, do you have a suction side port, or a pressure side port (typically they give you a suction side port and some pool/vinyl vacuum kit)? I personally prefer a robot, but then that might not be in your budget right after a build. If it is you can look around for many opinions on the robots - my own is a Blue Diamond, but that's just me.

 

[Merlot]

The pavers are set in sand/gravel. The guys are actually here working on installing the pump so I went out and asked, he said that typically when the pavers are put down, they put some concrete around the skimmer bucket/filter/thing but it's under paver now. Also, the metal bars that were sticking up at that area were bent back down over the skimmer area? I do recall the paver guys using cement, they put it around the perimeter, so there's a good chance they put it around the skimmer as well. I didn't watch every move, there was one guy dong all the 'fine tune' work while 2 others were doing the bulk of laying pavers.

I guess we shall see.

 

[Merlot]

Sorry, I missed the second part of the post. I found the section on the test kit and will probably order the TF-100...just waiting to see what, if anything, the pool company gives us. We have a dedicated line for a vacuum, I'd love a robot, too, but it's certainly not in the budget for a while :lol: Apparently there is a sale on the Barracuda G3 for about 200.00, husband really only knows of the Kreepy Krawly, so I'm trying to see what's the best bang for the buck. Pump is Jandy PHPF1.0.

Thanks for your patience as I learn to navigate this site