- Jul 20, 2022
- 1,050
- Pool Size
- 13500
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Hi everyone,
I am a former above ground pool owner that may be purchasing another pool, not sure if it'll be inground or above ground but have questions about both. We had our last pool for about 20 years without any major problems, I found the BBB method and pretty much used it exclusively except when going on vacation which is when I used trichlor pucks.
I have a couple of questions that may pertain to both types of pools and then some specific questions that pertain to each type of pool. Either pool will not be close to the house and the inground pool will need to be fenced.
* Filter - I prefer a DE filter, last one was great - any noticeable difference in cleaning/function between a grid style (my filter was this) and the Hayward system with fingers?
* Liner - I keep reading and was told by the pool company both AG and IG only last 5 to 7 years; is this something new? Has the quality of liners gone down that much? My liner probably should have been replaced after 15 years as the floor pattern started to delaminate and lasted around 20 years when the liner ripped below water level. Would have put a new liner in it except the pool wall was rusted, the bottom track was completely gone and I was told by someone the metal stains I was having was from the rust (this started happening about 3 years earlier) ... not quite sure if this was true or not but didn't want to install a new liner and have the rust slice through the liner.
For above ground - Our last pool was a 24 foot round galvanized steel pool and it lasted quite a while. Is there a big difference between an aluminum walled pool vs galvanized steel? I understand aluminum won't rust but will pit. We are in our 60's so not looking for longer longevity just better experience if one is better than the other?
My wife is saying she would like a deck on the pool as she felt that was missing on our last pool - I know there are national and municipal codes but does anyone know if there has to be concrete pilings below frost lines for a deck not attached to a house? I would think those metal decks that pool installers put up don't have concrete pilings.
For inground - this is a whole different "beast"!
First I'll go back to the liner - 5 to 7 years?! Seems like a lot of money to be putting out to have the pool liner replaced so often. Anyway, to keep costs down we would be looking at a 16x32 rectangle pool, vinyl lined (we were told fiberglass is 20% more and forget about gunite!) with 3 foot wide concrete surround, we were told this is a standard setup. Is 3 feet actually good enough? We don't entertain so it's not going to be a party pool but don't want to run out of room on the surround.
* Salt water generator - doing some research it seems as though they were frowned upon and now accepted. Based on what I've read I should get one that's made for a pool about 2x the volume, I'm not sure if the package would allow me to substitute. Is it worth getting if I can't? I've read that they cause more rust if something isn't bonded, not sure what people are talking about. When winterizing/backwashing, does the salt water kill vegetation?
* Pool pump and filter - Last pool filter was 120V and was told that inground is 220V, is the pump very noisy? My AG filter wasn't noisy and sat next to my pool. I have noticed that most people tuck the filter away around the side of their house or in a shed, ours would probably be out in the open not far from the pool. I don't want the sound to disturb us or the neighbors.
* No heater - we had luck with solar blankets on our AG pool and would use this method to heat an IG adding a reel to make it simpler. Also we found very little evaporation happening with the cover on.
* Winterization - How hard is it to winterize? Can an air compressor be used? If salt water - will it kill vegetation.
* Fence - was told we would need a 6 foot high fence.
Is there anything I missed? I know it's a lot of questions and I appreciate any information from people who know. For the AG since I've been through it before I kind of have a clue but I don't have a clue for IG. It's a lot of money to spend to make a mistake on and regret having it.
I want to thank everyone in advance for helping me out!
I am a former above ground pool owner that may be purchasing another pool, not sure if it'll be inground or above ground but have questions about both. We had our last pool for about 20 years without any major problems, I found the BBB method and pretty much used it exclusively except when going on vacation which is when I used trichlor pucks.
I have a couple of questions that may pertain to both types of pools and then some specific questions that pertain to each type of pool. Either pool will not be close to the house and the inground pool will need to be fenced.
* Filter - I prefer a DE filter, last one was great - any noticeable difference in cleaning/function between a grid style (my filter was this) and the Hayward system with fingers?
* Liner - I keep reading and was told by the pool company both AG and IG only last 5 to 7 years; is this something new? Has the quality of liners gone down that much? My liner probably should have been replaced after 15 years as the floor pattern started to delaminate and lasted around 20 years when the liner ripped below water level. Would have put a new liner in it except the pool wall was rusted, the bottom track was completely gone and I was told by someone the metal stains I was having was from the rust (this started happening about 3 years earlier) ... not quite sure if this was true or not but didn't want to install a new liner and have the rust slice through the liner.
For above ground - Our last pool was a 24 foot round galvanized steel pool and it lasted quite a while. Is there a big difference between an aluminum walled pool vs galvanized steel? I understand aluminum won't rust but will pit. We are in our 60's so not looking for longer longevity just better experience if one is better than the other?
My wife is saying she would like a deck on the pool as she felt that was missing on our last pool - I know there are national and municipal codes but does anyone know if there has to be concrete pilings below frost lines for a deck not attached to a house? I would think those metal decks that pool installers put up don't have concrete pilings.
For inground - this is a whole different "beast"!
First I'll go back to the liner - 5 to 7 years?! Seems like a lot of money to be putting out to have the pool liner replaced so often. Anyway, to keep costs down we would be looking at a 16x32 rectangle pool, vinyl lined (we were told fiberglass is 20% more and forget about gunite!) with 3 foot wide concrete surround, we were told this is a standard setup. Is 3 feet actually good enough? We don't entertain so it's not going to be a party pool but don't want to run out of room on the surround.* Salt water generator - doing some research it seems as though they were frowned upon and now accepted. Based on what I've read I should get one that's made for a pool about 2x the volume, I'm not sure if the package would allow me to substitute. Is it worth getting if I can't? I've read that they cause more rust if something isn't bonded, not sure what people are talking about. When winterizing/backwashing, does the salt water kill vegetation?
* Pool pump and filter - Last pool filter was 120V and was told that inground is 220V, is the pump very noisy? My AG filter wasn't noisy and sat next to my pool. I have noticed that most people tuck the filter away around the side of their house or in a shed, ours would probably be out in the open not far from the pool. I don't want the sound to disturb us or the neighbors.
* No heater - we had luck with solar blankets on our AG pool and would use this method to heat an IG adding a reel to make it simpler. Also we found very little evaporation happening with the cover on.
* Winterization - How hard is it to winterize? Can an air compressor be used? If salt water - will it kill vegetation.
* Fence - was told we would need a 6 foot high fence.
Is there anything I missed? I know it's a lot of questions and I appreciate any information from people who know. For the AG since I've been through it before I kind of have a clue but I don't have a clue for IG. It's a lot of money to spend to make a mistake on and regret having it.
I want to thank everyone in advance for helping me out!
