NE FL, Signing Contract Mon, So many questions...

[hopetoretiresoon]

We have never had pool before, live in ME, adding pool with spa to retirement home in Palm Coast, FL. Most pressing decisions right now are: being pushed towards UV or Ozone instead of Salt and don't understand the differences fully, want to make sure we can heat pool to 85 in winter months (Jan-Mar), 3 color LED globeright lights or save $900 by using one lg light at the end of pool? Do we need a double door on one side of dome screen house? Do we need auto fill/drain feature? Can't afford pavers so what color of acrylic do we use? So overwhelmed.
Thank-you for any insight.

 

[tim5055]

Welcome to TFP!!

being pushed towards UV or Ozone instead of Salt and don't understand the differences fully

Salt, hands down. Don't let the "misinformed" salesman tell you UV/Ozone is a pool sanitation system. It's not.

want to make sure we can heat pool to 85 in winter months (Jan-Mar)

What heating method is included??

3 color LED globeright lights or save $900 by using one lg light at the end of pool?

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I've always been happy with one light at the end.

Do we need a double door on one side of dome screen house?

I lived in Florida for 32 years and I can't ever remember seeing a double door in a screen enclosure. Maybe if that was the only access to the widest door in the house.

Do we need auto fill/drain feature?

They may be good if you will be leaving the pool unattended for long periods of time. Will this always be a second home or are you planning to relocate in the near future?

Can't afford pavers so what color of acrylic do we use?

I'm at a loss on this one. What is an "acrylic" deck? Is this a fancy name for Kool Deck? What about just a colored stamped concrete deck?


Now comes the big question, and it relates to one I asked above - Will this always be a second home or are you planning to relocate in the near future? Pools are very much like pets, they need feeding and attention on a regular basis.

 

[Demegrad9]

I'm sure lots of people will weigh in on this, but as long as your pool is outside, in Florida you get tons of UV from the sun and Ozone is a joke. Either push back and demand what you want, i.e. a salt water pool, or find a builder who will work with you and not against you.

 

[PoolGate]

UV = Blue Smoke and Mirrors for a pool exposed to the sun
Ozone = Blue Smoke and Mirrors
Saltwater Pool = How all pools should be!

Heating options depend on nighttime temps and if you are going to put on a solar (bubble) cover every single night. For FL you could get away with a heatpump or solar, but for instant heat and simplicity, only natural gas or propane delivers.

Lights are personal choice. I would go at least one in the pool and one in the spa.

Auto fill/drain really isn't needed. For me, once a week I throw the hose in the pool while I am cutting the grass. Never had a low-water issue. I suspect you are pretty humid in FL so you could do without the auto fill.

For the screen dome that is totally your preference for what you are going to be doing with it. I assume a double door just allows you to fit larger things into the room?

I don't know what an acrylic deck is sorry I have concrete.

 

[Uncle Salty]

First off welcome to TFP!

Do not let your PB talk you into UV or Ozone, they’re both a waste of your $. Go with a SWG or just use straight up bleach for sanitizer. I’d go with the 3 lights if it were me. Do you have make & model numbers for equipment listed? Also make sure to purchase a good test kit like the TFT-100 or Taylor 2006c as it’s a necessity to keeping a crystal clear TFP. I’m sure others will chime in on your other questions.

Salty

 

[Jimrahbe]

htrs,

Welcome to TFP... a great place to find the answers to all your "Retirement" questions...

As the others have already said... No to UV and Ozone, and Yes to salt...

The key to having a successful saltwater pool is making sure that the salt cell is at least 2 x the volume of your pool.. Since it looks like you are getting an automation system, then the cell must be the same brand as your automation system so that the two units can talk with each other. Also, make sure that any salt cell is just a salt cell and not one that also uses a mineral cartridges..

Good choice on the VS pump as it is a must when you have a saltwater pool..

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[Brentr]

htrs, welcome to TFP
Let me comment on a the double door. We originally had a single door and a few months later I had to change it to a double door because we bought a summer kitchen and it could not fit. The wife urged me to originally put in a double door but I wanted to save a few dollars. In the long run I spent a lot more for the company to come out a second time. So I highly recommend putting in double doors. This is just my experience. Hope this helps
Look at the sig bar for ideas.

 

[hopetoretiresoon]

Thank-you. We will be in Florida 4-6 months/yr. Trying to decide which heat pump. It will be Tropical/Aquacal Brand but do we need the
icebreaker technology?

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Thank-you. Great info as we may want to add summer kitchen

 

[hopetoretiresoon]

Next quandary...do we pay $2000 for the "Eco Pool" option which will put 6 returns on the floor of pool instead of just wall returns and will add a channel drain. Supposedly will help keep pool clean but mostly heat it more efficiently without running pool as much.

 

[PoolGate]

Next quandary...do we pay $2000 for the "Eco Pool" option which will put 6 returns on the floor of pool instead of just wall returns and will add a channel drain. Supposedly will help keep pool clean but mostly heat it more efficiently without running pool as much.

$2000? Wow! I had 3 "deep heat" floor returns added to my pool and it was like $400 extra. It was a single pipe from my equipment pad that had 3 outputs along the center of the bottom of the pool. Floor returns are very good and do help the water both circulate and get warmer faster. But $2k is highway robbery!

 

[Jimrahbe]

htrs,

Not me!!... With a VS pump you will not have to worry about electrical cost to run your pump.... Sounds a whole like "magic" to me...

Thanks,

Jim R.

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It makes a lot more sense of you live in the frozen North like PG...

 

[Brentr]

Next quandary...do we pay $2000 for the "Eco Pool" option which will put 6 returns on the floor of pool instead of just wall returns and will add a channel drain. Supposedly will help keep pool clean but mostly heat it more efficiently without running pool as much.

I really think you should try to negotiate for a cheaper price.. there really is not much extra but some pvc and connectors. It should not be that much for the plumber to add some extra returns. [emoji15]

 

[hopetoretiresoon]

Apparently its a whole system of "stuff" that includes more than just the returns on the bottom but I see we need to get more info on what is included.

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Thank-you!

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Trying to choose colors for cool deck paint for the concrete. Anyone have pictures of their concrete deck paint? I want a creamy, tanish color with a lighter band of color around the pool that is not white.