Price Quote

[Deaconfrost]

Hello, new to the board and glad I found it, never thought we would be considering a pool and I know next to nothing about it. Live in Northwest Indiana and was wondering what everyone thought of the following quotes:

1 h.p. Pentair pump
Filter (earth, cartridge or sand)
Heater (250,000)
2 110V pool lights
Automatic Timer at Pad
4 x 7 Equpiment pad
In-line chlorine feeder
Mineral Purifier
4' Concrete all around
2 Skimmers
2 Main Drains (w/ VGB Complaint Covers)
2 Returns
Thermoplastic sit-n-step (w/ stair jets)
3 Tread Ladder
20ml Liner - Merlin or Platiymid
Mesh Winter Cover (blue, black, tan or green)
Water Balancing 2011 Winterization
Startup Kit (crook, thermometer, skimmer net, test kit, buoy, saety rope, brush, vaccuum, etc.)

The walls are steel concrete placed at base and backfilled with stone. The bottom is Vermiculite.

Aspen 18 x 40.6 $31,500

Lagoon 18 x 40 x 33.6 $35,000

Any thoughts? thanks!

 

[macgas]

I'm a recent pool owner and I went with in line chlorinator and ozonator. I did not have the advantage of finding this site prior to building my pool. If I could do it over I would have gone with the salt water chlorine generator and followed the BBB method right off the bat. It would have saved me two algae blooms in two months. I can't comment on the mineral thing except I don't see people talking about it in a positive light on this site.

 

[svenpup]

+1 to what macgas said.

The vast majority of our members find this site out of frustration after having had tons of problems caused by either:

1. They use trichlor (either in a floater or in line chlorinator) and/or dichlor shock. They run into problems when their constantly climbing CYA (stabilizer) level gets so high that the chlorine is rendered ineffective and they wind up with algae that they can't seem to get rid of.[/*:m:1i5r2egr]
2. They use mineral based alternative "sanitizers" and either get staining from the copper, or algae from the insufficient residual sanitizer in the water[/*:m:1i5r2egr]

The two recommended long term chlorinating options are liquid chlorine (aka bleach) or SWCG. Since you are building new there is no reason not to start off with an SWCG.

 

[waste]

Welcome to TFP!!

As was said, ditch the chlorinator and the mineral system! A SWCG is great, but slightly expensive - liquid chlorine is a bit more work to maintain {add}, but is ~ inexpensive.

I would want at least 2 more returns in the pool, but I like to see the water really moving - run the plumbing diagram by us and we'll help you 'tweek' it to get the best movement and skimmer action

I don't know the pricing in Indiana, but either sounds ~ reasonable for Ct., with the 4' deck - what about the fence you need to have?

Please stick with us and we'll help you with the entire selection, building and use/ maintenance of your new pool! (all we ask for, in return, are some pics of the process- we LOVE pics :-D )

 

[Deaconfrost]

Thank you all for you input. Sent an email to pb and was told that as to both packages- 4 return lines, three skimmers and two drains. Have not yet negotiated a final price, not sure if it is typically negotiable. Only need to do one section of fencing, got a quote and am looking at ~$2800. Here's what else I was considering:

(2) Deck Jets- $1400

(2) LEDs + Easy touch- $2500


Not sure- maybe can add this Crud later....?

Been researching swg and bbb method, and with being over-budget now would prob. go with bbb. Several questions:

-If i went with bbb would I still have them put in an in-line chlorinator?

-If i went with swg instead of the other Crud, is the salt overly-corrosive?

-If I stuck with an in-line chlorinator, would backwashing every other week would that counter act the bild up of stabilizer?

ahhhh....!!!

 

[svenpup]

-If i went with bbb would I still have them put in an in-line chlorinator?

It doesn't hurt to have it there empty, and you could use it if you go on vacation. I personally wouldn't bother.

-If i went with swg instead of the other ****, is the salt overly-corrosive?

Of course some salt is more corrosive than no salt. There are hundreds of thousands of salt water chlorine systems in the world. In some countries, such as Australia, they are the norm instead of the exception. Even in the US they are becoming more and more common. Remember, the salt levels for SWCG are around 3,000ppm, whereas the ocean is around 30,000ppm. Apparently there is a large increase of corrosiveness over 6,000ppm. The reality is that most pool materials are build to withstand corrosion, but cheap materials and certain types of soft stone can be affected.

-If I stuck with an in-line chlorinator, would backwashing every other week would that counter act the bild up of stabilizer?

It would help, of course. That assumes that you are not getting a cartridge filter.

 

[Melt In The Sun]

With the pool you described above (vinyl with no special coping, standard concrete decking), I would definitely get the SWCG. Make sure it's large enough for the pool; it sounds like you're looking at ~30,000 gallons, so get a cell rated for 40k or so. You'll love it! The thought of buying and lugging bleach for a 30k gallon pool does not blow my skirt up.

With an SWCG, there's no need for a chlorine feeder at all. The deck jets can't (easily) be added later, so if you want them, get them now. The lights and automation are easy to retrofit, and if you're pretty handy you can do it yourself for a lot less cash.

Definitely ditch the "mineral purifier" and don't forget a good test kit!!

 

[kellyj]

Welcome to TFP, like you I found it before I started building and it made a world of difference. I'm still not swimming yet, but we are in the middele of our build.

Like you I had questions about different add-ons that the PB's were selling. Ozonators and mineral systems and the like. I've now seen the light and ditching those systems for chlorine. I'd probably opt for SWG, but we have tons of natural stone around our pool, if you're planning concrete then go with that upfront.

Head the recommendations of those more experience than me. I changed my PB's plan to ensure a variable speed (energy efficient) pump to start, 2" or larger pipes, asked for more returns, and LED lights (also more energy efficient - I hate electric bills!) All more expensive, but easier to do now than change later and all will typically pay for themselves.

You've probably noticed by now that these add-ons quickly inflate the price, but at this point in my life I planned on that happening because it always does with projects like these.

Good luck, Kelly

 

[rodrigo]

We built our pool 6 years ago, and went with a fiberglass, sport bottom (3 ft deep at each end, 5 ft deep in the middle). We decided to skip a deep end because we figured most people stand around in the pool. When you have a diving end, you give up half to two-thirds of your 'standable' area to that part of the pool. The kids resisted at first, but I have to say that lacking a deep end hasn't slowed their wild rumpus. Once the kids get beyond a certain age, they tend to hang around in the water like the adults. Our pool is relatively small though, 11K gallons. You can only get up to a certain size with fiberglass, as there are limitations on the size of things they can haul down the road.

We went with a fiber-optic light system with a single output, and were terribly disappointed with the results. We simply didn't know that we could (and should) add additional outlets. Our 14' x 35' pool would be better served with two, maybe even three. Adding another one now would be a huge pain.

I know they are a really, really expensive option, but I wholeheartedly recommend an automatic cover. I cannot endorse this highly enough. They can be a maintenance issue if they start running out of square. And you will need to replace the cover & ropes sometime (my ropes broke after 6 seasons). But the benefits are numerous. You lose a lot less water to evaporation. Plus, you can close the pool & lock up the switch, which is a comforting feeling. I also theorize that keeping rain out of the pool helps me keep the water balanced.

+1 on the SWG. Once you get the water balanced, it makes life SO easy!

+1 on a GOOD test kit. Buy the TFP that someone sells here on the board, or get a good kit with Taylor reagents.

 

[Deaconfrost]

Thank you all for your advice thus far. I have decided to go with a double Roman- was having trouble fitting the lagoon into the yard. Currently waiting for a bid from another pb and will go from there. The one that gave me the bid referenced above completely discouraged me from a SWCG and told me there is no reason to have plumbing bigger than 1.5". Among other things.

This has left a bad taste in my mouth especially after spending the last couple weeks on these forums. I have concluded that there is no way a pool is going in without a SWCG. The pb whose bid I am waiting for does less volume- but does more custom work and had no problem with a SWGC (and uses 2" piping as std.).