Replacing old 24' - thinking about going resin

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archjeb

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May 22, 2017
68
Portland/OR
Hi Folks.

In a posting several months ago, I noted that I had tear down my 24' AGP that was from Costco because the lower rails were rusting significantly. That being said, I'm looking to replace this and thinking about going with an all resin pool.
I have a couple of questions regarding this:

1. I had my old ground bonding loop around the old pool with lugs attached to 4 uprights. With an all resin pool, even though the uprights appear to be steel...doesn't the bonding get affected especially when many of the tracks are resin and non-conductive? In this case, it would seem that only the metal uprights would be bonded and seems like its not really as useful.

2. Is it worth going down the resin path?

3. My previous filter / pump was a cartridge setup. Seemed to work ok. Curious if sand is worth considering on the new pool? Or just go with what worked in the past with the filter cartridge setup.

The previous pool (although we only had it for about 4 years), was fine except the rails were not galvanized...and the paint was not baked or even powder coated. It flaked off and that is what started the cancer of rust. The walls were galvanized and painted...I had no issues with those. uprights were galvanized and painted...no issues there either. Top ledge was resin...it was ok...but could see some fading from the sun.

Really my main issue was the rails being so crappy. Maybe as I type this out...I'm talking myself out of a resin pool. I just would like to know if the next pool I buy is galvanized and painted correctly and not the lame short-cut type of rails like I had before. Was really disappointed that I had rusted rails in the first year of use.

Thanks.

-J
 
Hey Arch !! Don’t beat yourself up too bad. The ‘Costco’ pools are basically a bag of water and flex a good deal. Even the better-ly coated ones wear and rust sooner than later.

With a ‘permanent’ above ground you have 3 choices. A full metal pool like has been used for decades, a ‘hybrid’ with resin everything but the aluminum wall, or a totally new last year full resin pool, walls and all.

It’s easy to spend other peoples money, but that said, I’d go full resin without question if I was doing it. The rest will all rust somewhere or all over, given enough time. If the budget allows it, it’s a no brainer.

However. Pay attention to the details as until just recently, the now hybrid pools were sold as resin pools. They may still be listed as all resin but have metal walls.
 
Oooos. Forgot your questions. Lalalalala :ROFLMAO:

1). Bonding is needed for permanent equipment. The all in one setups that aren’t hard wired usually don’t require it. When folks upgrade their equipment to better stuff, they have to bond every metal leg and that can be a pain. Your new pool equipment and style will dictate exactly what need what.

2). IMHo, yes

3) if the old equipment works and the pool stays a similar size you can reuse it for free. Or use this as your excuse to upgrade that too. I like cartridges myself. They all do the same job though. It’s the GM/Ford/Dodge debate that we all have our preferences but also all get to the store just fine. The key is having large enough equipment. Many packaged setups that come with pools are dinky at best. The pump needs to move enough water to filter it all, and a larger filter needs to be cleaned less. Much much less is a LIFESAVER and worth the upgrade cost for moth folks.
 
So, I'm seeing some with a stainless steel service wall section where the skimmer and return jet are. Never seen that before. Is that worth going with?

Regarding resin...they all seem to still have steel walls. Do they actually make a resin wall?

-J
 
oh, as far as old equipment...I sent the pump and filter back with the Costco Swim'n play package. But I kept my Pentair Ultratemp Heat pump. The heat pump has a min flow of 30gpm and the old 1HP Bluetorrent pump was around 52gpm...so it was ok. But I'd like to get at least a 1.5HP pump to get a little more flow. When I ran power out to the area when installing the pool, I have a dedicated GFCI protected circuit with a twist lock plug for this...so I can accommodate the 1.5HP with no issues.

Old filter was a Hayward CX880-XRE which is the 25.5" x 7" filter (106sq feet).
 
It looks like they have taken steps to prolong that models life. But don’t let the name fool ya. All above grounds flex, even that better model, and will eventually rub the coatings off at any pinch points. If something else doesn’t rust first due to leaks / etc. but that’s not to say it’s not a quality model. Just stating the usually overlooked.

Filters are rated for the size of the pool, which works in a vacuum, but the real world experience can be vastly different between an open yard and one that will drop tons of crud that needs filtering. The more debris you have the bigger of a filter you’ll want. If it’s big enough you can go all season in between cleanings. So we always recommend to get the biggest model your space and wallet can afford.

I get such a kick out of the micron debate between filter types. Millionths of an inch. A sand filter will go many times beyond what the naked eye can see, but the others pat themselves on the back with bragging rights. Lol. They all have their +\- for maintenance. If you know cartridges and they worked well for you, then stick with what you know and get big enough ones to save your workload.
 
Newdude said:
Oooos. Forgot your questions. Lalalalala :ROFLMAO:

1). Bonding is needed for permanent equipment. The all in one setups that aren’t hard wired usually don’t require it. When folks upgrade their equipment to better stuff, they have to bond every metal leg and that can be a pain. Your new pool equipment and style will dictate exactly what need what.

2). IMHo, yes

3) if the old equipment works and the pool stays a similar size you can reuse it for free. Or use this as your excuse to upgrade that too. I like cartridges myself. They all do the same job though. It’s the GM/Ford/Dodge debate that we all have our preferences but also all get to the store just fine. The key is having large enough equipment. Many packaged setups that come with pools are dinky at best. The pump needs to move enough water to filter it all, and a larger filter needs to be cleaned less. Much much less is a LIFESAVER and worth the upgrade cost for moth folks.
Click to expand...

For bonding, I'm not sure if that is correct. An AGP has the same requirements for bonding as an inground pool if water depth is greater than 42"
Also, I thought NEC code stated that bonding was to occur in 4 locations with the conductor 18-24in from the inside walls of the pool and burried below subgrade at 4 to 6 inches. At least that is how I had my previous pool bonded. Oh ya...that bonding wire also was attached to a bonding plate in the skimmer...

It makes perfect sense if its all metal track and uprights...but when its resin...or some of it is resin, then this throws a monkey wrench on the bonding. If only the wall is metal, I'm not about to drill into the pool wall to attach my lugs.:oops:
 

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archjeb said:
For bonding, I'm not sure if that is correct. An AGP has the same requirements for bonding as an inground pool if water depth is greater than 42"
Click to expand...
I misread your first post. Apologies. I was talking about the typical Costco ‘temporary’ pools. A permanent above ground (even from Costco :ROFLMAO:) has equipment that needs to be bonded to the pool. The all in one units are usually plug and play.
 
Curious if anyone has tried to use a spray protective coating on parts during install? Like on aluminum boats, a lot of folks spray sharkshide on the aluminum. It does wear out eventually...but it is another layer of protection. I'm not thinking so much the outside of the pool...more like the area's you can't get to, such as the inside wall, service cutouts, etc. Anyone try or have success doing this...or is that really an exercise in futility?
 
archjeb said:
But I'd like to get at least a 1.5HP pump to get a little more flow
Click to expand...
In your searching, consider a 2 speed or VS pump. The budget can already be easily blown, but long term they pay for themselves many times over with the cost savings.
archjeb said:
Curious if anyone has tried to use a spray protective coating on parts during install?
Click to expand...
Many have with Rustolium, flex seal, etc. it certainly can’t hurt and if it helps at all, a few years is a few years, ya know ? There should be plenty of threads that come up if you search for it. (Magnifying glass in the upper right corner).
 
Newdude said:
1). Bonding is needed for permanent equipment. The all in one setups that aren’t hard wired usually don’t require it. When folks upgrade their equipment to better stuff, they have to bond every metal leg and that can be a pain. Your new pool equipment and style will dictate exactly what need what.
Click to expand...

That may be code, but code is only a floor to start from, not a ceiling to stop at. Code is also influenced by manufactures and politics.

Electricity does not care if your pool has a removable plug or a hard wired connection. If it is going to shock you, it is going to shock you.

If you are going to be installing a new pool, it is cheap safety insurance to bond everything, regardless of if the plug is removable or not.
 
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Absolutely +1 that code is a bare minimum in any aspect of construction.
 
I don't think there is a debate that code is bare minimum. At any rate, back to the question on bonding with partial resin pools. With my previous pool with the uprights all metal and rails all metal and the uprights all screwed together with stainless steel screws...the bonding with #8 wire on 4 posts was reasonable because of all the metal being tied in together with stainless screws and enough 'touch points' around the pool. But with all resin pools, where the uprights and rails are all resin and non-conductive, this no doubt creates a challenge for bonding.
Since you don't have all of these 'touch points' of metal contact for continuity like a traditional metal pool (uprights, rails, wall, etc), how are people bonding the metal wall when everything else is just resin? Drilling into the wall doesn't seem like the wisest option.

-J
 
archjeb said:
I don't think there is a debate that code is bare minimum. At any rate, back to the question on bonding with partial resin pools. With my previous pool with the uprights all metal and rails all metal and the uprights all screwed together with stainless steel screws...the bonding with #8 wire on 4 posts was reasonable because of all the metal being tied in together with stainless screws and enough 'touch points' around the pool. But with all resin pools, where the uprights and rails are all resin and non-conductive, this no doubt creates a challenge for bonding.
Since you don't have all of these 'touch points' of metal contact for continuity like a traditional metal pool (uprights, rails, wall, etc), how are people bonding the metal wall when everything else is just resin? Drilling into the wall doesn't seem like the wisest option.

-J
Click to expand...

That is a tough question. If I were in that situation, I would trying a ring connector under one of the bolts that is used to connect the two ends of the walls. Of course this is something that I would do while building the pool, not after the fact.

Another idea is to drill / bolt / clamp an attachment at the very top edge of the wall, underneath the cap at the top of the legs, and run the bond wire down behind the legs and out to the halo.
 
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