The little things.

[Obi1.5]

We have been using a 15’ intex above ground. The family loves it and I have been learning the basics of maintenance. We have decided to make the jump to a larger, more permanent pool. Something in the 15x30 range. We meet with several contractors over the next couple weeks. I have been researching and investigating and believe I have a basic understanding of the pros and cons of most of the big issues (filtration, surface type, decking etc). What I can’t seem to find are the little details. What little things are real game changers? Is there an extra jet/valve/outlet that you wish you had? An extra clean out? The small thoughtful details that make life better.
The other thing I’m having trouble is identifying any hardware or equipment manufacturers to stay away from.
Thanks!

 

[Newdude]

Welcome to TFP !! Congrats on wanting to go permanent !! It’s a ride, and at times a bumpy one but you found the best resource on the web for this sort of thing. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Almost 240k members and just under 1.9 million posts from folks about their pools.

You’ll find no shortage of opinions here. To me the game changers are the big things. I’d rather have more pool than pretty much anything else. Except my SWG. I would get a smaller pool to keep the SWG if I had to. # 2 would be a huge patio. Patio space is never wasted. You just invite more friends over and have a better party with more space. And then you need a bigger pool so see my 1st wish.

The equipment has millions of happy users from all of the big 3. (Handy/Hayward/Pentair). We all like our own stuff but they all work well for 99.2% of people. Most of us prefer to stick with one for everything. Especially with automation.

 

[Obi1.5]

Thanks for the quick reply. I’ve been digging through past posts and articles. As you said, a little more pool and a little more deck. Like a boat where it’s a little more engine and a little more deck space. Or like a camper, with another slide or a longer awning. What I’m really looking for are the little upgrades or tweaks that people don’t talk about often. To use the camper analogy, it would be things like a heat proof sink cover to expand counter space, upgrading to a hydraulic leveling system, or an axle flip kit to give the camper more clearance. These little, unsexy, practical upgrades that improve quality of life and are most practical to put in place on the initial build. Especially in the maintenance and plumbing departments.

 

[Newdude]

Have you chose a chlorinating method yet ? SWG fits the maintenance game changer. So does a robot for cleaning. VS pump is awesome, VS + SVRS is a nightmare. SVRS is supposed to notice that there is a restriction like someone is trapped in a skimmer/drain and shut off. It will shut off if the right bird flys by instead. Ok OK. Maybe not that bad. It takes 2 of the right bird flying by to trip it.

 

[Obi1.5]

Robot is on the ”must have” list. Probably going to go with SWG as well. Thanks for the insight on the svrs.

 

[TexasRain]

This thread helped me out a lot!

All the things I wish I knew before our build

I've seen threads like "what 1 thing would you have done different or what 1 thing could you not live without" but I wanted to capture all of the things I wish I knew or gave more consideration to before our build in hopes of helping others. While TFP helped me a ton along the way, I was less...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Obi1.5]

Thank you so much!

 

[spd500]

What kind of pool are you building? Might help people to know the best advice to offer

 

[Obi1.5]

We will be working with the PBbto make that decision. The lot has some challenges. At the end of the day. It will be rectangular, 15x30 or maybe a little bigger. I suspect getting a Fiberglass pool in is not going to be feasible.
I’m asking this open question at this early stage because I want to get as much “right” at the initial build as possible. And these little tidbits can help inform my choice of materials.