Getting a in-ground pool.

[stinginstang]

Because of how the salt cell produces chlorine you will need to use about 3 gallons of acid per month that a pool sanitized with chlorine tabs would not need. You also have to add a phosphate remover to the water that a normal pool would not need and because of the very high TDS you also have to run a sequestrant of some sort. The salt also ruins the coping around the pool in as little as 3 years. Over the long haul a salt water chlorinating system cost much more then keeping the exact same pool sanitized with chlorine tabs.

I am not talking out of my ass here. I own a pool service company and I am responsible for about 350 pools.

How many gallons of acid would a non salt cell pool use?
Never used a phosphate remover and never used a sequestrant - what are they suppossed to do? My coping does show some signs of wear (far from ruined), but I don't have 349 other pools to compare it to.

[goofygrin]

Me neither... I do have to add acid, but our pool aerates continuously with the rock spillover from the spa to the pool, and I assume you know that aeration causes pH to rise.

I follow the BBB method and have no issues. Definitely less headache after adding Borax last year.

And tabs? Dude your CYA will go through the roof and you'll be burning Cl in the summer like a mofo requiring a water change. Had to drain part of my parents pool last summer due to this.

[greenbullitt]

You must have met them at Mike's

yes, years ago. Mike K and Greg are both great people

[STRONGNUFF]

Can't speak to their quality NOW, but in 1995, had a Blue Haven pool put in and within 1.5 years it cracked, called them and they said go pound sand.

Had Anthony Sylvan put in a pool (next house) in 2001, with my past pool experience, they were the ONLY one's that offered a lifetime gaurantee against cracking of gunite, yes it was in writing, hell the salesman said "if a plane crashes next door and it causes your pool to crack, we'll replace it"

But like I said, no recent experience with any company. Just an FYI, having a swimming pool gets OLD after a few years, and you'll start thinking "man I could have had some great vacations with this money I spent"

[stinginstang]

Can't speak to their quality NOW, but in 1995, had a Blue Haven pool put in and within 1.5 years it cracked, called them and they said go pound sand.

Had Anthony Sylvan put in a pool (next house) in 2001, with my past pool experience, they were the ONLY one's that offered a lifetime gaurantee against cracking of gunite, yes it was in writing, hell the salesman said "if a plane crashes next door and it causes your pool to crack, we'll replace it"

But like I said, no recent experience with any company. Just an FYI, having a swimming pool gets OLD after a few years, and you'll start thinking "man I could have had some great vacations with this money I spent"

kinda like getting married

[STRONGNUFF]

kinda like getting married

lol

[Sgt Beavis]

Big spa, heated (although to heat the pool is $$$$$), large tanning ledge, salt water, variable speed pump were our requirements.

Can anyone give me a guestimate on how much it cost to MAINTAIN a pool of this size? I'm looking for a monthly or annual cost.

My wife and I are looking at a house with a pool that is similarly sized.

[goofygrin]

That's my pool . It's right about the standard small yard pool (~80 linear feet).

In the winter our electric bill goes up the colder it gets because the pump has to run to keep the water in the lines from freezing. Say $20 more a month (our electric bill was $70-150 all winter long, gas heat).

We put $20-30 of acid in a month in the summer and less in the winter. I had to add salt this winter, $20. In the summer I have to add bleach to keep the Cl level up (the sun destroys the free chlorine, plus all the kids in the pool). Typically $5-20 a month (depends on the bather load, the number of babies, dogs, etc.). The pump runs a bit more in the summer but we really didn't notice the bills getting much higher... maybe $20?

Again, we have a variable speed pump so I have set it to run at fairly low speeds to save on juice but still have enough suction to run the creepy crawler effectively and get the desired number of turns a day.

[svauto-erotic855]

how many of those pools that you service are salt?

you might prefer non-salt pools, but every single person i know that has one loves them and would never go back to non-salt pool. i know it's a loose comparison but using tiny airsoft bb's in your motorcycle or car tires helps out tremendously! they balance perfectly which leads to longer lasting tires, smoother ride, no cupping, etc. but every ''tire shop'' guy i have talked to says it doesn't work and to not even bother with it. gee i wonder why..

and i'm not trying to start shit or anything(hell i dont even have a house much less my own pool lol), just saying 98% of the people i talked to who have salt pools say they would never go back. anyways hope business is good and i'm sure you are about to get busy with summer coming up!

About 1/3 of my pools have salt systems on them.

Salt systems on pools make them feel great and I am not saying otherwise. They just have a big down side that the system manufactures gloss over.

How many gallons of acid would a non salt cell pool use?
Never used a phosphate remover and never used a sequestrant - what are they suppossed to do? My coping does show some signs of wear (far from ruined), but I don't have 349 other pools to compare it to.

A pool without a salt systems will rarely need any acid added to it if you are doing it right. Measure you pool for phosphates and they will be off the charts if you have a salt system and have never used a phosphate remover. A sequestrant helps prevent scale from forming and the metals that are in salt from staining the plaster. Water with salt dissolved in it is very prone to growing scale; I have even seen pools that have had the return lines nearly plugged solid with scale build up.

[stinginstang]

About 1/3 of my pools have salt systems on them.

Salt systems on pools make them feel great and I am not saying otherwise. They just have a big down side that the system manufactures gloss over.



A pool without a salt systems will rarely need any acid added to it if you are doing it right. Measure you pool for phosphates and they will be off the charts if you have a salt system and have never used a phosphate remover. A sequestrant helps prevent scale from forming and the metals that are in salt from staining the plaster. Water with salt dissolved in it is very prone to growing scale; I have even seen pools that have had the return lines nearly plugged solid with scale build up.

Wouldn't a spillover spa drive the ph up? What metals are in salt?

[svauto-erotic855]

Wouldn't a spillover spa drive the ph up? What metals are in salt?

All salt has measurable amounts of iron, copper, manganese, magnesium and boron in it, plus trace amounts of every metal in the periodic table.

PH drops if there is more CO2 dissolved in the water. Depending on the conditions a spill way can add or remove CO2. It has an EXTREMELY small real world effect.

[goofygrin]

Chemistry...

Salt = NaCl. Running it through the salt cell breaks it into Na and Cl. It then breaks apart the water, H2O. This then forms NaOH and some HCL... but mostly H and Cl. The H bubbles out (you can actually see it happen). The Cl is in the water and kills baddies. NaOH is a base... aka raises pH.

The soft water feeling of a salt water pool and the low eye burning sensation is worth it to me.

[OrangeChevyII]

They are starting my pool today, I went with a mineral filtration system. It's a small pool as well, only 78 ft.

[OrangeChevyII]

Sounds just like what your sayin Goofygrin, I didn't go with a 2 speed pump. Has the freeze sensor ect....I did get a Spa so the pool is heated as well.

[OrangeChevyII]

Can't speak to their quality NOW, but in 1995, had a Blue Haven pool put in and within 1.5 years it cracked, called them and they said go pound sand.

Had Anthony Sylvan put in a pool (next house) in 2001, with my past pool experience, they were the ONLY one's that offered a lifetime gaurantee against cracking of gunite, yes it was in writing, hell the salesman said "if a plane crashes next door and it causes your pool to crack, we'll replace it"

But like I said, no recent experience with any company. Just an FYI, having a swimming pool gets OLD after a few years, and you'll start thinking "man I could have had some great vacations with this money I spent"

Funny you say that, I'm going to Cabo in two weeks for 5 days. I can't wait.