Swimming Pool advice

Gern Blansten

Curious to hear from pool owners.

I have been beaten down enough by my family and will likely be getting a pool.  It seems like a fiberglass pool makes a lot of sense but my main question relates to saltwater vs chlorine.

Can anyone give advice here?  It seems like saltwater is better but I am worried about the effect on concrete decking, etc.

rgambs

My advice is to buy a boat lol
Pool sales and installation businesses are largely booked through next year, due to the 'Rona.

Gern Blansten

rgambs said:

My advice is to buy a boat lol
Pool sales and installation businesses are largely booked through next year, due to the 'Rona.

I have one...that was my main argument to not getting a pool.

F Me In The Brain

Wife wanted salt conversion and I resisted changing the pool over.  
I just don't buy the benefit, overall, and frankly I don't like the way it feels in a salt water pool.

They are money pits!

We have a gunite pool.

I do have a close contact in the pool hardware manufacturing business and he does say they are flat out busy.

Gern Blansten

F Me In The Brain said:

Wife wanted salt conversion and I resisted changing the pool over.  
I just don't buy the benefit, overall, and frankly I don't like the way it feels in a salt water pool.

They are money pits!

We have a gunite pool.

I do have a close contact in the pool hardware manufacturing business and he does say they are flat out busy.

Do you just do the normal chlorine type treatment then?  

The group we talked to said we would either be installed in Oct or March....I'm good with that

rgambs

Gern Blansten said:

rgambs said:

My advice is to buy a boat lol
Pool sales and installation businesses are largely booked through next year, due to the 'Rona.

I have one...that was my main argument to not getting a pool.

We pay $1000 a year to dock it for the season so we can pop on over anytime we want without the hassles of loading/unloading and launching.

Gern Blansten

rgambs said:

Gern Blansten said:

rgambs said:

My advice is to buy a boat lol
Pool sales and installation businesses are largely booked through next year, due to the 'Rona.

I have one...that was my main argument to not getting a pool.

We pay $1000 a year to dock it for the season so we can pop on over anytime we want without the hassles of loading/unloading and launching.

We live on a reservoir and have a dock, etc.  It's nice but our cove isn't suitable for swimming...too shallow.

F Me In The Brain

Gern Blansten said:

F Me In The Brain said:

Wife wanted salt conversion and I resisted changing the pool over.  
I just don't buy the benefit, overall, and frankly I don't like the way it feels in a salt water pool.

They are money pits!

We have a gunite pool.

I do have a close contact in the pool hardware manufacturing business and he does say they are flat out busy.

Do you just do the normal chlorine type treatment then?  

The group we talked to said we would either be installed in Oct or March....I'm good with that

Yeah I don't do anything as I am an idiot with such things (so many things!) and would likely foul it somehow....but the pool company sends someone to open and close it, seasonally, and weekly when open to maintain.
My wife checks every so often but the company we finally landed on after a few years is money as far as keeping the levels right.
They also use something that makes it so that water doesn't smell/feel/taste like chlorine.
I do wear goggles when actually swimming since I have contacts but others do not and have no issues.

I'm glad, generally, that we have one although I was very much opposed when we were house hunting.  Turned out that the house we wanted had one.

mcgruff10

Salt water pools are the way to go.  No chlorine smell and it feels good on the skin.  I m guessing more expensive up front but Less maintenance imo.  
I don’t see how it would affect concrete.  

mca47

I have a salt pool.  It's really the way to go.  I have a Pentair Intellichlor.  It literally does all the work.  You'll have to change the "output" depending on the temp and time of year, but that's it.  I test my chlorine levels maybe once a month and they are spot on.
The salt water does not effect concrete, tile, or anything else.
I also have sensitive skin, and the salt cell helps this a lot.
The only "negative" is that the salt cell does increase the pH of the water, so you'll have to add acid every once in a while.  And if you have really hard water, you'll want to clean the cell with acid every 3 months.  My water here in Arizona is crazy hard.

Gern Blansten

mca47 said:

I have a salt pool.  It's really the way to go.  I have a Pentair Intellichlor.  It literally does all the work.  You'll have to change the "output" depending on the temp and time of year, but that's it.  I test my chlorine levels maybe once a month and they are spot on.
The salt water does not effect concrete, tile, or anything else.
I also have sensitive skin, and the salt cell helps this a lot.
The only "negative" is that the salt cell does increase the pH of the water, so you'll have to add acid every once in a while.  And if you have really hard water, you'll want to clean the cell with acid every 3 months.  My water here in Arizona is crazy hard.

good info...thanks

Do you have a pool company come around or do you handle it all yourself?  

mca47

Gern Blansten said:

mca47 said:

I have a salt pool.  It's really the way to go.  I have a Pentair Intellichlor.  It literally does all the work.  You'll have to change the "output" depending on the temp and time of year, but that's it.  I test my chlorine levels maybe once a month and they are spot on.
The salt water does not effect concrete, tile, or anything else.
I also have sensitive skin, and the salt cell helps this a lot.
The only "negative" is that the salt cell does increase the pH of the water, so you'll have to add acid every once in a while.  And if you have really hard water, you'll want to clean the cell with acid every 3 months.  My water here in Arizona is crazy hard.

good info...thanks

Do you have a pool company come around or do you handle it all yourself?  

I do it myself.  Honestly, there is so little to actually do, but that also depends on the pool setup.  
My filter runs at night via an automatic timer.  Remember, it'll only make chlorine when the filter is running.  So at night, it runs, makes cholorine and cleans the pool.  I have the skimmer running as well as the automatic vacuum...so top and bottom are cleaned everyday. 
I have PebbleTec in my pool instead of plaster, so every so often I will brush the sides.
I literally do nothing, other than add some acid when the pH is creeping up.  I backwash it maybe 2-3x/year.  

I'll talk to people who will say "You know, I'd love to have a pool, but I don't want to deal with the upkeep".  I tell them I spend approx 5 minutes every month taking care of it.  
Growing up, we had a pool that was much more of a chore to take care of.  It didn't have a auto-vacuum, so you'd have to manually do that.  You'd have to test it every week.  If the chlorine got too low, or if you ran out of tabs in the floater, it would turn green...then you'd have balance the pH, add a bunch of algeacide, then super-clorinate it.  Then you'd have to backwash the shit out of the filter, then manually fill it up with a hose (my pool now has an auto-filler that maintains a level at all times).

If you get the right set-up out of the gate, it's super easy.  If you go on the cheap, you'll have more work to do.
 

Gern Blansten

mca47 said:

Gern Blansten said:

mca47 said:

I have a salt pool.  It's really the way to go.  I have a Pentair Intellichlor.  It literally does all the work.  You'll have to change the "output" depending on the temp and time of year, but that's it.  I test my chlorine levels maybe once a month and they are spot on.
The salt water does not effect concrete, tile, or anything else.
I also have sensitive skin, and the salt cell helps this a lot.
The only "negative" is that the salt cell does increase the pH of the water, so you'll have to add acid every once in a while.  And if you have really hard water, you'll want to clean the cell with acid every 3 months.  My water here in Arizona is crazy hard.

good info...thanks

Do you have a pool company come around or do you handle it all yourself?  

I do it myself.  Honestly, there is so little to actually do, but that also depends on the pool setup.  
My filter runs at night via an automatic timer.  Remember, it'll only make chlorine when the filter is running.  So at night, it runs, makes cholorine and cleans the pool.  I have the skimmer running as well as the automatic vacuum...so top and bottom are cleaned everyday. 
I have PebbleTec in my pool instead of plaster, so every so often I will brush the sides.
I literally do nothing, other than add some acid when the pH is creeping up.  I backwash it maybe 2-3x/year.  

I'll talk to people who will say "You know, I'd love to have a pool, but I don't want to deal with the upkeep".  I tell them I spend approx 5 minutes every month taking care of it.  
Growing up, we had a pool that was much more of a chore to take care of.  It didn't have a auto-vacuum, so you'd have to manually do that.  You'd have to test it every week.  If the chlorine got too low, or if you ran out of tabs in the floater, it would turn green...then you'd have balance the pH, add a bunch of algeacide, then super-clorinate it.  Then you'd have to backwash the shit out of the filter, then manually fill it up with a hose (my pool now has an auto-filler that maintains a level at all times).

If you get the right set-up out of the gate, it's super easy.  If you go on the cheap, you'll have more work to do.
 

Awesome...thanks!

CROJAM95

Best pool advice

have friends, family get them 🤣

i talked 3 people who are within ten miles of me.... I have them in rotation thru the summer 

have friends with boats too..... I bring booze, so I don’t feel so bad 🤣suckers

hedonist

Do you guys need to have a protective barrier around the pool like we do in California?  Apparently many parents shirked the old "Keep an eye on 'em when they're in the pool" advice.

Wobbie

one of the happier days of my life was selling our house with a pool.

that said, I had a book from Leslie’s Pool Supply that basically told you how to do anything. pool services are for 1%er’s like F’me

F Me In The Brain

Wobbie said:

one of the happier days of my life was selling our house with a pool.

that said, I had a book from Leslie’s Pool Supply that basically told you how to do anything. pool services are for 1%er’s like F’me

You can be our Pool Boy any day, Wobbie!

Wobbie

F Me In The Brain said:

Wobbie said:

one of the happier days of my life was selling our house with a pool.

that said, I had a book from Leslie’s Pool Supply that basically told you how to do anything. pool services are for 1%er’s like F’me

You can be our Pool Boy any day, Wobbie!

I talked a buddy into helping me acid wash, so he could “learn” :l:lol:

the ol’ huck finn gambit!

Gern Blansten

I have tried to resist since we live on a lake.  My argument has been that if we have a pool we won't use the boat.

I do like going out and anchoring the boat to swim, listen to music and drink beer, etc.  

Our cove is not conducive to swimming.  Too shallow and murky.  We have a neighborhood pool that requires membership but I really hate public pools and this one can get busy.  

I can't disagree that we have a perfect lot for a pool.  I've kind of reached the "fuck it" stage and want to keep my wife happy.

mca47

hedonist said:

Do you guys need to have a protective barrier around the pool like we do in California?  Apparently many parents shirked the old "Keep an eye on 'em when they're in the pool" advice.

We do in Arizona.
When I bought my house, it had a child protective "fence" up.  Per my realtor, because my backdoor has a chain lock that is x-feet high, it's considered good enough per the city law.
Since I don't have kids, I tore the child fence down.  I still have it, so if I ever have kids, I can put it back up.

F Me In The Brain

We don't have to in NJ.  Think we have to put up a yard fence but not a kiddie fence.  

One of our little cousins just sunk to the bottom of their pool, earlier this year, and was down there for an undetermined amount of time....they pulled him out and he was unconscious until the EMTs showed up (somehow in less than five minutes) and they gave him mouth to mouth and he was fine.  
Incredible.
  Got tears just hearing the story from my cousin (his mom)....her brother in law was in charge and somehow missed the kid going back into the pool.  3 years old.
Kiddie fence is not a bad idea....you just never know.  One person being a fool can ruin a life.

oftenreading

F Me In The Brain said:

We don't have to in NJ.  Think we have to put up a yard fence but not a kiddie fence.  

One of our little cousins just sunk to the bottom of their pool, earlier this year, and was down there for an undetermined amount of time....they pulled him out and he was unconscious until the EMTs showed up (somehow in less than five minutes) and they gave him mouth to mouth and he was fine.  
Incredible.
  Got tears just hearing the story from my cousin (his mom)....her brother in law was in charge and somehow missed the kid going back into the pool.  3 years old.
Kiddie fence is not a bad idea....you just never know.  One person being a fool can ruin a life.

A fence to keep out children is a good idea in pretty much any circumstances. Even if someone personally doesn't have kids, you can't guarantee that you'll never have guests with kids at some point. When you're not used to watching out for little kids, you don't tend to think of the problems that can arise, and drowning deaths can happen in such a short amount of time.

Even if you never have child guests over, there's still a chance that some kids may see a tempting pool in the neighbourhood and try to get in. Sure, if you've locked the gate you might not be legally liable if a kid drowns in your pool (or you might be), but does anyone ever want to go through that experience?

mca47

F Me In The Brain said:

We don't have to in NJ.  Think we have to put up a yard fence but not a kiddie fence.  

One of our little cousins just sunk to the bottom of their pool, earlier this year, and was down there for an undetermined amount of time....they pulled him out and he was unconscious until the EMTs showed up (somehow in less than five minutes) and they gave him mouth to mouth and he was fine.  
Incredible.
  Got tears just hearing the story from my cousin (his mom)....her brother in law was in charge and somehow missed the kid going back into the pool.  3 years old.
Kiddie fence is not a bad idea....you just never know.  One person being a fool can ruin a life.

Yikes!

Gern Blansten

oftenreading said:

F Me In The Brain said:

We don't have to in NJ.  Think we have to put up a yard fence but not a kiddie fence.  

One of our little cousins just sunk to the bottom of their pool, earlier this year, and was down there for an undetermined amount of time....they pulled him out and he was unconscious until the EMTs showed up (somehow in less than five minutes) and they gave him mouth to mouth and he was fine.  
Incredible.
  Got tears just hearing the story from my cousin (his mom)....her brother in law was in charge and somehow missed the kid going back into the pool.  3 years old.
Kiddie fence is not a bad idea....you just never know.  One person being a fool can ruin a life.

A fence to keep out children is a good idea in pretty much any circumstances. Even if someone personally doesn't have kids, you can't guarantee that you'll never have guests with kids at some point. When you're not used to watching out for little kids, you don't tend to think of the problems that can arise, and drowning deaths can happen in such a short amount of time.

Even if you never have child guests over, there's still a chance that some kids may see a tempting pool in the neighbourhood and try to get in. Sure, if you've locked the gate you might not be legally liable if a kid drowns in your pool (or you might be), but does anyone ever want to go through that experience?

In Indiana you have to have a fence or an automatic pool cover....we were going to opt for that.  

I'm clueless about pools though...I assume it is ok to leave it covered most of the time?

mca47

oftenreading said:

F Me In The Brain said:

We don't have to in NJ.  Think we have to put up a yard fence but not a kiddie fence.  

One of our little cousins just sunk to the bottom of their pool, earlier this year, and was down there for an undetermined amount of time....they pulled him out and he was unconscious until the EMTs showed up (somehow in less than five minutes) and they gave him mouth to mouth and he was fine.  
Incredible.
  Got tears just hearing the story from my cousin (his mom)....her brother in law was in charge and somehow missed the kid going back into the pool.  3 years old.
Kiddie fence is not a bad idea....you just never know.  One person being a fool can ruin a life.

A fence to keep out children is a good idea in pretty much any circumstances. Even if someone personally doesn't have kids, you can't guarantee that you'll never have guests with kids at some point. When you're not used to watching out for little kids, you don't tend to think of the problems that can arise, and drowning deaths can happen in such a short amount of time.

Even if you never have child guests over, there's still a chance that some kids may see a tempting pool in the neighbourhood and try to get in. Sure, if you've locked the gate you might not be legally liable if a kid drowns in your pool (or you might be), but does anyone ever want to go through that experience?

I hear what you're saying.
The good news is that I don't particularly care for children and if I invited anyone over and they wanted to bring their child, I rescind the invite!  hahahaha!
90% of the houses in my neighborhood have pools so I like my odds.  That and they'd have to scale a giant wall to get into my backyard. 

JeBurkhardt

I live in a small town in rural Southern Illinois and we have a number of people who have pools in their unfenced yards, some even in the front yard. I think it is crazy and they are taking a big chance that kids could go in it without their permission or knowledge. One is right across the street from City Hall, and the mayor drives by it every day. Not too many deep thinkers here.   

Wobbie

Gern Blansten said:

oftenreading said:

F Me In The Brain said:

We don't have to in NJ.  Think we have to put up a yard fence but not a kiddie fence.  

One of our little cousins just sunk to the bottom of their pool, earlier this year, and was down there for an undetermined amount of time....they pulled him out and he was unconscious until the EMTs showed up (somehow in less than five minutes) and they gave him mouth to mouth and he was fine.  
Incredible.
  Got tears just hearing the story from my cousin (his mom)....her brother in law was in charge and somehow missed the kid going back into the pool.  3 years old.
Kiddie fence is not a bad idea....you just never know.  One person being a fool can ruin a life.

A fence to keep out children is a good idea in pretty much any circumstances. Even if someone personally doesn't have kids, you can't guarantee that you'll never have guests with kids at some point. When you're not used to watching out for little kids, you don't tend to think of the problems that can arise, and drowning deaths can happen in such a short amount of time.

Even if you never have child guests over, there's still a chance that some kids may see a tempting pool in the neighbourhood and try to get in. Sure, if you've locked the gate you might not be legally liable if a kid drowns in your pool (or you might be), but does anyone ever want to go through that experience?

In Indiana you have to have a fence or an automatic pool cover....we were going to opt for that.  

I'm clueless about pools though...I assume it is ok to leave it covered most of the time?

might lead to increased algae. when I left vegas, my grass was brown and my pool was green.

brianlux

If you're thinking of building into the ground, maybe consider how that might affect your water table.  When I was a kid, two neighbors put in built in pools in the ground.  Both of them pumped ground water 24/7 non-stop for several days to make the soil dry enough to dig.  We had fruit trees in our yard that had thrived for years, yielding bountiful, multiple bushels of the most delicious cherries, apricots, and peaches imaginable.  After the pools went in, all three of the trees withered despite attempts by my folks to keep them watered and alive. They never again produced well and within a few years, all of them died.   It was horrific.