Newbie: in ground pool recommendations

I never had a pool and plan on purchasing an in ground pool. I read numerous threads which were very helpful to aide my decisions. I want to ensure that I understood the advice that I have read and demystify some of the advice (?) I received from the pool company's (PC). Below is what I plan on purchasing along with a few questions.

Base pool
- 18x36 in ground pool (3ft - 8ft in depth) with radius corners
- Around 24K gallons (at least that’s what they told me)
- Steel construction
- Pool located in Long Island NY.
- Plan on operating it from June to around September

Liner – Merlin pool liner: 28 mill liner on sides and 20 mil liner on floor

Does it make sense to put 20mil liner on the floor? PC said it easy to install the 20 mil on the floor and will not bunch up. He said he had no problem putting in 28m all over but they usually didn’t do it. My thought is thicker is better. Any thoughts?

Filter - Hayward DE Filter DE 3620

PC company did not advise a cartridge filter saying its to hard to maintain. However, I read on the forum which leads me to believe anyone of the filters does an adequate job with some trade offs. I choose the DE because I have several trees near by which I assume will dump numerous little particles in my pool. I understand backwashing the DE leaves a white residue but I have can dump the back wash into a cess pool which is already on my property. Is there any chance the residual DE from the backwash will clog up my pipes to the cess pool? I think the pipes are very large in diameter. Also, is it safe to dump DE into a cess pool? Any thoughts?


Pump - Hayward DE 1 1/2 HP single speed SP2610x15

I have been reading the forum where it recommends a dual speed pump. Since, I don’t really understand how long to run a filter or when I’m not sure of the economic benefit. Are there any statistics on how much this will save over time? Also, when do you run it in lower speed versus full speed? I think the cost difference is around $100.

Heat Pump - Teledyne AE2500

PC recommended the Teledyne AE2500 (115K BTU) but there is also a AE3000 (131K BTU). Which heat pump is recommended for a pool my size? The cost difference is around $400.

Auto cleaner - Polaris 360

Is it good for a pool of my size? One PC told me don’t ever get a self propelled unit for a pool. PC recommended a booster pump with any auto pool cleaner. Should I stick with this model or go with something else that requires a booster?


Salt Chlorinator - Polaris Auto clear Plus

Reading the forum this seems like a good way to go. Is this model recommended?

Light - Hayward Color Logic

Looks cool in brochure and the wife likes it. PC said it works great. Any comments?


Floor – sand

One PC said I should use a sand base mixed with cement to avoid all the foot prints in the pool. Another PC said sand is better because of the softer bottom. Any thoughts?


Any help the forum can provide will be greatly appreciated. :)

I would be concerned about the liner and sand aspects because of my leak nightmare earlier this season.

First, I think the thicker the better on the liner, especially on the floor. My husband used a leaf bagger to more quickly get the leaves out of the bottom this year, but he DRAGGED it up the slope and ripped two huge holes in the liner. My only other leak was a rip in a corner, and it was the bottom piece of the liner.

The sand only concerns me, too. I'm pretty sure that's what we have, and I now have a huge sinkhole where the biggest slope hole was. (Looks like a moon crater, created when the leak repair guy marked the leak with his screwdriver.) I can't help but wonder if that wouldn't have happened had there been the mixture underneath instead.

However, I am FAR from expert on this. Maybe one of these great and helpful folks will debunk my theory and be able to help you more.

The pool we are looking at (16x32 Oasis) has a 30ml liner on the whole thing, and a concrete bottom if that gives you a comparison.

I think the reason you have the 1 1/2 HP pump is for the cleaner, correct? Otherwise it is way oversized for your pool. For general circulation, a 3/4 HP high efficiency pump is more than adequate. In fact, with the proper plumbing, it may be ok for the 360 as well. You would just need be able to switch the return exclusively to the 360 and have at least 2" pipes going to the cleaner. If it does not work well, you could always add the booster later. Just have the plumber make sure there is a spot for it on the pad and make it easy for a cut in.

If you go with Hayward, then I would highly recommend the Northstar 3/4 HP full rate pump. This pump has more power than some 1 HP pumps but uses the same electricity.

Hi,

We put in a 20x40 liner pool at the end of August last season. We are in NE so in the same general area of the country as you. Our liner is 28mil all the way around. We have a Hayward DE filter and have been very happy so far. We have a lot of pine trees around us and the DE filter has done a great job keeping the water clean. We have the goldline (owned by Hayward I think) Aqualogic P4 SWG - and LOVE IT! We also have the Hayward colorlogic light and are very happy with that as well. We have a rectangle shape so one light was fine for us, but if you have a different shape, I would recommend more than one light.

As far as the bottom goes - we have a sand \ vermiculite mixture. We were told that it would be porous enough to let water through without causing sink holes or erosion like sand. I have read about problems with plain concrete \ sand where the bottom of the pool looks rough and even can spring holes because of rough concrete. The bottom of our pool is very smooth and is very even. At night when the light is on, it looks so smooth and level.

Good luck with your purchase!!!