Newbie needing advice about buying

Hi,

We are looking to purchase a AG round (either 18,21, or 24 round)
We are on a budget and do not know much about what to look for when shopping around. These are the 2 we are considering but would like some honest advice about them.

Opera

http://www.truefamilyfun.com/main.ph...poolType=opera

OR

Namco, Montego Bay Pool

Steel Wall
Top Seat - 7" Steel
Verticals - 7" Steel
Tracks- 1" steel universal top and bottom rails
Seat Cover- 2 piece resin
Plates - Steel
Filter- 1.5 HP Proline 22" Sand Filter

Also when shopping for a AG pool what are some things that we should be sure the pool has (pool should be made of, quality of liner, type of pump)

Any buying advice and feedback would be appreciated

I'll tell you what I tell every prospective A/G buyer: The hidden cost that will HORRIFY you is getting a level, solid surface for the pool, that drains well. You MUST calculate how much leveling you need to do and determine if you are going to dig down or build up.

You can spend hundreds or THOUSANDS on proper site preparation. But if you don't do it, an expensive pool will either fail or have a reduced life. If you do it properly, even an inexpensive pool can give you many, many years of fun.

There are a few things to think about in pump/filter combos. First, to make the sale, lots of salesmen say "Hey, I'll upgrade from a 1.5hp pump to a 2 (or 2.5) hp pump!" This is no benefit. Horsepower appeals to our macho sensibilities, but is of limited benefit--and added electrical cost.

You should be thinking in terms of a 1/2 to 1hp pump, no bigger for those pools. You need your filter, though, to be bigger in capacity than your pump. Too big a filter is no problem, too big a pump is.

What kind of filter? Well, we debate that round and round here. Most dealers push cartridge filters. That's because they are the easiest to plumb in and set up, and when new they go a VERY long time without maintenance....but that maintenance is messy. I also suspect they get the biggest margins on carts but I can't prove that. Don't be dissuaded from sand or DE (Diotomaceous Earth) just by the dealer. All three types can do a beautiful job on your pool, but you need the right size and you need to maintain them correctly.

The filter's capacity MUST be greater than the output from the pump.

Here is a thread with some info about liners
Al

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=4018

In my experience, the most horrific hidden cost was having the electrical work done. Truly horrifying.:eek: In the end, the pool itself was pretty well the cheapest part of the whole thing.

About Namco...we bought our pool package from them this time last year and got a pretty good price on it BUT they've not been great to deal with mainly because most of them don't know anything really and you always leave feeling like they've tried to sell you stuff you don't need. Just my opinion. They gave me the talk about upgrading to the 2hp pump ..plus side it's a 2 speed pump and I just use it exclusively on low.

It's great that you've found this site to educate yourself on the ins and outs before you buy.

A 2 speed is great. As a point of reference, I have 20,000 gallons and a 2 speed 1hp Hayward SuperPump that is MORE than adequate, and I run it on Low 95% of the time. It even runs the solar panels nicely on Low.

If you have a good electrician, it should be OK. My setup ran about $1200, but that included GF breakers in the panel, a wired-in timer at the panel, and lots of conduit, plus wiring in the pump, the box, doing ALL the banding, and running a 40amp 240 cable in case I ever put in a heat pump. No digging, however. I paid more to have the sprinkler lines moved, and the base was a LOT more than that--check out the A/G pool pics in the Off-Topic thread and you'll see why, with all the stone work.

If you are doing electric, you'll need an electrical permit and will have to get it inspected. Don't see it as a chore--see it as another way to safeguard your family.