Newbie POOL person here...

Wanted to say hello.


I am looking to build my 1st pool and decided to go with gunite. Looking at some other builders.

So far for 16x30 is about $33K. That is with sundeck all around as you see and even on my extended patio and covered patio area.

One fountain, sun deck and rock water fall.

On this site. I been reading allot and some of it just brain farts me. So I wont strees over chemical balance till I know what I need to learn from the pool guys when they come out and teach me.

As for cleaner, the builder told me they will run both Ozone and NaturalII system.
For pool cleaner, I have my choice from either a POLARIS or Ultimate Platium (I think thats what its called)

Well here is a scale pic of it in my back yard.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...y/b6fe6f46.jpg

Thanks

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Originally Posted by Pool_Mike

As for cleaner, the builder told me they will run both Ozone and NaturalII system.

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Search past threads for Nature 2 and Ozone (also check www.poolsolutions.com). Most (90%) agree the Nature 2 does NOTHING and that ozone is not effective because it leaves NO residual in the pool. Get a credit for both items and use bleach... or even pool store chlorine!

Yea I was reading something about OZONE being useless if the pool is not like $100,000 for the setup to work. About the naturalII I just understand its minerals that cycle through the pool. Sales rep says its just like the spring water that flows in the mountains and claims that is why no alge is effected by it and it prevents it.

I might just do the old school pool chlorine, I mean since my kids, wife and I does not effect us.

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Originally Posted by Pool_Mike

Yea I was reading something about OZONE being useless if the pool is not like $100,000 for the setup to work. About the naturalII I just understand its minerals that cycle through the pool. Sales rep says its just like the spring water that flows in the mountains and claims that is why no alge is effected by it and it prevents it.

I might just do the old school pool chlorine, I mean since my kids, wife and I does not effect us.

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Sorry, that "spring water" BS is nothing but sales hype. Nature2 adds traces of silver and copper to your water. That's it. You and your kids are better off not injesting that. There's already chlorine in your drinking water.

I've seen spring water--and seen sheep standing knee-deep upstream in it--would YOU drink water after seeing that???

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Originally Posted by Pool_Mike

Sales rep says its just like the spring water that flows in the mountains and claims that is why no alge is effected by it and it prevents it.

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Oh, I *love* that quote. It's so typical of 'mineral' (copper) and ozone marketing: all image and feeling, with no real substance!

. . . Almost by definition, "spring water" does NOT "flow in the mountains". Spring water usually emerges at the BASE of mountains and hills; mountain creeks are filled with surface runoff, or from shallow 'springs' that are really nothing more than runoff that sank in a few feet, hit rock, and ran till it came to the rock's edge.

Oh yes . . . there's plenty of algae and biofilm in mountain creeks, as anyone who's tried to avoid slipping when crossing has found! There's often not much planktonic (ie, free-floating) algae due to low temperatures and a lack of nutrients.

Ben

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Originally Posted by CarlD

Sorry, that "spring water" BS is nothing but sales hype. Nature2 adds traces of silver and copper to your water. That's it. You and your kids are better off not injesting that. There's already chlorine in your drinking water.

I've seen spring water--and seen sheep standing knee-deep upstream in it--would YOU drink water after seeing that???

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I hear that. I will just go to old school pool chlorine setup. Seems like the way to go. Unless I missed something?!?!? :eek:

Ok so before I get back w/ the pool builder. Do I just say I don't want the Ozone and NatureII and just go with the basic pool chlorine setup , which I assume is standard. This is what you guys recommend, correct?

See.. I am a Newbie ;)

My PB only uses SWG and will supplement it with Ozone (Ultrapure). I asked my rep to please remove the ozone as I'm happy with just SWG. He said he really wanted me to have the Ozone so he was going throw it in for "free" and credited me back the cost of the ozone. I figured I had nothing to lose.

Have you considered SWG? Maybe you can see if your PB will be willing to do a similar deal for you?

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Originally Posted by joelq

My PB only uses SWG and will supplement it with Ozone (Ultrapure). I asked my rep to please remove the ozone as I'm happy with just SWG. He said he really wanted me to have the Ozone so he was going throw it in for "free" and credited me back the cost of the ozone. I figured I had nothing to lose.

Have you considered SWG? Maybe you can see if your PB will be willing to do a similar deal for you?

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I have no idea what "PB" or "SWG" means or stands for. can you help me out?


So that I can ask the builder about it? Thanks

Sorry! :)

PB = Pool Builder
SWG = Saltwater Generator.

You've probably heard of "saltwater pools". The SWG is what automatically generates the chlorine from the salt in the water so you don't have to add chlorine yourself.

Hope this helps! I am FAR from an expert, but have learned so much from the folks in here. We are waiting for our building permits, and hope to start building in the next two weeks.

Mike,
If your building a pool and spending upwards of $30K then look into SWGs!!!! They produce chlorine from the salt (you add) to the pool. Safe, maintains constant Cl levels once you have everything adjusted and will not add CYA like pucks/floaters. If our pool season was longer than 3 months and if I did not have to burn $$$ this season on new pool motor I would get one!! Search posts for SWG and read up!!!

A buddy here at work has SWG. Says nothing but good things about it.

When I talked to 1 out of the 2 contractors they said if I was to put SWG they will not warrenty the life time of the pool b/c it eats the plasture and that if I was to do limerock edgeing that the salt from it can cause to splash on the rock (where its dry/edge) that it will eat it up.

The other builder says that the chlorine pools is cheaper then SWG and would ONLY recommend SWG if anyone in my family has allergic reaction to chlorine.

Any takers? Myth?

:confused:

"The other builder says that the chlorine pools is cheaper then SWG and would ONLY recommend SWG if anyone in my family has allergic reaction to chlorine." <-- BS ALERT

In the cells of the SWG it 'creates' chlorine and there is still the same residual in the pool. Only difference, you don't dump it in (unless shocking).

The cost factor really depends on the cost of your time. If you would hate constantly adding bleach, pucks (then fighting CYA), powdered chlorine, etc then an SWG would be worth it. Granted, you would have to monitor and adjust pH.

Also, there has been some debate on this forum regarding the potential corrosion issues with an SWG. Search the forums for saltwater damage or something similiar for more in-depth conversations on the topic.

In my research, I couldn't get any definitive information on the cost savings of going with SWG. In fact, if you factor in the up-front cost of putting in the SWG cell, etc (roughly $1000), you could make the argument that recouping your up-front cost will take many years.

I wanted SWG not because of any potential cost savings, but because of the low maintenance aspect of it. I won't have to store chlorine, nor have to put chlorine in manually. If I ever have to leave town for a week or two, no worries about coming back to a green pool. Not to mention the "softer" feel of the water in a salt pool.

Regarding the corrosive properties of salt affecting the structure, plaster, etc - I couldn't find any definitive evidence of that either. The PB we selected had an unconditional warranty on their pool structure. Given that they did salt pools exclusively, I took this to mean they had no concerns about salt corrosion.

Having said that, we did go with a pebble finish which negates the issue of salt on plaster, if there's any truth to that.

Have you only spoken to two poolbuilders? I know its nice to have a "snazzy" sales rep with the "cool 3-D" software that shows you what a pool can look like. But really - it sounds like the companies you have been speaking with are more interested in a sale than you having a good experience as a pool owner.

If a company doesn't want you to install a SWG - it might be because they are not familiar with them - I would never make a pool company install something they don't normally install.

I asked the pool companies I talked with which method they would recommend and why. I overwhelming got "ozone" from those who were running "specials" and I got "SWG or standard chlorine" from those sales reps that had pools.

If I were you - I would talk to a couple more builders and see what others are saying.

Both sales rep claim they have pools. One has Ozone, the other is just old school setup w/ chlorine. :(

Either go with ordinary chlorine--you don't even need an automatic chlorinator, adjustable floaters do the same job for $15--or go with an SWG. SWG uses salt to generate chlorine because salt is...Sodium Chloride. As for salt water eating your pool, it will be FAR less salt than the ocean. In fact, you may not even be able to taste the salt in the water.

We got our first pool last year this time. We went for the Salt Water generator. We have a 18X33 above ground 15,000 gal. pool with a Gold Line SWG. It works great! No Clorine to add unless you have a problem. We are hooked and just got our neighbors to switch over also. You still need to keep a check on your chemical ballence but for us it is very easy.
31 Coupe

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Originally Posted by Pool_Mike

Both sales rep claim they have pools. One has Ozone, the other is just old school setup w/ chlorine. :(

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Two of the sales reps we talked to HAD ozone and stopped using them because they said that they didn't work and the maintenance was a lot more work (I don't know why - just what I was told). I think there is some information on poolsolutions.com on the ozone and what it does and what is doesn't do.

I don't think anyone here will personally benefit from you using chlorine, we are just giving you information we have heard from others or our own personal experiences.

Good luck on the pool purchase!