Doughboy or Esther Williams????

[gpshemi]

I think you're right. I think they'll all last a long time. However, my grandparents are in their mid 70's and just opened their pool again this year. I think you may want to swim when you're 60. 60 isn't that old anymore.

In any event, I bought mine for my kids mostly. I'm not so interested in swimming in it in 30-40 years from now. Yet, one other thing to think about is the chance of blowing out the sides and sending 1000's of gallons, perhaps tens of 1000's, of water in my house, my barn, my neighbors place, or any other place for that matter. I'm my case it's in the back yard and would wash right down into our 1 acre pond. No big deal. Not all places are set up that way. I had a relative who lived on a hill and set his up above the house. You guessed it. Side blew out and it all rushed in the siding door. It's just not worth the agrevation & mess down the road.

gpshemi

[zephans]

My pool area is about 20' from my Tri-level house and 2.5' higher than my bottom story, so flooding is a significant concern. (Thanks for making me think more about disaster planning!) I think failures are much less likely than they appear in postings... but spectacularly catastrophic and quite memorable. You've got me thinking more seriously about aluminum now .

Yes, I checked www.Delairgroup.com Web site and no JW dealers in my area. I did find one EW dealer 41 miles away (in Gig Harbor). I'd prefer larger scale internet-based dealer for better price as long as I confirm make/model reputation and that it fits my needs. But at least now I know where I can go look at their pools in a showroom.

Speaking of needs I noticed EW and JW don't have any 12'x24' models. 15' is their narrowest oval. I'm not sure I even have 15' between my deck and my neighbor's fence, let alone whatever space is required between fence and pool (I need to look up Snohomish County building code ). I'll re-measure but I'll start looking for other known good brand/model aluminum pools. So far I found Wil-Bar Orleans 12'x24'x54" aluminum with 3/lifetime prorated warranty. I haven't researched Wil-Bar yet but a pro-rated lifetime warranty sounds odd.

As for pool lifespan note that average home is owned for 7 years. I strongly suspect pool owners are way above average (especially given the thoughful and dedicated support in this forum). The point is many people won't stay in the same house past 10-15 years. You could take your pool with you but I suspect it is better to sell it with the house and use the cash to buy a new pool for new location.

Whenever someone talks about lifetime warranty I immediately look at lifetime of the company. Have they been in business long enough to make "lifetime" meaningful?


FYI: Swim Artesian (mentioned near top of this thread) has steel wall pools with a lifetime non-prorated warranty. I was surprised that they don't have company history on their Web site. However I did an MSN Search and per http://www.parkcrossing.net/document...March_2003.pdf page 4 Artesian Pools (same name on www.swimartisean.com) was established by Rod Worthington in 1976 (30 years ago) and received national recognition for outstanding design and installation in 2002 from Natioinal Swimming Pool Institute's Awards of Excellence competition. That plus raves about their Echo Canyon model pool from at least one person on poolforum tells me Artesian Pools are fairly trustworthy.

before I make final purchase decision I will do a search on poolforum.com for the specific make/model to get reviews and sense of popularity . Since chances are slim that I can see product in a showroom before I buy I will not buy anything that does not have at least one person on this forum that has and likes the model.

Thanks for reading my ramblings and still posting replies!
-Zephan Schroeder
12'x24'x52" (or possibly 54")... details to come when finalized .

[gpshemi]

Hey I guess I should note that appearently most failures occur at the skimmer area I'm told. The magical coatings are punctured when they make the skimmer and returns. So when the gaskets get older and start to leak it's right on bare metal. It rusts out and leads to failures. I've seen a couple models in my search that was a steel pool, however, had a stainless steel panel for the skimmer area. This would be a great compromise I think to an all aluminum pool.


gpshemi

[mohawk]

For those who may worry about wall blow out, EW also has a pool made from extruded aluminum. It's about 1/4 inch thick aluminum which would make the walls sturdier.

[gpshemi]

The classic is an extruded aluminum pool. That's what I have.

gpshemi

[prh129]

Here's an older thread regarding wall construction:

http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?t=972

Peter

[mohawk]

gpshemi- Are you sure you have the classic pool? In the brochure it says the classic has sheet aluminum wall constuction. Maybe your pool is the carousel. That one's suppose to have the extruded walls. I was just wondering. Denise

[traceyb]

That's what I'm talkin about. This is why I have truly decided on an EW pool...........because of the aluminum.............Doughboy may be know for name and some people may feel ok w/ the steel and looks of the db, but I think i prefer the more modern looks of the EW.My question is this : why don't they put soft drinks in steel cans?

[prh129]

That's what I'm talkin about. This is why I have truly decided on an EW pool...........because of the aluminum.............Doughboy may be know for name and some people may feel ok w/ the steel and looks of the db, but I think i prefer the more modern looks of the EW.My question is this : why don't they put soft drinks in steel cans?

Although steel does corrode, the pool walls in a Doughboy pool are galvanized and coated so that the steel is not exposed to the elements. In the Desert Spring line, I believe the walls are lifetime guaranteed. I can't say that's it's better or worse than aluminum but you seem to conclude that the steel is inferior to the aluminum and I don't believe that is true. If a company is willing to back a product (steel or aluminum) with a lifetime guarantee then the odds are pretty good that you are dealing with a quality pool. Both Doughboy and EW are well-established companies so I don't think you could go wrong with either. If you prefer the look of the EW then go for it.

As far as the extruded walls - there are two types of aluminum walls - one piece and a series of smaller pieces that fit together. Extruded wall might refer to the multi-piece wall (see the thread that I pointed to in my previous message).

Peter

[gpshemi]

That would make sense. In that case mine would be a sheet aluminum wall. Mines one pc.

As for the steel debate, the first time it gets a scratch or ding that penitrates the coating, it's going to start to rust. Never ever get a weedeater close to a steel walls coating.

gpshemi