thanks again, mark. you seem to be stalking me and that's ok cause i'm getting good info out of it! that's a feeling i was starting to get..that 80 square ft wasn't going to do much and wouldn't be worth the bother..good to hear on the head...and i think your right..the 1 hp pump is ample for what it's doing right now..(went up 5 psi when i swapped out the 3/4 hp) some would say a 1/2 hp was fine for my pool so i had a feeling that part was good.

well, the pump is the key to whether i even considered this project so now it comes down to cost/benefit analysis..i ain't paying no stinking 2 or 3,000 dollars for a system, i can tell you that much..but if i can get all in for a grand..then i'll seriously look into. thanks for the links as well.