Yeah, I don't know. I'm going to try my luck with one more shop today.

My fear is that if the pump is too powerful that the shop owner will blame any problems on me and not the mismatch of the equipment. He made the statements that a 24' pool NEEDS a 1 HP pump and anything less won't suffice (which I didn't buy), and he told me that anything bigger than an 18" filter is too big (which makes no sense). It does; however, make me think that he's more ignorant than money motivated because he hasn't tried to get me to upgrade anything. He just keeps saying that he is positive that this combination will work.......probably because he knows that my problems will lead to lots and lots of chemical sales (which he's also wrong about).

Tough call. I'll probably keep searching for a few days before making a decision.

Also, according to the doughboy site and some other stores, the package only contains the pool, filter, pump and liner. The dealer I'm working with included chemicals, ladder, and maintenance kit at no extra charge.

Name of store is Paradise Pools and Spas in Du Quoin, IL