Yes: Pools are worth it....

[kmac30 416]

Coming down to a final bids for pool and talking about cleaners. One guy telling me parts are too hard to find for robots, to use Polaris 280 Black.

Robot options - he said he has been using Tiger Shark for clients looking for robots because Aqua Vac parts are too hard to find. Other guy said he’s using Aqua Vac.

He also went on to tell me robots aren’t meant to be in the pool all the time and Polaris is easier to just pop it off and pull it out.

Thoughts? Growing up we had a Polaris and my in-laws currently have one. Cord loves to get in the way, but it really doesn’t matter to me. Should it? I want the most efficient.

[Delta Charlie 150]

16 hours ago, Poolflood said:

Both are fine.  The KK robots haven't been around for that long.  Is it past warranty?  Typically 3 years.

Yes. We got the KK when we built our pool in 2016. I've had to replace the power supply once. But, now we have a bade motor in the unit.  So, I figured its time to upgrade.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10301]

1 hour ago, kmac30 said:

Coming down to a final bids for pool and talking about cleaners. One guy telling me parts are too hard to find for robots, to use Polaris 280 Black.

Robot options - he said he has been using Tiger Shark for clients looking for robots because Aqua Vac parts are too hard to find. Other guy said he’s using Aqua Vac.

He also went on to tell me robots aren’t meant to be in the pool all the time and Polaris is easier to just pop it off and pull it out.

Thoughts? Growing up we had a Polaris and my in-laws currently have one. Cord loves to get in the way, but it really doesn’t matter to me. Should it? I want the most efficient.

Robots are way to go IMO, much better job cleaning and ease of use. I had an AquaVac 650 and in broke down twice in 2 years - 1st bad drive motor, 2nd bad board. Both times only warranty service repair was available and at least a month wait (time I was also without a robot... during leaf drop season... yeah)  Parts were also really hard to find, not only the broken parts, but even the wheel treads were really hard to track down, only found from one vendor at time I needed them. Cleaning the unit was very nice and super quick/easy and only good thing about it that I miss.

Having seen the reviews of Hayward robots and then owning one I wanted to steer clear of them and went with what most seemed to really prefer which was a Dolphin.

I replaced with Dolphin Premier and much happier and parts seem readily available should I need them (I looked before purchasing just to be sure)

 

Edited March 24, 2022 by MonkeyDoughnut

[kmac30 416]

Good info. Both guys are using Hayward products. Should I steer clear?

[Quagmire 2147]

Coming down to a final bids for pool and talking about cleaners. One guy telling me parts are too hard to find for robots, to use Polaris 280 Black.

Robot options - he said he has been using Tiger Shark for clients looking for robots because Aqua Vac parts are too hard to find. Other guy said he’s using Aqua Vac.

He also went on to tell me robots aren’t meant to be in the pool all the time and Polaris is easier to just pop it off and pull it out.

Thoughts? Growing up we had a Polaris and my in-laws currently have one. Cord loves to get in the way, but it really doesn’t matter to me. Should it? I want the most efficient.

Yep robots - parts hard to find , don’t last as long. But use a lot less power and clean better. Have to take them out of the pool when done.

Pressure cleaners, easy to fix easy to get parts , can just leave in the pool

[kmac30 416]

Is there a thread or place TFP I can post my specs to make sure they’re what I need? Or can I post them here? I see people talking about pump sizes and heater sizes, etc. I want to make sure I’m not missing anything.

[Poolflood 845]

8 hours ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

Robots are way to go IMO, much better job cleaning and ease of use. I had an AquaVac 650 and in broke down twice in 2 years - 1st bad drive motor, 2nd bad board. Both times only warranty service repair was available and at least a month wait (time I was also without a robot... during leaf drop season... yeah)  Parts were also really hard to find, not only the broken parts, but even the wheel treads were really hard to track down, only found from one vendor at time I needed them. Cleaning the unit was very nice and super quick/easy and only good thing about it that I miss.

Having seen the reviews of Hayward robots and then owning one I wanted to steer clear of them and went with what most seemed to really prefer which was a Dolphin.

I replaced with Dolphin Premier and much happier and parts seem readily available should I need them (I looked before purchasing just to be sure)

 

 

7 hours ago, kmac30 said:

Good info. Both guys are using Hayward products. Should I steer clear?

The sharkvac and tigershark from Hayward are fine.  Aquavac series not so much..  of course aquavac is what's in my pool and works perfectly. 

[Poolflood 845]

35 minutes ago, kmac30 said:

Is there a thread or place TFP I can post my specs to make sure they’re what I need? Or can I post them here? I see people talking about pump sizes and heater sizes, etc. I want to make sure I’m not missing anything.

Post here.  Or feel free to pm

[kmac30 416]

New Construction Estimate

Pool Type Geometric

Pool Gallons 17800
Pool Perimeter 114
Pool Depth Shallow: 3.5
Pool Depth Deep: 6
Pool Average Depth: 4.75 17
Pool Internal Area: 1165.5
Pool Length: 38
Pool Width: 17
New Decking:1400
Overlay Decking: 0
Spa Spillover 8
Spa Perimeter 30
Spa Area 58
Spa Length 7'
Spa Width 7'
Raised Wall: 125

Gunite: Lifetime Transferable Warranty
Plaster:10 Year Warranty on Pebble Sheen Finishes
Equipment: 3 Year Equipment Warranty on all Hayward Equipment
Workmanship: 2 Year Warranty from the Date of Pool Start Up from XXXXX Custom Pools
Maintenance Equipment/Pool School
16' Telescopic Pool Wall Brush
Leaf Net
Water Test Kit
Included Included Included Included
XXXXX Custom Pools with provide Pool School to educate you on all the aspects of your new pool. Here we will show you how the pool operates, how to clean your pool, how to test the water chemistry and any other pertinent information of your new pool.

* Valves/Check Valves/ Autofill
* Drains, Skimmers, Nitches,

Automation/Remote:
1 Omni 4 / App Control

Filters
1 C5030 (Cartridge Filter)

Sanitation System / Cleaner
1 CMP Power Clean Ultra (Chlorine)
1 Ozone (Clear O3 +Ultra UV2)

1 Hayward AquaVac 650

Heater / Chiller
1 H-Series 400,000 BTU

Pumps
1 Tristar 950 Vs Epump
1 Tristar 900 Vs Epump Tristar

Equipment

2 Hayward UCL LED Pool Lights

1 Spa LED Hayward UCL

2 Nitchless LED Colored

2 Low Voltage Transformers

Water Features
2 Bubblers

Sheer Descents
3 18"

Equiment Cont.

Excavation Equipment: Bobcat
Price includes take down and removal of existing fence for equipment access.
All dirt to be hauled off construction site unless specifically noted in proposal.
XXXXX is not responsible for any damages to underground utilities,(including but not limited to) natural gas, electrical, sewer, cable, internet and phone.
*Eletrical Re Routes And Gas Line Reroutes Are Not Included In This Price
(Re-routes will be charged at $10.00 Linear Ft.)
Before construction begins, XXXXX will call and have all utilities properly marked. In the event any utilities need to be re-routed, additional charges will be added to the final contract ammount.


Rebar
Walls and Floors #3 3/8 Rebar in walls and Floors tied on 8" Centers. 12" Box beam #4 Continuous Rebar

Gunite
Owner needs to water gunite 2-3 times per day for 5 days after gunite is installed.
Gunite (Beam) 12" Box Style
Gunite (Walls/Floors) Minimum 6" Thick
Gunite (Corners) Minimum 8" Thick
Gunite (Steps & Benches) Minimum 6" Thick

Plumbing
Pool Plumbing 2.5" Suction Lines
Valves Jandy 2" Never Lube Valves
Fill Line 3/4" Pool Automatic Fill Line with PVB Backflow Device
Overflow Drain 2" tied into drainage system
All Scheduled 40 PVC
Pipes Skimmers: 2 Skimmers with baskets and tan tops
Main Drains: Dual Suction Channel Drains. (VGB Compliant)
Pool Returns 2" Pool Return lines, 6 Minimum
Spa Jets 8 Hydro Air Jets


Electrical

All electrical is installed by a state licesned electrician. 360 Degree Earth Ground at Steal of Pool Beam.
Sub panel included if required.


Waterline Tile:
* Glass Tile Line

Coping:

* Travertine Straight Edge

Backside of Spa Flagstone
* Split Faced Travertine

Raised Wall Flagstone
* Split Face 2"x4"

* Face Backside of Raised wall.


Note: All raised walls/beams, are not finished on the backside with tile or quoted material, unless specifically noted in the proposal. See above line item for pricing.

Plaster
Pebble Tec / Pebble Sheen is a Lifetime product. This means you will probably never have to replaster your pool, unlike a regular white plaster. Pebble Tec / Pebble Sheen is backed with a 10 Year plaster warranty, provided by Modern Method Gunite.
Pebble Tec

* Pebble Sheen Level 1
Aqua Blue, Blue Granite, Blue Surf, Bordeaux, Caribbean Blue, Desert Gold, French Grey, Irish Mist, Tahoe Blue, White Diamons

* Abalone Shell
Columns Flagstone
Tile 6"x6"
Split Face 2"x4" Split Face 4"x12" Natural Stone Brick
Stacked Stone Glass Tile
0 Ton Moss Rock / Waterfalls


* Travertine Pavers Level I Travertine Pavers Level II

* Deck Drains
* Steps
Travertine Level I 1400 Sq Ft.
Total Decking 1400 Sq Ft.
Decking Drains 100 Linear ft of 4" Black flex pipe ran to side drainage
Steps. 75 Linear Ft of Steps
Expansion Joints: Hand Cut to Match and Flow with Decking #3 Rebar Tied on 18" Centers
Decking Dowels: Every 3-4 Ft Tied into Pool Beam
Deck Drains: 4" PVC Drain tied into Side Drains

Payment Schedule:
$1,500.00 Deposit Due at Contract Signing. (This will be taken out of the 30% Dig amount) 30% Due on or Before Excavation
40% Due on or before day of Gunite
20% Due on or Before Decking Begins
10% Due on or before day of Plaster

[Quagmire 2147]

I’d add at least a 3rd light or even 4th for the pool. Mine is quite a bit smaller than yours and with 2 of those leds it just barely covers everything . The smaller lights now a days don’t go as far as the giant incandescent ones.

One thing I wish I’d have done is use the sheer descents with lights in them . Didn’t know they had them at the time but think it would look cool .

[TexEx15 17543]

11 hours ago, kmac30 said:

New Construction Estimate

Pool Type Geometric

Pool Gallons 17800
Pool Perimeter 114
Pool Depth Shallow: 3.5
Pool Depth Deep: 6
Pool Average Depth: 4.75 17
Pool Internal Area: 1165.5
Pool Length: 38
Pool Width: 17
 

We have similar dimensions. Mine is 36X17. Couple of thoughts.

1) Go 4-6 feet deep. 3.5 is too shallow. 

2) Go saltwater

4) Re: cleaner I can’t speak to the Aquavac but we lover our Maytronics Dolphin, which is highly recommended from TFP.

3) Add more lights. I have the smaller LED color changing lights. We did 1 on the tanning ledge/first step, 3 in the pool directly across from the sheer descents and 1 in the spa. Picture for reference.

 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10301]

To TexEx15 #2, if you don't go saltwater from the get go, definitely have them pipe in a dummy "Hayward GLX-CELL-PIPE Turbo Cell". Costs $40 from Amazon. With your Omnilogic panel all that would be required to then convert to salt would be buying a salt cell and replacing replacing the GLX-CELL-PIPE adding salt to pool and programming.  All very DIY after the fact and taking a maker of minutes (outside of waiting for salt to dissolve in pool overnight).  I'm about to do this to convert my pool this weekend, but I'll need to cut and re-route some PVC to get the cell added in.

[kmac30 416]

Signed the contract. Hopefully smooth sailing

Thanks MonkeyDoughnut for the rec

[Your Mom 4806]

I should have water in mine finally by Monday.  

Who's got good patio furniture recs?  Just basic stuff.  Chaise lounges mainly.  I think I'm set on two adirondacks on the shaded side near the house, I'm all set on a patio table and the chairs around it.  The pergola gets built later and will have more seating and maybe a sofa, but really just need some chaise lounges for now.

These will be uncovered, exposed in direct sunlight, and will be rained on. I'm more concerned with simplicity and lack of maintenance.  Not looking for anything that will rust or needs regular cleaning, sealing, staining, scrubbing, etc...  Something comfortable I can hose off, brush off and be done with it.  The stuff made from resin or polywood seems more like what I'm looking for than wood, cheap plastic, or metal.   Cushions seem like more hassle than I want to deal with but I'd be ok with it if they were 100% waterproof and aligned with my level of laziness.  

Edited March 30, 2022 by Your Mom

[Quagmire 2147]

Cast aluminum won’t rust and will last forever . Just don’t buy cheap stuff it will fall apart.

[TexasEd 8067]

1 hour ago, Your Mom said:

I should have water in mine finally by Monday.  

Who's got good patio furniture recs?  Just basic stuff.  Chaise lounges mainly.  I think I'm set on two adirondacks on the shaded side near the house, I'm all set on a patio table and the chairs around it.  The pergola gets built later and will have more seating and maybe a sofa, but really just need some chaise lounges for now.

These will be uncovered, exposed in direct sunlight, and will be rained on. I'm more concerned with simplicity and lack of maintenance.  Not looking for anything that will rust or needs regular cleaning, sealing, staining, scrubbing, etc...  Something comfortable I can hose off, brush off and be done with it.  The stuff made from resin or polywood seems more like what I'm looking for than wood, cheap plastic, or metal.   Cushions seem like more hassle than I want to deal with but I'd be ok with it if they were 100% waterproof and aligned with my level of laziness.  

polywood or Lifetime products made from recycled plastic that looks like wood are two of the lines I really like.

 

[MonkeyDoughnut 10301]

 

4 hours ago, Your Mom said:

I should have water in mine finally by Monday.  

Who's got good patio furniture recs?  Just basic stuff.  Chaise lounges mainly.  I think I'm set on two adirondacks on the shaded side near the house, I'm all set on a patio table and the chairs around it.  The pergola gets built later and will have more seating and maybe a sofa, but really just need some chaise lounges for now.

These will be uncovered, exposed in direct sunlight, and will be rained on. I'm more concerned with simplicity and lack of maintenance.  Not looking for anything that will rust or needs regular cleaning, sealing, staining, scrubbing, etc...  Something comfortable I can hose off, brush off and be done with it.  The stuff made from resin or polywood seems more like what I'm looking for than wood, cheap plastic, or metal.   Cushions seem like more hassle than I want to deal with but I'd be ok with it if they were 100% waterproof and aligned with my level of laziness.  

 

Bought these last year and love them so far. Sold as a pair.

 

https://www.wayfair.com/outdoor/pdp/mistana-76-long-reclining-single-chaise-mtna4426.html?piid=25754410

 

[Your Mom 4806]

Thanks, both suggestions are just the kind of thing I'm looking for.

[Guest Lobo]

Slightly off-topic.....is there a reason why pool cleaner/treatment services still use old-school paper invoices, don't allow you to track treatments/chemicals digitally, and are always weeks behind on reporting/billing/etc?  There's gotta be a smarter way.

[TexasEd 8067]

3 hours ago, Lobo said:

Slightly off-topic.....is there a reason why pool cleaner/treatment services still use old-school paper invoices, don't allow you to track treatments/chemicals digitally, and are always weeks behind on reporting/billing/etc?  There's gotta be a smarter way.

We had one that did digital reporting but the actual service really sucked.  During new pool startup they showed up and just brushed but did not put any maintenance chlorine, stabilizer, or calcium in my pool.  All they did was shock and acid.

Their digital records bore this out when I fired them.

[Your Mom 4806]

Anyone have a link for some inexpensive UL2017 certified window alarms?  I need 6 for final inspection.  

[Poolflood 845]

5 hours ago, Your Mom said:

Anyone have a link for some inexpensive UL2017 certified window alarms?  I need 6 for final inspection.  

Yard guard makes some but check with municipality if you can put window locks in instead.  Would need to be version that would require a tool to uninstall.   But worth a call.

[Flg8rfan 201]

We have similar dimensions. Mine is 36X17. Couple of thoughts.
1) Go 4-6 feet deep. 3.5 is too shallow. 
2) Go saltwater
4) Re: cleaner I can’t speak to the Aquavac but we lover our Maytronics Dolphin, which is highly recommended from TFP.
3) Add more lights. I have the smaller LED color changing lights. We did 1 on the tanning ledge/first step, 3 in the pool directly across from the sheer descents and 1 in the spa. Picture for reference.
 

Agree with pretty much all of this. Finally got tired of manually vacuuming and got the dolphin sigma. Why did I wait so long to get one of those!!!

[kmac30 416]

Is taking out and putting robot in the pool every few days not a pain in the ass?

[Flg8rfan 201]

Is taking out and putting robot in the pool every few days not a pain in the ass?

As opposed to dealing with the pump, hose, and skimmer every time I’m cleaning it? Much faster and easier to drop in the robot and so far I think The pool has been cleaner that it’s ever been (pool is screened in so I have the ultra-fine filters and there is so much dirt being pulled out that I’ve never noticed).

I justified not getting one for years because of the expense, liked doing it manually, etc. I’ll admit, it is a lot of money and a lot of people do just fine without them and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

[TexasEd 8067]

Robot is much easier than the water hose driven vacuums.

 

[Bevo 13579]

Hey does anyone here get good deals on Pentair Intelliflo pumps here in Austin? I need one ASAP. Mine died in the storm last week.

[GottaB 594]

I have paint. Next week I should have a hole. Baby steps.

[GottaB 594]

We’ve been given a shopping list. Time to go check out show rooms to see what sundek, waterline tile, and quartzscape we are going with. Fun.

[Poolflood 845]

3 hours ago, GottaB said:

I have paint. Next week I should have a hole. Baby steps.

Don't see utility flags.  Have they called 811?  Are they using a secondary locate svc as well?

[Poolflood 845]

7 hours ago, Bevo said:

Hey does anyone here get good deals on Pentair Intelliflo pumps here in Austin? I need one ASAP. Mine died in the storm last week.

I don't remember a whole lot of pentair part numbers but they look to be in very limited supply.  Checked the 011056 and 011060 and 022056 from largest supplier and they're pretty much out in the state.  Depending on what you're replacing you may have to find alternate.

[royiv 9324]

13 hours ago, GottaB said:

I have paint. Next week I should have a hole. Baby steps.

I hope you're getting a new fence, too.

[Paco 1934]

Anyone have a link for some inexpensive UL2017 certified window alarms?  I need 6 for final inspection.  

You should put bars on the windows.

[Horns99 155]

All this Pollen has my pool looking jacked, but my levels are ok. What are y’all using to help get the clarity back in the water ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MonkeyDoughnut 10301]

2 hours ago, Horns99 said:

All this Pollen has my pool looking jacked, but my levels are ok. What are y’all using to help get the clarity back in the water ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just clean my cartridge filters a couple extra times a year, timing for pollen season to let the filters do the work.

[TexEx15 17543]

10 hours ago, Horns99 said:

All this Pollen has my pool looking jacked, but my levels are ok. What are y’all using to help get the clarity back in the water ?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Run the pump longer. Just need to filter all the crap out. Can run 24/7 on a low setting. Higher pump speeds will get it out quicker.

[Dutchrudder 11141]

On 4/1/2022 at 6:31 AM, kmac30 said:

Is taking out and putting robot in the pool every few days not a pain in the ass?

The best solution is to not surround your pool with giant trees that drop leaves and shit in your pool all year. 

[Dutchrudder 11141]

I setup a Nest camera for the pool building process, and made a time-lapse video of the dig day. This was back on March 9th, so we are 24 days into the build and moving right along with the project at breakneck speed!  We are scheduled for drains on Monday, leveling the ground on Tuesday, and concrete by end of the week - depending on the weather! It's crazy how fast we are going, while our neighbor is using another builder who has only dug the hole and did rebar about 10 days ago. They are still waiting on the Gunite, but their builder said they use Shot-crete for the structure, so maybe that has something to do with it.  Anyways, at this rate, we should be ready to swim in early May!  

Dig Timelapse:  https://video.nest.com/clip/3738e7e2e9514b5288e5feb4e607c99f.mp4

The milestones for doing a pool build with a kitchen are:
Dig the hole and Rebar
Gunite
Plumbing/Electrical/Pool Equipment
Tile/Coping/Stone work
Patio Frame/Roof/Electricalc
Drainage for rain/overflow/gutter tie-ins  <-- I'm here
Concrete for Patio slab/pavers/walkway
Kitchen/TV Wall/Firepit/Columns
Spraydeck for concrete
Plaster for pool
Loose ends/issues

Current look of the project:

 

 

 

[Anastasis 23475]

I laugh my ass off over here cause 6" down in my back yard would be solid limestone. 

[Your Mom 4806]

On 4/2/2022 at 10:46 AM, Paco said:

On 3/31/2022 at 2:20 PM, Your Mom said:

Anyone have a link for some inexpensive UL2017 certified window alarms?  I need 6 for final inspection.  

You should put bars on the windows.

I would but my welder moved to California. 

[Your Mom 4806]

15 hours ago, Anastasis said:

I laugh my ass off over here cause 6" down in my back yard would be solid limestone. 

They got about 12-18” before the solid limestone in my yard. Then it’s was 4 days of busting rock to get down 6’. 
 

But hey, the hoses are in the pool as we speak.  Finally filling this bitch up today!

[Hefeweizen 5328]

Probably one of my last photos with a pool.  Selling the casa and moving but man has owning a pool been great.  My vizsla and I swim every day between April and October and I am going to miss it.

 

 Pools are so fucking worth it, even if it’s just for you to swim and get out of the rest.  It’s also like having your own little chemistry set.

[Not that Bob 738]

I’m in the repair process for an above ground concrete pool. It’s suspended on concrete pillars. From underneath it looks sort of like a commercial parking lot suspension system. All that l long way to tell you how I can see the bottom side of the pool and specifically the bottom of the in floor pool cleaning heads. About half of the heads have very slow drip drip drips. Maybe a gallon total per day. Should I expect some minor leakage from these or should I demand 100% waterproof from the builder. 

[milkman 428]

Getting into the home stretch and should have the house and pool finished by the end of May. Need to start looking at pool/patio furniture. I know I probably should have started looking months ago. Any recommendations or things to stay away from?

[TexasEd 8067]

2 hours ago, milkman said:

Getting into the home stretch and should have the house and pool finished by the end of May. Need to start looking at pool/patio furniture. I know I probably should have started looking months ago. Any recommendations or things to stay away from?

Everything seems ridiculous. We tried to get a Costco set but my wife was indecisive and it was gone. Ended up with a less expensive set from Wayfair and for the price I can replace it in 5 years and be ahead  

[Fudbelty 2788]

Avoid glass at all costs.

[Brew 3049]

3 hours ago, milkman said:

Getting into the home stretch and should have the house and pool finished by the end of May. Need to start looking at pool/patio furniture. I know I probably should have started looking months ago. Any recommendations or things to stay away from?

We ordered ours back over the winter. Wife spent a small fortune on the furniture, we’ll see how well it holds up versus the cheaper stuff we normally have used. Hopefully it will be here in the next week or so as we’re finally getting towards the finish line on this project. We’ve been waiting on the right color replacement travertine to come in and then we should be done.

[Brew 3049]

45 minutes ago, Fudbelty said:

Avoid glass at all costs.

That looks like a whole lot of not much fun.

[Dutchrudder 11141]

2 hours ago, Fudbelty said:

Avoid glass at all costs. 

 

So who's ass did you kick in Monopoly?

Edited April 18, 2022 by Dutchrudder

[GottaB 594]

Progress