Polymer Wall Inground Pools

[masanori]

Im looking to have inground 20x40 pool installed this spring. Some contractors say polymer wall pools are better. Another selling point is that it will insulate better then steel wall pools. I live in NY and I will be running heat pump. If snyone has any info please share

[masanori]

QUOTE (Poolscaper @ Dec 22 2009, 11:05 PM) QUOTE (masanori @ Dec 18 2009, 01:21 PM) Im looking to have inground 20x40 pool installed this spring. Some contractors say polymer wall pools are better. Another selling point is that it will insulate better then steel wall pools. I live in NY and I will be running heat pump. If snyone has any info please share

Unless you are planning to move before you retire in this house I wouldn't install either of these pools unless the steel pool you're talking about is a stainless steel wall. The amount of insulation R value you'd realize in the 1/4" thick polymer wall would be insignificant. The better thing to do is to find a spray type insulation company that will spray the walls with 2" of closed cell waterproof foam AFTER you install the bond beam around the walls before backfill and plumbing is started. You'll have superior insulation this way.

I sell another type of pool you might want to also look at although it's not a vinyl liner type pool. Check it out at **** It's a hybrid fiberglass wall ~ Concrete bottom pool. It costs approx. 20% more to install than a vinyl liner but you'll never replace a liner and if you plaster the pool bottom rather than painting it you'll get 10+ years out of it before sanding and or resurfacing it. I'm not a huge fan of painting pools although I know that everyone doesn't have the money to do plaster. The really neat thing about the Hybrid Always Fun Pool is that it can be almost any shape, size or depth unlike 1 piece F.G. pools. You can also drain them without fear that you'll lose your warranty like ALL other 1 piece F.G. pool companies. I think they might have a dealer up in your neck of the woods. And the best thing about them is they take a beating and still don't leak!

One other thing you want to recognize about pools heat loss is that the biggest area for heat loss from a pool isn't in the sidewalls, it's out the top of the pool. A leading pool heater company engineer informed me that a solar blanket keeps approx. 75% of the heat loss from escaping the pool. If you don't want to deal with the solar blanket then the same engineer told me that they compute that the Liquid Solar Blanket products give approx. 75-85% of what a solar blanket offers in terms of heat savings. That's still up to 63% heat conservation without hassling with a solar blanket. Just f.y.i. We do sell the liquid solar blanket in gallons of you're interested and I'm sure you can find it on the net as well. It's much better to buy it this way instead of in the little Tropical Fish product packaging. They also have a neat little metering device that is inexpensive and adds just a bit a day to keep up the protection factor. Keep you from adding it all the time manually.

Hope this helps!

I decided to go with gunite pool. As far as the spray insulation goes... I developed the first waterblown insulation many yrs ago.

[Dreamscapes Pools/Design]

Doug,

The only problem I have with hyrbrid pools from Family Fun Pools or your own brand is the elastic joint between floor and wall. There is a really good pool builder around here who has installed Family Fun for 40+ years. He does a great job so I can't knock his work, but I just think the hybrid technology is ancient. Does your fiberglass wall install and anchor the same as Family Funs? After watching them install a few, I felt more comfortable with a K brace or something similar used in a liner pool. Just curious about your thoughts.

Masanori,

There is no real difference in thermal properties of a composite or stainless steel wall. Doug is 100% correct in saying nearly all of your heat loss is from the top surface of water. Most of this heat loss happens during the evening. With a heat pump you will find yourself running it constantly to keep up a temp of 82 degrees for example. You will have to cover the pool each night and should pay attention to the model of heat pump you are getting. Most heat pumps are undersized by the installer and they can fail. I don't like running any pool equipment constantly so I would recommend a large heat pump especially with a 20x40.

You are going to still have possible issues with a single heat pump with that much volume of water. Are you not using a gas fired heater to save money in the long term? Though gas heaters are less efficient, they do provide on demand heat and cost 60-80% less than a good heat pump.

[masanori]

Doug,

The only problem I have with hyrbrid pools from Family Fun Pools or your own brand is the elastic joint between floor and wall. There is a really good pool builder around here who has installed Family Fun for 40+ years. He does a great job so I can't knock his work, but I just think the hybrid technology is ancient. Does your fiberglass wall install and anchor the same as Family Funs? After watching them install a few, I felt more comfortable with a K brace or something similar used in a liner pool. Just curious about your thoughts.

Masanori,

There is no real difference in thermal properties of a composite or stainless steel wall. Doug is 100% correct in saying nearly all of your heat loss is from the top surface of water. Most of this heat loss happens during the evening. With a heat pump you will find yourself running it constantly to keep up a temp of 82 degrees for example. You will have to cover the pool each night and should pay attention to the model of heat pump you are getting. Most heat pumps are undersized by the installer and they can fail. I don't like running any pool equipment constantly so I would recommend a large heat pump especially with a 20x40.

You are going to still have possible issues with a single heat pump with that much volume of water. Are you not using a gas fired heater to save money in the long term? Though gas heaters are less efficient, they do provide on demand heat and cost 60-80% less than a good heat pump.

We are thinking of getting propane heater