muppetfoot

I did some digging and found the registrar of the site. I'll back off my initial accusation that Barry himself is renewing the registration...but according to the information I have gotten, BnB is unable to regain their old domain because of how Barry set things up under his name while he was there, and he offers no solution to get the domain back. Could be punitive or Barry could just be clueless. I offer no opinion on that, but the situation certainly works to his advantage and supports the "I was BnB Pools" assertion he tells customers. As for your quote above...I posted nothing knowingly false, defamitory or inaccurate. I posted something I felt was backed by a good source, and I still stand by the intended message: There are a bunch of good alternatives to Barry out there.

I had to edit my post above that had stated B&B was out of business...they are still in business and doing well...I only thought they were defunct because their website wasn't working. Guess why? Barry Bartokovits...while emplyed by B&B, took over the website as a "favor"...and now years after his departure holds it captive, refusing to give the domain back to its rightful owners. They were forced to buy a new domain, which Google tgends to pas over in favor of the old. He renews it every year and lets it sit empty, making B&B look closed down. I have dealt with Ellen and Don Brown from B&B for years, and Ellen still holds down shop after Don's death. She's an astoundingly sweet woman and her employees are knowledgeable and very professional. I talked with her for a half hour the other day and am so happy to hear they are still around. If you are looking to get a pool anywhere around the lehigh vally...PLEASE make sure B&B is on your list. Even though I am happy with my owner built pool, I completely regret not getting at least a bid from B&B. B&B Pool Design and Construction, LLC As for Barry...well, I think I've made my point there.

I'd love some feedback on my proposed plumbing layout... The 'A 3 Way' valves are the actuated units, the rest are manual set and forget. Anyone see any glaring errors?

Yes...best method locally is word of mouth. Just make sure the people recommending are like you...

Oh...and one further caution...when using a builder you end up with a warranty on the final product, so you get that safety net as well.

Is the OneTouch a superior product with more flexibility than a PDA system? I thought the only difference between the 8 series PDA and the 8 series RS was the interface...am I wrong?

What are the differences? Is one favored over the other?

Oy. As a selp professed fanboy and app developer that's tempting...

OK...so latest incarnation of equpment is as follows: Jandy 2hp e-Pump Jandy DEV filter, 60 sq ft Jandy 400,000 btu LXi heater Jandy RS8 PDA + subpanel Jandy WaterColors pool and spa light Polaris 1.5 hp blower Aquabot T2Turbo Any gotchas?

So far the Intelliflo has shown pretty good reliability so I'm not sure why you think there are repair issues. I've read that Intelliflows cannot be repaired at the control board level and require and entirely new unit if teh electronics fail. Correct me if I'm wrong. Reliability has been good, yes.

When we started our quest we wanted Barry Bartakovits to build for us. We had a B&B pool at our last house and Barry had recently left, supposedly as the "brains" behind the operation. As we talked with contractors in the area, we found out Barry was anything but the brains...he pretty much ripped off B&B and stole their design, methods and customers. We still had him come out and give us a bid, which was competitive...but Barry was not the type I would work well with. There were no options given on anything...the way he builds is the way he builds and the customer who wants something different is nothing but a PITA. Barry was off the list. We had Sylvan come out, and could not deal with the used car sales tactics they employed, plus their fair to middling BBB rating was no help. We looked at others, and never really got a good vibe from any. A friend of mine is using Blue Haven, who pretty much tossed an estimate at them, came the day of ground breaking to collect their first payment and have not been back since to watch progress of their subcons. The owners are in the dark. As we did more research, we realized pool builders make a hefty penny giving you a safe estimate that can absorb changes or issues. Yes, you do know ultimately what your final price will be (though each contractor could hit an unforseen problem which could get passed on to you), but you pay for that "safety". This is fine of course, they are a business and for most people provide an excellent service. However, we ultimately decided to design and build ourself and save a mess of money (though we may have lost years off of our life due to the stress involved). If you are good at research and working with contractors, I'd say go for it on your own. We're saving $15,000+ going this route. That's not to say we have not had issues...look at my other posts on this board...but I still feel the flexibility and point by point negotiations possible with an owner/build outweigh the problems. Here's my list of the "good guys" in terms of individual subcons... Excavation: Eddie Moore Excavating Shell: Pioneer Shotcrete (get name of rebar and plumbing contractors from Bernie at Pioneer) Tile/coping/masonry: Bello's Coping and Tile Decking: Yanes Concrete Plaster: Jose Coronado

Actually...my latest research has me looking at a 2hp 2 speed Jandy due to electronic repair issues on the Intelliflows...

Lines are there...2 drains into a 2" pipe and 7 jets fed via 2" pipe. I was thinking 1.5hp... And what are the benefits to either voltage? i assume the higher voltage may run easier and be more efficient? I have not run power yet and have tons to spare, so either are viable options.

Thanks for the feedback... My thought is to go with an Intelliflow 4x160 and a standard pool/spa switchover. The pump will be 2.5x the cost of the Jandy Stealth I was considereing, but cheaper than the hybrid system I was considering and much cheaper in teh long run. Will the Intelliflow perform well at top range for the spa? I've heard this can be an issue...and will it be controllable with an Aqualink system?

I have a 1,300 gallon in-ground spa with 7 jets...how do I properly size a spa blower for my application?