Building Pool Questions

[debbiek]

We are building an in-ground pool and find various opinions regarding what would seem to be basic pool elements. We want a gas heated pool and some pool companies recommnend having floor returns to maximize heat flow while other say it is a waste ot time. Which is correct? Some companies recommend a DE filter;others a cartridge system. The cartridge system appeal to us as it seems to be less work but the we are told you give up water quality? Is there a benefit to having a minerializer with an electronic chlorine generator? Thanks

[waterbear]

We are building an in-ground pool and find various opinions regarding what would seem to be basic pool elements. We want a gas heated pool and some pool companies recommnend having floor returns to maximize heat flow while other say it is a waste ot time. Which is correct? Some companies recommend a DE filter;others a cartridge system. The cartridge system appeal to us as it seems to be less work but the we are told you give up water quality? Is there a benefit to having a minerializer with an electronic chlorine generator? Thanks

SWG is a yes, ionizer or mineralizer is a no. Supposedly a 'mineral' system (mineral is a marketing word for metals...most are either copper/silver or silver/zinc system) will let you run lower FC levels. Recent research in kill times for water borne illnesses shows this is not true and, in fact, the Australian government has recently required that 'mineral' systems be used with NORMAL and not reduced chlorine levels to provide proper sanitation....If only our own EPA was so diligent in protecting our health!. DE will filter to about 6 microns, cartridge will filter to about 20 microns, sand will filter to about 60 microns...sand is the easiest to maintain, DE the most work to do properly (backwashing DE is not a good idea for too many reasons I don't want to get into here) cartridge gives good filtration but make sure they oversize it or you will be cleaning it constantly (and try to stay away from filters with multiple carts....they are a nightmare to clean) Carts are more exepnsive to maintain than either DE or Sand. I have a cart and I love it but it WAS oversized so my time between cleanings is long.

Reverse flow (floor jets) look good on paper but ususally require some tricky plumbing that adds to expense and in actual use, from what I understand, doesn't seem to make that much difference.

[iveywk]

Waterbear pretty much hit the nail on the head. Just for clarification sake I'd like the add this; the only time you would probably ever notice the difference between water that is filtered from a DE system, cartridge, or sand would be at night, with a light on in the pool. A DE filter will pick out smaller stuff, and will eliminate the partials that can cast shadows while the pool is lighted. Will this make the water any better? I suppose but I personally don't think its worth the hassle. I work in the pool business, while I'm not at a home where I'm going to be for a long time so I don't have a pool as of yet, when I do have one I'll probably use a sand filter. If I use a cartridge system I'll use a cartridge that is large enough that I'll only have to clean it once a season.

As for floor returns, the only benefit I could see for using them would be that they might stir any dirt that collects on the bottom for the pool into solution to cut down on vacuuming. Just like a pressure side cleaner works. I could see how it could help heat circulate throughout the pool, but I'm sure every quote you've had includes a main drain, and that is exactly the same function the main drain has.