Need Advice For A New Above Ground Pool

[hoopy]

I am looking at purchasing a new above ground pool for the first time. Even though I will be a first time pool owner, I am not new to pools and pool chemistry. I have worked with pools for many years, mainly commercial so I am a little at odds with all the choices I have for a residential pool. Here is where I am now:

1) Leaning toward an aluminum pool over a steel pool because of the rust factor and I want it to last (have 2 small kids.)

2) Was told to get a sand filter over DE or cartridge.

3) Sanitizer is where I am at a lose, many options and would like to know all of your opinions on it

Right now it is between a 24' and a 27' round pool. But it seems like every dealer I take to gives me different information regarding which sanitizer and/or filtration system is the best. Please I would really appreciate any advice on any of the above 3 points and anything additional you can add. I know there is a lot of knowledge in this forum so thanks for any help.

[txpoolguy]

I won't put forth an opinion on the structure of the pool, but would suggest the more rust resistant, the better.

FILTRATION

It depends in part on where you live. Desert areas do better with sand filters because there is so much sand/dust in the environment to fall into the pool. There are trade-offs with all 3.

Sand filters - less maintenenace, poorest quality of filtration of the 3, lowest cost. Sand should be changed every 2-4 years, depending on water quality and debris load in your area. You'll generally spend more on chemicals to keep the water clear, unless you run it 24/7, which increases energy consumption. Backwashing takes longer to clean properly, so more water and chemical loss.

Cartridge Filters - moderate maintenance, better filtration than sand, moderate cost. Cartridges must be removed for cleaning. I recommend a 2nd set of elements so you can let the dirty cartridges dry before cleaning. Dry debris is removed more easily than wet debris. These have become much more popular due primarily to cost and you don't need waste lines, backwash valves, etc.

DE Filters - least maintenance, best filtration, highest cost. Requires purchase of DE as backwashing must be followed by recharging with DE powder. Filter must be taken apart and manually cleaned 1-2 times per year. You'll have to find out what your city/county require the effluent to go. You may not be able to discharge onto your property.

SANITIZER

Stick with chlorine. It is still the most effective sanitizer for large bodies of water. I still like the saltwater electronic chlorine generators, mainly for convenience & water quality (feel). There are good options for ABG pools. Stay away from biguanides.

EQUIPMENT BRAND

Most major manufacturers make good quality equipment. Dealers usually recommend a particular brand because that's who they get the best deal from. My preference is Hayward, who has been an industry leader and innovator for over 50 years. They have been the #1 pool equipment mfg. worldwide for most of that time. Others on this site have other preferences, but it's not normally about quality of product, as they are all pretty good.

[hoopy]

Thanks for all the good info. I guess I should add a couple of things. I live in NE Ohio. What about using Zeobrite with a sand filter? Does it make it better than either cartridge or DE filtration? It's funny you brought up salt chlorine generators as I recently learned about them. Like I said I have been getting contradicting information from dealers. Can you use a salt chlorine generator with either an aluminum or steel pool? If so, I was also told that they keep your pool perfectly balanced chemically. Is that true? Also, what is the cost involved with using a salt chlorine generator? Thanks again.

[imnay]

I am looking at purchasing a new above ground pool for the first time. Even though I will be a first time pool owner, I am not new to pools and pool chemistry. I have worked with pools for many years, mainly commercial so I am a little at odds with all the choices I have for a residential pool. Here is where I am now:

1) Leaning toward an aluminum pool over a steel pool because of the rust factor and I want it to last (have 2 small kids.)

2) Was told to get a sand filter over DE or cartridge.

3) Sanitizer is where I am at a lose, many options and would like to know all of your opinions on it

Right now it is between a 24' and a 27' round pool. But it seems like every dealer I take to gives me different information regarding which sanitizer and/or filtration system is the best. Please I would really appreciate any advice on any of the above 3 points and anything additional you can add. I know there is a lot of knowledge in this forum so thanks for any help.

IMO - vinyl clad steel won't last as long but they are the least expensive - all choices have trade offs. Our first AGP was steel and lasted 15 years which made is very cost effective and it lasted that long even though we had it sunk about half way into the ground. Today our second steel 27ft round pool can be had for around $2500 whild aluminum of same size will cost two to three time that much.

We chose steel for second pool and at the end of fifth season it seems to be holding up well - we chose steel cause at the time we couldn't find an aluminum pool that would support an extended depth liner and our pool "structure" is round with a sloping gunite floor to a near 7 ft, center drain.

We have enjoyed the ease of use and maintenance of our filter cartridge system. Sand seems llike a pain and, to us, DE is not necessary to have sparkling clean and clear water.

We use chlorine and have for over 20 years without problems or hassles.

To us, for ease of use and maintenance we suggest you have extra water outlet added from your filter to your pool and a "main" or floor drain added. One reason why AGPools are more difficult to filter and clean and maintain is that the basic config is one water inlet to the filter - the skimmer - and one water outlet back to the pool and this limits ability of the system to quickly respond to heavy filtration needs/situations and specially in a larger pool. Our pool has about 22k gallons - 27ft round with extra depth - and we are SO GLAD to have a floor drain and a second water outlet easily supported by a Hayward 1 1/2 HP 220V pump.

Take a lot of time deciding how you want your pool experience to be. AGPools are, of course, much less expensive than traditional in-ground concrete/gunite types BUT you can have extra depth and better and more powerful filtration if you plan for it and it doesnt' cost that much more to have these things added if done at the time of pool installation.

[hoopy]

imnay: I have heard bad things about cartridge filters. How often do you have to clean them? How often do you have to replace them? Have you heard about using Zeobrite with a sand filter? I heard that it is one of the best options for filtration.

[chem geek]

If you make sure that your cartridge filter is oversized, then you need to clean it less often. Mine is 340 square feet for my 16,000 gallon pool and I only need to clean it once a year, but I have an electric safety cover so the pool doesn't get very dirty (though it does get its share of cedar needles in it since the pool is open 1-2 hours almost every day for 7 months). Such a 4-cart monster is more to clean, but you clean it less frequently -- that's the tradeoff.

[hoopy]

chem geek: So what you are saying is that your pool has 4 cartridges in the filter? Is that normal or did you specially order that? How can I tell how many square feet the cartridge at the pool store has? Also, what would you recommend for a 27' pool (about 17,133 gallons)? Lastly, is it true that cartridge filters give the best filtration over sand, DE or Zeobrite?

[PaulR]

Sand, cartridge, and DE all work fine. The difference is in exactly how small a particle each type can filter out, and the mechanics of cleaning. DE filters will catch smaller particles than the others, but handling DE is a little messy, and you still have to open the filter up and scrub it out once a year or so.

Another option is to use a sand filter plus add a small amount of DE (maybe 1/2 pound) to improve the filtration. Personally I think that provides the best combination of filtration quality (equivalent to DE) and ease of cleaning (backwash and add 1 scoop of DE to the skimmer). If I didn't already have a DE filter, that's what I would use.

--paulr

[alas542000]

i have a 15' round intex metal frame for this year, but am very interested in getting something bigger 12 to 15' x 24' for next year. i want something that is permanent and can have a partial deck (just enough for steps up and a deck ladder). because it is so difficult to get a pool level, i was considering having a cement slab put in. I live in the Seattle WA area. Does anyone have any suggestions on buying do's and don'ts when choosing a brand and type of pool. I never realized how much was involved and how many choices and do's and don'ts there were in such a plan. any suggestions or words of advice would be greatly appreciated.

[hoopy]

PaulR: What about Zeobrite? I was told that it is used in a sand filter instead of using sand.

[PaulR]

I ran across some info here about the relative filtering capability of different media. This was from a reply by waterbear:

Sand will filter to about 60 microns and when it gets dirty to perhaps as low as 30 microns. Adding DE to the sand 'dirties' it. A cartridge will filter to about 20 microns and when dirty can get down to maybe 10 microns. DE will filter down to about 5 or 6 microns.

(By implication: Don't backwash your sand filter too often, it will make it LESS effective!)

Later in that thread somebody posted about different types of zeolite, you can use that as a starting point for further research. I don't know anything beyond what was in that thread.

--paulr