Building swimming pool advice

[cancan]

Hi all
Just throwing this out to the brain trust here at Myswag 
I am looking at having a concrete pool built and trying to get my head around the many variations of filters/ pumps and chlorinators that I am being quoted.
The pool will be 9x4 rectangle with a couple of benches and possibly a waterfall at 1 end to keep the kids entertained. At this stage the finish will be tiled (brother in law is a pool tiler) and by my calculations we will have just over 50,000lts. We will get a pool cover and we are in sometimes sunny Brisbane.
Can anybody recommend a combination of filter/cartridge and chlorinator? I would like it to be automated as possible; I don’t go into many pools as the water burns my eyes. Also happy to spend more money now to keep ongoing costs down.
Also recommendations for swim jets (eg to create a current so we don’t have to turn around every 5 seconds).
Also any other things to think about/avoid would be appreciated.
Cheers

[Humbolt]

I am sorry i really don't have any helpful info other than go saltwater.
We used to have a family pool that was saltwater and it very easy on the eyes. Chlorine pools are harsh.
Well thats all i know about pools (my dad used to own a poolshop before i was born, and when i was young and we DID have the pool, i thought the only maintenance you did was to bomb dive to get out the excess water after it rained)

[Nutto]

We have a similar sized pool that was built about 18mnths ago.  IMO best option (and most commonly used) is a salt water chlorinator.
See hee for info on this. http://www.poolexpress.com.au/blog/saltwater-chlorination/
These chlorinators are self cleaning these days too. Low maintenance and cheap to operate - only have to add about 6 x 20kg bags of salt a year to the pool ($6-7 a bag).
No adding Chlorine is a good thing.
Pumps are all pretty much the same.  ours is a 1000W poolrite that runs 2 x 3hrs each day

Filters, well the common choice is sand or cartridge filter, and they produce the same outcome from what I can see.
Sand is backwashed to keep clean, and filter is hosed clean every few months.
Ours is a filter, purely because the location of our pool meant we could not run a backwash line to the house sewer drain.
Filters also take up less space than the equivalent sand filter and is easy to replace every few years.

 
Nutto

[ehsc]

Hi cancan
my pool is about 80.000 ltrs i run a 300ltr per min pump 1.3klw cost is about 30 cents per hour  with sand filter and ais auto chlorinator most of the time its pretty cheap to run and if you have a creepy crawley or barracuda other than scoop the leaves out it pretty much looks after it self .


In relation to pump ect stick with brand names davey, onga,waterco,or poolrite as parts for these are allways easier to get as most pool shops or pump shops stock parts or can get them over nite.

with all the rain in sunny bundaberg this year it has cost more than usual as the fresh water does play havoc with the water balance .but kids and the kids friends certinaly enjoy them and so do i all best with what ever you decide .

regrads ehsc

 

[Darcy7]

My folks used to have a small pool in the backyard.  It used electrolysis to sterilize the water and only used a very small amount of chlorine to clarify the water.  Was like swimming in rainwater..!

I don't know if they still make these systems but if they do they're worth looking into.

[mickkez]

Hi cancan, I would personnelly look at a fibreglass pool instead. You have more options with it like jets, cleaning etc.

mickkez

[BradandPeta]

Check out onga chlorinators and pump some pool shops say they don't exist so I stay away from those educated shops .. With an onga chlorinator I don't even know what pool maintenance is which leaves more time for swimmin 

[griz066]

I have just removed our pool cover. It makes the water unbearably hot in summer, I am talking 38 to 42 deg c which is very unpleasant indeed.
Yes they keep out a lot of dust,
Yes they stop almost all evaporation,
But they make the pool too bloody hot. I live 1 hr west of Toowoomba summer temps are 36+ deg c.
I just top it up as needed and will put the cover back on in winter.

[gronk]

Have had a pool for approx 18 yrs ( 2 houses )..
Kids when young, like swimming.......waterfalls look pretty, but have VERY limited use for kids of all ages..

Ledges are good, but keep them to a minimum...as said , kids like swimming...but when young appreciate somewhere to stand up ....but don,t make the shallow end too shallow, the kids will out grow it pretty quick..

Jets ??.....novelty value, that will not get used much after the 1st season or two...swimming for exercise in a backyard pool is a very rare thing, don't know anybody that does it !!!

Make it deep if you can....as kids get older, they all like diving in ( teenagers will adjust that to bombing !! )

Size is not overly important....they will get used to it even if it's small..

Filter ??...don't like maintenance ??....sand filter....no brainer !!

Salt cell...as said, a reverse polarity one...no need to clean the cell !!

Pump...most name brands....probably all made in China ( or close by )...but don't skimp on size..

I would advise against tile interior, but seeing as your in law does it....get him around in 5 yrs to clean them and replace the ones fallen off !!

This is my average backyard pool, but the small waterfall never gets used, the cartridge filters are a pain to clean 5 times a year, the creepy clawly is great and the 6'6" deep end is good for BIG people to swim in !!

[LC]

We are about to start building one so will watch this thread with interest. I know it has nothing to do with camper tailers and camping / 4wdriving etc but keep all the tips coming anyway.

[Patr80l]

Camping with style I reckon!

[Variflex]

Really need to go with a sand filter simply for the low maintenance factor, if chlorine or salt water is the reason you dont use the pool then look into the ionisers as darcy mentioned, have a look here http://www.aquavic.com.au/

If the funds permit I would reccomend putting in a waterslide, i bought one and it's the best purchase i have made

[MrCruza]

I have a concrete and tile pool. Had it for over 20 yrs. Mine uses chlorine. Have several neighbours and friends with salt and they allways seem to be having trouble with the cells. I just add chlorine and forget it 

If i was to put one in now it would be a firbreglass job. No question. Concrete and tiles are a pain.
Automatic liquid chlorinator, not salt.
Probably a sand filter but I currently have cartridge and don't find it too onerous.
One set of steps only.
Deep as you can make it. Mines 7' and 4'.
Waterfall is a waste of time and money.
Swim jets ditto, unless you have a specially built lap pool.
Couple of underwater lights look good at night.
Barracuda automatic cleaner is a must.
Pool cover is a no brainer. You must have one in SEQ if you want to use town water to fill it.
Make sure you include a nice deck area inside the enclosure, and make it out of timber. Tiles/pavers get too bloody hot.
Oh, and once the kids pass 16 or so they'll never use it. Not cool..

Cheers...

[toeball]

Our neighbours have a mineral pool, higher initial cost but lower maint, no smell, no salt, when we get a pool I think thats what we'll get

[Jon]

Probably should put this in the tight arse thread
We are going to upgrade our 6m x 4m semi above ground pool by digging out the deep end ourselves.
Deep end liner $600 delivered with 1.6m depth.
We put the original 3'6" puddle in ourselves so we feel well up to the task, aided by a carton of Corona as incentive.
All else should be the same as pump and the filter are both oversized.

[jetcrew]

When we did ours we decided on fiberglass for a number of reasons but one of them was that I could do most of the install myself thus saving lots of $$$.

Day 1 The pool was dug and shell in

Day 2 Backfilled and filled with water

Day 3 settling day

Day 4 bond beam around pool and copping on

Day 5 commision pump and clean kids had first swim.

Then I decomissioned the pool to begin all the finishing off ,with the the concreate and fencing. This nearly killed me but it save $$$ in a big way.

All up we spent around 25K.

The concreate at the far end was 560mm thick as i cast the retaining wall. thats what all the steel is in that pic as I had to sink piers down. as we are in sand.

We used an onga silent flow pump and a panthera 100 cartridge filter. we don't get grass or leaves in the pool so it stays pretty clean. I like the cartridge filter as its water effecient to clean and it is simple for me. But others will swear by a sand filter and to be honest it depends on your situation.

I would 100% use fiberglass agian. I have helped my mate on pool dig jobs with his earthmoving bussiness and gone back 8 weeks later to finish off after the pool was finished .It just takes to long. IMHO. But you can get any shape you want.

Jetcrew

[cancan]

Thanks all, heaps to think about.
My main concern with sand filters is the back washing, wastes a lot of water and at this stage the plumbing will connect to a pit I have under the lawn. I have heard (from salesman pushing alternative option) that cartridge filters are much better quality now days compared to yesteryears.
The water fall has gone, was going to be a pain to build and a lot of money for a lot of nothing but the boss still wants the swim jet, will go a cheap brand and last on the budget list, at least the cleaner wont have to dust it like the treadmill.
Have been looking at slides but I want the deepest part of the pool to be in the middle (easier to play pool volleyball etc) so positioning a slide is a bit of a pain.
I prefer the look of concrete, I am hoping to get a builder to build the shell and myself and brother in law will finish it off.
Once completed I just need to park the CT next to it and the kids will think they are at a resort.
cheers Cancan

[Variflex]

I totally agree that waterfalls are a waste and if i could get rid of mine i would, it also looks so un natural.

With the backwashing of the sand filter I only do it after we have alot of rain and the pool needs some water pumped out as it's water i would have to pump out anyway. either way you go I reckon having a pool is brilliant and would never go without one

[griz066]

These auto jobies are the go for forgetful people like myself.

http://www.directpoolsupplies.com.au/category189_1.htm

[Beachman]

We have a sand filter, but instead of the filter being filled with sand, ours is filled with finely broken glass. At the time of getting the pool put in the sales guy offered us both options (Sand or Glass)

After doing some research the glass doesn’t become’ lumpy’ over time like sand does and less prone to algae breading inside the filter.

Another good tip to reduce backwashing is using filer socks on the skimmer basket ($10 for 5) and these stop the majority of rubbish even getting to the filter. Now I only back wash then needing to empty the pool after heavy rain.

[torsion]

Really need to go with a sand filter simply for the low maintenance factor, if chlorine or salt water is the reason you dont use the pool then look into the ionisers as darcy mentioned, have a look here http://www.aquavic.com.au/

Old technology, glass is the new age filtration material.
Skimmer box socks are also a very good idea as Beachman says, they help to reduce filter clean back washing cycles or cartridge  clean outs.

Cancan, don't eliminate the cartridge style filters, the sales person is not feeding you crap, quality built cartridges are top shelf these days. Technology has changed, look at air con filtration, these days built to meet asthmatic requirments.
Back washing waists Shit loads of balanced Pool water, toping up water level's for the pool also compound the problem with chemical imbalancing.
I don't think their is any question glass filltration is the best form of water filtration, but their is pro's and con's on both sides.
Cartridge filters are easily removed to be cleaned with no pool water wastage. 





 

[UIZ733]

Anybody have experience with these units;
http://www.floatron.com/TMINTL.htm

[Crazy Dog]

Very difficult in most cases where a cartridge is fitted to effectively FLOC a dirty pool..to get the rubbish out one must break the pipe between the pump and the filter and direct the waste to the garden or waste pipe - line...

Grrr!!

[torsion]

Very difficult in most cases where a cartridge is fitted to effectively FLOC a dirty pool..to get the rubbish out one must break the pipe between the pump and the filter and direct the waste to the garden or waste pipe - line...

No you don't bud,
Backwash valves. The valves function is to backwash and reverse the flow of water into the filters, allowing the dirty water to leave the filter, either through a backwash hose, or waste line hose.
These should be used on all installs these days.
http://www.jandy.com/html/products/valves/backwash.php

On the subject of FLOC, if you have an old style set up with no ability to "vacumm to a waist point" that means to exit the system prior to the filter, either install a Backwash valve or treat the water with clarifier.
OR keep ontop of your pool's maintenance....

[gronk]

The only time you need to floc is when you get dirty water in ......but if you have proper drainage around the pool, this should never happen..

A cartridge filter will save your pool water, but will still take heaps of town water, and as the hosing of a cartridge filter takes a lot longer than backwashing, the sand filter is the way I would go ( if doing it all again )

Don't make the mistake in designing a pool for "sports"....volleyball etc will be fun for 1 season ( at the most ) but you will regret it when the kids grow tired of sports etc !!  ....mine did after 3 weeks !!
Design a pool for adults, then let the kids adapt to it....and yes, even if they can't swim, as it only takes a matter of days for them to learn when you have a pool ..

Slippery dip,.....great idea.....when the kids outgrow it...rip it out...