I Hate Owning a Swimming Pool...Title Now AAABatteries Approved (1 Viewer)

[bucksoh]

so does anyone have a fiberglass pool?  Wife wants one but not sure how long they hold up, verses regular in ground pool.  Also if you would go a different route if you had to do it all over again? Tia 

 

[culdeus]

Bloody hell, went out to open my puck feeder that I run in the summer and it's ####### welded shut.  No idea how to pry it open without dynomite.  I think the heat has probably deformed the plastic or something.  

 

[tri-man 47]

Will try to post a picture once the sod is put it in.  The backyard is a hot mess at the moment. 

And by backyard you mean wife.

 

[James Daulton]

And by backyard you mean wife.

 

[James Daulton]

60k but that is for the pool, replacing the sod, and all the bells and whistles for a lifetime of frustration and disappointments.  Something my wife is already accustomed. 

Edit to add:  I live in Oklahoma so 60k is like 2 million in the Northeast or West Coast. 

Yea, mine was about $68k all-in.  Pool, deck, landscaping, heater, etc.

Thinking back on it, I love my pool, we spend tons of time out there and it really does feel like a resort, but holy hell that's a ####load of money for 4 months of swim season and 6 months of being open. 

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

Pool finally up and running for a few weeks now.   Trying out this pHin product that does all the testing for you.  https://www.phin.co/  Pretty cool tells me what to add and when.  Constantly monitors water sends the info via wifi to my smartphone.   Keeps graphs, temps, chemicals, and gives warning and suggestions.     They also send the chemical to add as needed.   

 

[Binky The Doormat]

Pool finally up and running for a few weeks now.   Trying out this pHin product that does all the testing for you.  https://www.phin.co/  Pretty cool tells me what to add and when.  Constantly monitors water sends the info via wifi to my smartphone.   Keeps graphs, temps, chemicals, and gives warning and suggestions.     They also send the chemical to add as needed.   

I don't feel like scrolling back to find it ...do you have a salt water pool?  If not, it's worth the investment - for the convenience, the lower operating cost, and not getting chemical "itchies" after swimming.  

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

I don't feel like scrolling back to find it ...do you have a salt water pool?  If not, it's worth the investment - for the convenience, the lower operating cost, and not getting chemical "itchies" after swimming.  

Yes saltwater.   Trying to control pH atm.   I guess the curing plaster causes pH up creep. Not a big deal.  The phin keeps me updated. 

 

[culdeus]

Pool finally up and running for a few weeks now.   Trying out this pHin product that does all the testing for you.  https://www.phin.co/  Pretty cool tells me what to add and when.  Constantly monitors water sends the info via wifi to my smartphone.   Keeps graphs, temps, chemicals, and gives warning and suggestions.     They also send the chemical to add as needed.   

Seems awfully expensive for what it is.  I mean a year of test equipment and acid is maybe $75.  If that.  They base their back end measurements on strips which are as good at getting readings as drinking the water and smelling your farts.

Why won't they sell the product without a subscription?  Someone surely will come along and do just that.  It's not the worst idea to keep an eye on acid level, I have a pool with a lot of water features and stuff so my ph creeps up alot.  But I sure as hell won't pay 600 bucks or whatever to get the balance right.  It's not that critical.

 

[culdeus]

I don't feel like scrolling back to find it ...do you have a salt water pool?  If not, it's worth the investment - for the convenience, the lower operating cost, and not getting chemical "itchies" after swimming.  

There's just as many chemicals in a SWP as a bleach pool.  Exchanging salt for bleach isn't some black magic.  

 

[Garrett]

If any of you don't have a Dolphin robot or something similar to clean your pool, I'd highly recommend it.  I've used one for a couple of years.  If it broke today I would just buy another one immediately.

 

[SHIZNITTTT]

If any of you don't have a Dolphin robot or something similar to clean your pool, I'd highly recommend it.  I've used one for a couple of years.  If it broke today I would just buy another one immediately.

Dolphin DX3S  got this one with the pool.     We had a very bad storm that blew a lot of leaves and debris in the pool and this had it all cleaned off the bottom in minutes.  Just turn it off and pull out the bag empty it and start it up again.   Worth every penny. 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

There's just as many chemicals in a SWP as a bleach pool.  Exchanging salt for bleach isn't some black magic.  

thanks man.  I didn't say it was magical, I said it was better.  

 

[culdeus]

thanks man.  I didn't say it was magical, I said it was better.  

For some. There are drawbacks to it as well. I ripped my swg out and never looked back. 

I wavered briefly for one summer but haven't thought about it since. Most just go bleach when they get the bill for the exchanger the first time. 

My main reason is the salt stained everything. 

 

[Binky The Doormat]

For some. There are drawbacks to it as well. I ripped my swg out and never looked back. 

I wavered briefly for one summer but haven't thought about it since. Most just go bleach when they get the bill for the exchanger the first time. 

My main reason is the salt stained everything. 

I think if we took a poll of pool owners, salt water would win the day.  Maybe we could lift some weights for it. 

 

[russinfortworth]

Anyone have a Pentair heater.  Our input pad and control panel has went bad for the 3rd time in 7 years (up temp button stops working).  Pentair says nothing is wrong with heater or the parts.  At 300/time to replace I'm 1/2 way to being able to have purchased a new heater.

 

[Garrett]

I think if we took a poll of pool owners, salt water would win the day.  Maybe we could lift some weights for it. 

I'll play along; why would I switch to SWG from basic chlorine on a 30,000 gallon vinyl lined pool?  I'm genuinely curious if it is a better option since I inherited this entire setup.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I'll play along; why would I switch to SWG from basic chlorine on a 30,000 gallon vinyl lined pool?  I'm genuinely curious if it is a better option since I inherited this entire setup.

play along?

I gave my opinion as a 12+ year chemical pool owner.  We live in a very, hot humid environment with direct sun from late morning till sundown.  It was a constant battle.  Lots of green pools, lots of itchy skins, lots of dollars on chemicals.  It was well worth the money for us - both for comfort of the water as well way less money on chemicals.  

 

[Garrett]

play along?

I gave my opinion as a 12+ year chemical pool owner.  We live in a very, hot humid environment with direct sun from late morning till sundown.  It was a constant battle.  Lots of green pools, lots of itchy skins, lots of dollars on chemicals.  It was well worth the money for us - both for comfort of the water as well way less money on chemicals.  

I'll play along in the sense you and culdeus just wanted to argue without facts.  So I thought we could get a baseline about the pros/cons of SWG vs straight chlorine.

You having all kinds of problems and spending money to fix it tells us nothing though.  If you had green pools and itchy skin you just didn't have time to take care of your pool.

We get 85-105 degrees all summer and my pool is only green for 48 hours when I first open it every April on chlorine.

When I open it I test everything; basic and specific chorine, PH, combined chloramines, calcium, alkalinity, and CYA.  That's with a $70 kit that will last 4-7 years.

I do have to buy chlorine at 12.5% strength for $2 a gallon.  I probably average 50 of those a season.  Every once in awhile, maybe some acid or borax but that's less than $10 once or twice a year.

I was just curious about SWG to learn more about it.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

I'll play along in the sense you and culdeus just wanted to argue without facts.  So I thought we could get a baseline about the pros/cons of SWG vs straight chlorine.

You having all kinds of problems and spending money to fix it tells us nothing though.  If you had green pools and itchy skin you just didn't have time to take care of your pool.

We get 85-105 degrees all summer and my pool is only green for 48 hours when I first open it every April on chlorine.

When I open it I test everything; basic and specific chorine, PH, combined chloramines, calcium, alkalinity, and CYA.  That's with a $70 kit that will last 4-7 years.

I do have to buy chlorine at 12.5% strength for $2 a gallon.  I probably average 50 of those a season.  Every once in awhile, maybe some acid or borax but that's less than $10 once or twice a year.

I was just curious about SWG to learn more about it.

enjoy your pool.

 

[Garrett]

enjoy your pool.

thanks for playing along with your local pool store.

 

[Binky The Doormat]

thanks for playing along with your local pool store.

ouch.

 

[gump]

Building-a-pool guy here...finally after 7 years in our 10-year-old home. Lot is pretty big and we have an L-shaped house, so going rectangular and out vertically.  12x24, with a cage and spa.  A few general questions/opinions seeked:

• Concrete pavers vs travertine?
  
• Extending the roofline out 10 feet on one side via a covered portion of the cage...anyone done that?
  
• Lighting worth it?
  
• PebbleSheen color...we can get the darker finish to make the water look either deep blue or green...and recs?
  
• Sun shelf...thinking of running it all the way down one side, or could cut it off halfway or 3/4 of the way?
  
• Depth...5.5 or 6 feet, but don't want water deeper than 5.5 anywhere.
  
• Flush spa, or raised?
  

 

[culdeus]

Building-a-pool guy here...finally after 7 years in our 10-year-old home. Lot is pretty big and we have an L-shaped house, so going rectangular and out vertically.  12x24, with a cage and spa.  A few general questions/opinions seeked:

• Concrete pavers vs travertine?
  
• Extending the roofline out 10 feet on one side via a covered portion of the cage...anyone done that?
  
• Lighting worth it?
  
• PebbleSheen color...we can get the darker finish to make the water look either deep blue or green...and recs?
  
• Sun shelf...thinking of running it all the way down one side, or could cut it off halfway or 3/4 of the way?
  
• Depth...5.5 or 6 feet, but don't want water deeper than 5.5 anywhere.
  
• Flush spa, or raised?
  

What do you mean a cage?  A Florida style mosquito thing?

What kind of soil do you have.  Sun ledges are risky if you have heaving soils.  They can separate.  

I would raise the spa at least a little bit. This gives you areation for "free". 

I've seen a lot of pebbble tech put in around here.  It feels a little funny on my feet. But it looks cool and you can go dark. 

 

[jomar]

Building-a-pool guy here...finally after 7 years in our 10-year-old home. Lot is pretty big and we have an L-shaped house, so going rectangular and out vertically.  12x24, with a cage and spa.  A few general questions/opinions seeked:

• Concrete pavers vs travertine?
  
• Extending the roofline out 10 feet on one side via a covered portion of the cage...anyone done that?
  
• Lighting worth it?
  
• PebbleSheen color...we can get the darker finish to make the water look either deep blue or green...and recs?
  
• Sun shelf...thinking of running it all the way down one side, or could cut it off halfway or 3/4 of the way?
  
• Depth...5.5 or 6 feet, but don't want water deeper than 5.5 anywhere.
  
• Flush spa, or raised?
  

how did you arrive at a 12x24 size?  I have approx 16x32 and don't think I'd ever go smaller. 

Can't imagine a pool without the lighting.  adds a nice ambience at night.

deeper the better for me.  need enough depth for a good cannonball and not to hit the bottom. 

I like the raised spa look myself

I wouldn't want anything that makes my pool look green, deep blue is nice.  I have a lighter blue but sometimes with it was darker

 

[NutterButter]

Building-a-pool guy here...finally after 7 years in our 10-year-old home. Lot is pretty big and we have an L-shaped house, so going rectangular and out vertically.  12x24, with a cage and spa.  A few general questions/opinions seeked:

• Concrete pavers vs travertine?
  
• Extending the roofline out 10 feet on one side via a covered portion of the cage...anyone done that?
  
• Lighting worth it?
  
• PebbleSheen color...we can get the darker finish to make the water look either deep blue or green...and recs?
  
• Sun shelf...thinking of running it all the way down one side, or could cut it off halfway or 3/4 of the way?
  
• Depth...5.5 or 6 feet, but don't want water deeper than 5.5 anywhere.
  
• Flush spa, or raised?
  

I think its a good call on the depth.   Seems like a waste to me when I see a large portion deeper for the diving area.   That area always seems to be under utilized.   

 

[gump]

What do you mean a cage?  A Florida style mosquito thing?  

What kind of soil do you have.  Sun ledges are risky if you have heaving soils.  They can separate.  

I would raise the spa at least a little bit. This gives you areation for "free". 

I've seen a lot of pebbble tech put in around here.  It feels a little funny on my feet. But it looks cool and you can go dark. 

Cages are a must if you are close to the water...mosquitos are out of control at night.  We'll heat it in Spring/Winter as the cage lowers the temp 10 degrees.

Good heads up...I'll ask the builder about that.  He spent 2 hours at my house though and didn't raise any concerns with yard.

I'm leaning to raising.

Supposedly this 'new' Pebble Sheen lasts forever, and has gotten smoother.  Still not sure on the color we want though...leaning to darker pebble for a deep blue.  But i've heard darker pebble makes the pool feel smaller?

 

[gump]

how did you arrive at a 12x24 size?  I have approx 16x32 and don't think I'd ever go smaller. 

Can't imagine a pool without the lighting.  adds a nice ambience at night.

deeper the better for me.  need enough depth for a good cannonball and not to hit the bottom. 

I like the raised spa look myself

I wouldn't want anything that makes my pool look green, deep blue is nice.  I have a lighter blue but sometimes with it was darker

Actually it's 16x30...so you're right.

Wife is demanding lighting!

Another vote for raised...    And leaning to deep blue too.  Thx!

 

[gump]

I think its a good call on the depth.   Seems like a waste to me when I see a large portion deeper for the diving area.   That area always seems to be under utilized.   

A friend got 6 feet of water depth in the middle...says no one ever goes in the middle now.

 

[NutterButter]

Cages are a must if you are close to the water...mosquitos are out of control at night.  We'll heat it in Spring/Winter as the cage lowers the temp 10 degrees.

Good heads up...I'll ask the builder about that.  He spent 2 hours at my house though and didn't raise any concerns with yard.

I'm leaning to raising.

Supposedly this 'new' Pebble Sheen lasts forever, and has gotten smoother.  Still not sure on the color we want though...leaning to darker pebble for a deep blue.  But i've heard darker pebble makes the pool feel smaller?

I don't know if this is considered Pebble sheen but my brother just got a custom pool built and it has this coating on it that feels textured and spongy.   I find it so much more comfortable than the standard concrete surface.   

 

[culdeus]

Cages are a must if you are close to the water...mosquitos are out of control at night.  We'll heat it in Spring/Winter as the cage lowers the temp 10 degrees.

Good heads up...I'll ask the builder about that.  He spent 2 hours at my house though and didn't raise any concerns with yard.

I'm leaning to raising.

Supposedly this 'new' Pebble Sheen lasts forever, and has gotten smoother.  Still not sure on the color we want though...leaning to darker pebble for a deep blue.  But i've heard darker pebble makes the pool feel smaller?

Darker traditionally makes the pool look shallower.  I mean some people really like it, but i prefer the lighter colors.  A lot of the new pebble surfaces are well liked.  It's just "different".  I'm going to have to re-surface mine next year after getting three staples put in my pool that i bought with the house. So i'll be keeping an eye out for updates.

We don't do cages in Dallas, but with global warming coming on so fast we might have to soon.  The mosquitos can make the entire yard uninhabitable by late July in the evening.

 

[Phil Elliott]

A disadvantage of getting a dark blue pool color from the pebble surface is you can't see the bottom very well...for cleaning or critters/snakes.

 

[Grahamburn]

Building-a-pool guy here...finally after 7 years in our 10-year-old home. Lot is pretty big and we have an L-shaped house, so going rectangular and out vertically.  12x24, with a cage and spa.  A few general questions/opinions seeked:

• Concrete pavers vs travertine?
  
• Extending the roofline out 10 feet on one side via a covered portion of the cage...anyone done that?
  
• Lighting worth it?
  
• PebbleSheen color...we can get the darker finish to make the water look either deep blue or green...and recs?
  
• Sun shelf...thinking of running it all the way down one side, or could cut it off halfway or 3/4 of the way?
  
• Depth...5.5 or 6 feet, but don't want water deeper than 5.5 anywhere.
  
• Flush spa, or raised?
  

How's it coming along?  Olympus is building ours. 

My build starts 3/2.  We went travertine.  Three LED lights in the pool and another LED in the bubbler on the sun shelf.  The kids, and any women coming over, always love the sun shelves.  The bigger the better on those.  Tahoe blue with mini pebble.   3 feet in the shallow end and 6 in the deep.  Flush spa in the deep end with an infinity edge.  Good luck. 

 

[gump]

How's it coming along?  Olympus is building ours. 

My build starts 3/2.  We went travertine.  Three LED lights in the pool and another LED in the bubbler on the sun shelf.  The kids, and any women coming over, always love the sun shelves.  The bigger the better on those.  Tahoe blue with mini pebble.   3 feet in the shallow end and 6 in the deep.  Flush spa in the deep end with an infinity edge.  Good luck. 

Couldn't be better honestly!  We finished (16' x 32') just before Labor Day, after some delays thru the summer rainy season...important i'd say to get going before April (when we did).  Hopefully works out for you...but doesn't hurt to push either.  Which we started to do later in the cycle.

Sun shelf is a major home run with the 2 year old.  And we did extend it to go around the inside edge of spa...which he uses regularly to walk around.  He got a basketball hoop for Christmas that we now move from the deck if we're playing there to the poolside by the shelf for him to shoot hoop in the pool...loves it and loves to frolic in it.  

Be careful on the travertine...we have a row of that around the pool, then pavers.  And the travertine gets really slick when wet.  I believe there is some gritty sealer you can put on though.  But if we had an entire deck of that, it'd be a challenge with our active kids.

 

[flapgreen]

Get a real pool

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Only way I would have one is if it came with a surrounding 20 foot wall. I want my neighbors to have to escape Mexico in order to gain access to my pool.

 

[ClownCausedChaos2]

We didn't put it up last year 

 

[DallasDMac]

We didn't put it up last year 

My wife is leaning towards not having me put one up this year due to lack of use last year. Keeping it up is quite a bit of work (time and effort). The kids used it less than a half dozen times this past summer. Lack of use made things even worse since it can really let the bad stuff take over since there's no water churn. So finally, maybe the nightmare is over. I'll have to accept the garage full of pool crap as sunk cost.

 

[glvsav37]

So ours just got installed and filled. In ground, salt system. Guy came over today to give us the 101 on the filter and upkeep. We have a robot so hope fully he does most of the major vacuuming. 

So what is your typical pool maintenance week look like? Do you have a specific routine you follow? 

Edit to add: 34x22, vinyl liner, 3.5  >  5ft depth. Northeast/NY region 
 

 

[Grahamburn]

So ours just got installed and filled. In ground, salt system. Guy came over today to give us the 101 on the filter and upkeep. We have a robot so hope fully he does most of the major vacuuming. 

So what is your typical pool maintenance week look like?

Edit to add: 34x22, vinyl liner, 3.5  >  5ft depth. Northeast/NY region 
 

I'm sure it's region dependent somewhat.  I'm in Florida so we're getting a lot of rain right now.  Super hot.  Breeding ground for algae and bacteria, but haven't had any major problems.  Ours was fired up May 2nd.  Salt system installed beginning of June.  The salt water generator creates the chlorine for you, but I still put chlorine tabs in the skimmer and have shocked it ~4 times and added some stop yellow when I've noticed spots.  Vacuumed it twice as we don't have a robot, but mine is also plaster.  When they're new that creates a lot of debris.  The first month or so I brushed it every day, but I'm down to about twice a week on that.  I just kind of clean it while the kids are in it.  We love it. 

 

[boots11234]

Try owning a boat. It will make you love your pool and how little you spend. 

 

[Grahamburn]

Try owning a boat. It will make you love your pool and how little you spend. 

Boat coming soon!  Off to the boat thread and then the toys thread! 

 

[skol asylum]

So ours just got installed and filled. In ground, salt system. Guy came over today to give us the 101 on the filter and upkeep. We have a robot so hope fully he does most of the major vacuuming. 

So what is your typical pool maintenance week look like? Do you have a specific routine you follow? 

Edit to add: 34x22, vinyl liner, 3.5  >  5ft depth. Northeast/NY region 
 

Watch the pool guy come on Wednesdays for about 10 minutes. Should do it myself but I'm lazy I guess. $85 a month. Our self leveler has a leak so that's shut off and we throw a hose in their to top it off now and then. AZ heat evaporates surprisingly quickly. Have the pool guy clean the filter cartridges for $50 once a year. Occasionally the pump will need repairs. Also I have pop ups which are kind of a pain as the plastic gears like to wear down over time and need to be replaced. Other than that, pretty cheap really and not time consuming at all. Oh, and chemical maintenance seems pretty easy. Guy usually throws in a couple hockey pucks with little other chemicals needed from what I can tell.

 

[Phil Elliott]

So ours just got installed and filled. In ground, salt system. Guy came over today to give us the 101 on the filter and upkeep. We have a robot so hope fully he does most of the major vacuuming. 

So what is your typical pool maintenance week look like? Do you have a specific routine you follow? 

Edit to add: 34x22, vinyl liner, 3.5  >  5ft depth. Northeast/NY region 
 

Moved into our home last summer and the pool is 3 years old.  Not large, probably around 12,500 gal, inground., 3-5.5'. Add liquid bleach (chlorine) usually every other day - usually 32-50 oz to keep chlorine between 1-6 ppm.  Don't use the puck system unless away from home for more than a few days (as it slowly increases CYA, which will eventually minimize effect of chlorine if it gets up over 70ish.  We do have a UV light sanitizer inline near the filter. I have heard mixed comments on whether it helps or reduces load on chlorine action. Add acid (about 5-7 oz) every other day for ph.  We have a couple of waterfalls that run with the pump and that tends to make the ph drift up.  Test chlorine and ph every day or two. Test Total Alkalinity and Hardness every week. Test CYA every 2-3 weeks. We dropped our pool service four months ago as they had a hard time keeping techs (and they didn't know anything anyways). Brush every other week. We don't have a robot yet-just a pressure cleaner-its ok but needs to be replaced.  If you have a heater, its especially important to keep your chemicals in balance (CSI index) to minimize premature problems. Generally follow chemical routine as outlined at Troublefreepool.  We will be adding a heater in a few months. I did clean the filter a few weeks ago. Probably an annual event but only took about 30 min to hose it down. There is no sand or DE so nothing to backwash. 

 

[culdeus]

Moved into our home last summer and the pool is 3 years old.  Not large, probably around 12,500 gal, inground., 3-5.5'. Add liquid bleach (chlorine) usually every other day - usually 32-50 oz to keep chlorine between 1-6 ppm.  Don't use the puck system unless away from home for more than a few days (as it slowly increases CYA, which will eventually minimize effect of chlorine if it gets up over 70ish.  We do have a florescent light sanitizer inline near the filter. I have heard mixed comments on whether it helps or reduces load on chlorine action. Add acid (about 5-7 oz) every other day for ph.  We have a couple of waterfalls that run with the pump and that tends to make the ph drift up.  Test chlorine and ph every day or two. Test Total Alkalinity and Hardness every week. Test CYA every 2-3 weeks. We dropped our pool service four months ago as they had a hard time keeping techs (and they didn't know anything anyways). Brush every other week. We don't have a robot yet-just a pressure cleaner-its ok but needs to be replaced.  If you have a heater, its especially important to keep your chemicals in balance (CSI index) to minimize premature problems. Generally follow chemical routine as outlined at Troublefreepool.  We will be adding a heater in a few months. I did clean the filter a few weeks ago. Probably an annual event but only took about 30 min to hose it down. There is no sand or DE so nothing to backwash. 

so what kind of filter is it?  I don't get how you can just hose it off and call it good.  Is it a cartridge?  What brand?

Filter medium changes aren't the worst part of this, but I couldn't get away with annually doing this I would think in any system.

 

[Al Czervik]

Moved into our home last summer and the pool is 3 years old.  Not large, probably around 12,500 gal, inground., 3-5.5'. Add liquid bleach (chlorine) usually every other day - usually 32-50 oz to keep chlorine between 1-6 ppm.  Don't use the puck system unless away from home for more than a few days (as it slowly increases CYA, which will eventually minimize effect of chlorine if it gets up over 70ish.  We do have a florescent light sanitizer inline near the filter. I have heard mixed comments on whether it helps or reduces load on chlorine action. Add acid (about 5-7 oz) every other day for ph.  We have a couple of waterfalls that run with the pump and that tends to make the ph drift up.  Test chlorine and ph every day or two. Test Total Alkalinity and Hardness every week. Test CYA every 2-3 weeks. We dropped our pool service four months ago as they had a hard time keeping techs (and they didn't know anything anyways). Brush every other week. We don't have a robot yet-just a pressure cleaner-its ok but needs to be replaced.  If you have a heater, its especially important to keep your chemicals in balance (CSI index) to minimize premature problems. Generally follow chemical routine as outlined at Troublefreepool.  We will be adding a heater in a few months. I did clean the filter a few weeks ago. Probably an annual event but only took about 30 min to hose it down. There is no sand or DE so nothing to backwash. 

Get the Test Kit from Troublefreepool.  Has very clear instructions and will help you manage the chemicals.  Don't take your water to a pool store for their free test.  They will only want to sell you a bunch of crap you don't need.

 

[Phil Elliott]

Get the Test Kit from Troublefreepool.  Has very clear instructions and will help you manage the chemicals.  Don't take your water to a pool store for their free test.  They will only want to sell you a bunch of crap you don't need.

Yes, I use the TF-100 Test Kit. 

 

[Phil Elliott]

so what kind of filter is it?  I don't get how you can just hose it off and call it good.  Is it a cartridge?  What brand?

Filter medium changes aren't the worst part of this, but I couldn't get away with annually doing this I would think in any system.

Its a Hayward SwimClear quad cluster. just pull the 4 cartridges out and hose them down. Filter at a previous house had to use DE with it and it was a mess to backwash and clean.

 

[culdeus]

Its a Hayward SwimClear quad cluster. just pull the 4 cartridges out and hose them down. Filter at a previous house had to use DE with it and it was a mess to backwash and clean.

Yeah. That make sense.  DE is what I have. It's not that big a pain honestly.  

 

[AAABatteries]

Only morons own a pool.  Good luck.

I’m probably putting a pool in next year.  Educate a moron.  TIA.