I don’t have any comments on pool chemicals. But I did hang out at my cousin’s pool recently and it’s pretty awesome
a.tramp Zack Zedalis or anyone else have any strong opinions on gunite vs liner vs fiberglass? Know any good pool builders in the Nashville area? We are starting to look into putting in a pool next year. Besides pentair equipment, any other recs or things I should look for when getting quotes? Feel free to pm me if it’s easier.
I can get you some builder information for Nashville. You’d better ask Boo MFer! for his thoughts on which type of pool you should go with Is is really just dependent on what you want to with & how long you want to wait to swim. Vinyl & fiberglass give you fewer design options, but are installed quicker so you are swimming quicker. With concrete/marcite/pebble you will have much more freedom in design. You’ll pay more than vinyl and likely fiberglass depending on the route you go
Good to know, thanks! From a long-term maintenance/repair angle, are there any major considerations between vinyl and concrete/etc? I know liners need to be replaced ever so often, just didn't know if the type of pool changes the long-term cost or whether it's simply the cost up-front and the ability to have freedom in design that makes the concrete/etc pools more popular but also more expensive.
a.tramp just had a pool guy over as we are looking to put a pool in next year. He only uses jandy equipment. Is that ok or should I abort?
My issue with Jandy is they are constantly changing their product line. They have a tendency to stop production on replacement parts when that happens. If you buy a pump and want to continue replacing parts and rebuilding it when it breaks, for 20 years, you should have that option. It is not possible with a lot of Jandy products bought within the past 15 years. Should you abort if you feel really good about the company building the pool? I don’t think I would go that far. The structure is the important part to have done correctly. Just be prepared that might be an issue with the equipment down the road.
Thanks! We like the company but are gonna meet with a few others as well. Equipment could be a tiebreaker if there’s a comparable company that’ll do Pentair. Appreciate your advice.
To be honest, if there is company that comes out and throws a sales pitch that you dont like, I have no idea how they are even in buisness to begin with Its info like you gain from this thread, equipment, surface type, etc, that you should compare to price and where you want to be I've seen great salesman sell trash products all damn day long and leave the customer hanging in the long term
Just thought of this post randomly and laughed to myself at my place of employment. Probably my favorite post of 2018. Thank you, Pharm .
Just moved in this week. 2 big ass motherfucking crepe myrtles right by pool. If I didn't already hate the previous owners enough
Just closed on the house and got my water tested. Results attached. Not great, Bob. There is some copper in the water they want me to remedy with stain and scale remover and then I’ve got some soda ash to raise the pH. I have no idea if these are good recommendations or not. My bigger problem is my pump is running like shit. It’s hot as fuck and it’s hardly moving any water. What’s a reasonable hourly rate for a service tech? First company I talked to wanted $148/hr. That seems steep to me.
I second this. Also for me, the most concerning thing I saw was the alkalinity level. If you have a heater, get that within range fast.
Thanks for the heads up. Fortunately they didn’t try to push any of that on me. Do I have a pool draining in my future?
So here are my rates. I am sure it varies a little with cities. Service call - $41. This is the price to get me to your house. Everything I do gets added onto that and it is the minimum for a trip to a house. If I do nothing while there it still gets paid. I did not randomly call someone to end up at their house. They called me because they have a problem they can’t fix. If they choose not to take my recommendations for repair/replacement the fee still applies. If they do the repair, the service call covers for the return trip also if necessary. It is good until the job is complete. Diagnostics I - $33. This covers up to 30 minutes of troubleshooting. Believe it or not, it does not get charged very often. Most the time I can figure out an issue in 5 mins or less. If a customer does the work I recommend I am not going to nickel and dime him. If he consumes a butt load of my time just so he can get a solution and buy shit of the Internet, I will run up a bill on him. These assholes are easy to spot, don’t be that asshole. Diagnostics II - $66. Same as Diagnostics 1 but from 30-60mins. Most the time the diagnostics are charged when dealing with light, computer, salt cell, or heater issues. Labor - $73/hour. This is not charged on its own very much as most issues I deal with have flagged hours for the job and are built into the job. If I have to hire someone to assist me it generally comes into play then. Filter clean - $85. There are a few filters that are excluded from that price. Small filter generally under 200 sq ft are $45, a handful of odd and stupidly designed filters run more. My price for a job or service. (Part x 1.5) + (Part x 0.0825) + Labor. Thias is simply the part and markup + tax + labor. Replacing a motor is a pretty standard job. Here is the pricing for a motor replacement for a motor I can get from a wholesaler for $200. $300 + $16.50 + $71.50. $388. And no the motor will not take me 1.5 hours to install because I have installed 100s of them but that is pretty standard hour flag for a motor job. So all this to say, I sub-contract for several companies along with tend to my own clients and they markup the work I do a flat percentage anywhere from 40-56%. So $148 for 1 hour of labor is silly. If that includes the service call then it is not terrible. You are just paying a company a premium to “manage the service.”
While I will never stop anyone from stomping on lechnerd ’s nuts because we all know he needs it, he obliged, and then some, to everything that was agreed upon when I offered to install his computer at cost. The only thing I regret was that I was sick as a dog when I went down for my Hill Country getaway but the good doctor did all that was in his power to remedy that as well.
Buy the kit everyone in the thread suggested and do it yourself. The kit explains how much of everything you need to put in the pool. Also, 4 lbs of soda ash won't raise it to levels you want unless your pool is small. In mine I added 5 pounds to raise it about 15 TA. I took the advice of the thread and drained my pool when CYA levels were at 200 and my pool looks beautiful now. I have TA and chlorine in check. I just need to keep lowering my pH because the NST tablets raise it pretty quickly.
Pool guy I talked to said it does work, but you need to use a lot more than they say. Said it's not really worth the money unless there's water restrictions.
Ya, I went with your plan and drained 80% of the pool and went with the NST tablets you suggested. Crystal clear in time for 4th of July.
Just dropped 50lbs of ice in my homemade cattle tank soaking tub and it is now perfect. Time for all the beer. Yes, the cobbler’s shoes and such. Let the piling on commence. Don’t care got wet.
I am mowing the yard and then hopping in mine. I have brats, burgers, chips, (and shhhh probably some adult beverages!!!) ready to go.
I think I am going to buy a commercial ice machine so I can chill this damn thing all the time. Dallas and its 100 degree temps and 90 degree pools is the worst.
Turns out was completely unrelated, septic system outlet on other side of house was broken and geysered up at exact same time he had me turn a valve a.tramp is awesome
I was running through my head if there was any way you could turn a valve at the equipment pad and something would rupture 200’ away and I was coming up blank. I was in mental anguish.
P sure I could hear your brain quit working bc it made no sense You’ll be glad to know my pool lights just quit working, I’m about to drown myself
We had my sons bday party last week. I asked my wife to go to the heater and make sure the spa logo was lit up first thing in the morning and she said it was (big mistake not checking myself). I stay up on the deck and grill and host. After the party is over I decide to jump in the pool and instead of being greeted by refreshing cool water I was submerged in super fucking hot pool water. I got out and checked the heater and the pool logo was lit up. Temperature? 97! Holy shit babe wtf!? We heated the entire pool to 97 fucking degrees. I didn’t even know that was possible. Not a single kid, parent, lifeguard, my family said anything at all the entire party. Couldn’t believe it. Still can’t believe it.
You hired lifeguards for a party you and other adults attended? Thought you liked saving money by doing shit yourself