I went with a DE filter and since I screened in the entire area I really could have gone with just a sand filter. DE is best but the sand works too. I went with a liner and now wish I had gone with the fiberglass for the extra 10K. Remember about the fiberglass that in about 15 to 20 years the clear coat will be gone and I have not heard of anyone that does that on old glass pools. Chemicals eat the clear coat. If you go with the fiberglass try and get some warranty against cracking. The installation is more important than you think. I would highly recommend getting a retired pool guy as a consultant. I have not found the upkeep to be a problem but remember mine is screened in, no leaves, bugs, etc. Good luck

The 2 inground failures shown were both cases where the water level was allowed to become too low. And both were located in an area with a high groundwater table (about 3-4 feet below ground). They 'floated' up out of the ground. :cool:

Thanks so much guys, I appreciate the replys. Hope mine does not end up like those in the pics...high water table here in BR. Guess monitoring the water level is REALLY important!

Most newer pools have a wellpoint attachment where the bottom drain is. You pull a plug and hook up the well point then begin pumping out the ground water.

Draining a pool in a high water table area is tricky.

You may also want to look into a water level monitoring setup. Its sort of s float like in your toilet that turns on and refills the pool if the water level drops too far.

I live up on a sand hill and can drain my pool to the bottom without a worry. As a matter of fact its 2/3 empty right now as I wait for the 3M to cure.

Motion - After owning mine for 10 years I do not think its a big expense. But, I am a big DYIer and refuse to pay someone to take care of my pool or my lawn. I can do them just fine on my own. The last time the light gave us trouble, my wife decided to hire a "pro" to fix it.

1 Week later it was leaking and I told her never to hire anyone to do this stuff again. I fixed it and it lasted 5 years almost to the month. This next treatment should do it for a long time. My mistake the last couple of times was not letting the 3M cure for the prescribed 7 days.

Mark - You will really enjoy it. Good luck. If you are brave you might consider owner contractor you would be amazed at the markup from the pool companies. Especially if you have construction experiance.

We put a net on our pool when our daughter was born. A lot of kids drown in AZ due to gates being left open or kids climbing over fences. As long as you put the net on when you're done swimming there's no chance a kid is getting in the water.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1160530504.jpg

Lee - that net is a good idea, I hadn't seen that before. A kid in our son's preschool last year drowned in their family pool, which really freaked everyone out. We are paranoid about keeping our gate secured but ***** can happen no matter how careful you are.

Anyways, we have a really nice dark-bottom concrete in-ground pool + spa added by the PO in 1995 (we bought in 2002). Conventional DE filtration, pumps, in-line chlorinator and natural gas heater setup. The lights and spa are on X-10 remotes, main pump on a timer. We had to do some maint and repairs including a pump motor, some plumbing leak fixes and a few minor heater parts. Farmed that out to the pros but I do the routine upkeep myself; it's not hard at all except in the Fall when the wind blows all the damn leaves around like crazy. Cleaning a big DE filter is a nasty job...but 2-3X a year is plenty often for ours.

It is due to be resurfaced pretty soon and we need to decide between replastering or pebbletech or other options.

My $.02 advice would be to (a) get an auto pool vac of some sort to cut down on the manual leaf skimming and vacuuming, and (b) DO NOT plant any baby trees that will become big trees too close to the pool or pool deck where the roots may cause major headaches down the line.

My neighbors put in a pool the week after the moved in, before the neighbors on the other side moved in and could say anything. The neighborhood has a pool already. Now they claim the "don't like the neighborhood". The pool cost them double what it was supposed to and the maintenance is very high. They are selling their house in a year to move to a new neighborhood. If that pool doesn't get used by the new poeple, I'm going to dynamite it and bury it under when they go on vacation.

Here's the photos of this stupid pool.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/183083-contractor-stupidity.html?highlight=pool

We've had an above-ground Doughboy 16x24 pool for 4 years now. We have a Hayward cartridge filter/pump and a Hayward 150,000 BTU natural gas water heater and the total water capacity is 10,500 gallons. The heater gives us an extra month of use in the spring and an extra month of use in the fall. We use tablet chlorine and it's alot more stable than liquid chlorine. We use the pool almost every day in the summer and we have a pool entry system that locks. We are very happy with our pool, but the key is the company that installs it. If the installer does a good job - you're happy, if they do a substandard job - you're in trouble (as Curt's pictures show). Good luck!

I like the cover Wayne mentioned rather than the net. I don't have a pool but I saw someone demonstrating the cover on one of those home improvement shows. The man walked across the cover and didn't even get wet. It's motorized so all you do is hit a button. I'm sure its more money than the net but I would think thats its safer and will keep bugs and leaves out.

Mine has a hot tub within the pool, that is fun, I can heat the pool if needed.
Never done on purpose..by stupid..oh yes. Middle of July, jump in the
BIG hot tub, it took 4 days to cool down.
Rika

I have an in-ground concrete pool that was here when I purchased my home.

If I were to do it from scratch I'd do a prefab FG pool. In fact I'd do an L or Rectangular config with ONE depth throughout. IMO, this makes for more usabilty in the long run. Playing pool volley ball on the deep end isn't fun. :)

From the reseach I've done chemicals are not absorbed and they tend to last longer in a FG setup. FWIU, the marble dust used in the concrete pools plaster is considered a sacrificial component and is one of the many reasons a redo is needed every 10-15 years.

I considered a mesh cover years ago but found that it can act like a tea bag and debri that settles onto the cover will require quite a bit of cleanup when time comes to open.

I opted to work with a company that custom fabricates solid covers. I took a series of measurements per their instructions and they manufactured the top and suplied all the hardware. My cost was approx $1200. This is about a third the cost of others I have seen. I've opened the pool and have had crystal clear water. The one pain is that you must drain the cover after rain or snow...and this does get quite challenging. Let me know if you'd like their contact info. They were not easy to find and the only manufacturer willing to sell in this manner.

One very useful site I've used over the years is www.PoolSolutions.com. It was built by a commercial pool maintenance guy and it is well worth the subscription. He dispells all the myths of proper pool maint and has many time saving tricks. For instance I use Baking Soda (or is it powder?) and Twenty Mule Team Borax to adjust PH in my pool. It has worked very well.

Here's how a solid or mesh cover is held in place.....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1160576661.jpg