Pool?

[Darth Debra]

To pool or not to pool...that is the question. Have brought a new place and after having had an inground pool for years I don't know whether to put one in or to go with the growing trend and get one of those big outdoor spas and enclose it into a pergola and deck type set up that I can use most of the year.
Does anyone know if they are less work to look after and is the heating of them expensive?
Thanx Debs

[Zed]

Hi,

In a quick sentance : "pools are a pain in the "


ie : convert to salt chlorination, have an auto salt dispenser, purchase an automatic pool cleaner (such as a barracuda) and regularly top up with liquid chlorine. (dont foget a chlorine stabiliser to stop the sun leaching the chlorine on hot days.)

I would recommend solar heating and a fully enclosed pool area to stop unwanted leaves, evaporation and friends etc... :-)

I know the mains powered heating is expensive to buy and run especially for large pools.

Also, I would make is use the largest powered pump & gauge piping available, reduce the number of angles in the piping network (Ie remove 90 deg bends altogether and go with rounded corners (??? it you know what I mean???) as this will maximise water throughput and hence your water clarity will be better.

Lastly go with a large volume sand filter.

all this is expensive but worth the effort - you'll be sipping a banana daquari in no time! I love my pool - but I wouldnt install one meself! :-)


I personnally would stay away from a spa unless its integrated with the pool design, best case I would have a pool that is 15-20m long and only 2 m wide so I could do laps... or at least an outlet that provides a current to swim against - beats a bungy cord around the legs!

[silentC]

When I lived in Sydney, we had an inground pool. Don't need one now 'cause the beach is only a 2 minute walk. Our next door neighbour had an above ground spa under a pergola. They used it all year round but I can tell you from personal experience that it is very unpleasant getting out of it on a cold night.

I believe they require a similar effort to look after but on a smaller scale. I wasn't too intimate with the daily routine but I do remember them telling me it turned green on a couple of occasions.

It really depends on what you like doing. If you want to sit around in a hot tub with some friends on a cold night, go for the spa. If you prefer to splash around in a pool on a hot day, go for the pool.

One point to consider is that you can take the spa with you if you sell up.

Personally, I'd prefer a pool. I find a spa becomes a bit boring after the first few minutes and there's nothing like a swim on a stinking hot day after sitting in traffic for an hour.

[Gumby]

The obvious advantage with the spa, as has been mentioned is the fact that you can sell it. I have an 8 seater which holds about 1500L so it's one of the larger above ground types. It's bloody heavy to move so you need an army and easy access to where it's going to go. Cost wise it's fairly heavy on the electricity since it has an electric heater as well as the air blowers and 2 pumps.

I think for three months my bill went up a couple of hundred dollars ! I've since changed the settings and the heater only comes on during it's daily filter cycle and then it's only set to about 34 degrees. When we want to use it we cranck it up to about 36-37 which doesn't take too long if you have a good cover.

It's not expensive however on running costs as far as the chemicals are concerned. They do have a conversion kit which I may look at in the future where a gas heater replaces the electric.

hope this helps

[Geno]

We have a "Soveriegn" 6 Seater spa that gets are fair bit of use, even after ten years. Maintenance wise, there is not much too. We use an Ozone purifier which seems to work quite well, reducing the amount of chemicals and water changers required to keep everything nice.
The spa is mounted on a deck with a LaserLite roof (make sure your deck is PLENTY strong as spa weighs around 4 tons when filled). Other option is to put spa on ground and deck around it.
Crucial to keep these puppies out of the elements as the vinyl cover doesn't last long in the weather (big bucks to replace) and the Cedar exterior is much happier when kept out of the elements.
After 8 years, every major component seemed to s**t itself though. First the Main Circulation pump went. Like a fool I got a spa guy to source and replace it, which cost me a bomb. Soon woke up to the fact that there is nothing to these things and did all the other repairs myself. This included replacing a defunct heater and getting a leaking Jet pump fixed. Jet pump cost $60 to have new seals put in it when I was quoted nearly a $1000 for a replacement pump. No wonder the guy lives in a flash house.
In Canberra, it is hard to justify a pool due to the cold weather. I have friends who have inground pools that are green 9 months a year.
As SilentC mentioned; It depends on what you what to do. Plenty of good second-hand spas can be had as well.

[soundman]

I'd go with the spa.
leaves more space for the shed.

Up here in summer people turn of the heater in the spa & chuck in a cupla bags of party ice & stoke the blower. Cooool Man.

They recon it'll be 39 deg on friday.

[fxst]

we usually like the warm weather 45-48 39 is too cold for us

[davo453]

I’d definitely go with the spa, we have had pools and we’ve had spa’s. Pools are fine for playing with the kids in and cooling down but are generally to short for long term serious exercise.

Spa’s are great for conversation and solving problems (should have one in parliament imo) and the ladies generally love them. There’s really nothing quite like climbing into the Spa after a hard day’s sport, work or play.

You have to remember though that you are dealing with a much smaller pocket of water (generally around 1500 ltrs) so any pathogens that get into the water have a much greater effect, it pays to keep a close eye on the ph balance etc.

We have an American spa, for my money they just don’t insulate the Australian ones well enough. Fine in summer but in winter your power bill hits the roof. You pay a fair bit more for a US one though.

Ours is a 6 seater LA Spa which has 3x5hp pumps, ozone generator and a circulation pump, averaged across the year it costs around $38 a month to run in power and approx $100 a year in chemicals etc.


Cheers


Dave

[outback]

I'd go with a 10m X 10m shed, fully insulated. Of course you'll need heaps of power outlets, 15 amp is good 3 Phase is better though for the big tools. Some of these could be suspended from the ceiling for access in the middle of the shed to save running cords over the floor. Add a 5Hp Dc coupled to a cyclone, throw in Joiner, planer, thicknesser, bandsaw, table saw, router table, glueing table, finishing table, design table, drill press, lathe, hand tools, power tools, measure tools, marking tools, assorted planes, various saws, C clamps, F clamps, G clamps, Sash clamps, panel clamps, mitre clamps, glues, screws, and a beer fridge, and all you'll be worrying about is the fact that the sheds too small and ya don't have enough toys to play with.

[soundman]

Heres an exercise.
Look at you back yard, imagine a pool.
Get three quotes including landscaping & pool fence factor in hitting rock, (they always hit rock), add running costs, electricity, chemicals & stuff.

Then see how much shed & how many tools that money will buy.


HMMMMM:)

[davo453]

Ah you see but you don’t quite get the point, if your married it can be very hard to extract the funds to buy tools and stuff, our spa was sort of a peace offering to SWMBO allowing negotiations to reopen. Tactics you see :)

The furniture and bit of money I earn producing furniture on a casual basis, just isn’t enough (in her mind) to buy more stuff.

[griffo]

I am just about to do the "handover" on my new swimming pool. SWMBO really wanted one so we had to go ahead with it. My first advice is as soundman says get three quotes, then double the most expensive one and that will be the approx cost of the job. Including landscaping, fencing, heating etc my circa $17000 pool has now cost $30000.

The shed and tools ratio would have been great, sigh!!!!


griffo:rolleyes: