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salt or chlorine? pebble or plaster?
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Posted by lostinthewoodlands (My Page) on Thu, Jan 5, 12 at 20:43
| We have finally decided to build a pool, and have had some great PB'S come out so far. We had one who stood us up (platnuim) but could care less about them now. When talking to the PB'S we realize there are many options and each PB has there own opinion on diffrent aspects.
Should we go with Salt or Chlorine? We live North of Houston, does the climate matter? Will it affect the flagstone or anything else? If I use chlorine, will my kids get the eye and skin irretation? Or is that if I dont keep the levels correct? How often should we check levels.
On the whole pebbel tech pebbel sheer and pebble whatever else, my question is how rough is it, will my kids feet get all beat up or is that myth or a cheap version (knock off) of pebbel tech. How about a "Quartz plaste mix". Does plaster really only last about 3 years? We are at the very beginning stages of this and are learning a lot very fast.
We have had HIPP Pools, Iguana pools, Wise Pools and Lonstar pools come out so far, and have learned something diffrent from each one. We have Atlantis Pools coming out this weekend. Does anyone know if these are good Pool builders for the Woodlands area. I called these and one chain one platnium but got stood up by him, so they are the first off the list. I think im impressedso far with the above builders, but they are talkin to someone who has no clue and googling alot. Thanks for any input you all give |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: salt or chlorine? pebble or plaster?
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| I'm not in your area or even your state but have been on this forum for a lot of years. I have only read excellent things about Kelly at Atlantis and Mike at HIPP Pools. We've just started our dig after years of pool envy and like you talked to a lot of PB's and also got stood up. I'm still waiting for one to call me back with a quote - haha. We decided to go with salt even though there are laws in place around here about dumping in the sewer. Haven't completely decided about plaster. I wanted mini pebble but it may be something else depending on how much the dig is going to cost. DANG ROCK! Good luck! |
RE: salt or chlorine? pebble or plaster?
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Salt! (I'm assuming you know that the salt makes chlorine, so it's not a chlorine-free pool, but you don't put chlorine in it...this is the simple version)
My pool is so easy to maintain I just can hardly believe it. I have done nothing for about a month, other than check the water and it's fine, and brush the sides, and make sure the Navigator is going around every day.
I have two neighbors who are just about ready to switch it of frustration. One says it's too hard so she has a service,and this is a gal who does everything. I can't believe she can't figure out a chlorine pool in a cage. My next door neighbor used our pool all summer because they never got theirs clear and blue, despite dumping chemicals in it regularly and shocking it and trying this and then that....I think they're ready to give up when they see me doing nothing.
More importantly, salt pools are kinder on your skin and eyes. I realized this at my gym in California, when I wasn't getting as tired as usual after swimming laps in their salt pool. It was because my eyes weren't as tired, and thusly I wasn't as tired. But I moved to Florida and the gym here had a chlorine pool that had me exhausted again. Now I swim in my own pool and love it.
I have Pebble, which is pretty much what all the PB's do here. The warranty is tough to beat and the maintenance is so easy. My kids don't have trouble with it unless they scrape it hard, but it's the same as if they scraped on the deck or any concrete surface around the pool. My kids don't play in the pool as much as running and and jumping in and squirting guns, and Marco Polo (can't someone PLEASE come up with another group pool game?)
Keep researching and talking to people with pools. I sent out a neighborhood email and many stranger neighbors offered for me to come look at their pools and stand on their pebbles and see the colors and tell me about their PBs.
I didn't know anything when I started, other than I knew I wanted salt, but here is a link to my blog that I did, and if you go to the beginning, you might find a few things that were in my learning curve. I only regret that I didn't start it when I started talking to PBs because I learned a little from each one that helped me form my decisions. One would say, gunite, and I'd ask the next, why shotcrete and not gunite, and I'd ask each one until I formed a good opinion on which was best for me, which would later influence which builder I chose. (went with shotcrete because I'm a canal house with a seawall and the whole property is fill, and Floirda is all limestone anyway)
Good luck! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Pool Blog
RE: salt or chlorine? pebble or plaster?
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| A salt pool is a chlorine pool. Plaster has a 7 to 10 year life, depending on care and weather. Diamond Brite goes to about 12 with really good care. True high aggregates like PT or Wet Edge brands are as close to forever finishes as there is. 25 years or more. Ever hold a new basketball? That's as close to a large pebble aggregate texture as there is. Scott |
RE: salt or chlorine? pebble or plaster?
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| Is a "salt" pool easier? Maybe/maybe not. I dump acid in my pool 2-3 times a week in the summer. Without the salt cell i would be dumping chlorine in 2-3 times a week...... You can put salt in any pool. |
RE: salt or chlorine? pebble or plaster?
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| You DO NOT want a chlorine pool (man-made chlorine, that is). Salt is an alternative, which converts to natural chlorine in a pool. The problem with salt is that it can and often does eat away at any natural stone you have around your pool. If you are using pool brick or cantilevered concrete for coping and don't have a rock waterfall, then you should be o.k. with salt. You will want to be sure the PB seals any natural stone with a sealant designed for salt pools. Then be prepared to reapply it annually. I like ozone as a sanitizer, because it is like swimming in bottled water without the eye & skin irritations and smell you get from man-made chlorine. You still need a chlorinator as a second source of sanitation, but you don't need much...not enough for it to have a negative effect. My customers all love it. Like poolguynj says, the life of plaster depends a lot on how you care for the pool. If the pH and alkalinity is kept at the right levels and you brush the walls once or twice a week, your plaster will last a long time...like 10 yrs for white plaster. Quartz and pebble plasters have longer warranties, but they are just warranting that the pebbles won't come loose or the quartz doesn't fall off. If you aren't keeping the pool water correctly, they won't last long and your warranty will be meaningless. Pebble Fina or Pebble Sheen is not hard on the feet at all (and mine are sensitive!). Pebble Tec is rough. Quartz pools are easy on the feet. There are multitudes of products available depending on how much you have to spend and the color you are trying to achieve. When comparing pool builders, make sure you are comparing apples to apples in what goes into the structure and equipment. Check if they have onsite supervision. Call references. Don't go for the cheapest price. Be prepared to act and make a decision as soon as you can |
RE: salt or chlorine? pebble or plaster?
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| We are in The Woodlands as well. We converted our pool to salt about 3-4 years ago and love it. Prior to that, one child would always get red spots/rash around joints during the summer swim season. The pediatrician suggested a salt pool as well as hearing it from many others. We thought nothign to lose so we switched. We've had zero problems and love it. We have pebbletec as well. The kids never complain. |
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