I realize that this is an old thread, but I wanted to put a warning out there about this 'Awesome' cleaning product available at the dollar stores, which is actually LA's Totally Awesome. It contains 2-butoxy ethanol which is highly toxic. Please see the link provided to read about the dangers. This product, IMO, should not be used at all. If you do use it, extreme caution should be used. Please don't use it with your bare hands and avoid breathing it in. This product is NOT the same as the Awesome product by R>F> Thompson Company which is an environmentally friendly product and non-toxic, using only citrus based ingredients. Blessings to all Laurie Here is a link that might be useful: dangers of 2-butoxy ethanol

peymar3, The reason I was asking is there may be more than one way to bring the water temp up to where you want, when you want it. If you have a spa, I would go with a gas fired unit. If not, then there is also a heat pump solution and a solar solution that may fit your needs. Scott

I recently was able to experience first hand both options. We've used the SWG since we built about 4 years ago. True to form the cell did need replacing but we were (ha, are) in a place of financial cut backs so was unable to replace the cell, so had to add chlorine for a few months. HATED.IT. I could barely stand the pool while I was having to add chlorine, not the work part, that was fairly simple, not the testing part, I test all the time anyway no matter the system. I hated the feeling of the water, the stinging of the eyes, the drying of the hair, the redness in kids eyes leaving our house, the smell in the air outside. All of it. Was finally able to replace the cell a few weeks ago. Love my pool again! Soft hair, no red eyes, no chlorine smell in the air, all is right again. There really are no overall financial savings with salt due to the need to replace the cell. We are not seeing any corrosion, and we used native limestone both inside and outside the pool. From a time standpoint I think that it's similar, though of course with the SWG running again I don't test my water daily, but honestly that was a simple minimal thing to do anyway. For me it isn't time nor money but water quality. I vote SWG hands down in that department.

Where are you located roughly? Here in NJ, I am not a big fan of automatic covers. the things that can go wrong with them outweigh, at least in my opinion, the positives. Yes, they can, when used on a daily basis, improve safety and reduce chemical and heating costs but on the negative side, the mechanisms can break, leaving a cover 1/2 rolled up, often aren't configured for use with salt cells, cost plenty when the cover fabric needs to be replaced periodically (average life is less than 10 years), and aren't as strong as most safety covers used for Winter. The chemical usage isn't that big a cost, certainly not enough to justify it. Heat can be saved with a solar cover at night for a lot less. Automatic covers can have snow loads play merry hell on tracks and cover material. Rain will carry debris into the coffin and clog its drain. Unpumped rain will seriously wear the spooling mechanism because of the weight so an automatic pump needs to be set. A hole in the cover will let pool water out. You still need a fence for the yard. There are added installation costs such as stainless hardware and extra bonding needed when a salt cell is used. The costs will vary with the size and shape of the pool. Here in the Northeast, plastering, regardless of the material used, is best done in the Spring. The cement used hydrates, raising the pH. Left unmonitored over the Winter, scale is far more likely to form. The more time you have to monitor it, the better. This process slows with time so the more time you have to monitor it, the better. The Sun provides all the UV you will need with an outdoor pool. Adding it to the return flow is more money in their pocket only. Nothing reduces the amount of free chlorine needed in the water. You can only augment it. Chlorine kills everything. Yes, there are a couple things that can take some time but residential outdoor pools have such a small risk of being contaminated, it doesn't make sense. Large, public indoor facilities and water supplies are at a greater risk because of the lack of exposure to the Sun. UV cannot be used as a primary sanitizer. It doesn't leave a residual in the pool which is where its needed. Go with the MasterTemp 400HD. Its just bulletproof, unlike the Raypak. I prefer the Quad series of filters over the FNS Plus series. They are typically a bit larger and easier to clean. All finishes use cement to bind. A big part of cement is calcium. Water can draw calcium out from the cement. The less cement exposed, the longer the finish lasts. Plaster dust also has calcium. It tends to be softer too. Quartz can improve things but is dependent on how much is used in the mix. Pebble finishes tend to have the aggregates more exposed and thus last the longest. Compaction needs are dependent on the type of pool and construction method used. Six inch lifts are expected usually. Scott