"racket, I think you've made your opinion clear. Now if someones has a leak at the equipment, or the tile is falling off or the deck cracks or a liner rips or a scottish terrier drowns in a pool you can say 'I told you so'. " We sell salt systems, but do with reluctance and caution. Many builders up here are in the same boat. I am not sure the premise of your post, but its kinda dickish. My intention was to educate on real world issues I have had with salt, not anecdotal tales. We don't have a pool store so we lose money by not selling salt. "Bought/Used about 100 lbs of tabs and 40 lbs cal-hypo and 25 lbs calcium, 75 lbs of alk up, 50 lbs pH Increaser. Rough cost $800/yr " 40# tabs $80 at costco 50# calc $30 50# bicarb $30 each or $60 50# soda ash (not needed in a gunite pool) $30 $200.00 $800.00 for 4 years. Salt system installed plus salt = $1,500 After 2 years circuit board fails, pay $400 installed. After 3 years flow switch goes bad pay, $200 installed After 4 years cell dies, pay $700 installed. $2,800 for 4 years plus you need to still buy chemicals mentioned above. This seems to be about par for the course. "Truth is pool treated with chorine burns eyes,with SWG swim under water all you want with your eyes open,no problem...." I have been in hundreds of commercial pools over the past year, and the skin/eye irritation occurs in both types of pools. Not completely true. This has to do w/ pH level more than what the water is being sanitized with. The salt helps a little bit. I don't think that salt system should not be installed, but I feel that care should be taken when it comes to the design of the pool, and what types of materials are used. I install them on 1/2 my pools, but if the pool has a automatic cover I won't warranty the damage from the salt after 1 year.

The pool and cabana are just about finished. Below is a picture of the completed TV wall with my 6 year old daughter for relative perspective. The landscaping was installed at the same time as the Blue Granite PebbleSheen. Lots of work in the yard on Friday but it makes everything look a lot better. Started filling up the pool on Saturday and it was still filling Monday night. The pumps are going now and hopefully it will not take long to get the right look of the water. The remaining items are the re-sodding of the backyard, sealing the deck and finish wiring of the cabana. It feels like we have run a marathon and can now see the finish line. TV Wall From Flower Mound Pool and Cabana Landscaping From Flower Mound Pool and Cabana From Flower Mound Pool and Cabana From Flower Mound Pool and Cabana Filling the pool From Flower Mound Pool and Cabana From Flower Mound Pool and Cabana

Ask him to give you Pentair & Hayward equipment side by side equipment list. Especially consider the multispeed pumps. Get the LEDs even if it means going to 3 fixtures. Color changes and fire pits go together like peas and carrots. They will also use a lot less electric and last a lot longer than incandescent bulbs. Service call and bulb and gasket, and still only white light. The LEDs will be like the Energizer bunny. For both safety and WOW effect reasons, please get the electronic ignition for the pits. The WOW effect is when friends or family are over for a Bar-B-Q as dusk settles. Just hit the button on the remote! vs trudging through and lighting each one. POOF in your face. Or a friend's or anyone else's. I didn't see any mention of anti entrapment devices such as Hayward's & Pentair. These are fail safe devices that cause a pump to cease to be able to pull or push water by letting air in. Pumps suck air before water, releasing whatever is causing the blockage of a suction line like a person's hair or a kid's hand. New drain covers should be VGB compliant. Get big pipes! It keep energy costs down and extends pump motor, bearing and seal life. Make sure the equipment pad has plenty of service space. We look forward to seeing this project come to fruition. Please let us know what you decide. Scott

We are about to use Luna quartz Aruba on our pool. Were you able to see the finish on another pool before you chose that color. I love your pictures but it is so hard to tell the true color due to the different computers. Would you describe the color as more blue, or green. Thanks so much, this is such a hard decision to make.