We have a three pool 1400 gallon pond on our deck. The nice thing about it is you can sit on the deck and watch the fish. Obviously it does not look natural. We have enjoyed all of the visitors to the pond. If you put one in the deck make sure there is surge capacity. There are sluices between the ponds and balancing the flow is a problem. Too large of pump and you will raise the level of the top pool above the liner. With the pond in the deck be prepared for the wild parties. Periodically the raccoons will have a pool party. Several raccoons displace a lot of water, which overflows in the pump chamber. We have went out many mornings to a pump sucking air because the water level in the lower pond is too low to flow into the pump chamber. Large dogs like Labs like to swim also, with the same results. Fortunate the previous owner made it deep enough with vertical side so the the animals can not get the fish.

Yes, that is what I was referring to......that any reduction of belt speed due to wear in the DRIVE pulley.....might be cancelled by wear to the DRIVEN pulleys, resulting in the same net belt speed.......but with some slack appearing in the belt train. Replacing just the DRIVE pulley might put your belt (and blade) speed up near where you want it. But without a tachometer (or some very careful measurements along with accurate calculations) it really amounts to theory and guesses.

Should I have to ask the contractor to take the capacitor & start kit back or is this something he should suggest himself? I guess I have a bit of a trust issue as he has never suggested replacing the worn out compressor; just jumped in suggesting a new system. I don't even know what a new compressor should cost. We have another contractor coming out this afternoon to give us an estimate but as my husband works out of town during the week & I'll have to deal with this, I am trying to learn what I can so I can know what questions to ask & whether or not what I'm being told is legit. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Biggest difference between a deck and porch besides the gaps in the deck floor is that the porch(no gaps) requires a slope to the floor. Since water can not pass between deck boards, it must be guided by a gradual slope away from the house to avoid puddles and the risk of standing water penetrating the house wall and rotting it. Any plan must start with a plan for adding this slope to the deck while maintaining structural integrity. Surfacing is the easy part. Interlocking wood planks are common. Sheet materials are OK as long as they are rated for outside use. Be aware that vinyl has two key drawbacks in any outdoor settings: 1) all plastics expand and contract with temperature much more than wood/concrete/metal. This leads to a looser wavy surface on hot days and tightly stretching(and potentially overstretching on cold days. The darker the color, the hotter the plastic gets on sunny days and the worse this effect. 2) Sunlight degrades plastic softeners added to flexible plastics over time. Thus, the more sun exposure, the quicker the vinyl gets brittle and cracks. Vinyl formulated for outdoor use, such as deck boards, is more resistant to such effects, but not totally immune.