Question: I am completely overhauling my pool this spring and would like some advice. The pool I inherited was a swamp and I have got it where it is swimmable. However, the paint is ancient and chipping and gets chalky. The heat here in Clarksdale, MS costs me a ton in chlorine and chemicals to fight algae. So, I want to paint the pool and convert it to a salt water pool. Using the calcualtion of L x W x Avg. Depth x 7.5 I get a number of 42,000 gallons. This is an inground concrete pool. What are your recomendations for a salt chlorine generator and paint for the pool? I probably need to change the sand in the filter as well. What is the average cost on that and how difficult would that be for me to do myself. I am a DIY guy and I am sure I could do most of this work myself. I have done it all on my pool so far. I need to know recommendations for products or brands. Thanks.
Here are the pool guy’s recommendations:
Swimming Pool Equipment: Pentair Pool/Spa Equipment
I would recommend that you use any Pentair Products that you can. The IntelliChlor would be a good unit for you. It comes in 20,000 (IC20) gallon or 40,000 (IC40) gallon sizes for residential use. You will need the 40,000 Gallon unit size, and it will need to run 24 hours a day in order to produce the amount of chlorine needed, and you will still be just a little bit short. You might need to do either quantity 2 of the IC40’s to not have to run the system all day and all night. It would also be a good time to install a Pentair IntelliFlo variable speed pump which can run 24 hours a day to run your salt cell and use much less electricity. The retail price of a variable speed pump in our market is about $2,000 installed, and our homeowners see the payoff of their investment with less of an electric bill in the first year. The most important part to remember when converting to a salt system is the zinc anode. Find out w
hy a zinc anode is essential here.Swimming Pool Paint
For the paint you need to determine if it was rubber based or epoxy based. You need to use the same type to repaint the pool, or you will need to have the old surface sandblasted off which will of course add $$ to your project. There is a pretty good chance that the paint is rubber based, as that is the most common. there is always a chance that it is epoxy though. You might be able to bring a sample in and figure out which. You could also test a small section, the paint will not adhere and will start peeling off quickly if it is the wrong one.
Sand Change in your Sand Filter
A sand change should be fairly straightforward. Just look up some youtube videos on how to change the sand in a filter, and there are some good tutorials. Here’s one where the
pool guy discusses knowing when to change the sand in your filter. The biggest thing to do is look up the volume of sand in your filter so you have the proper pool filter sand on hand when you do the sand change. The rest is just the work of getting the sand out of the filter and the new sand in. A sand change in our market costs between $250-350 to have a pool guy do it. The sand itself is relatively inexpensive, it’s the labor that adds to the cost.
All the best on your renovations. Let us know if you have any other questions.
