Our second Endless Pool in 10 years!
Written: Feb 23 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: High quality
Easily assembled
Good instructional videos
Improve fitness
Convenient pool
Good communications
Cons: Label crooked
Shy on silicone caulk
Labels incorrectly placed on two hoses
The Bottom Line: Great pool kit comes with everything you need. Pay attention to installation details and insist on showering before swimming and you will be a happy customer.
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| forbannad's Full Review: The Endless Pool |
History and overview:
We bought our first Endless Pool ten years ago. Then we moved. Recently we bought our second EP because we "can't live without one". New pool components are significantly improved...stronger side panel reinforcement, liner fits better, hydraulic motor is rust proof steel, better layout/support of filter system components and hydraulic and filter pumps less noisy. We installed our first pool in a car port that I enclosed on the side of our bedroom. I did all the work then at the age of 72 over six months to complete the carpentry and 8 days to install the pool having completed most of the plumbing and electrical along with the carpentry. Every morning my wife showered with soap then swam the crawl 30 minutes and finished with back and breast stroke. This was a daily ritual for 5 years! Then suddenly (wife's decision) we moved to in middle of the 2003 winter...to Vermont! We left our cherished pool behind.
We joined a Fitness Center since we did not want to put a lot of dollars into another "structure" to house a pool. We are in our 80's. We found the Fitness Center pool frequently cold (sometimes below 70), often inoperable for repair or cleaning, the water cloudy or finally, the whole Center being "renovated" with months of down time. The driving distance made it so we used the Center only 3x a week. That was just enough exercise to barely maintain fitness. My wife always took a dive vest to keep warm...just in case. Now that we have our own pool, we swim every day (both of us), the water is easily kept clean and water temperature is where we like it. In addition we save 5000 miles and 150 hours of driving time a year plus $1000 in membership fees. How can it get better than that! This installation was simpler taking two months to construct a room within our garage and have an operating pool.
The "Kit" and a bare minimum pool:
Whether the pool is going to work well and be satisfactory depends on the installer paying attention to details and doing a good job. Maintenance is easy if one showers with soap before swimming. The Endless Pool "kit" comes with everything needed to assemble the basic pool including an electric water heater. You must supply electricity, water and have a place to put it which is about the size of an automobile. Electrical needs are 1) filter pump...120 volt 20A GFI, 2) 5 HP hydraulic pump...240 volt 30A GFI and 3) 5.5 KW heater...240 volt 30A GFI. You could use a single GFI breaker for the hydraulic motor and heater operating one at a time. Gas heating although more expensive to install (needs outside venting) operates at lower fuel cost. If you use gas, you would get $300 credit for the electric heater. Calculations on how many BTU's or KWH you get for a dollar in your area are easily done. You can substitute your costs and do the math. In my case a change from electric to fuel oil would save about $30 a month...in the winter. Not a big driving force.
FUEL OIL
COST/GAL = $2.15
BTU/GAL = 168,700
EFFICIENCY = 83%
BTU/$1.00 = 168,700 X 0.83 / 2.15 = 65,126
PROPANE
COST/GAL = $1.80
BTU/GAL = 92,000
EFFICIENCY = 93%
BTU/$1.00 = 92,000 X 0.93 / 1.80 = 47,533
ELECTRIC
COST/KWH = $0.14
BTU/KWH = 3,413
EFFICIENCY = 100%
BTU/$1.00 = 3,413 X 1.00 / 0.14 = 24,379
The "kit" comes with a bubble-wrap like pool cover that keeps evaporation down and insulates the surface when the pool is not in use. The pool has high sides, about 42 inches above the ground. You would want a ladder or plank along the pool side for access. Endless Pools offers several coping choices or you could build your own. Humidity could damage surroundings such as ceiling joists, wallpaper, cardboard boxes and clothing in storage, so you would also want a dehumidfier.You might not have a floor drain to handle water in case of a leak, something to consider, you might need a sump. The pool should be insulated. You would probably want to enclose it for moisture control, warmth and safety.
My pool cost, options purchased and why
In addition to the basic cost of the pool plus shipping, I purchased synthetic coping ($1200) and the swim gage ($120). Many options are available. We already had a heated garage. With careful planning I cast a level spot, assembled the pool and built a room around it with material cost of $3300. This gave us not only pleasant surroundings but a way to handle humidity and have a warm room for comfort...both in and out of the water. A separate building would have been too expensive. This is the second time I installed everything myself. Labor was free and good exercise for an 81 year old. I am pleased with the synthetic coping since it saved considerable cut and fit time and looks great. It is a polyethylene-like material already cut to fit and overhangs the inside pool edge. That helps water stay in the pool when "making waves". The first pool had coping from plywood that I painted with an industrial oil base paint which had a strong objectionable odor for weeks. Synthetic coping arrives cut to fit, has no odor, does not need paint, is waterproof and easy to work (holes for the swim gage and speed control shaft).
Installation details
Endless Pools supplies high quality components that arrive in two large crates weighing about a ton along with a third package of two reinforcing channels. EP supplies helpful video tapes and service manual on "how to do it". With any contractor, it is important to check on the work. A leaking joint, water getting behind the liner from a bad caulking job, sharp metal edges, loose bolts or pebbles under the liner floor will cause future problems and dissatisfaction.
After building and insulating a room around the pool I installed a dehumidifier outside the room in a closed duct loop which returned dried air. This operates 50-75% of the time with two separate swim times and keeps relative humidity at 50%. Condensate is returned to the pool through a drilled hole in the skimmer. For my first pool I set a dehumidifier on the pool coping and ran the condensate back into the pool, but this was unsightly.
I put in a simple suspended ceiling since I had 10 foot ceilings in the garage. Ceiling tiles are one inch fiberglass with vinyl facing. They are waterproof, mold resistant and won't warp. I avoided cheaper panels made from wood pulp which sag, warp and mildew in humid environments.
All pool parts fit through a 30 inch door with trim. The only part that was too heavy for me to lift alone was the pre-assembled propulsion motor-propellor-turning vanes-top housing unit. I disassembled the top housing section thereby cutting the weight in half so I could handle it alone.
Operating costs and maintenance required
During the first month cold well water had to be heated and the earth/concrete below the pool. The electric bill was $100. Next month cost dropped to $50. This is mid winter in VT. We expect lower costs in the summer. Water quality maintenance could not be easier. After an initial shock with bleach and a week to adjust calcium hardness, alkalinity, total solids and pH we now add 1/2 cup of bleach daily. The pool stays clean and clear. We vacuum out small particles now and then. After a year and a half with our first pool I changed the water because of salt build up (from added bleach). We never used or needed pool clarifying agents. That is likely because we insist all swimmers take a hot shower with soap BEFORE entering the pool. Body and hair oils cause water quality problems and difficult maintenance. One additional cost with the first pool was that the hydraulic motor in the propulsion system needed to be replaced after 3 years because the silicone coating on the pump (cast iron) leaked enough to form rust in the pool water. Our new pool has a stainless steel motor and should give no rust problems.
Use of the pool and main benefits
We both use the pool daily. My wife swims 33 minutes first thing in the morning and is then ready for breakfast. I swim at 4 pm. Benefits are...feeling great, getting stimulated and having good health (except for age-related aches). Perhaps the biggest benefit of having your own pool is NOT having to drive to a fitness center. Water speed can be over 3 miles an hour giving a very strenuous workout! Everything works great and we are delighted!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
forbannad
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Reviews written: 2
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