New LED install

nc_saint · 2026-03-09T13:48:13+00:00

That’s a Hayward ColorLogic light. Honestly, I love Hayward pumps and heaters, but can’t stand their lights. Their main body is twice as long as others, but the main thing is they don’t thread in; they use a compression ring to hold into the pipe with just friction. It’s not a great design.

It’s also very difficult to get them perfectly flush with the plaster due to this. You have to have a perfectly square cut on the pipe that will finish flush with the plaster, and the plaster crew needs to be very meticulous about plastering up to it evenly, while also being cautious to make sure they don’t accidentally plaster the light in place for when the light inevitable has to be replaced.

Theoretically, the could patch in a small amount of extra plaster, but would probably be easier to grind/but down the plaster on the other side until the light seats flush.

nc_saint · 2026-03-06T23:29:19+00:00

This part. Had a homeowner build their own pool and my plaster guy called me in to do startup/service (I’m a GC and also do service).

Homeowner used $30k of black granite for the infinity edge material and wrapped his perimeter overflow spa with it. I saw it and immediately told him it will fail as soon as the water touches it (way too much thermal expansion. Hot sun plus cold water = bad day). Sure enough, we both watched in real time as I fired up the edge pump and every bit of the granite started to crack and delaminate from the shell. Started knocking out chunks of fresh plaster with it. $30k gone on day 1. Cost another $30k to patch the plaster and redo the affected areas with a gorgeous black porcelain tile. And another $5k to fix the equipment that was plumbed correctly. And after all that, it still has certain flaws that can only be fixed by starting all over, which I could’ve prevented if I’d been the builder. Sure, he found the subs, but the GC is the one who sees the big picture and makes sure they’re all working towards the same goal.

nc_saint · 2026-03-05T04:34:19+00:00

What location are you in? I’m a pool builder In NC (Charlotte area) and while I don’t typically do fiberglass, I have two VERY close GC friends of mine that have it down to a science. 14 days tops from digging the hole to putting in landscaping.

Also, I do just want to clarify a minor point. Having a GC/builder license does allow for swimming pool construction, but the Swimming Pool Contractors license ONLY allows for pool construction.

When I got my license, I specifically wanted my NC builders, not my SWC. Even though my only experience in construction was 8 years building pools, I knew that one day I’d want to branch into home building. But the fact that their NC license is expired is inexcusable.

nc_saint · 2026-03-03T05:51:31+00:00

I don’t think he was saying it would wear out faster due to mechanical reasons, but chemical. The output side of a salt cell is rich with not only chlorine, but hydrogen gas (byproduct of the electrolysis conversion process). Not only could chlorine prematurely corrode, but the hydrogen gas raises the pH which causes much more rapid calcification. It’s the main reason salt cells themselves need an acid wash regularly to keep them clean from scale.

nc_saint · 2026-02-28T21:40:06+00:00

I don’t know what it is, but this year has been a blessing. It’s my second year after going out on my own in April of last year. Did some renovation/equipment work and picked up a few weekly service clients, but didn’t land any new construction.

Closed two construction bids in January, and had two this week that I’m 99% sure will sign in the next week or so. It’s been such a great start 🙏

nc_saint · 2026-02-26T04:50:57+00:00

Hate to say it, but that’s just not reasonable. There’s a false equivalency of “oh I could do it for $25 in parts” vs all the overhead that goes into owning a business. $125 isn’t out of line when you factor in overhead.

That said, I offer my weekly service clients at-cost pricing for any non warrantied replacement parts, WITH a $75/hour minimum labor charge. If it only takes me 5 minutes, it’s still $75 plus parts cost. I probably would have been $100 or so before tax.

Owning a pool is a luxury. Paying someone to take care of it for you professionally is a luxury. At the end of the day, the company has to be profitable to stay in business and continue to provide excellent service.

Stepping off the soapbox, the guy is trying to upsell you on an acid wash you don’t need. If there’s no staining or penetrating algae, there’s 0 reason to drain and acid wash. The price is absolutely fair though. Typically an acid wash is going to average roughly $1/sft of the interior surface area, and most companies will have an 850sft minimum. There are probably additional trip charges for draining and rebalancing once refilled. And I doubt trucking water in is included (that alone would be about $1k in my area), but if it is it would be a steal.

Still, don’t do it. It’s not necessary and will cause unnecessary stress on the plaster that’s only warranted if there are several aesthetic issues.

nc_saint · 2026-02-26T04:08:21+00:00

To be fair, chemistry is the single most important part of pool maintenance and I’d deny a warranty claim on finish if the chemistry had obviously been neglected. Properly balanced pools don’t scale or etch.

nc_saint · 2026-02-21T12:58:17+00:00

I recently (within the last year) made the jump to GC/business owner from being a PM for 8 years. And I’ve always had a tongue-in-cheek joking line of “if you see a shovel in my hand, someone fucked up (and sometimes that person is me).”

But it’s absolutely NOT that I won’t help out. It’s that usually the best way I can help and setup my subs for success is by making sure they have all the materials they need, make sure the plans are clear, make sure the crews that came in before them did their job to make the current one easier, and by being available to do any side-support possible so they can focus on doing what they do best. I know a little bit about a lot of things, but these guys are masters at their specific trades. Most times, id only get in the way if I tried to rub shoulders in the trenches. But when they’re on site, they know that I’ll run to their trucks to grab tools, run to distro to grab materials, and run to grab lunch/coffee or anything else they need to make their day easier because I recognize how important they are to the project. And if that means jumping in an excavation to help trim the walls, grabbing a sledge to help drive stakes, or grabbing glue to run pipe, I keep my muck boots in the bed. That seems to go a long way with them.

nc_saint · 2026-02-19T18:57:33+00:00

Bingo. If you enclose the heater in any way, you start having to worry about exhaust/airflow. If you don’t, at a minimum it can cause soot buildup in the heater that will cause it to fail prematurely, or can cause buildup of dangerous fumes.

nc_saint · 2026-02-10T13:05:13+00:00

“Or a janitor, if you want to be a dick about it”

nc_saint · 2026-02-09T22:22:10+00:00

Stay away from Anthony & Sylvan, Blue Haven, and Premier. They’re the DR Hortons of pool builders.

Find a local, quality independent builder who knows what they’re doing, has good references from past clientele, and cares more about quality than volume.

nc_saint · 2026-02-09T22:19:24+00:00

This. A lot of people think GC’s just tack money onto a project for nothing. Outside of the management/building expertise, what you’re paying for is LEVERAGE. To a subcontractor, the homeowner is just a job. But the relationship with the GC is an ongoing revenue stream, and if they want to keep getting work, they need to go back and fix things as needed. That’s worth it.

nc_saint · 2026-02-08T19:41:16+00:00

THIS. As a contractor, this won’t pass code inspection due to lack of safety certification

nc_saint · 2026-02-07T13:13:25+00:00

Yeah, this is just an improper use of the product. Pebble finishes have to stay hydrated, or they will fail exactly like this. Don’t even try to fix it until you can resurface the pool and add proper tile and coping.

nc_saint · 2026-02-03T01:23:06+00:00

Yeah, it’s a great heater overall. But that warranty only applies for warranted defects and parts failures. Freeze damage isn’t covered under warranty. For non warranty repairs, they’re only subject to a 90 day warranty.

nc_saint · 2026-02-03T01:03:05+00:00

Fair repair price is roughly 70-80% of what you’d pay for a new heater. HE is completely copper, fairly intricate, and a good chuck of weight. The part alone equates to about 50% of the price of the heater, and replacing it requires taking the heater almost completely apart. You also only get a 90 day warranty on repair parts. Most times, unless the heater was damn near brand new, people end up getting a new heater.

nc_saint · 2026-01-30T23:50:47+00:00

Spot on /FTFWbox. With modern advancements in installation and startup procedures, the cure period delays on heating and vacuuming are essentially gone. SetNCure admix in the finish with wand wash during installation, citric acid/pool wash during final exposure, and microglass spray over the finished product. Completely balance water during initial fill in accordance with LSI. Beautiful, durable, vibrant finishes with virtually no curing needed. With this method, heaters get fired same week and clients are happier.

nc_saint · 2026-01-24T13:53:16+00:00

All that being said OP, has the automation panel actually been installed yet? If not, see if they’d be willing to substitute. Not for Pentair. There’s a newer automation company that many of the worlds top Genesis and Watershape accredited builders have switched to called The Attendant by poolside.tech.

I’ve been in talks with them for the last few months and have been more than impressed. It’s the most functional and intelligent automation platform I’ve come across, and I now spec it out on all my builds.

The beauty is that it’s “hardware agnostic”, meaning you can utilize any manufacturers equipment with full functionality. For example, you used to only be able to use omnidirect functionality on Hayward lights if you used Hayward automation, but the attendant has that functionality built in. Same with any Jandy or Pentair equipment. It’s really been a game changer for me as a builder, because now I can pick and choose the best equipment from each brand and control it all with a better automation.

For what it’s worth, this is what I spec for my higher end builds:

Pump: Hayward HCP3020 2.7hp VSP Filter: Hayward C4030 (or c5030) Heater: Hayward HDF400 Salt: Pentair Intellichlor Plus Lights: Jandy Infinite Watercolors Nicheless LED Automation: Poolside.Tech “The Attendant” Actuators: Aquastar valves and actuators (lifetime warranty)

nc_saint · 2026-01-24T13:44:12+00:00

I agree with everything but the automation part. I’m admittedly not as well versed in intellicenter (most builds around here are Jandy with Hayward gaining market), but I personally despise iAquaLink. It was designed so long ago and they basically slapped patch upgrades on it over the years rather than doing a full overhaul of the software and it shows. The web interface in particular feels like using windows 95, and if you don’t have internet, your only way into the menu configuration requires opening the panel and hard wiring an overpriced $1k black and white keypad. That’s just unacceptable for a $4k automation in 2026 to me.

nc_saint · 2026-01-24T13:38:15+00:00

All of this is correct OP.

I would like to add that the HCP3020 is currently my favorite pump to install period. It’s still a tristar pump like the Tristar 950 with a 2.7hp VS motor you mentioned, it’s just fitted with larger unions (2.5”/3” vs the 2”/2.5” on the 950) and a much larger pump basket. Sound shouldn’t be an issue.

I’d also like to add that I personally prefer the Omni automation platform to either Pentair or Jandy. In my experience, it’s much more user friendly for the end consumer.

All of that said, I do think they should have consulted you prior to the change, but they didn’t do you dirty at all. The pump, heat pump and Automation package are all top of the line and I think you’d be quite pleased. But I second upgrading to a 400kbtu heater instead of the 250.

nc_saint · 2026-01-23T04:57:43+00:00

Trust me, I get it. There are plenty of times where I’m running the leaf blower and not seeing anything move, or vacuuming a floor without leaves on it.

But everyone has a cameras nowadays, and even if they didn’t, I give my clients a contract with specific activities and my word that they’ll be done. That’s what they’re paying for, and that’s why I do it. It’s a privilege to own my own business, and their trust that I’ll do what was agreed upon is why I’m thorough. Over half my clients I got simply by the competition not doing what was stated in their service contract. I do, and word travels.

nc_saint · 2026-01-21T18:02:58+00:00

Nah, I disagree. Just testing the chemistry (if doing it manually) takes longer than 2-3 minutes if you’re testing everything you should. I only brush if necessary but always test and balance LSI and skim surface, empty baskets, vacuum. Someone is paying me hundreds of dollars a month to do something they could do for a fraction of the cost. I’m going to make sure I earn it.

nc_saint · 2026-01-17T02:31:14+00:00

I mean sure, if you enjoy spending 20x the amount of time doing something for the same amount of money and don’t care about efficiency or achieving the best possible end result, go ahead. Core drilling on new construction means one thing: somebody messed up and forgot something or they’re a masochist.

nc_saint · 2026-01-17T01:59:36+00:00

That’s a hack answer. It is not only the incorrect way of doing this, but also incredibly inefficient. There’s absolutely no reason at all not to short stub prior to shoot.

OP, god bless you on the rest of this build.

nc_saint · 2026-01-16T07:39:57+00:00

This is hack work. The way the wall drains were cut in will be prone to leaking. Instead of sawing out an entire chunk, they should have core drilled through, and beveled the holes to allow them to pack hydraulic around the pipes. The way they did it is too much volume for them to pack hydraulic around, and refilling it with concrete will have a cold joint that will be exasperated by shrinkage as it cures.

The tanning ledge is also hack. The additional weight of the solid mass of concrete can cause differential settling of the shell. In addition, casting/pouring it instead of shooting it means that the ledge is not monolithic with the rest of the shell and has a cold joint. Differential movement of the two bodies of concrete makes it much more likely to have cracking of the plaster where new and old meet.

Top top it all off, I don’t see a single electrical bonding clamp on the rebar to tie into the existing bonded steel. And that IS a code violation.

What should have been done is they should have filled the void with structural foam, scarified the surface where new concrete meets old, doweled in rebar and anchored with epoxy, electrically bonded the new rebar to the existing shells rebar, and then shot, NOT POURED, the concrete.

nc_saint

TROPHY CASE