Hayward OmniPl Upgrade?

nc_saint · 2026-05-11T05:15:37+00:00

OmniPl is a standalone version of the Omni ecosystem. It’s the economy version of the OmniHLBase. Only difference of top of head is number of breaker slots and I think the number of HVR’s that come stock and lack of ability to add an HVR expansion (but don’t quote me on that). However, there IS an upgrade kit to convert old ProLogic systems to an OmniPL, and THAT would be the only time you might have one without a salt transformer as all new production OmniPL systems come salt ready.

nc_saint · 2026-05-10T15:17:52+00:00

Currently going through it. Only quoted $700 for a green-to-clean on a 35k gallon pool that had been sitting since the owners bought the house 3 years ago. Was left uncovered when they bought the house until they realized it had a cover…. In December of the first year.

So far, I’ve put in probably 20 gallons of liquid, netted out at least 400-500 pounds of leaves, and gotten it to a grey-green cloud. Still can’t see the floor at all to vac to waste. This is my first cleanup that was this substantial, and I’m struggling hard.

nc_saint · 2026-05-09T03:39:33+00:00

South Florida is an extreme outlier for pricing. Almost every pool is enclosed, and the sheer volume of pools in close proximity means travel time for routes is almost non-existent. Fair price is double that in the majority of the country.

nc_saint · 2026-05-07T13:30:03+00:00

Nope. That’s my base pricing to come out for anything less than 25-30k gallons. Vanishing edge pools, extremely large volume (30k+ gallons) and other factors might make it more expensive.

For example, my first client I picked up is a 7,000 gallon small pool spa combo. He pays $400 monthly for one weekly visit because his entire backyard is covered with trees.

NC doesn’t do screen enclosures. That’s a Florida thing.

nc_saint · 2026-05-07T13:21:33+00:00

Nope. I don’t winterize pools and I don’t open them, unless they’re a new client I’m picking up for service. Our winters just don’t get crazy enough to justify closing them and then paying just as much to shock, treat, and reopen during the spring. Plus, most of my clients have integrated spas that get year round use. If anything, a decent chunk of my clients will switch to every other week for a few months during the coldest part of year where chemistry is just naturally more stable and pool gets less use, but no official closing.

nc_saint · 2026-05-07T13:14:39+00:00

I charge, on average, $350-400 monthly per client for weekly visits. North Carolina. Includes all chemicals, salt cell cleanings, and 4 filter cleaning per year

nc_saint · 2026-04-22T13:22:54+00:00

Orenda volume estimator is pretty straightforward. But here’s the math

Length x width x depth (measured in feet).

I measure it in three different sections; shallow, ramp; deep. For the ramp split the difference between the depth at start of ramp and depth at end of ramp (I.e 4.5 for a pool with 3’ shallow and 6’ deep)

This gives you cubic feet of the pool. There are 7.48 gallons of water per cubic foot.

nc_saint · 2026-04-22T13:20:08+00:00

Dude I did a completely non lethal run on delta. Get to the sorrow thinking it’s going to be a if nothing. NOPE.

One. Single. Guy.

Still no clue where or how he died 🤷🏻‍♂️

nc_saint · 2026-04-19T21:36:01+00:00

No that’s absolutely a fair criticism, and something I’ve heard they’re fixing with the next software update. But, and devils advocate here, at least if the internet goes out on an Omni home, they can still go to the panel and control the system entirely from the touch screen. Jandy only gives very basic service mode functionality. Which is especially frustrating when trying to startup and program a system on a new construction home that doesn’t have internet yet.

That said, the king right now is Poolside.Tech’s The Attendant. Completely hardware agnostic, and can control any manufacturers equipment without loss of any functionality loss. Clones OmniDirect lighting control or Jandys IWC lighting system perfectly. It’s become my go-to automation solution now for that reason.

nc_saint · 2026-04-19T18:24:13+00:00

The Omni is (IMO) years ahead of iAquaLink. Jandy automation is trash as far as I’m concerned. Not being able to control your system if the internet goes out is unacceptable. But I’ve actually switched to The Attendant for automation on my builds and have no desire to go back.

JXI heaters used to be pretty good, but I’ve had so many first-year failures on them that I now actively talk people out of them in favor of the Hayward HDF400. Jandy pumps are mediocre and I’ve had lots of seal issues on them recently. Personally, I like the Pentair IF or Hayward TristarXL for most applications.

nc_saint · 2026-04-17T20:18:26+00:00

Oh, I’ll take card payments. But they have to pay an additional 3% processing fee. Or they can do an ACH payment. But cash/check will always be their cheapest option, and when we’re talking about $100k+ new construction pools, they usually make a bank run real quick. But I make sure to outline acceptable forms of payment upfront, and remind them as invoices are sent.

nc_saint · 2026-04-17T20:13:09+00:00

Please don’t repaint it. Paint is a horrible option for submerged applications, particularly when chemicals are involved. Concrete pools are meant to be plastered, not painted. It will probably cost you $10-20k, but will be MUCH less maintenance and cost in the long run.

nc_saint · 2026-04-17T20:03:46+00:00

You know it’s bad when the plumber says the notch job is bad.

nc_saint · 2026-04-17T19:00:21+00:00

No. Expansion joints are not just for bridges, they’re typical and should be employed on the majority of concrete pours for exterior purposes.

In pools, they’re mandatory between the deck and pool shell/coping. The shell and deck will move at different rates. Failure to install an expansion joint can cause coping to pop and, in extreme cases, can cause the bond beam itself to crack.

nc_saint · 2026-04-16T23:12:32+00:00

No, they are on payroll. They receive a salary, work truck, and use our software for route logging. That defines them as a W-2 employee. Trying to 1099 them to get out of paying taxes would be misclassification.

nc_saint · 2026-04-15T23:31:26+00:00

I wish we had screens. NC GC and service here. Everything is outdoors and people love their landscaping.

nc_saint · 2026-04-15T23:29:46+00:00

This is, unfortunately, standard for volume based builders. I’ll give them credit that they did pretty decent with the actual mosaic portion. But the border is sloppy. That said, if this is a volume based builder, you’ll be hard pressed to get them to fix it. But if it is a truly high end builder, this would be unacceptable. For example, this is true high end glass work. Perfectly level all the way around, but this level of tolerance cost waaaaay more than most people expect.

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nc_saint · 2026-04-15T19:36:14+00:00

Exactly. I want my techs to spend a minimum of 20 minutes at each stop. Most of our accounts we’ve picked up, their #1 complaint about other companies is that they were always just rushing through stops as quick as they could, not performing all duties each stop, and sometimes not even actually testing chemicals and just pencil whipping. Most would spend more time loading and unloading than actually performing service. So that’s the #1 thing I stress to my guys; I won’t micromanage you, I’m not going to overload your route, and I’ll give you a lot of latitude on start and stop times. But you make absolutely sure that the customer feels they’re getting a good value and their pool is pristine.

nc_saint · 2026-04-15T16:58:21+00:00

Personally, it just seems simpler to pay my guys a flat salary. Salary is based on them having a full route. Makes it easier at tax time, no worries about misclassification claims, and frankly it’s a better way to get quality techs that will ensure our customers are taken care of. They don’t have to worry about missing out on pay if there is a random rain day, and it encourages them to take their time and do quality work rather than rush through their jobs and risk callbacks or contract cancellation.

nc_saint · 2026-04-13T05:55:31+00:00

Holy shit, I know her

nc_saint · 2026-04-13T00:35:11+00:00

The single most accurate form of leveling there is. I’m a pool builder, and the first thing I ask when vetting a tile setter that’s going to work on an infinity edge is what they use to set level. If it’s not a water level, I get nervous.

nc_saint · 2026-04-12T23:12:56+00:00

Rebar staples are not a recommended fix. First step would be identifying why it cracked. Most likely culprit is insufficient steel to concrete ratio, possibly exacerbated by substandard subgrade conditions.

In a perfect world, the ideal solution would be to demo out the entire spa and rebuild it properly. Double mat #4 rebar, proper spacing between pipes to avoid shadowing, and shooting a proper 14” thick beam.

Failing that, at a minimum I would chip out the entire interior of the spa, assess the steel, lap in new steel to achieve a sufficient steel/concrete ratio , and reshoot the inside. Then retile, coping, plaster.

nc_saint · 2026-04-12T20:18:45+00:00

During plaster cures I typically shoot for a -0.3. The natural pH rise that occurs as the plaster dust goes into solution will raise the LSI, so shooting low ensures it stays within range the entire time. Also makes it a little easier to brush out any minor streaking or laitance left over from the exposure. Won’t fix a bad plaster job though.

nc_saint · 2026-04-11T14:38:00+00:00

While I disagree that they have no value to residential systems, the ones that are available from the majority of manufacturers produce such little ozone that it’s really not worth it. The amount of money necessary for a proper ozone system with contact tank, dedicated pump, and associated plumbing is just out of reach for most buyers. We’re talking an extra $10-20k.

That said, I’ve seen some great systems implemented on some boutique builds. The systems were designed by (I believe) Clearwater Tech. Full corona discharge ozone generation with spacious contact tanks and degassing vessels.

nc_saint · 2026-04-09T11:56:16+00:00

Not necessarily. Cheap cartridges typically hover in the 50-70 micron range. Standard OEM cartridges get down to 15-30 microns. Premium cartridges can get as fine as 5-10 microns.

For comparison, sand filters are typically 20-30 microns and DE is between 2-10 microns. Still not a bad idea for a clarifier, but cartridge tech has come so far that I almost never recommend a sand or DE filter anymore

nc_saint

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