Need Advice: Pool Equipment Quotes – New House with Old Pool (Acid Wash? Brush? Which Setup?)

Lulon994 on 15/09/2025 - 22:00

Hi all,

Just bought a house and the pool hasn’t been maintained for years. Different pool guys gave me different suggestions: some said to do an acid wash, others said to just metal brush + balance chemicals. On top of that, they all recommended different equipment packages. I’m a bit lost, so thought I’d post here for advice.

Here are the quotes I’ve received:

⸻

Quote 1
• Astral Halo 35 Chlorinator – $2,800
• Waterco S702 28” Fibreglass Filter with glass media – $2,450
• Plumbing changes (removal of solar pump/controller) – $250 (waived)
• Total: $5,250 (inc GST)

⸻

Quote 2
• Vapure 35G Salt/Mineral Chlorinator – $2,190 (Aussie-made, 4yr warranty)
• Magna-Flo 25” Bolt Down Media Filter with glass media – $2,200 (10yr warranty)
• Plumbing tidy-up (remove solar pump, cap pipes) – $200
• Blue metal stone around filter/pump – $80
• Total: $4,670 (inc GST)

⸻

Quote 3
• Pressure clean + Acid wash + balance chemicals – $1,800
• Waterco S602 Micron Eco Top Mount Filter – $1,615
• Glass pearls (5 bags) – $500
• Coarse glass (4 bags) – $160
• Astral Halo 35g Chlorinator – $3,330
• Halo Minerals (30 bags) – $1,500
• Installation – $1,000
• Total: $9,905 (cash price offered $8,250)

⸻

So the price ranges are huge, and different brands are being pushed (Astral vs Vapure vs Magna-Flo vs Waterco).

Has anyone here dealt with Vapure 35G vs Astral Halo 35 or Magna-Flo vs Waterco filters? Is it worth paying extra for Astral, or is Vapure good enough? And for a pool that’s been neglected for a long time, is an acid wash really necessary, or will a good brush/chemical balance do?

Would love to hear from anyone with experience before I drop $$$ on the wrong setup.

Thanks!

Home & Garden Pool

Comments

  • mapax on 15/09/2025 - 22:02
    +2

    Remove the pool and save yourself a heap of time and money over the coming years.

    • ulon994 on 15/09/2025 - 22:05
      +1

      We get the pool for the kids, maybe we will consider a house without a pool when the kids grow up :)

      • pjetson on 16/09/2025 - 08:02
        +4

        We get the pool for the kids

        Seems like a reasonable trade.

      • mapax on 16/09/2025 - 08:45

        Pro tip, instead of buying the house with the pool you buy the house next door to a pool and become very good friends with them.

      • Stealtho on 16/09/2025 - 15:34

        We did that now they are coming back with their kids :)
        Mrs uses it more now than when the kids were young, more time I guess.
        Can get the gear off too now hahah

  • brendanm on 15/09/2025 - 22:17
    +3

    Does the current chlorinator not work? Is there an issue with the current filter? Learn how to maintain it yourself, it's not hard and you'll save a heap of money.

    • MS Paint on 15/09/2025 - 22:23

      This ☝️

      Why replace everything (assuming they aren't stuffed). Heaps of tutorials online for pool maintenance. It can seem overwhelming initially but once you grab the balancing concept it's easy peasy and pretty cheap.

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 16/09/2025 - 11:15

        all good and well until you let it go for like 7-10 days…ask me how i know :')

        • MS Paint on 16/09/2025 - 12:09
          +1

          I'm not going to ask because I go there every winter. Just bringing our pool up to speed now for the swimming season and it can be a bit of a roller coaster both chemically and emotionally.

          • Stealtho on 16/09/2025 - 15:36

            @MS Paint: I just use a floater during winter, run filter 1 hour a day.
            Just started using it 22c ;)

    • ulon994 on 15/09/2025 - 22:23
      +1

      Yeah, both the filter and the chlorinator are almost 20 years old, and neither is working. Thats why need to replace the whole system.

  • Far Cough on 15/09/2025 - 22:39

    Zodiac eXO® iQ PRO Chlorinator $2150
    Titan Series Fibreglass Sand Pool Filters $1000

    there saved you 40%

  • mshanann on 16/09/2025 - 02:13
    +1

    What is the existing pool equipment in use?
    It sounds like the existing pump is perfectly fine, and they are just suggesting getting a new chlorination system and filter.
    Is this existing filter a sand filter - if so, potentially can you just replace the media inside (assuming say #20 grade silica sand)?

    I'm not going to comment on new equipment - but check out kchlor too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeBcgWmN0JI
    - that is probably who I will go with next - when my Astral stuff hits end of life. The main thing I have to change with my Astral setup each ~5 years is the salt water cell which costs about 600-700. I'd probably continue to stick with a salt water pool, but get a chlorinator that can also auto-dose acid.

    As far as cleaning the pool yourself - how handy are you, and do you have equipment like a high pressure cleaner, access to a sump pump, and safety equipment like a mask and gloves and boots that are acid/chemical resistant?

    Depending on how nasty the existing water is (if present in pool), you could first try shocking (super chlorinating) the pool, and using flocculant to get all the garbage in the water to sink to the bottom and then vacuum it out and see what the water is like. That being said, water is reasonably cheap in the grand scheme of pool costs.

    Have you drained the pool, and do you understand things like hydrostatic release valve and risks associated with pool popping?

    The high pressure hose part is straight forward.

    An acid wash is just diluted hydrochloric acid that you would brush on, let sit for 5 or so minutes then rinse off, https://www.bunnings.com.au/bondall-5l-hydrochloric-acid_p09…

    You need a brush with polypropylene or similar bristles that can be used with muriatic/hydrochloric acid

    You would start with a weak mixture like a 1 part acid:10 part water ratio on a small inconspicuous area and see how it goes. Go to 1:5 etc if that is no good.

    You can't drain the acid mix though, it has to be neutralised.

    This chart is pretty much on the money:
    https://www.thepoolbutler.net/resource/why-you-should-let-pr…

  • stickingly on 16/09/2025 - 08:37

    As others have said, unless you want to be pouring money into it, you need to learn about how pools work and how to maintain them (especially an old pool). Now is a good time to start.
    Then in 2 years time when your kids have got tired of it and it's sole purpose is to give you a headache, you can fill it in (speaking from personal experience)

  • mini2 on 16/09/2025 - 13:18
    +1

    Astral Halo 35g is $2099 at Pool and Spa Warehouse. They quoted $250 to fit it.

    That's without the other bits and bobs added like acid doser or other sensors.

  • Euphemistic on 16/09/2025 - 18:37

    Hard to say without seeing the pool or knowing what is actually wrong with it.

    Plus, you havent even mentioned what sort of pool it is.

    I wouldnt be surprised if a neglected pool needed lots of atuff replacing, but if it just hasnt been run then maybe it works but needs a helping hand to get clean again befor itll run efficiently again.

  • qtr pounder on 16/09/2025 - 22:11

    Pic of current condition of pool please.

  • donbot on 17/09/2025 - 13:23
    +1

    I went through the same thing as you 4 years ago: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/659926. Lived with shit equipment for 2 years, then did a full relocation and replacement of all pool filtration equipment.

    I ended up doing all the non-electrical work myself (re-plumbing included), and learnt a lot about pools. We have a 20+ year old fibreglass pool. All equipment was stuffed, and best thing I ever did was replace all the filtration equipment - its now a piece of piss to maintain whereas before it was a constant battle.

    Interesting that no-one is seeking to replace your pump. If the chlorinator and the sand filter are cactus, then surely the pump cant be far off? Could highly recommend a VSP pump - good to tone it back during the day if its in earshot of your pool so it doesnt send you mad, and ramp up when you need to filter it off. Or leave it turned down a filter longer.

    Purchased online back in 2023 (after trying to maintain a pool for 2 years with old, shitty equipment) - pool & spa equipment online.
    VSP Pump - $800
    Kawana KChlor 25 Saltwater Chlorinator - $1,220
    Davey CrystalClear SSF 25 Media Filter (Sand Filter) - $630
    Glass media $240 total from Reece Plumbing locally (5 course, 3 fine)
    + Sparky to hook up
    + Purchased 40mm pressure pipe from Tradelink locally, and watched a bunch of youtube videos on how to assemble pressure PVC pipe.
    + few little tools/bits that I didnt have to make life easier (little saw for cutting pipe, deburring tool, pvc primer and glue/etc).

    If you are a little bit handy, watch some youtube tutorials on how to do it.

    I had never soldered a PVC pipe, and ended up re-locating all my pool/spa equipment myself - including running new pipe lengths, many elbows, new equipment, gas heater for spa (gasfitter did gas line), heatpump for pool. Its really quite simple to do - particularly if you arent relocating parts, just putting in new equipment to replace old, as the hardest part is the layout and pipe routing.

    If I had my time again (and cost wasnt insane), I'd probably go for an auto-acid dosing setup, but in reality - throw about 150ml of hydrochloric acid into a pool once a week or so in peak season.. its not hard.

    Other than a bag of salt maybe twice a year from Bunnings, its pretty low maintenance.

    • ulon994 on 18/09/2025 - 11:24

      Thank you for your info! I didn't mention the pump because all the pool guys say it's working fine and will last at least a few years. Regarding the auto acid, I will considerI need a new one. One of my mates said that the system will need a lot more maintenance that pump when and suggested staying away from it.

      • donbot on 18/09/2025 - 12:22

        Fair enough. I found my pump was 'working fine' but despite best attempts to reseat/replace o-rings, something in it wasnt right and it was losing prime haphazardly, which made the whole thing a nightmare. It probably could have been repaired/fixed, but 'do it once, do it right' came to mind - and never looked back as the last thing I wanted was a pool outage mid-summer and having to fix it instead of swimming.

        Trouble Free Pool forums is also a great learning space -

        Forgot to add - my pool only has 1 intake inside the skimmer box. If I attach a creepy crawly style suction cleaner, I lose my skimmer box which means light leaf litter/bits accumulate on the surface unless I take the crawly out - which means forever taking the creepy crawly cleaner in/out of the pool, which is painful.

        I found the aiper robot every few days in summer to be best for my pool setup (search my comments - I've posted in this forum about my experience with it on a non-biased way) - skimmer takes care of leaves and stuff that float on the surface, and the small bits that end up on the floor get sucked up by the robot. neither gave a perfect clean, but this was the lowest maintenance that seemed to work quite well for our pool and setup.

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