Liverpool Pool & Spa Pool Super Center — Local services in Town of Clay

DEAD IN THE WATER: our Duo Clear salt chlorination system from LPS. What a huge waste of money! Our less than five year old $1800 salt system does not work. Cost to replace the electronic cartridge - which has a MISLEADING "lifetime warranty" (i.e., a prorated 5 year warranty) is $500. LPS Tech advised that two other electronic components subject to failure cost about $130 each.

Yesterday the LPS tech told me that the salt system's $500 electronic cartridge typically fails after about five years, and he does not know of any Duo Clear electronic cartridges lasting over seven years. I wish LPS would have told me that when they were selling me the salt system (To be fair, when we bought our salt system, the technology was still relatively new, so I am not saying LPS should have known and told its customers this information - at that time). With that kind of overhead and unreliability, I would not have bought the Duo Clear Salt System. Faced with re-investing in the system, I cut my losses. The $1,800 initial cost of salt system, divided by four seasons of a working system = $450/year. Ouch!

But That's Not All! Even without having to replace expensive components, the Salt System sold to me by LPS is also more expensive to operate than a chlorine pool: The cost of salt for my pool is well over $100/year (at LPS's $10/ 40lb bag) PLUS annual replacement of the Salt System's $125 mineral cartridge PLUS higher levels of costly stabilizer chemicals are required for any salt system.

Those figures ($450 + $100 + $125 + at least $25 in extra stabilizer expense) indicate that my now defunct salt system's annual cost was about $700 (that's exclusive of other service and supply costs that are incurred any pool). And that $700 average operating cost over the past 4 years does not include the higher electricity costs (to make chlorine, the salt system requires that you run your pool's pump at higher RPM levels and keep it running all the time, so your electricity bills are more with a salt system).

By comparison, I just bought a season's supply of large chlorine tablets for less than $72 and - for less than $12 - five gallons of shock (I am not sure of what LPS charges for theses items). Total projected chlorine/shock cost for a five month season of operating a pool - LESS THAN $200, plus savings on electricity.

So instead of blowing $500 to extend the life of the Duo Clear Salt System for maybe another 4 or 5 seasons, I estimate I will save about $500 annually (compared to prior seasons) by abandoning the Duo Clear Salt System! Even if the only thing to go wrong is the failure of the $500 component every five years ($500/5 years= $100/year), going forward my annual savings by not repairing the salt system is $350 ($100 average replacement cost of cartridge + $100 in salt + $125 mineral cartridge + at least $25 in extra stabilizer expense).

I wish I had researched more before installing the salt system. For more info, search an article titled "Hidden Cost of Having a Salt Chlorination System." I can't post a URL to that article in this review; but it is worth looking for and reading.

Shopping around I found their product and service expenses to be on the high end; but then I thought I was getting top quality service. Turned out I wasn't. For example, that $500 Salt system cartridge requires a periodic acid bath (a simple 15-30 minute process, cheap supplies). LPS does not provide that acid bath service as part of their annual open and closing process (for what they charge, they should!). Unfortunately during our new owner orientation when the pool was first constructed, LPS's representatives did not mention a word about this and did not otherwise highlight the need for this maintenance step. Not that it would have mattered much, the part is only good for five seasons anyway!

On the positive side, LPS built a very nice pool for us five years ago. Prospective customers should know that some of the high end components don't live up to the...

Service is absolutely terrible and if I could give it a zero I most definitely would. I had my pool installed in July 2022. After this winter my pool was damaged. I have been trying since April 4 to get the necessary parts and I am writing this on June 1. That day I went into the B’ville store and was told that someone would be coming the next week to see what was needed. While I was at the store I was told to send my video and pictures to the service manager, which I did before I left the store. On April 16, I sent another email looking for a status. No response from anyone. On April 18 I went back into the store and was told to resend the video and pictures and then on April 21, I received an email from the service manager that he had to contact his supplier to order the parts ( at this point no one has been to my house to see what was needed). On April 27, I sent another email looking for status. No response so I again went to the store on May 23 and talked to another manager who got the service manager on the phone and told me that the service manager would contact the supplier to order the necessary parts (again at this point no one has been to my house). The service manager texted me to tell me that the parts would arrive end of the week. I responded back and asked if someone was coming to see what exactly was needed and he said that someone would be there on Wednesday May 28. Again no one came. While I was in the store on May 23, I sent the same video and pictures to the other manager who told me if the service manager didn’t respond to email him which I did and, imagine that, he has not responded to me. I just want my pool fixed before summer starts. What...

PLEASE READ the whole review.... we had alot of issues in the beginning with this pool place during install. . it was a nightmare and i was very emotional, contractors were sent first . . HOWEVER, when more things arose, the lead installer Greg, did EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING he could to fix it. He had a great attitude, he was sincere, honest, and He came out personally and basically redid the entire thing from plumbing to give a much better look, smoothing over bottom with a fine tooth comb lol, relining and explaining every step, any issues we may have in future due to every yard having its own unique quirks that overtime can affect a pool aswell as suggestions on what we can do to avoid future issues,, and best part is HE INCLUDED ME, THE WIFE, in each and every conversation, not just looking for the husband. once he had my approval at walk through knowing how much more it meant to me than my husband, which never happened first time around at all... he started the refill and all is WELL. My advice: DONT just speak to sales, speak with the actual installers too! Liverpool pool n spa ones... they are the ones with correct answers and remedies for any issues arising. keep open communication with the company and not just contractors if you happen to get some. i am very content with our pool now. One bad egg doesnt mean the whole...