Ion systems are high priced, high margin items that try to claim augmentation of and reduction of pool chems such as chlorine. They don't provide anything of the kind, and often create more problems for a residential pool.

Learning about pool care before you build will help you sort the chaff from the wheat. One of the best places for learning real world pool care and it's value vs. pool store pool care vs. what the builder knows is troublefreepools.com's pool school link. It enables you to say no with confidence to the pricey add-ons that claim to pay for themselves or reduce dry skin, red eyes, etc...

Getting a pool is a daunting task. Caring for it shouldn't be an afterthought, but rather a forethought.

Scott

on the safety issues.. whatever you use (fence, Net...) will only work if its used.
we used a 4' safety fence around the entire pool for a year (pb had some delay issues) and it was a huge pain. opening and closing every time all the time, a pain but it had to be, we have tons of kids around.
as for our kids, ages 1,4,&6 when the pool opened, they could swim. we live in fl and h2o is everywhere, get your baby swimming. mine went to http://www.infantswim.com/ it was expensive and intense. class is every day for 10 minutes, hard to watch but worth it. youngest is 3 now, loves the water and jumps in with confidence and excitement. Not trying to sell anything, use any school, but get that kid swimming. Much less stress when you know he can save himself if something happened.

We have a pool that is almost 1 year old. It is ion. We are really struggling with the cleaning. It has not been right since the PB "finished" it. We originally wanted the sand filter. Everyone we have spoken with since loves them, except the PB's!

Safety: We have an automatic pool cover that covers the entire pool. It is sturdy enough to walk on. We just must close the cover (a simple light switch that we hold in the "open/close" position until the task is completed) when it is not in use. It is a nice tan color that matches our deck, so it looks decent even when it's closed.

We have a Guardian fence around the pool. We did not want a fence at first, but have grown to love it. It lets us keep the kids out of the pool while still allowing them to play outside. It also gives a piece of mind knowing that even if one of our kids gets outside they won't be able to get in the pool.

It does take away from some of the beauty of the pool but it is a sacrifice you make especially when you know people that have had unfortunate incidents.

Swim lessons are great, but they are no replacement for safety devices.

In my opinion the nets are fine during the winter, but I do not see myself taking down and putting up a net every day during the summer. The pool would end up uncovered most of the time which defeats the purpose. I have not read good things about the pool alarms either, false alarms, etc. The fence comes down easily if you want to take it down but we find ourselves leaving it up all the time.