When to open in NJ

[Liz315]

I realized I need to schedule my pool opening. Any recommendations for NJ? I have a mesh safety cover. Pool is clear, outdoor temperature is always all over the place in NJ until end of May I feel. Last year was our first year as construction wasn’t finished until end of April. We had tons of pollen to fight and I cleaned out of the cartridge filter after I was done brushing the pool for the first month before starting up the heater. Kids didn’t jump in until mid May water was freezing but they couldn’t wait.

So I’d like to avoid as much pollen as possible unless it’s actually worse with the mesh cover and the pollen will be in the pool staining it with no running water skimmer sock helps (found it too late last year though). Other issue with too early is I have a single speed pump, I should have listened to the pros on here but my builder kept insisting we did not need a variable speed pump even though I questioned it several times. After one seasons electric bills I’d say I definitely need one, bill was about $400-$500 month. Another reason I’m not interested in opening too soon. Now do I wait until this one dies or do I suck it up and spend a couple thousand dollars for them to install a new pump after 1 season?

I’m thinking price out the new pump install, open end of April and wait to clean filter until pollen is done. I hate taking the thing apart and trying to get it tight enough when putting it back together.

Anything I should be aware of with variable speed pump? I was running my 2HP pump about 6-8 hrs a day based on daylight to make enough fc with my ichlor40 at about 40-60%. So I know for the chlorinator to work it has to run at atleast a certain flow rate. From what I know now even if I were to run a variable speed pump at the same speed and hours as I was running my single speed pump it will still be way cheaper since they are so much more efficient. Now I know I won’t have to but just for comparison reasons. I also have a pool heater.

 

[V___25]

I'm in Central PA so our weather isn't drastically different. Last year we opened the first weekend in May and the pool was great. If we had a heater, we'd be considering opening it in like 3 weeks. I saw my neighbor already opened theirs yesterday. The first year we owned the house, the pool was opened mid-April due to the selling/closing process and we wanted to see the pool (it was a swamp). And neither year, May or April, made a difference for the pollen. Skimmer socks will probably always be our best friends!

We also have a single speed pump but ours is old and came with the pool. It's still working (or so I think) so I don't want to spend the $1500 on a new one until have to but at that point we'll replace with a dual speed or VS. Even with a single speed, our electric bills are not crazy but I generally don't run the pump 10, 12, hours + per day. If it's truly the pump causing that much of an electric increase, I'd talk to your builder. Maybe they can switch it out, buy back the single speed one and give you a credit towards a VS? It's not that old so maybe it can be resold?

 

[Newdude]

Welcome back Liz !!! May your labels and skimmers be straight this year.

What was your runtime with the SS pump ?

Even at 24/7 that seems real high on electric. Is the heater a heat pump ? If so, I'd guess it was $75-$100 for the pump and the rest from the heater.

 

[ajw22]

My pool in Northern NJ is opening April 18th. I like to get the pool open and see what works and what needs repairs. Also I have a spa I can being using while the pool is too cold to swim in.

A 2HP pump takes about 2KW of electric per hour. Running for 8 hours per day in a 30 day month will use 480kwh. My Rockland Electric rate is 0.17/kwh and would cost $82/month.

You have some other things sucking the power to get your bill up $400-$500/month.

A VS pump has a long payback time with our short pool season. Especially if you only run your pump 8 hours/day.

 

[Verris]

Our heated vinyl 15k gal pool in central nj usually gets opened mid April and we're usually swimming by mid may. Last spring we opened it and the pump was dead, it was a 2hp Hayward super pump which I replaced with an open box, never installed Hayward TriStar vs 900 pump from hometown pools in old bridge for $850 which I installed myself in about an hour in a half most of which was waiting for the pipe glue to dry.

I changed from running the single speed pump 6 hours of the day to 12 hours but at lower speeds and it lowered my electric bill from about 500 per month down to 350.

 

[ajw22]

I changed from running the single speed pump 6 hours of the day to 12 hours but at lower speeds and it lowered my electric bill from about 500 per month down to 350.

$500/month for running a SS pump 6 hours/day in NJ does not pass a reasonability test, What is your cost per kwh?

 

[Newdude]

$500/month for running a SS pump 6 hours/day in NJ does not pass a reasonability test

I think they are both talking about total bills, not the pumps specifically.

So maybe it was a bit cooler last year and the ACs saved a little, the pump saved its ~$100 and the total bill was $150 less.

 

[Wolfepack88]

I'm opening for the first time since our build last summer and we are doing it the first week of April. Probably early but want to avoid the chance of an algae bloom by waiting too long and since I use the TFP method the pool maintenance guys only offer the last week of March or 1st Week of April for non maintenance homes. So opening it up and will run the VS pump on lower speed and keep the autocover closed alot to keep the pollen at bay which I haven't experienced yet as a pool owner.

 

[Verris]

$500/month for running a SS pump 6 hours/day in NJ does not pass a reasonability test, What is your cost per kwh?

Yeah, that was for my total bill, which includes two full central air units keeping the house at 66 or 67 all summer, the AC is my biggest most expensive friend. My average bill last summer dropped around 150 over the year before, but that could also have been higher AC usage the year before as Newdude mentioned.

 

[Liz315]

My pool in Northern NJ is opening April 18th. I like to get the pool open and see what works and what needs repairs. Also I have a spa I can being using while the pool is too cold to swim in.

A 2HP pump takes about 2KW of electric per hour. Running for 8 hours per day in a 30 day month will use 480kwh. My Rockland Electric rate is 0.17/kwh and would cost $82/month.

You have some other things sucking the power to get your bill up $400-$500/month.

A VS pump has a long payback time with our short pool season. Especially if you only run your pump 8 hours/day.

That’s my total bill range during the summer months. I have to compare the difference between the previous year and last year now that I have the info. I’ll report back.

 

[Liz315]

That’s my total bill range during the summer months. I have to compare the difference between the previous year and last year now that I have the info. I’ll report back.

So between the end of April when I opened and the end of October when I closed our electric bills were 1,200 more in just those months from 2020 with no pump running to 2021 with the pump running. On average each of those months electric bill were about $200. Some months $150 more others $250 more.

 

[ajw22]

So between the end of April when I opened and the end of October when I closed our electric bills were 1,200 more in just those months from 2020 with no pump running to 2021 with the pump running. On average each of those months electric bill were about $200. Some months $150 more others $250 more.

You have Air Conditioners cooling the house in the summer?

 

[Liz315]

So between the end of April when I opened and the end of October when I closed our electric bills were 1,200 more in just those months from 2020 with no pump running to 2021 with the pump running. On average each of those months electric bill were about $200. Some months $150 more others $250 more.

With a variable speed pump how much do you think we would save each month. Other factor is our pool equipment pad is about 100 feet from the pool so is that so far that I need the high 2 horse power rpm’s to make it even run properly with salt system so I’ll be running it at max anyway? Or does distance not matter and I can run it at the lowest speed that will give me the 20rpms min the salt system requires for the 6-8 hrs I need.

 

[Liz315]

You have Air Conditioners cooling the house in the summer?

Yes that’s why I compared 2020 month for month with 2021. Same month should have comparable usage however it was way higher right after pool $150-$250 more each month.

 

[ajw22]

Distance does not make a big difference in the HP requirements of the pump.

I calculated your electric cost at about $90/month to run your pump 8 hours a day.

Do you have a heater? What model?

For a SWG you only need maybe 1600 RPM. That can reduce your electrical cost by 90%.

I would say a VS pump will save you $60-$80/month. More if we believe your numbers.

 

[Liz315]

Distance does not make a big difference in the HP requirements of the pump.

I calculated your electric cost at about $90/month to run your pump 8 hours a day.

Do you have a heater? What model?

For a SWG you only need maybe 1600 RPM. That can reduce your electrical cost by 90%.

I would say a VS pump will save you $60-$80/month.

We have a gas pool heater.

 

[ajw22]

We have a gas pool heater.

Model?

 

[Liz315]

We have a gas pool heater.

Thanks for doing this it really helps.

 

[Liz315]

Model?

Pentair mastertemp 400 we only use it here and there when it’s cold and we have a party.

 

[Liz315]

Pentair mastertemp 400 we only use it here and there when it’s cold and we have a party.

Correction 300 sorry