New Pool Equpment Recomendations - Just moved in!

[GigaMike]

Hi all,

I just moved into a new house that has a 15 year old in ground vinyl pool. I know nothing about pools besides what I have read here (and its great by the way, thanks!) and talking to a few friends / family that have pools. I will be closing the pool in a few weeks for the winter and would like to start planning to replace some equipment in the spring so I am looking for advice / recommendations on equipment and setups. I am fairly handy and could probably do most of it myself with the help of a few plumber friends.

The pool is 18x36 and 8 ft deep on the deep end. I havent measured average depth but my guess is its about 25,000 gallons based on other people's similar pools. The previous owners use trichlor but I want to convert to salt. Ive read reviews on haward and pentair SWCGs.

The pump is a pac-fab/Centurion and has a loud whining noise. the pool inspector said the motor bearing is shot and the motor needs to be replaced. I would like to get a whole new pump system and either get a variable speed or two-speed for the energy benefits. I believe it has 220v going to it because I have 220v coming off at the timer. I just havent had time to trace the wires yet to confirm. Either way I have read a bunch of posts here describing different variable speed pumps vs two speeds. Whatever I get I would like it to be easy to install and operate. I plan to run the pool like the rest of the northeast from Memorial Day to Labor Day so about 3-4 months per year if that helps.

The filter is a Purex Triton FNS Plus 36 DE as seen in the photos. I have no idea what condition it is in and I can open if up after I close the pool if I need to get an idea. If it isnt broken I dont see a need to replace it but I can if it turns out I need to. It says "fresh water only" on the side and I would like to go salt. If so, should I go Sand, DE, cartridge? I have read up on the differences and it looks like DE provides the best filtration, while sand is the easiest to maintain?? Also, the plunger for the filter seems that it doesnt seal correctly so I have water coming from the bottom tube (I think that's the backwash) so I plugged it with a plug one day after it started gushing for no reason. It closes up when I apply pressure but either way I think that whole assembly needs to be replaced. Also there is water leaking from under that pipe maybe at the joint or a crack somewhere. I found that whole assembly on Amazon for $60.

The valves are old but they all seem to work. If I am going to replumb the whole thing should I get new valves? The easier the better though...

The natural gas heater is old and the bottom is rusted out but it does fire. Im not looking to use a heater though and I could remove the whole thing when I rebuild next spring if it is just going to take up room.

All-in-all my budget for this is about $2000 if I do it myself. I could spend a few bux more if I really had to but dont want to if I dont have to. If the filter is good I could probably get this done for under $1500 (salt water and new pump)?

So basically I am looking for advice on:

1. Replacement pump - Something that is energy efficient
2. Replacement Filter if needed.
3. Advice to re-plumb for new pump and SWCG.
4. Salt Water Generators models / specs.

Thanks a ton. I really look forward to all the helpful information on this site!

 

[JVTrain]

Welcome to TFP!

Looks like we'll have to wait on the attachments links getting fixed, sometimes that happens with a brand new user.

Pump: It might be repairable but if you're interested in replacing it for energy savings and the pump is old, you may be better off replacing. Pentair and Hayward are your best options in pumps regardless of what type with Jandy being in the mix as well. I would at least go with a two-speed to give you some chance at energy savings. A VS pump provides the ultimate in flexibility and energy savings at an increase in cost. I still have my old single speed so I can't give you my personal experience, but that's the basics from what I've learned here on TFP. Nearly all inground pumps run on 220V but double check your supply.

Filter: You can use any filter with a SWG. If the one you have is in good shape after a few minor parts and repairs, I'd keep it. May just need a new valve, some o-rings and check out the condition of the grids inside. See what it will cost you in parts to repair. SWG technically isn't fresh water as it's 3-5K ppm but it's not salt water (>20K ppm)... it's fresh enough.

What type of valves are they? If they are the cheap looking single position, red/blue handle valves, then I would strongly consider replacing with Jandy NeverLube valves as they are very durable and can be rebuilt in place if they should ever leak.

The heater... it could be more trouble than it's worth but I have an old heater myself that's probably in the same condition as yours. I use it about twice per year just to heat the pool a little for a Memorial Day swim and probably again for Labor Day or after if needed. With my solar cover, I can keep the pool just above 80 for June through August and that's fine with me.

I'm sure you'll get some more feedback, but good luck with the upgrades and spend some time in Pool School so you're ready to close and can take it head on next spring for sure!

 

[pooldv]

I am very happy with my Pentair Intelliflo variable speed pump and Intellichlor IC40 SWG. Over three years in and will buy the same thing again when they fail. My pump runs at 1100 rpm for filtering, skimming and making chlorine. It uses 150 watts at 1100 rpm. For the solar panels it runs at 1950 rpm and uses 550 watts.

 

[Isaac-1]

I think you can do this and stay on your budget, with a bit of shopping in the off season you should be able to find a 1 or 1.5 HPinground dual speed name brand pump for $400 - $425, assume another $50-$75 for plumbing, and wiring including a speed change switch with weather cover and switch box. So $500 on the pump give or take, plus another $750-$800 on the SWG, you will want to oversize the SWG cell to maximize life, so since you have a 25,000 gallon pool, go with a cell sized for a 35-40,000 gallon pool, such as the Hayward T-15 (a very popular model around here), add on another $100 for wiring expense, new GFCI breaker, etc. With luck you can get it done for about $1,400 and still have $100 to put into parts to repair your old filter.