Best system for a small pool

[greemp]

Hi,

I have just bought a house that has a small pool (roughly 20,000 litres). There is an old pump, with a sand filter, and a salt chlorinator which appears to be broken (and ancient). I was looking at replacing the pump and filter, and installing an E Clear system. I just read the thread at e-clear-system-t16628.html which basically says the system doesn't work. I'm glad I found this before buying it!

I want to install a system that will require little maintenance, have low monthly costs (electricity and chemicals), and be kind to my family's health. Are their any systems that you can recommend? So far, I have been told to get a variable speed pump (.75kw / 1 horse power), a four bag sand filter, and 1 leaf catcher, by the local pool guy, but I am not sure who to trust any more.

Pool info:
Above ground
Plaster (marblelite)
+/- 20k litres
50mm pipes to pump - distance 3 metres.

I am in Durban South Africa, which has a subtropical climate - hot humid summers, mild winters.

Thank you very much for your help. I am a complete neophyte when it comes to pools!

 

[Bama Rambler]

I don't know what your power costs are but you might look into a 2-speed pump instead of a variable. Everything else looks good. You'll do yourself a favor by getting a swcg as well.

 

[greemp]

Thanks for the reply. I am not sure they are available here. The only 'eco' pump I have found in SA is this variable speed pump, which supposedly saves me 60% of my electricity bill every month. This is a big deal, because South Africa is experiencing a bit of an energy crisis at the moment, with electricity prices going up 25% per annum.

Any suggestions on whether or not to go the salt chlorinator route?
Also, are the pump and filter the correct size for this volume pool?
What is a sect?

Thanks.

 

[Bama Rambler]

If your electric rate is high a variable speed pump will pay for itself.

I somehow misspelled swcg (chlorine generator) I'd highly recommend one for your situation.

The pump is plenty big and if the 'bags of sand' are 25 kilos or so, the filter will be fine too. I'd personally go a bit bigger on the filter, but a 4 bagger will be fine.

 

[greemp]

Thanks. I have been recommended the Tri –mini Zodiac Clearwater Salt Chlorinator. Any good? Should I get the pH unit as well?
The pool guy I am dealing with is trying to convince me to get an even smaller filter (3 bag). He says I don't need such a big filter for such a small pool. Is this right?

 

[Bama Rambler]

A bigger filter is always better than a smaller one. Don't let them talk you into a small filter. Less cleaning, lower pressure drop, lower flow rate across the bed means better filtering, etc.

The TRi Mini is rated for 50k litre pools so it should be a good size for your pool. I don't have any personal experience with them so do a little Googling and see what the reviews look like.

 

[susa]

>>experiencing a bit of an energy crisis at the moment, with electricity prices going up 25% per annum.

having recently experimented with a solar system, it was quite easy to isolate the pentair VF and pentair IntelliChlor to draw power from a battery storage unit, inverter and 3 x 250 watt panels. have setup system in such a way that it never draws more than 450 w (prime for 30 sec) and runs most of the time using circa 100 w