Advice on equipment needed

[mas985]

Ditto to what Jason said on pump speed.

I am likely going to have a booster pump for my cleaner - do I need to run my main pump on high while cleaning as well?

Probably not but why get a booster for your cleaner when there are plenty of cleaners on the market that don't require one. ThePoolCleaner is a great cleaner than doesn't require a booster and runs on lower flow rates than other cleaners. Booster cleaners are just a waste of energy and money.

-The JEP 2.0 SVRS looks to have less efficiency yet somehow ends up cheaper than the matching JEP 2.0. Not sure if this is a data error but wanted to bring this up.

There are some variations in the data so that is not a surprise. I generally tell people to ignore differences less than about 5% because that seems to be the accuracy of the measurements.


Also, you probably don't need to turnover a pool once per day. That is somewhat of a myth. A pool needs what a pool needs. In the summer, I run mine 1 hour on high and 3 on low speed which is about 1/2 a turn per day and the pool stays clean enough for me. So be careful when setting the number turnovers because it can force the pump run time to an artificially high number. You are much better off setting fixed run times as I suggested above. Those are more realistic as to what is required.

 

[zimm27]

Probably not but why get a booster for your cleaner when there are plenty of cleaners on the market that don't require one. ThePoolCleaner is a great cleaner than doesn't require a booster and runs on lower flow rates than other cleaners. Booster cleaners are just a waste of energy and money.

Excellent question to which I have a probably very poor answer: Because I have been lead to believe that you need a booster pump cleaner and booster=more power=better. I also am not sure if I should push my pool builder to offer a product they don't sell because then when they put it in and something doesn't work they can throw up their hands and say "well you wanted the cleaner we don't support, it is your own problem". They all deal with Jandy/Polaris stuff so presumably I could choose the Polaris 360 as a non-booster requiring model. Thoughts on that and pushing for ThePoolCleaner? If I get a pressure/non-boostered cleaner, presumably I will still have the plumbing available at my pool pad to add in a booster later if needed?

While it may not matter, ThePoolCleaner doesn't seem to have the tail that thrashes around, does that mean less scrubbing and less jetting out dirt from corners near stairs?

Also, you probably don't need to turnover a pool once per day. That is somewhat of a myth. A pool needs what a pool needs. In the summer, I run mine 1 hour on high and 3 on low speed which is about 1/2 a turn per day and the pool stays clean enough for me. So be careful when setting the number turnovers because it can force the pump run time to an artificially high number. You are much better off setting fixed run times as I suggested above. Those are more realistic as to what is required.

I had read that 1 turnover per day was not needed, but it seemed that was a good starting point and "worst case" scenario. Less is better for sure. I am more going for comparison purposes here rather than trying to pinpoint the amount to budget for pool electricity, and your spreadsheet is EXTREMELY helpful for that. Thank you for your work!

 

[mas985]

ThePoolCleaner has pretty good reviews on this site and other. I have the 2x suction side and been very happy with it. The 360 is also a good cleaner but just based on the reviews, ThePoolCleaner just seems to have less issues. Also, I think don't think the tail does much but I could be wrong. Also, the PB should be able to get any cleaner you want or just buy it yourself.

 

[Isaac-1]

I see this here time and again, and feel I should make a comment on it now, I hope you don't take any offence, but it seems many potential new pool owners such as yourself find themselves overly relying on pool builders and also pool stores for support on things that really don't require it. To explain this concept let me use an analogy that I suspect most potential pool owners are familiar with, the car industry. Think of pool builders sort of like car dealerships, and pool stores roughly like auto parts stores, they really do have a lot of similarity. You go to the car dealership and are presented with an array of vehicles to choose from, through some process you pick one, is it the right one for you, maybe or maybe not, then the salesman starts to try to sell you options, these options may be accessories (upgraded stereo, sun roof, etc.) or may be more ephemeral (extended service contracts, roadside assistance packages, etc.). Often times these options are being sold to boost the bottom line of the sale, or because his boss told him to push these items this month, there may even be concern about having a happy customer in there somewhere. Now for our pool cleaner analogy, lets pretend that the pool cleaner is a set of floor mats since they are easily replaced and not really permanently connected to the rest of the car. First the car salesman tries to sell you the optional luxury interior package with vanity lights, plush floor mats, etc. You say you just want the floor mats, and the salesman replies back about how the full luxury package (booster pump system) is so much better, and really not that much more expensive than buying the mats by themselves for $400. You tell him you can go Wal-Mart and buy floor mats for $40, he of course says that his are better, and they probably are, but are they $360 better? At this point you likely either go ahead and buy what he has to sell, or if your the type to not be pressured, you go home do your research and find you can buy luxury floor mats online that are even nicer than the ones the dealership sells for about $150. You go back to the dealership and tell the salesman you have opted not to get the floor mats, he then starts in on excess wear to the carpet, that those $150 online mats will not be covered by your 3 year bumper to bumper warranty, etc....

 

[zimm27]

No offense taken. I get what you are saying. People make wise decisions out of their experience, research and recommendations from other trusted advisors. I am typically skeptical of anyone selling me anything, but in this scenario (to take the pool cleaner for example) - my realm of experience is of my in-laws that had a pool for a bit before they moved (and had a polaris w/booster pump), and a few friends now that have pools (also polaris with booster pump). In my research online - it seems like everyone loves the polaris 280 and talk about how it rarely breaks down (vs the higher level models) and has been running for 10s of years, etc. The people I know with polaris w/booster setups now seem very happy. I really have no knowledge of other setups than polaris w/boosters. Then, every pool builder we talk to recommends the same. I am intrigued by the idea of finding a better option or finding a cheaper option that is not the "norm". That is where the advice comes in here that I am glad to learn from and I need to weigh others opinions against the often more tangible personal advice from people I know and can see their pools. Yes, and even advice from pool builders (who if I felt I could not trust at least a little, I would not do business with). It's tough making decisions often sight unseen on things for a large, expensive project like a pool where even a bad decision on components such as a cleaner often run $500 or more to fix. Everyone wants to make the "right" choice, which often doesn't exist. The decision process often leads to what is "right for you" which is probably just as good if you are happy in the end. So when I say that the recommendation of a pool builder has weight in my decision, that is where I am coming from. If it was the only factor in my decision, I would have never bothered looking things up on the internet or found this forum.

 

[zimm27]

ThePoolCleaner has pretty good reviews on this site and other. I have the 2x suction side and been very happy with it. The 360 is also a good cleaner but just based on the reviews, ThePoolCleaner just seems to have less issues. Also, I think don't think the tail does much but I could be wrong. Also, the PB should be able to get any cleaner you want or just buy it yourself.

Well - the wife saw ThePoolCleaner and she thinks it is hideous looking! Guess that is a "no" there. I will look at the 280 and 360 probably but worst case I figure I can get set up with a 280 and if it sucks too much electricity for my tastes we can replumb it to use a non-boostered line and go with a 360 or ThePoolCleaner at that point