Can we swap out returns jets for the solar and filter so the solar comes out 2 outlets instead of 1

lockmc

Active member
Feb 19, 2019
25
Melbourne
Our pools heated water return is at the deep end of the pool where nobody ever goes (its rectangle shaped and at the opposite end of where you walk in).

The pool has 2 return jets for filtered water and 1 return jet for heated water.

If we were to switch those over so that we have 2 return jets for heated water and 1 for the filtered water, is it possible that it might feel warmer?
To me, it would make sense to return the heated water up at the end that we hang out in.

It is trivial for us to swap the outlets over.
 
Show us pics of your equipment pad and plumbing and pool showing the jet locations.

I would expect that the heated water would also be filtered.
 
See attached.
Top right of pool is 2 return jets - 1 for the solar heated water and the other for filtered water.

Bottom right is a jet just for filtered water.

The solar heated water doesn't run through the filter (ignore all the cables - we've just moved our pool equipment and haven't wired it in properly yet).
 

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Where are the skimmers and suction intakes located for the two pumps relative to their jets?

You want the intakes to be at the other end of the pool from its jets to get good circulation and flow.
 
Where are the skimmers and suction intakes located for the two pumps relative to their jets?

You want the intakes to be at the other end of the pool from its jets to get good circulation and flow.
Center of the pool on the right. Dead between the return jets.

To be clear, I'm not moving anytgijg around, I just want to babe 2 return jets for heat and 1 for filtered water, except the other way around
 
It looks like a simple pipe change. Give it a try. If it does not work well it can as easily be changed back.
 
We'd have to know more about your plumbing to give the best answer. And perhaps there is an unobvious reason that your solar heater system was plumbed that way, but normally (at least here in the US), it's just not done like that, at all.

Firstly, and I'm assuming your solar heating panels are typical, you would never run unfiltered water through the panels. If they're typical, they consist of hundreds of tiny little tubes that are going to get clogged up by who-knows-what-crud pumping through them.

Secondly, having the heated water return through only one return is going to inhibit the heating of the water, the very thing you're experiencing.

And then there is the matter of running two pumps when the job of filtering and heating is typically only done with one.

Sometimes a second pump is used when there is a good enough reason. Perhaps the run to the panels is long enough or high enough to warrant it. Can you describe the type or brand or model of solar panels you have, and where they are, physically, relative to the pool?

All that said, the typical and most efficient arrangement is to intake water from a skimmer or two, using one pump that sends the water through a filter, then on to the solar panels, then back, through the SWG, then into a single manifold that then distributes the filtered/heated water to all of the returns. The very best setup would include a dedicated valve for each return so that one could adjust the flow of each. And finally the water would enter the pool through adjustable "eyeball" returns that allow control over the directlon of flow.

With that set up, you could adjust the flow rate and direction of each return, and direct the heated water evenly around the pool.

IMO, that's how you should replumb your entire system, and then retire one of the pumps (save it as a backup).

Unless you can describe why it was necessary to use that second pump in a separate "heater loop."
 
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In addition to the plumbing I describe, there is typically a motorized solar valve that is run by a controller that determines when to run water through the panels (and when not to) to maximize heating efficiency and get you to the desired temperature. Your system seems to be missing all that, which is another oddity of your "mystery plumbing."

solar.jpg
 
The solar controller uses two sensors to monitor the temperature of the water and the temperature of the solar panels. It also has an adjustable "thermostat" setting. When the controller senses that the heat on the panels is enough to make the water of the pool warmer, it opens the solar valve and the water is pumped through the panels.

When the desired water temp is reached, the controller closes the valve and can even control the RPM of the pump, throttling it down, to conserve electricity. If the water temp drops, the valve opens, the pump ramps up, and the water is then heated again.

If the controller senses that the heat on the panels is not enough to increase the pool temp, then it'll either wait for those conditions to change, or if the heater was engaged, it'll actually shut it down. So, for example, the controller will wait in the morning until the sun is high enough, and then start your heater. Or if clouds roll through in the afternoon, it'll shut down the solar panels until the clouds drift off. Or when the sun goes down.

In other words, the controller heats your pool when it can, and doesn't when it can't. Otherwise, if you're heater pump is only on a timer, then it's possible it could be running when no heating is going on, and maybe even cool your pool. Which is another reason you might not be getting the warm water you were hoping for.

So to sum up: you need to replumb your pad correctly for a solar heater, and install a solar valve and controller, then adjust the returns (flow rate and direction) to maximize the heating of the water and its circulation.
 
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I could be missing something about why your pool was plumbed that way, but if not, not only could all three returns be pumping filtered/heated water into your pool, but you might also be able to convert the heater circuit intake to a return. So you'd have four heated water returns instead of one. How's that sound?

Or you could have three heated returns, and use that fourth line for an automated cleaner (either a pressure-side vac or a suction-side vac). How are you cleaning your pool now?
 
See attached.
Top right of pool is 2 return jets - 1 for the solar heated water and the other for filtered water.

Bottom right is a jet just for filtered water.

The solar heated water doesn't run through the filter (ignore all the cables - we've just moved our pool equipment and haven't wired it in properly yet).
Place a check valve after the SWG cell, T into the line below that, tie the return from solar into the that T as well as its own return to the deep end. Be sure there is a check valve to prevent water from being pushed backwards through the solar panels. You can install a 3-way valve at the solar return instead of a T to adjust flow between the returns as needed/wanted. Just be sure that water does not run backward through the system by using 2 check valves.
 
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Place a check valve after the SWG cell, T into the line below that, tie the return from solar into the that T as well as its own return to the deep end. Be sure there is a check valve to prevent water from being pushed backwards through the solar panels. You can install a 3-way valve at the solar return instead of a T to adjust flow between the returns as needed/wanted. Just be sure that water does not run backward through the system by using 2 check valves.
Can you diagram that for us?

Are you talking about combining all the returns, both from the filter and heater loop, into one manifold, so that the filtered water and the heated water both get sent to all three returns?
 
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