Okay, so I've decided to bite the bullet and go with a stenner pump for chlorine dosage "automation". I was going to go down the "budget alternative route" but came to a conclusion that there wasn't much that seemed reliable in the budget options (and I'd prefer to have this a "once and done" project).
So a little about my pool: It's an above-ground 13,500 gallon pool with a hayward Power-Flo LX pump and sand filter running 8hrs per day on a mechanical timer in "run 1hr, then off for 2hrs" increments. (I adjust it back to 6hrs per day +/- Labor day until pool closing.) So I have no special "controllers" or anything and no heaters, chlorinators, etc. The mechanical timer is "precise" in that it keeps good time once I set it, but it is difficult to get it set to the precise time and it will stop running and mismatch real time when the power goes out (i.e. right now the pump comes on at 56 minutes past the hour consistently like clockwork, but if we were to lose power for say 20 minutes exactly it would start the pump at 16 minutes past the hour until I readjust the timer). The mechanical timer can also only be set in 20 minute increments. The pool power cord is a 15A twist-plug as per "building code". The pump motor gets removed from the pad and stored out of the elements for winter. As far as Chlorine consumption goes, it consumes approximately 2ppm per day with little or no use of the pool (35oz of 10% liquid chlorine).
Here are some photos of my pool setup:
I am looking into Stenner pump Econ T 15gpd (i.e. with built-in timer) which according to Stenner's publications and my calcs will deliver 1.33 oz/min which would require me to run it 26 mins per day (which I plan to divide up throughout the day). I could also choose the Stenner Econ Fx 7.4gpd model which would require me to use my own timer, would save about $38 on the pump, and deliver 0.66 oz/min requiring 53 mins of runtime. I'm planning to put in a post beside my sand filter (drain valve side) to mount the Stenner pump on.
For the chlorine tank I'm not settled on anything yet, but thinking I want minimum 5 gallon capacity and prefer 7 gallon (anymore is getting beyond what I'd need as the longest I'd ever expect to be away from the pool is 10 days - I expect to top off the tank with chlorine on weekends). I'm thinking to use with a "pail" with a gamma seal lid, or possible one of these water containers. I like the idea of going with one blue in color (not white/translucent and not black to get hot). I don't plan on burying the pail/tank at all, except maybe a few inches. If I build some sort of 4-sided enclosure (see #2 below) I could build it a little bigger and get the pail/tank mostly shaded all day, but I don't expect sun to be a problem. Our summers here in west central PA suck and we only get a handful of days above 80 degrees; winter lasts 6 months here.
I was also thinking of mounting the pump (and a new electric outlet if needed) inside one of these enclosures.
Onto the questions (and I hope I remember them all):
1) Can the Stenner Pump be mounted with the pump head facing sideways rather than having it facing down (like is done on the Stenner tanks)? Should I order the "vertical wall mount"?
2) Is putting the Stenner pump inside an enclosure overkill? Or should I just get the "roof" for it? I could also build a 4-sided box so it's under roof and has walls on back and two sides.
3) Like mentioned in the forum about Stenner pumps, I'd like it to only run when the pump is running, so how do I keep it in time with the pool pump timer. (I'd rather the Stenner timer stop and restart when power goes out like the pool pump timer does, but that probably isn't going to work.) Do I need to replace my pool pump timer with one that is also battery backed up? If so which one? The motor is 1hp and 11.0 amps (120v). Is it better in my situation (for some reason) to get a Stenner pump that doesn't have a built in timer and run it off my own timer?
4) How do you get the 1/4 tubing (black, UV resistent) into the bucket/pail/container in a way that is watertight so that rain doesn't get into the container and dilute the chlorine? Is there a special "gland" similar to an electrical cord's "strain relief"?
5) Does the bucket/pail/container need to be vented? If the container is airtight won't that create a problem for the pump? How do you vent the container in such a way that rain doesn't get in?
6) As far as the injection line goes, I've read a lot about tapping into an elbow or adding a "Tee", but for now couldn't I just have the discharge line clipped to the top end of my pool top rail (preferrably with a 90 degree elbow) above the return jet? The only issue I have with this is that the solar cover could possibly float over to that side and I'd end up with the chlorine injected on top of the cover. (I use a 21ft cover in a 24ft pool by the way - it allows some room for the jet to spray upwards and "aerate". Oh, and I also use a modified spa jet rather than the standard eyeball, so the return blows out along the wall to increase circulation.)
I'm sure there will be more questions as this project comes along. I know it's late in the season to be doing this, but I'd like to get it worked out this year so that it's ready to go from day #1 next season.
Thanks!
-Garry
So a little about my pool: It's an above-ground 13,500 gallon pool with a hayward Power-Flo LX pump and sand filter running 8hrs per day on a mechanical timer in "run 1hr, then off for 2hrs" increments. (I adjust it back to 6hrs per day +/- Labor day until pool closing.) So I have no special "controllers" or anything and no heaters, chlorinators, etc. The mechanical timer is "precise" in that it keeps good time once I set it, but it is difficult to get it set to the precise time and it will stop running and mismatch real time when the power goes out (i.e. right now the pump comes on at 56 minutes past the hour consistently like clockwork, but if we were to lose power for say 20 minutes exactly it would start the pump at 16 minutes past the hour until I readjust the timer). The mechanical timer can also only be set in 20 minute increments. The pool power cord is a 15A twist-plug as per "building code". The pump motor gets removed from the pad and stored out of the elements for winter. As far as Chlorine consumption goes, it consumes approximately 2ppm per day with little or no use of the pool (35oz of 10% liquid chlorine).
Here are some photos of my pool setup:
I am looking into Stenner pump Econ T 15gpd (i.e. with built-in timer) which according to Stenner's publications and my calcs will deliver 1.33 oz/min which would require me to run it 26 mins per day (which I plan to divide up throughout the day). I could also choose the Stenner Econ Fx 7.4gpd model which would require me to use my own timer, would save about $38 on the pump, and deliver 0.66 oz/min requiring 53 mins of runtime. I'm planning to put in a post beside my sand filter (drain valve side) to mount the Stenner pump on.
For the chlorine tank I'm not settled on anything yet, but thinking I want minimum 5 gallon capacity and prefer 7 gallon (anymore is getting beyond what I'd need as the longest I'd ever expect to be away from the pool is 10 days - I expect to top off the tank with chlorine on weekends). I'm thinking to use with a "pail" with a gamma seal lid, or possible one of these water containers. I like the idea of going with one blue in color (not white/translucent and not black to get hot). I don't plan on burying the pail/tank at all, except maybe a few inches. If I build some sort of 4-sided enclosure (see #2 below) I could build it a little bigger and get the pail/tank mostly shaded all day, but I don't expect sun to be a problem. Our summers here in west central PA suck and we only get a handful of days above 80 degrees; winter lasts 6 months here.
I was also thinking of mounting the pump (and a new electric outlet if needed) inside one of these enclosures.
Onto the questions (and I hope I remember them all):
1) Can the Stenner Pump be mounted with the pump head facing sideways rather than having it facing down (like is done on the Stenner tanks)? Should I order the "vertical wall mount"?
2) Is putting the Stenner pump inside an enclosure overkill? Or should I just get the "roof" for it? I could also build a 4-sided box so it's under roof and has walls on back and two sides.
3) Like mentioned in the forum about Stenner pumps, I'd like it to only run when the pump is running, so how do I keep it in time with the pool pump timer. (I'd rather the Stenner timer stop and restart when power goes out like the pool pump timer does, but that probably isn't going to work.) Do I need to replace my pool pump timer with one that is also battery backed up? If so which one? The motor is 1hp and 11.0 amps (120v). Is it better in my situation (for some reason) to get a Stenner pump that doesn't have a built in timer and run it off my own timer?
4) How do you get the 1/4 tubing (black, UV resistent) into the bucket/pail/container in a way that is watertight so that rain doesn't get into the container and dilute the chlorine? Is there a special "gland" similar to an electrical cord's "strain relief"?
5) Does the bucket/pail/container need to be vented? If the container is airtight won't that create a problem for the pump? How do you vent the container in such a way that rain doesn't get in?
6) As far as the injection line goes, I've read a lot about tapping into an elbow or adding a "Tee", but for now couldn't I just have the discharge line clipped to the top end of my pool top rail (preferrably with a 90 degree elbow) above the return jet? The only issue I have with this is that the solar cover could possibly float over to that side and I'd end up with the chlorine injected on top of the cover. (I use a 21ft cover in a 24ft pool by the way - it allows some room for the jet to spray upwards and "aerate". Oh, and I also use a modified spa jet rather than the standard eyeball, so the return blows out along the wall to increase circulation.)
I'm sure there will be more questions as this project comes along. I know it's late in the season to be doing this, but I'd like to get it worked out this year so that it's ready to go from day #1 next season.
Thanks!
-Garry
