Latest activity

Posts Threads Hot

Latest activity

 Media Forum list

IMG_7969.jpeg

I
IMG_7969.jpeg

IMG_7968.jpeg

I
IMG_7968.jpeg

IMG_7967.jpeg

I
IMG_7967.jpeg

Anyone have a heater but no spa?

G
Your pool must be particularly shady...I'm also in the Houston area and we started swimming a couple of weeks ago. Pool is currently at 79 with no heater use. When we covered the pool at the start of November last year (just ahead of leafpocolypse) the water was in the low 80s and swimming was still comfortable.

We do have a gas heater but 99% of the time it's only used to heat the spa (roughly once a week all year long). We might run it enough to heat the whole pool to 85 for an early March weekend.

Two considerations specific to a gas heater on a spa-less pool in Houston:
-it isn't great for your heater to sit idle for months at a time. Good to fire it up for 30 minutes or so at least once or twice a month all year long (but only if the water temp is above 68 degrees so as not to suffer corrosive condensation damage).
-Note that if you heat your whole pool during months with mild to warm days and cool nights (March, November, and sometimes April) you will lose a lot of water to evaporation.
Click to expand...
  • Like
Reactions: Sendit6

Considering Solar Heating on Roof in SoCal

1
mm3621 said:
Hello all,
I have seen a lot of posts on solar heating, but unless I missed something I concluded it really depends on many factors which are almost unique to every pool user. I live in San Diego, CA, just a few miles off the coast. Aside from heat waves (which are isolated events) it never gets very hot here due to proximity to the ocean. The image below gives a good idea of the temperature variation over the year. I have only owned this house for less than a year, and just recently started taking care of the pool myself following TFP recommendations (it is going great by the way!!! :) ). Water temperature this time of the year is between 60 and 67 degees depending on the day. I have not measured the water temperature in the summer, but I remember that even in August the water was relatively cold (pleasant if hot outside, but definitely still on the cold side).

View attachment 634352
I have a gas heater (see info in my signature). I made a test a few days ago on its efficiency in raising the pool water temperature. 4 hrs of gas heater raised the pool temperature by 1 degree Fahrenheit and costs me about 4 dollars. As many had pointed out on this forum, a gas heater is not a good solution for extending the use of a pool. It works great for my SPA since it gets it hot quickly (and I could use it for special isolated pool events), but I cannot count on it for extending the pool usage as it would cost me too much. Hence, here I am considering solar and hoping the TFP community can help me with this decision.
1) I am considering DIY. I am pretty good at DYI stuff, and I have some background in hydraulics (I am an engineer), I generally understand concepts around plumbing such as flows, losses, vacuum, check valves, etc. With that said, I am obviously not a professional and I have never done this before. Am I crazy at considering DIY for this?
2) I found solar panels on some pool stores that are incredibly expensive, while some at Home Depot or Amazon are half the price. Is it one of those cases where you pay what you get and it is strongly not recommended to go with the Home Depot/Amazon products?
3) My roof looks towards East, that is the only option I have with roof mounted. I have enough space to get 100% of the pool area if needed. Another option would be to build a little roof to my pool equipment areas, which would face south (which is good) but it would only be 20% of the pool area. I concluded it would be better to have 100% on roof but let me know if you disagree.
4) My plan would be to use the same pump I have and just use a 3-way valve to only open the solar circuit when needed. Pool info in my signature. Seems a powerful enough pump. A bit old (11 yrs old) but when it dies it dies, irrespective of solar.
5) Considering all the above (especially the seasonal temperatures and the direction my roof faces), would you say it could be a good investment? I am well aware that long term I save money with solar versus gas heater, but I am more worried about the actual extent of pool usage (meaning if I spend 2-3k for solar and then I only get an extra week of pool usage because the temperature raises only a couple degrees, then I would call this not a good investment).

As usual, thanks for all the good input. And if the input is "hey, go talk to a professional if you want all of this figured out" thank you anyway as that is also helpful! :)
Click to expand...
When I was actively installing solar (way too old for roof-crawling now), I would tell my customers to expect warmer water in the Summer if they get a cover, and maybe an extra two weeks at the beginning and end of the swim season.

All the classes I took on solar taught that on average, a pool temp can be increased 5 - 7 degrees per day if there is enough Sun. However, you can lose 3 - 5 degrees at night. Cooler day and night and you get a net gain of zero. Ocean breezes can suck all the heat out of a pool.

If a solar cover is used, your loss can be virtually zero, but they are a pain to deal with. If you get a solar cover, in your area you might find that you get enough heat gain to not want to install panels. If a customer didn't purchase a solar cover, either from me or somewhere else, after the first couple of installs I wouldn't do it for them.
Click to expand...
  • Like
Reactions: mm3621

Opinion on proposed equipment roster

1
Jimrahbe said:
C,

I would not add this to your pool until you find out what your acid demand actually is...

It is just something else to go bad.

Manually adding a little acid once a week only takes a couple of minutes.. No automated machine can take care of your pool better than you...

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
+1
They seem like a great idea until you have to troubleshoot to find out why they aren't working, then cleaning, calibrating, replacing sensors.

You won't do this often enough to keep familiar with the system, spend a lot of time doing research or watching videos, then calling a service tech who might know what he is doing. Even after 34 years I've only touched a very few and can't remember all of what is involved. The manual is 65 pages, and if followed, it takes more work to deal with the Intellichem than it does to add a bit of acid

Then you kick yourself for not just using a little liquid once in a while and saving all that money and headache. Your chemistry values need to be much stricter than you actually need in order for the dispensing system to work properly. And doing it manually forces you to go and check on the condition of the pool regularly as one should. Pools are like babies that never grow up. They need constant care and feeding. They can be Troublefree, but will never be maintenance free.
Click to expand...
  • Like
Reactions: CPM10V, Newdude and Jimrahbe

Anyone tried a Nidec Neptune VS upgrade motor?

djdonte
Thanks. I ordered the 3hp Intelliflo and the relay circuit board so I can turn my SWG on and off. The built in Wi-Fi did it for me along with my existing pump being pretty old and ratty. Judging from the old strainer cover design its likely original. They sell the pump with the relay and/or touchscreen installed, but it was about 100 cheaper ordering them separately.
Click to expand...

Is it time to get a new SWG?

A
JamesW said:
Thanks for the reply. If the cell is faulty, would altering the settings make any difference? Would I find the instructions to make those changes in the manual? Should I just buy a new cell and call it a day? I forgot to add in my previous post that I do clean the cell with a solution of water and acid. I will switch to using vinegar from now on.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

IMG_4861.jpeg

M
IMG_4861.jpeg

IMG_4867.jpeg

M
IMG_4867.jpeg

IMG_4862.jpeg

M
IMG_4862.jpeg

IMG_4863.jpeg

M
IMG_4863.jpeg

IMG_4864.jpeg

M
IMG_4864.jpeg

IMG_4866.jpeg

M
IMG_4866.jpeg

1743022662470.png

PoolStored
1743022662470.png

Anyone tried a Nidec Neptune VS upgrade motor?

1
djdonte said:
The more I think of it, I am probably going to shell out for a new 3hp intelliflo3. This way I can use the app and cut the SWG on whenever I want.
Click to expand...
The Intelliflow3 is a much more powerful pump than the SuperFlow and is a high-head pump, an excellent choice.
If you are satisfied with your pump now, the Nidec Neptune NPTQ165 would be a very good motor to use.
As far as using a separate timer, that works well, and with an electronic time clock as yours, the issue of a power outage causing a scheduling conflict is usually gone. Since an SWG won't come "on" if there is no flow, its not really a big issue except for no chlorine production until the problem is caught.
The auxiliary relay board is actually a separate piece of equipment that is now most often included in the price of the IF3, but not always, so be sure to check.
In use there won't be much difference between the two options, but the IF3 can definitely run slower and move the same amount of water.
Click to expand...

Opinion on proposed equipment roster

Jimrahbe
CPM10V said:
Intellichem controller with acid tank and pump
Click to expand...
C,

I would not add this to your pool until you find out what your acid demand actually is...

It is just something else to go bad.

Manually adding a little acid once a week only takes a couple of minutes.. No automated machine can take care of your pool better than you...

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
  • Like
Reactions: CPM10V and MyAZPool

Jandy Aquapure 1400, high salt, code 194 and 125

J
Check for scale and clean if necessary.

Can you show the cell?

Show the cell plug and prongs.

Jandy AquaPure SWG - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Aquapure 1400 121 Error

I got the 121 error on my FusionSoft a couple days ago. I cleaned the cell and the sensor and the cell ran fine for about a day. Not this morning, it is back. It is still producing chlorine I can see bubbles out of the returns and the display also says it is on. I think my salt may be a little...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Jandy Aquapure 1400 Error 120

Our Jandy Aquapure 1400 has started to throw general fault code 120. The first time it happened, I cleaned the cell and it seemed to settle down for a couple of days. Now it seems like it is happening every time we run it. I've checked the voltage at the cell and when it is running w/o the...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Jandy salt reading way off the charts

So my aqualink is telling me the salt is at 4700ppm, my Taylor test kit says 3800PPM. this is after I cleaned the sensor on the salt cell, before cleaning it’s was reading low salt at 1700ppm? cell is coming up on 5 years old.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Jandy Aquapure 1400 Error 120

Our Jandy Aquapure 1400 has started to throw general fault code 120. The first time it happened, I cleaned the cell and it seemed to settle down for a couple of days. Now it seems like it is happening every time we run it. I've checked the voltage at the cell and when it is running w/o the...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
Click to expand...

Pressure testing a dry pool

Bill1974
Bperry said:
The liner is ripped.
Click to expand...
I understand the liner is ripped, looks like the holes made in it were intentionally put in based on the pattern.

I would not expect water to water to freely drain thought the cement base and not cause some issues with the soil under it. I don't think pools of this type are made like a permeable concrete surface that typically has drainage system in the subsoil. If the subsoil is sandy and there are cracks I could see the water draining out but that usually also means some settling of the subsoil.
Click to expand...

Opinion on proposed equipment roster

T
I would love to hear which people have told you this. Salt pools are very common here with a variety of cells being used. I highly recommend it. I have used one for the last 23 years. I would highly recommend you use a water softener supply to top off your pool with if possible. That will keep your Calcium under control. Otherwise you will need to drain some water off every three years or so to bring the CH back in line. This is because our water is very hard naturally. If you keep your water properly balanced per TFP methods and your CSI between -.3 and 0 you will not ever need an acid injector.
Pool Care Basics
FC/CYA Levels
PoolMath
Click to expand...
  • Like
Reactions: CPM10V
Load more

Filter

Top Bottom
Back