Equipment Upgrades, recommended?

[S1B12]

Hello all,

I gained a pool when I bought the house and have mostly been DIY for the last 2 years. Pool temp after opening is 64degrees and we have little kids who are desperate to swim but its just too cold for an enjoyable experience. I've been contacting some pool companies for heater estimates most said my equipment could be upgraded for efficiency gains or they simply wouldn't service it due to the age... all fair points. I get their are efficiency gains to be had but is it worth it? Everything worked well last year and seems to be on track this year other than a leaking Jandy Energy Filter.

• Jandy Energy Filter
• Sylvan 48SQF DE Filter
• SQ1152 A.O. Smith 1.5 HP full-rated square flange pump motor

Open to TFP thoughts and recommendations!

Thank you

 

[PoolGate]

Wow never seen a stainless steel filter before. Adding a gas heater is going to run around $4k-$5k depending on how much the gas line costs to run. Do you have natural gas? A heat pump would be cheaper and last longer. Either can be very pricey though. That plumbing does not look "upgrade" friendly at all and with that older pump I would also suggest considering a complete equipment upgrade. While you are at it, convert to saltwater. It all depends on budget. Get a couple quotes. If you are handy, certainly you could upgrade everything yourself for a lot less.

 

[Randrx2]

It looks like you have a single speed pump, or is it 2 speed?

There are cost savings in electricity with a new variable speed pump. There are some questions:
- What is your cost of electricity per kWh?
- How long do you currently run your pump and at what speed?
- How long will you run your new pump and at what speed?

Basically the difference in cost of running the pumps is how you figure out how many years your break even point is.

 

[S1B12]

@Randrx2 Single speed pump, 6.526 cents per kWh. Runs 24/7 for a few days at opening then probably 8-10hours a day which maybe could be cut down but I haven't tried.

Everything worked last year so I wasn't thinking of an overhaul... however adding a heater - I'm limited to 200,000BTU due to gas line. This is a 16,600 gallon pool, approx 16x32 (deep end with diving board) so the surface area isn't that great but the deep water is icey cold. Given the size I'd need to run the heater a-lot and therefore the pump - adding to the question.

 

[PoolGate]

My 29k gallon pool has a 400k btu heater so you are about the same repectively. Before giving up on a larger heater, however, check with the gas company about heavying up your line. They did mine for no charge. They added a new meter and a high pressure port. Running the gas line from your meter to your heater is going to be expensive though so check on that part first.

 

[S1B12]

My 29k gallon pool has a 400k btu heater so you are about the same repectively. Before giving up on a larger heater, however, check with the gas company about heavying up your line. They did mine for no charge. They added a new meter and a high pressure port. Running the gas line from your meter to your heater is going to be expensive though so check on that part first.

Helpful - thank you. How are your heating costs on a monthly basis?

 

[PoolGate]

Helpful - thank you. How are your heating costs on a monthly basis?

My pool in general added @ $100/month for gas and $50/month for electric. My electric and gas bill is "budgetized" so each month is the same. Meaning the pool costs me $1800 more in utilities annually.

 

[S1B12]

My pool in general added @ $100/month for gas and $50/month for electric. My electric and gas bill is "budgetized" so each month is the same. Meaning the pool costs me $1800 more in utilities annually.

Thanks!

 

[Randrx2]

That electricity price seems very low. Does that include all the taxes and surcharges?

Let’s assume 8 hours per day.
Your pump now is about 2.4kW per hour X 0.0625 X 8 = $1.20 per day.
If you are able to run a new VS pump at half speed, it would probably pull about 400W per hour => 0.4kW X 0.0625 X 8 = $0.20 per day
So you can figure a savings of about $365 a year. More savings if you can run even slower than half speed.

A new 1.5 HP VS pump is about $800 (pump only, no install costs). So the break even cost is a little over 2 years.

The added benefit is future savings and a quieter pump.

You may also be able to save more and break even sooner with a 2-speed pump. A 2-speed pump would be about $550. So the break even is only about 1.5 years.

 

[S1B12]

@Randrx2 good catch its more like $0.131 so 2.4 * 0.131 * 8 = $2.52 per day so it brings forward break even.

Big picture I'll likely just delay and refresh the whole setup at some point given the other feedback.