FPH - Hotspot Energy Install Begins!

[drglanton]

So, it has been a long three two months of planning to get ready for our pool building. What is unique about this build is that I will be installing the Hotspot Energy FPH System as the primary mode of heading our 12,000 gallon fiberglass pool. It is my hope to provide some empirical insight as to the process involved in installing this system. I hope it helps someone else.

For the past few weeks we have done a lot of prework to prepare for the groundbreaking of our pool tomorrow. Our AC Unit is about 125 feet away from the pool pad and we have a 3 ton AC system. The three ton systems requires the FPH5 system. Attached are pictures of the trenching we did to run the 2 inch PCV from the AC unit to the pool pad.

More pictures to come.

 

[drglanton]

My HVAC TECH and I meet today to plan out our strategy for the install of the unit. We took the manual and throughly studied every sentence. We think we got it figured out.

 

[JamesW]

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Hopefully, everything will go well.

 

[drglanton]

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Hopefully, everything will go well.

You know I will be calling on you for the custom feature . . . I think I got everything in place. We will see . . .

 

[drglanton]

How about a short video to see our work? It shows the unpacking of the FPH system and all the included components.

 

[drglanton]

Well, Day One is a wrap. I got up early this morning and met the crew at 8am. They showed up on time with all the heavy equipment ready to dig. They faced a few challenges with some tree stumps and the huge hill. But the operator was a professional an balanced the heavy equipment like it was a bicycle. It rained mid afternoon. So, the crew called it a day to return tomorrow morning to finish up the dig. I was onsite the entire day and did not miss a thing.
I was glad to watch as there were several key decisions they had to be made on the spot.

Tip. Always remain on site and available for questions.

 

[drglanton]

The second day of pool build went really well. The team finished the dig. We have a retainer wall of 4 feet at the end of the driveway. It is no clear, because if the hill, there may be a 6 foot elevation on the other side of the pool. We will see if another wall is necessary.

They also were able to bring the fiberglass pool in and dropped it right into the hole. They were also able to start on the rough plumbing as well as the pad.

They shall return for day three after the weekend.

 

[drglanton]

An early morning shot of the pool. Still work to do this weekend. I’m going to run conduit for deck gets and electrical outlets to the other side of the pool decking.

 

[JamesW]

Making good progress.

 

[jseyfert3]

Following along as I'm considering one of these for our 15,000 above ground Intex pool. Doesn't make sense to me to install a "real" heater when we're already paying to pull heat out of our house.

 

[joepaiii]

How about a short video to see our work? It shows the unpacking of the FPH system and all the included components.

Interesting. But seems like pool heating and running AC don’t always go together.

 

[malba2366]

Following along as I'm considering one of these for our 15,000 above ground Intex pool. Doesn't make sense to me to install a "real" heater when we're already paying to pull heat out of our house.

It all depends on how far your AC units are from the pool, pumping water hundreds of feet and up hill can use significant electricity. A heat pump pool heater shouldn't cost too much to run when the AC is running as it is probably pretty hot outside, and this system will be useless at times when it is cool enough that you don't need AC...which is when you probably will need to heat your pool.

 

[Belikin]

It all depends on how far your AC units are from the pool, pumping water hundreds of feet and up hill can use significant electricity. A heat pump pool heater shouldn't cost too much to run when the AC is running as it is probably pretty hot outside, and this system will be useless at times when it is cool enough that you don't need AC...which is when you probably will need to heat your pool.

You're absolutely right about the system not being particularly useful when it's cool outside, especially up in the frigid wasteland known as NY . DrGlanton and I however are in the paradise that exists between Atlanta, GA and Jacksonville, FL. I don't know about my buddy, but for me here in Jacksonville I begin running my AC right around late february to mid march and the water would definitely still be too cold for me to swim, and my wife wouldn't even deign to look at the pool. Also, at my home, our AC will run for a couple hours a day even into late september and early october. So, while for DRGlanton and I, the Hotspot FPH may not give us year round warm water capability, we anticipate it will extend our swimming season significantly at the beginning and end of the year and the best part is, the AC was already going to run and therefore the energy cost of that is a given. This way we will utilize the heat rather than waste it!
My pool is also in construction and we too are integrating the FPH from the get go!

 

[drglanton]

Greeting all who are interested. After a little run around with my original HVAC TECH, I reached out to my FACEBOOK NETWORK and got 10 HVAC professionals willing to help with the install. I have done just about everything electrical and plumbing. Here is my set up to have school with the HVAC tech who is coming to the house tomorrow.

 

[drglanton]

Greetings all. We did the full HVAC INSTALL last evening. It was a long process with many questions. The FPH support staff was on the text and phone with me until 10 pm. We started at 7pm worked until 2 am. Once it was done, we are now clear and could do it again in 3 hours.

It really helped that I read the manual 100 times and was clear about what needed to be done. My second set of eyes for the Tech proved to be priceless.

We dry-fitted everything first and then did all the brazing. Of course, we had to then go in and find leaks during testing. With about 15 joints we had to make sure there was no leaked. It would have been much quicker with a copper bender! Instead we used 90s.

At the end of the night, we got it done and charged the system all BEFORE electrical connections. The unit returned to straight AC by-pass.

I will post a link to pictures later.


Electrical connections today

 

[drglanton]

Ok guys. The verdict is IT WORKS!!! The FPH warmed our pool perfectly. It’s almost just short of a 12k gallon hot tub!!!!!

Dropbox - File Deleted - Simplify your life

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[JamesW]

Does the automation work like we expected it to?

 

[drglanton]

Does the automation work like we expected it to?

Yes perfectly. Controls intellicenter as you said THANKS!!! I

 

[jseyfert3]

Thanks for the update. I'm going to strongly consider installing this next spring. As we slowly slip towards fall, the pool is often not as warm as we'd like unless we use the solar cover, which is a pain. But the AC has been running for months. Would be great if the heat from the AC could keep the pool at the desired temp without using the solar cover.

FHP claims it makes your AC more efficient, which makes sense from my understanding of heat cycles. I'd be curious if it's enough to notice a reduction on your electric bill going forward.

 

[drglanton]

Thanks for the update. I'm going to strongly consider installing this next spring. As we slowly slip towards fall, the pool is often not as warm as we'd like unless we use the solar cover, which is a pain. But the AC has been running for months. Would be great if the heat from the AC could keep the pool at the desired temp without using the solar cover.

FHP claims it makes your AC more efficient, which makes sense from my understanding of heat cycles. I'd be curious if it's enough to notice a reduction on your electric bill going forward.

As a safety precaution right now, I keep my condenser fan running ANYTIME the AC is called. I wanna make sure the system works consistently. It is! And that’s great.
Therefore, I will not see any reduction or savings right now. BUT IM GETTING FREE HEAT!!!!!

I can crank it up to 94 degrees and it feels, in the words of my wife, hottubbish. Lol

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