Considering replacing all my equipment...

[RockstarSD]

Tl;Dr, am I going to have significant differences in my plumbing calculations if I have to add 6' (3 up 3 down) of vertical pipe and 3-5' of horizontal pipe to my system and change from a de filter (bottom in/out) to a sand filter (top in/out)?

I'm working with my second "came with the house" pool. It's got a de filter that I absolutely hate cleaning and an old as the dinosaurs single speed 1hp motor that I want to replace with sand and a variable speed motor. I'm also ready to go back to an swcg instead of using liquid chlorine.

I've done an swcg install previously, replaced the motor on my spa pump, and I figure dropping in a new sand filter shouldn't be that difficult... But I have almost literally no room to work, and I'm concerned about the additional pipe length that I'll have to add to make it all work.

The attached picture is everything I've got. The 90 degree elbows at top right and top center are 2.5" from pool and 2" to pool - but they both go straight into the cement deck.

To replumb and add an swcg, I figure I'll have to move the whole filter at least a foot or two towards the top of the image and replumb to the top of the sand filter, so maybe 2 more feet up to the top of the filter on the in side, and 2 feet down on the out side plus the extra length of the swcg plumbing.

Im worried the extra rise and length of pipe might throw off the plumbing calculations. Should I be?

 

[Chad1979]

I dont see how adding 11' of pipe is going to affect the system all that much, unless you have super long runs to start with and are running at capacity of the 1 hp pump. Pipe size also affects it as well but i would guess with 2" and 2.5" pipe, the effects will be negligible.

 

[ajw22]

No, the changes in pipe are insignificant.

Why not get a large cartridge filter?

No pics were attached.

 

[RockstarSD]

Apparently I am not as technologically savvy as I'd like to believe. I think I have the Pic attached now - sorry about that.

I like sand because back washing is a cinch. I don't like having to pull the de grates out and clean them, and I have cartridge filters on the spa and hate them too.

Though as I think about it more, maybe I'll just move the filter down a ways and with the swcg there will be less "I'm a big fat slacker and forgot to add chlorine again for the 10th time this month" and my hatred for cleaning de grids will be lessened...

Yeah, I think that's the way I'm going to go. Variable speed motor and swcg for sure, and then maybe the filter down the road if necessary.

 

[mknauss]

I have cartridge filters on the spa and hate them too.

A properly sized cartridge filter is cleaned twice a year, at most. Mine I clean once a year.

If you live in San Diego, be sure there are no restrictions on backwashing. Where do you send the backwash water?

 

[RockstarSD]

A properly sized cartridge filter is cleaned twice a year, at most. Mine I clean once a year.

If you live in San Diego, be sure there are no restrictions on backwashing. Where do you send the backwash water?

I don't backwash or even bump right now, I just clean the de grates two to four times a year (depending on how lazy I've been) in the dirt in my backyard. When I backwash a sand filter I'll probably send it down my sanitary sewer clean out - can't put chlorine and algae down the storm drain.

But at this point if I keep the de and add an swg, I should have significantly less nast in the filter and can probably go down to once a year or so for the de grates.

 

[wireform]

The nast has nothing to do with the SWCG. Nast has all to do with how you manage the chemistry and if you're lazy and don't control/configure the SWCG properly the same can happen. Your signature doesn't seem like it belongs to the current pool. Get a large cartridge filter as mentioned previously, balance the chemistry per TFP and worry not about the extra pipe as the equipment won't know the difference. If you think you have a space issue for mounting the SWCG let us have some good pictures of what you have so we can make recommendations. There's also a vertical kit to make it fit in the tight space should that be your issue.

 

[RockstarSD]

The nast has nothing to do with the SWCG. Nast has all to do with how you manage the chemistry and if you're lazy and don't control/configure the SWCG properly the same can happen. Your signature doesn't seem like it belongs to the current pool. Get a large cartridge filter as mentioned previously, balance the chemistry per TFP and worry not about the extra pipe as the equipment won't know the difference. If you think you have a space issue for mounting the SWCG let us have some good pictures of what you have so we can make recommendations. There's also a vertical kit to make it fit in the tight space should that be your issue.

The Nast has everything to do with being a slacker and not keeping chlorine levels where they're supposed to be - the swg is set it and forget it for the most part, with occasional changes necessary as temperatures change.

Switching to a cartridge doesn't do much - I still have to pull it and clean it. It's a bit less messy than the de but the process is the same, so not a lot of benefit for me in spending the money on a new filter.

Def will do the swg and vs motor though. Thanks for confirming I shouldn't have issues with the added plumbing length