New build - Pump/Heater distance questions

[adrnum1]

First off, I want to say thank you for this site. It has been really helpful!

We had to make a change to our equipment location as the permit office shifted them 4' in from the back walls (neighbor adjacent) to where the concrete pad and trench would have been too close to the roots of our mature orange trees, and probably either damage or killed them. We have 2 options:

Option 1 - move behind the garage. 90' run with the equipment being 2' or so above water level. Positives are that it moves out of the yard, not taking up any more green space. PC says that all that is needed is to up the pipe size to 3". Any worry about flow, distance or underground heat loss?

Option 2 - move to the lower yard. 35' run with equipment being 24-30" under water level.

We are leaning toward option 1, even though there is an increase in cost from the PC for the longer run, but wanted to get some expert opinions.

I have attache my CAD of the yard with a fair amount of measurements. It should be noted that the yard has a grade, which is why there are some steps and small retaining walls above and below the pool. The grade is about 6' from top to bottom.

Equipment - All Haywood - Tristar VS 900 & 950 pumps, Universal H 400k BTU, 700sqft SwimClear Cartridge, TurboCell 940 Salt generator.

Thanks in advance for the input!

 

[JamesW]

For suction, you want to keep the water velocity below 6 ft/sec. For returns, you want to keep the water velocity below 8 ft/sec.

Size.......6 ft/sec......8 ft/sec.
1.5"...........38...............51 gpm
2"..............63...............84 gpm
2.5............90.............119 gpm
3.0".........138.............184 gpm

As long as the length is less than 100 feet and you follow the above rules, the system should be fine.

Over 100 feet, go up one pipe size.

To be conservative, you can use 6 feet per second for the return instead of 8 feet per second.

For returns close to 100 feet, I would suggest the following maximum flow rates.

Size.......Suction......Return
1.5"...........38...............45 gpm
2"..............63...............75 gpm
2.5............90.............105 gpm
3.0".........138.............160 gpm

 

[ajw22]

Option 1 - move behind the garage. 90' run with the equipment being 2' or so above water level. Positives are that it moves out of the yard, not taking up any more green space. PC says that all that is needed is to up the pipe size to 3".

Do Option1. I prefer the equipment be above the pool.

Any worry about flow, distance or underground heat loss?

No. The 3" pipes will handle the distance.

BTW, both locations were labeled OPT 2 but I think the one I highlighted you meant to be OPT 1.

 

[JamesW]

Skimmers should never be run at more than 60 gpm, so 2" is fine for the skimmers.

For a pool main drain line, I would do (1) 2.5" line.

For a spa suction, it depends on the total returns .

For example, if you have 8 spa jets at 15 gpm each, that's 120 gpm and that would require a 3" spa suction line.

For pool returns, I would have 2 independent 2" lines and that will give you up to 150 gpm with no problem.

 

[adrnum1]

Do Option1. I prefer the equipment be above the pool.



No. The 3" pipes will handle the distance.

BTW, both locations were labeled OPT 2 but I think the one I highlighted you meant to be OPT 1.

View attachment 463872

Thank you for the advice and catching my labeling mistake. Updated!

 

[JamesW]

When describing the pipe length, you need the actual pipe length and you need to add an "equivalent length" for each fitting.

For example, you add about 5.2 to 5.7 feet of pipe per 90 degree fitting.

So, if you have (6) 90 degree fittings, you would add about 34 feet of pipe to the total length for a total of about 90 + 34 = 124 feet.

 

[adrnum1]

Thank you all. This was super helpful and we have decided to go with option 1. With all the calculation and information you all provided we were able to confirm that it shouldn't effect our efficiency or flow.