Get the same heater they said, it will line right up.

amattas

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Jun 18, 2017
102
Cincinnati, OH
Our 3 year old heater failed (I think we got to the bottom of it), and the guy we use to open/close the pool recommended getting the same model to simplify installation. The documentation even put the connections at the same height as our current one.

Now I'll be honest we really didn't want the same heater again, but we bought it anyways, and now we're about 1/2"

My thought is it just needs to be replumbed to do it the right way, especially since we were going to have a salt cell installed where the longer stretch of pipe is later this summer. Since this was just re-plumbed 3-years ago the pool guy doesn't wasn't to waste the stuff thats there and thinks cutting on the heater side of the valves and reaming out the fittings and re-using them will be the way to go. as it would be a minimum change.

Personally I'm not convinced all the salt stuff will fit on that longer run, and it's probably going to need to be re-worked anyways.

So how would you approach this? My thought is:

1. cut after the unused anode and put a union in there (there is already a union off picture on the center pipe coming off the filter as well). That way if we change the heater in the future we can just unscrew and rework that piece of pipe.
2. Rework the entirety of that long pipe with everything it needs for the salt cell
3. Front bottom right elbow going to the longer pipe - rotate 90 degrees clockwise and add an extra elbow allowing us to fit the salt generator equipment (I'm guessing I need to support this pipe some how?)
4. Replace the bottom valve with a 3-way valve for the heater, lose the top two valves, and replace one with a check-valve

Would this work, or is there a better approach?

IMG_0898 (1).jpeg
 
That's what I'm leaning, I really should have a check valve since I'm putting in the SWG, so I should be able to greatly simplify it over what the pool guy did.

I have the Pentair equivalent of the never lube on the way along with the rebuildable Pentair check valve.

It was near impossible to find the right glue locally though.
 
That's what I'm leaning, I really should have a check valve since I'm putting in the SWG, so I should be able to greatly simplify it over what the pool guy did.

I have the Pentair equivalent of the never lube on the way along with the rebuildable Pentair check valve.

It was near impossible to find the right glue locally though.

SWGs don't require a check valve. Only puck feeders do.
 
Interesting, so pool guy wrong again. Either way the check valve makes it cleaner because I can use the 3-way instead of multiple valves. Unless there is a reason why the check valve is a bad idea.

This is because they only create chlorine when there is flow. Puck feeders are always dissolving chlorine, flow or not, and you don't want that high concentration to back up into the heater.
 
This is because they only create chlorine when there is flow. Puck feeders are always dissolving chlorine, flow or not, and you don't want that high concentration to back up into the heater.
Makes sense, the pool guy didn't want me to get the SWG - but we have a second home, and I've been tying a chlorine floater to a rope to keep it centered in the pool away from the walls when we are gone. It works, but the SWG makes WAY more sense.
 

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Interesting, so pool guy wrong again. Either way the check valve makes it cleaner because I can use the 3-way instead of multiple valves. Unless there is a reason why the check valve is a bad idea.
You're planning on using a check valve right after the heater as a replacement for a ball valve in the bypass arrangement? That's fine.
Some SWG ask for a check valve in front of them in the manual, some don't, but there isn't a reason for them with a SWG.