Hi folks...I've just grazed the surface, but this site is a gold mine! Thanks in advance to the folks that take the time to help us out!!
I'll be filling out my profile with exact specifics but for now I believe this will do, for what I'm asking about:
21' AG, new last fall.
Hayward pump and Hayward cartridge filter.
(2) 2x20 sungrabber roll-out solar panels
No fancy plumbing except a diverter valve to direct flow to the panels.
It's Canada (Ehh!) so I topped off the pool as soon as the ice went off it, cleaned out all the solids, and it's cleared very nicely. I have the solar blanket on, and run the pump every couple days. Haven't done anything to the water except add a puck in the skimmer once the previous one is gone. It will still be a while before we're in it...COLD... I really couldn't find much exact info on the 'net regarding when and how to open a pool in my climate...do you leave it until it's almost time to use and fight the swamp, or get it clean as soon as the ice is off and maintain from there... I chose to jump on it early...I think I made the right choice. But naturally, I'l have some water balancing and so on to do before we're swimming...
My questions are around the solar panels. We only got the new pool installed and running for a couple weeks at the end of the season, so I just rolled the panels out beside the pool.
This year, I want to put them on the roof of the house. Full sun, all day, no trees to block, etc. Should really help out.
So, visualize if you can... The pool is in the back yard, and there's 10' of deck between the pool and the house. The skimmer, pump and filter is on the far side of the pool from the house.
So, I need to run along the ground beside the pool until I get to the deck, then hopefully run along the top of the deck wall to the house, across one side of the roof, over the peak to where the panels will be mounted.
Sorry..long post, but the more details, the better, right?
So...questions:
I'm trying to figure out what kind of hose/pipe to use. I was thinking the rolls of black plastic water pipe, but it's hard to run around corners and so on.
A friend who's a contractor suggested solid plastic waterpipe with glued joints, and a way to take it apart to drain for the winter. There would have to be a couple flex joints where it goes from the house to the deck, since we'll be dealing with things moving around due to frost.
The guy at my local big-chain building center says he has a guy that's installing his (and other people's) solar panels with 3/4" water lines that they're using in new construction now. (This is the stiff line that looks like it would break if you bent it, but it's actually very bendable, and takes a special crimper to attach the fittings to it)
Sorry, I don't have the proper terms for one type of pipe versus the other...
1 - Given the installation I have to do, what are your opinions on what I should do, plastic water pipe vs solid plumbing pipe vs 3/4" water pipe, vs whatever else I should consider...?
2 - The fittings on the solar panels, and on the divertor valve are (1 1/4, I think...) so should I use that size of pipe for running all the way to and from the panels?
I'm trying to figure out if a big pipe and lots of flow is better than a small pipe with less flow (as far as heat goes)...
I'm a newbie, so my thinking is that you run less water through the panels and it comes out hotter than if you're running twice the amount so it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. I also know that theory is hooey, but I need someone to tell me why.
The house is a split level, so it has to raise the water one floor, plus up to the peak of the roof. The pump should be capable of that, correct? (Hard to answer without the specifics on the pump, I know, but it's the common size that would be supplied with a 21' AG pool....I'll be filling out my profile with the exact info right shortly)
And, aside from the diverter valve that I used last year, do I need any other fancy plumbing? I'd assume 2 shut-off's at ground level to seal off the inlet and outlet of the solar system so it doesn't drain when I have to open the system for maintenance... Is a vaccuum valve up on the roof necessary? If so, where can I get one, and how much headache will it be getting it plumbed into whatever sort of pipe/hose I use?
Yikes....60,000 character limit...I must be getting close....
Thanks in advance people!!!!
Just found the site last night, but I can tell one of those good water test kits and BBB will be right around the corner.
I'll be filling out my profile with exact specifics but for now I believe this will do, for what I'm asking about:
21' AG, new last fall.
Hayward pump and Hayward cartridge filter.
(2) 2x20 sungrabber roll-out solar panels
No fancy plumbing except a diverter valve to direct flow to the panels.
It's Canada (Ehh!) so I topped off the pool as soon as the ice went off it, cleaned out all the solids, and it's cleared very nicely. I have the solar blanket on, and run the pump every couple days. Haven't done anything to the water except add a puck in the skimmer once the previous one is gone. It will still be a while before we're in it...COLD... I really couldn't find much exact info on the 'net regarding when and how to open a pool in my climate...do you leave it until it's almost time to use and fight the swamp, or get it clean as soon as the ice is off and maintain from there... I chose to jump on it early...I think I made the right choice. But naturally, I'l have some water balancing and so on to do before we're swimming...
My questions are around the solar panels. We only got the new pool installed and running for a couple weeks at the end of the season, so I just rolled the panels out beside the pool.
This year, I want to put them on the roof of the house. Full sun, all day, no trees to block, etc. Should really help out.
So, visualize if you can... The pool is in the back yard, and there's 10' of deck between the pool and the house. The skimmer, pump and filter is on the far side of the pool from the house.
So, I need to run along the ground beside the pool until I get to the deck, then hopefully run along the top of the deck wall to the house, across one side of the roof, over the peak to where the panels will be mounted.
Sorry..long post, but the more details, the better, right?
So...questions:
I'm trying to figure out what kind of hose/pipe to use. I was thinking the rolls of black plastic water pipe, but it's hard to run around corners and so on.
A friend who's a contractor suggested solid plastic waterpipe with glued joints, and a way to take it apart to drain for the winter. There would have to be a couple flex joints where it goes from the house to the deck, since we'll be dealing with things moving around due to frost.
The guy at my local big-chain building center says he has a guy that's installing his (and other people's) solar panels with 3/4" water lines that they're using in new construction now. (This is the stiff line that looks like it would break if you bent it, but it's actually very bendable, and takes a special crimper to attach the fittings to it)
Sorry, I don't have the proper terms for one type of pipe versus the other...
1 - Given the installation I have to do, what are your opinions on what I should do, plastic water pipe vs solid plumbing pipe vs 3/4" water pipe, vs whatever else I should consider...?
2 - The fittings on the solar panels, and on the divertor valve are (1 1/4, I think...) so should I use that size of pipe for running all the way to and from the panels?
I'm trying to figure out if a big pipe and lots of flow is better than a small pipe with less flow (as far as heat goes)...
I'm a newbie, so my thinking is that you run less water through the panels and it comes out hotter than if you're running twice the amount so it's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other. I also know that theory is hooey, but I need someone to tell me why.
The house is a split level, so it has to raise the water one floor, plus up to the peak of the roof. The pump should be capable of that, correct? (Hard to answer without the specifics on the pump, I know, but it's the common size that would be supplied with a 21' AG pool....I'll be filling out my profile with the exact info right shortly)
And, aside from the diverter valve that I used last year, do I need any other fancy plumbing? I'd assume 2 shut-off's at ground level to seal off the inlet and outlet of the solar system so it doesn't drain when I have to open the system for maintenance... Is a vaccuum valve up on the roof necessary? If so, where can I get one, and how much headache will it be getting it plumbed into whatever sort of pipe/hose I use?
Yikes....60,000 character limit...I must be getting close....
Thanks in advance people!!!!
Just found the site last night, but I can tell one of those good water test kits and BBB will be right around the corner.