Is my pump going to be enough to run my Sungrabber Panel?

[JRS7]

Hello to all, awesome site with TONS of info.....my first post.

Just bought this pool on sale at Wal-Mart.....

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10730729

The pump is very small in size, it doesn't list a horsepower rating. It's just listed at 2000 gallon per hour, and 210 Watts and 2.2 Amps. It's small, but does put out a lot of water. I just bought the Sungrabber 4'x20' system, will this pump be adequate to pump through the panels?

The panels are going to sit on the far side of the pool (on the ground for now), the hoses will be 25' going and 25' coming back to the pool.....anybody know if the pump will handle it?

Also, do I absolutely need the hose going and coming from the panels to be 1 1/2", or can I adapt down to a 5/8 hose? I don't want to use the expensive 1 1/2" hose if they're carrying more water than the panels can handle anyway, the smaller hose would be much cheaper and easier if it will work just as well.......

Any and all help is appreciated!

 

[JohnT]

Plumb the system so you can divide the flow between the panels and a bypass directly back to the pool. Use 1.5" PVC pipe to go to the panels and back, adapting to and from the hose at the ends as needed. The smaller diameter would have much more resistance to flow and would cause your pump to work much harder.

As to whether your pump can handle it, it's hard to say without knowing the characteristics of the pump. A bypass arrangement will let it work, but you may get less flow through the panels than needed.

Here's an image that uses a 3-way valve to control solar flow

You don't need the check valve on a ground level panel.

Here's one that uses a single valve to do the bypass.

Make sure you choose a valve that has full pipe diameter through the ball when fully open.