Adding a Booster Pump and Pressure Cleaner

[Mike S]

Let start by saying that this page has been great for me as a new 1st time pool owner. We moved into our house last September and got a few weeks of use out of the pool before it was time to have someone close it for us. We are getting ready to open the pool back up in a few weeks and I've been reading through this page getting ready to take care of the pool myself.

One project I need to complete before we open the pool is installing a new automatic pressure side cleaner. I guess a little summary of my current system would be helpful. The pool has two skimmers that feed through the pump an into a DE filter. A Hayward Vari-Flow valve controls the flow through the DE filter. The pump motor is a AOSmith model USQ 1102 (1HP, 115/230 V, 14.8/7.4 amp). Between the pump and the multiport valve is the dedicated pressure line that is controlled by a 3-way valve. The pressure line has a Jandy Energy Filter on it.

The discharge from the DE filter goes to a Raypak gas heater (model RP2100 or R185-R405?). After the heater is another 3 way valve that allows me to chose whether to send it to the returns or the pool drain. I think that is to turn the water over better and help with heating.

The cleaner was an old Ray Vac or something along those lines that didn't really do much at all other than spin in circles in the deep end. I was given a Polaris 280 and I need to install a booster pump to run it. I see that normally it would be installed after the filter and the heater, but it my case would it make sense to just install it after the Jandy Energy Filter rather than replumbing to put it after the heater? I understand that I need to make sure that the main pump is running when the booster is on, so I would need to put the booster on a switch rather than relying on a timer. Either way it isn't a big deal and will plumb it whatever way makes more sense.

My next issue is running power to the booster pump. The pool sub panel is fed by a 240 v 30 amp circuit from my main panel. The run is about 100 to 150 feet and they used 10 AWG wire. In the panel is a 20 A breaker that runs the pump (240V). The heater and a GFI outlet are also run off of that. The pool light is run off a separate breaker. I am not sure how much the gas heater draws and am wondering if I will have enough capacity to run a booster pump. I'm looking at the polaris pumps and it seems like they will draw about 7 amps at 240. I believe the main pump draws 7.4 at 240. There is room in the subpanel for additional breakers, but want to be sure that I'm not going to be taxing it. Thanks for any help.

 

[bk406]

Have you thought about just going with a robot cleaner? Once you spend all the time and money figuring all this out, buying a booster pump, doing the re-plumb, potentially running more eletrical, etc, a good robot could be bought fo not much more than this re-do could cost. While pressure side cleaners are ok and can do a good job, IMO, a decent robot will do a great job without all the hassle. Just an idea for you.

 

[PaulR]

would it make sense to just install it after the Jandy Energy Filter rather than replumbing to put it after the heater? I understand that I need to make sure that the main pump is running when the booster is on, so I would need to put the booster on a switch rather than relying on a timer.

The booster pump should be plumbed into just the return line driving the cleaner; it's not intended to be a booster for all returns.

I have a separate timer for the booster pump, and make sure that it's set so it runs only when the main pump is on.
--paulr

 

[Mike S]

Have you thought about just going with a robot cleaner? Once you spend all the time and money figuring all this out, buying a booster pump, doing the re-plumb, potentially running more eletrical, etc, a good robot could be bought fo not much more than this re-do could cost. While pressure side cleaners are ok and can do a good job, IMO, a decent robot will do a great job without all the hassle. Just an idea for you.

Thanks, I had been thinking about that, but along with all the other expense of moving we are about to have another big bill come through to take down a row of trees that started to blow over during the winter. We were given a brand new Polaris 280 by a family member, so right now I am just looking at the cost of the pump and whatever it takes to install it and I am hoping that most of that I can do myself. Unfortunately right now I can't justify shelling out $1k + for robot. Maybe down the road...

 

[Mike S]

[/quote]The booster pump should be plumbed into just the return line driving the cleaner; it's not intended to be a booster for all returns.

I have a separate timer for the booster pump, and make sure that it's set so it runs only when the main pump is on.
--paulr[/quote]


Sorry I must not have explained well enough. Either way it would be plumbed to the dedicated cleaning line not the regular returns. My question more related to whether I could take it from the line between the pump and the DE filter and use the Jandy Energy Filter to filter the water before it went to the clear or if it needed to come after the DE Filter and heater and then go to the dedicated cleaner line? If I did the later I would just remove the Energy Filter. Thanks.

 

[bk406]

Do the cost analysis. It might be cheaper to do the pressure side. My guess is maybe 400-500 bucks? I always figure in my time for these things too, not just parts.

A decent robot can be bought for around $750. So the pressure side route might save you a couple hundred, YMMV.

 

[PaulR]

Sorry I must not have explained well enough. Either way it would be plumbed to the dedicated cleaning line not the regular returns. My question more related to whether I could take it from the line between the pump and the DE filter and use the Jandy Energy Filter to filter the water before it went to the clear or if it needed to come after the DE Filter and heater and then go to the dedicated cleaner line? If I did the later I would just remove the Energy Filter. Thanks.

Ah, okay, I didn't understand your setup. I'm not familiar with the Energy Filter, but a quick google makes it look like this is exactly the kind of thing it's intended for. The flow to the booster (and so the Polaris) is going through the Energy Filter rather than the main filter, which is a step up from just recirculating. Since you already have it in place, I'd go ahead and use it as you described.

Can't help you on the electrical stuff, sorry...
--paulr

 

[bk406]

The pool sub panel is fed by a 240 v 30 amp circuit from my main panel. The run is about 100 to 150 feet and they used 10 AWG wire. In the panel is a 20 A breaker that runs the pump (240V). The heater and a GFI outlet are also run off of that. The pool light is run off a separate breaker. I am not sure how much the gas heater draws and am wondering if I will have enough capacity to run a booster pump. I'm looking at the polaris pumps and it seems like they will draw about 7 amps at 240. I believe the main pump draws 7.4 at 240. There is room in the subpanel for additional breakers, but want to be sure that I'm not going to be taxing it. Thanks for any help.

Your probably ok with power. The way you do the analysis is to calculate everything in watts. How many watts are available at the panel, compared to how many watts will your equipment draw will determine if you have enough power.

For your panel, you have 7200 watts. But, we need to de-rate that a bit since that 30 amp breaker will trip a little below that. Also, there will be some voltage drop over that 150 feet on that #10 wire (although not a lot). As a rule of thumb, de-rate about 20%. That means you can pull in the neighborhood of around 5800 watts, give or take.
You current pump will pull 1776 watts. May be a bit more, maybe a bit less, but 7.4 x 240 gives you 1776, so thats a good number to use. The booster will pull 1680. The light i can only guess, but i wouldn't think more than 500 watts. I have no idea on the heater. I assume its just an electric spark to ignite the gas on start up, maybe 200 watts?.
Now add it up. 1776+1680+500+200=4156. That gives you around 1600 watts for reserve. I'd rather see the pump on its own circuit rather than share one with the heater and GFI plug, but bottom line is you have enough power for a booster pump.
If i'm off on the heater wattage, someone let me know.

 

[Mike S]

Thanks,

There is plenty of room in the panel for additional breakers, so if i get ambitious I good probably separate the pump from the other components in that circuit. I'll do some more searching on the heater, but it is game so the only electrical requirements would be for the igniter and the control panel.

I really do appreciate all the responses.

 

[crabboy]

I have an Intermatic dual timer for the filter and booster pump. The booster timer is wired directly off the output of the filter timer, so it's impossible for the booster to come on without the filter pump. I think if there is a possibility that it can happen, it will happen one day.

 

[civicturbo]

I found these nice pool pulmbing schematics here>>
http://www.poolcenter.com/jandy_pool_pl ... _pools.htm

Looks like you just add the booster at the end of the chain. I finally figured out what the port on my pool wall/capped pipe at equip. slab is for after reading about pressure side cleaners. The builder preplumbed for it. it's 1" pipe. I believe you run a seconfd timer for the booster and set its run time to within the window of your original pump. example: main timer/pump ON: 9am-OFF5pm Booster timer: ON 9:30am-OFF11:30 (assuming it can clean in just 2 hours)
I also like the idea of separating out the circuits as much as possible, breakers are less than 5 bucks ea. now days, its worth it.