new in-ground pool, how to select equipment?

[susa]

hello and first post here.

I'm the happy owner of a new in-ground pool in the deep southeast, always warm or moderate even during the winter.

builder does not sell or install equipment and his saleslinks are all "slimy used car salesmen" so I don't trust them as they appear to only want to sell me stuff, not listen to what I want.

here's what I want and I don't know the best way but would prefer to buy my own equipment and just pay someone to install it.

1. An energy saving pool pump (for example, 1 HP Hayward 2-Speed Pump)
2. A cartridge filter (for example, Hayward C-1200)
3. Some simple kind of automatic system (salinator, copper based, etc.)

Could someone post a suggested shopping list and perhaps tell me your personal equipment preference as I would prefer not to have to work at it more than couple times a month but have the system run auto-pilot as much as possible.

I am quite happy to brush pool every other day and wash cartridge filter every couple weeks.

If you have a specific model number or identifier for pump, salt system, etc, please reply.

Thank you,
Susa.

 

[dmanb2b]

Welcome to TFP

What size pool? Any water features? Also a few pics would help and we can point you in the right direction.

 

[SCEADU]

I am Partial to Jandy. However, I have learned that some of my online clients in other parts of the country don't have the support from Jandy as we do here in Atlanta. My suggestion would be to find what is readily available in your area and stick to that. No use haveing the any type of equipment if it is a chore to get it serviced.

 

[susa]

pool is 15,000 gallons

already know I "want" a 1 HP, 2-speed pump

could someone post specific blah_hayward or blah_jandy so I know what it is that should ask for as I will make the purchase directly from a local wholesaler (Horner) but don't know what to buy.

If there is a better system for handling automatic water quality, other than salt generator, please post the brand name and model for it also, thanks.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

I don't think anyone can give you a "shopping list" of equipment you should buy. There are too many factors that are specific to your pool to accurately do that. We don't know nearly enough about your pool to even begin. Like: what voltage is supplied to the pad, how many skimmers do you have, how many main drains, how many returns and what size, how many water features and what type, and the list goes on.

One thing you say bothers me a little too. There is no "set and forget" pool equipment! most of us have to test and adjust at least every other day. Another thing you DON'T want to do is add anything that has copper in it to your pool. Looking at an SWCG (salt water chlorine generator) is a good idea. You still have to test and adjust, but adding chlorine is done automatically.

 

[susa]

pool is 15,000 gallons, I have both 240 and 120 v connections and can do all my own electrical work.

no features, simple in ground gunite-diamond brite pool

2 lines into pump and 2 lines out into pool, 1 inch lines

have a hayward poolvac for cleaning

I know I need at least 1 hp pump to move the poolvac

a related question, does Pentair Intelliflow adjust itself automatically to the pressure conditions, if Yes, that means I could simply buy an Intelliflow and let the pump automatically figure out the needed flow rate ?

how would I size the Pentair Intelliflow pump and model?

 

[bk406]

So you have one skimmer and one main drain, and 2 returns?

Just curious as to why the builder didnt set the equipment. I've never seen an instance where the builder didnt install a complete pool.

 

[susa]

How does the annual average user cost of a Nature2 vs. CSWG system compare?

Nature2 cartridges @2x replacements circa $99 each

 

[susa]

> curious as to why the builder didnt set the equipment.

all he does is build, nothing else, all other is left up to me.

if someone can assist with the parts and user experience, would surely appreciate it ! am happy to entertain biased opinions as I understand many here sell these for a living but my primary interest is energy savings, quiet operation, as little user interaction as reasonable and price is last.

the priority list is in the same order as above so you can see price is the least important component.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Stay away from the Nature² system. Do yourself a favor and use the Google search at the bottom left of each page to search for nature2 and you'll find more than you ever wanted to know.

I hope your plumbing is bigger than 1". You might want to double check that.

 

[acroy]

Howdy there, welcome to the board and congratulations on the new pool

I'd suggest find a reputable shop (check the links on the TFP site for vendors, some of the folks on this board own pool supply companies) and chat with one or more of them to narrow down your equipment choices.

Pump: 1 or 1.5hp should be plenty for your pool. 2spd pumps provice 80% of the benefits of VFD pumps @ around half the cost. Personally i'd probably get a 1.5hp 2spd and plan on running it on Low around 12 hrs a day, on High 1-2hrs just to run the vacuum.

Filter: what kind of junk do you get in the pool? Sand filters get the big stuff but can leave 'fines'. I am partial to a slightly oversized DE filter as it gets all the junk out, the technology has been around forever, DE is cheap, and with it being a bit oversize, I can get away for 5-6mo at a time without backwashing. Cartridge filters I am not informed about enough to have an opinion

Sanitization: The big decision is whether to go with a salt system or not. Salt systems (SWG, Salt Water Generators) use salt+electricity to make free chlorine. Ideally you will never ever have to handle chlorine. But, the SWG does slowly drive the pH up. So then you have to add acid from time to time. A good alternative is to use a bleach (bleach is just liquid chlorine) dosing system like the Liquidator http://www.ezpool.com/ . You can still add some salt to the water for the nice feel it gives. Personally I'd go with a reputable SWG system like the Zodiac Clearwater system (which I have) and just deal with adding acid from time to time.

Whatever you do: read the Pool School, and get a decent test kit!

good luck!

 

[dmanb2b]

whatever you do...stay away from Nature 2 Go with a nice SWG system. Unfortunately owning a pool requires periodic maintenace regardless of how savy a system you may have. I'll admit, I likely have one of the cheapest SWGs on the planet, but decided to invest in a $70 testikit. I test FC and PH every other day and did not have to shock or manually add chlorine during the entire 2010 season, except for 1 gal of liquid chlorine when we went away on vacation to ensure the FC was adequate, in case of a power outage, equip malfunction etc.

Also, if you have a simple 15k gal pool, you could even get by with a 3/4 hp 2sp full rated pump or even a 1/2hp single speed pump, but if you need to design your pump filter around your cleaner, that's another story. I filter a 13.5k gal pool with a 1/2hp full rated pump pushing through two solar panels with out any issues or low pressure concerns. But if your cleaner "needs" a 1hp pump, then you are kind of stuck. There are plumbing experts on the forum who will be along shortly to advise, but a picture of your set-up and confirmation of you piping size would help greatly. If your pipes are only one inch, you will have a hard time getting good flow with any size pump. 1.5" is industry standard and most prefer 2" plumbing for better flow rates.

 

[susa]

I just received a shopping list from a kind reader (thank you!)

1. Hayward EcoStar SVRS pump
2. Hayward Swimpure 40K Salt Generator
3. Hayward C1200 Cartridge Filter

 

[susa]

ok, got all components and it will be an all pentair system, along with 3 year warranty.

Pentair IntelliChlor Power Center Only for use with IC20, IC40, & IC60P Salt Cells +
Pentair IntelliChlor Salt Replacement Cell, 40,000 Gallons IC40
$710.00
Pentair Clean & Clear Plus Cartridge Filter 150 Sq. Ft.
$355.00
Pentair Intelliflo Variable Speed Pump VF-3050 3.2kw 3HP 230V
$950.00

total $2015.00

 

[dmanb2b]

Looks good, the only tip I would have is that if you can still upgrade to a larger filter 250+ sq ft, you'll thank yourself later with less frequent cartridge cleaning.

 

[susa]

> upgrade to a larger filter 250+ sq ft

will do, thank you for the tip.

would anyone have a physical dimension or better yet, a picture side-by-side so I can see how large this 250 sq ft filter is, sitting on the pad?

I meant side-by-side with the 150 or are we talking just a taller filter cartridge?

 

[learthur]

I have the >500 sq ft. filter. Great filter. Bigger definitely = less frequent maintenance. You can't go too big. Mine is about 4.5 ft. tall. Just from memory it takes about a 2ft x2ft square on the pad.

I suspect your biggest challenge will be the 1" lines to the returns and from the skimmers. Unfortunately there is no way to do anything energy efficient with such small lines as the resistance to flow is significant. A VS pump most likely is your best bet. You will probably have to run it 24/7 at a very low flow to get the most energy efficient configuration. 2" plumbing would have been better....

 

[susa]

all installed and running great.

the Pentair VF-3050 is running at 122 watts, 15 GPM and I setup programming to allow it to run 1 cycle through pool volume from 00:00 until 23:59

totally silent, status on LCD panel shows 19 percent of filter water volume has passed since starting program at 0700, now running 8 hours

I have a ted5000 unit monitoring power consumption and historically at 1530 I would have already consumed well over 25 kWh, now barely 17 kWh, pump running all night since yesterday, fixed in manual mode at 15 GPM.

This is at 82 F temperature outside and house is cooled by twin mitsubishi inverter heatpumps, inside temperature is 71 F.