New Premier Pool

[dinom]

Hi folks, new member here.

Just wanted to post a picture of our new 24 foot round Premier pool (formerly Esther Williams), which is now owned by Wilbar. This is an all aluminum pool. I am going to be hard plumbing this to an equipment pad that will be about 40 feet away. This is a list of the equipment:

- Hayward 24" Pro-Series S244T Sand Filter
- Hayward Super Pump, 1.5HP
- Hayward CL200 Chlorinator
- AquaComfort ACT-1100 Heat Pump
- Jandy/Zodiac iAqualink Automation System with iPhone App

The equipment pad will be constructed up against the back wall of the house, about 40 feet away. The PVC water lines will be buried underground, so I'll be renting a trench digger this weekend. I'll post more pictures as more progress is made with plumbing and electrical.

By the way, I had a great local company put this up for me (Duckman's Pools in Worcester, MA). 100% recommend these folks!

Dino

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP.

 

[cramar]

great looking addition to the back yard!

 

[dinom]

Re: New Premier Pool - iAqualink Automation too!

Some new pics showing the pool pad about 40 feet away. My dad and I used a gas powered trench digger to run the plumbing lines out to the pool. I wanted to keep all the equipment, including the heat pump, safely up against the back wall of the garage.

I'm also a home automation buff, and added a Jandy iAqualink to my system. With this I can control, schedule and monitor the pump and heater. I can also check the water and air temperature from anywhere using my iPhone. Works great! I don't see many AGP owners with automation systems, but for the price of the iAqualink starter kit it's not too big of a leap.

Dino

 

[Casey]

That's a nice set up!!!

 

[dinom]

Thanks Casey.

My kids just went swimming for the first time today. Pool is only at 80F since I just turned the heat pump on yesterday morning. Kids didn't care, though.

It will take a few days to get up to temp (I have it set for 85F), then should just turn on to "maintain" the temperature throughout the season.

 

[DCAG]

Your water temp went from fill-up temp to 80 already? Do you know the temp of the water when you filled? Or better yet - did the heat pump display the water temp when you first turned it on? How long did it take to get to 80?

I've been debating heat pump vs Nat Gas for months... I couldn't find anything on how well a heat pump works in our area. I don't mind paying to buy a heat pump, I prefer it, but I was afraid they couldn't heat the water well at this time of the year.

Your set up looks great too!

Dan

 

[dinom]

The water has been in the pool for a couple of weeks so was up to "ambient" temperature. I believe it was around 65 when I first turned the heat pump on. It took about 1.5 days running continuously to get to 80. When I got home yesterday it was up to 82 and was very comfortable. It takes a few days at first to get up to temp, but should only run normally to "maintain" the temp. I have it set to 85, but I don't have a solar cover on it so we lost some heat last night. I just checked online (using the iAqualink web based app) and it's at 79 right now. I did NOT run the heater or pump last night and today is cloudy and rainy, so I'm not surprised it's only at 79.

For us with my wife and kids being home all summer, the heat pump made more sense since I'd like to keep the pool warm all summer and extend the season a bit without breaking the bank. I read that to run gas all summer can be very expensive.

Hope this helps.

 

[dinom]

Also, the AquaComfort unit I got is made to work down to 40 degrees, not that it would be very efficient at that temp, but supposedly many heat pumps are made for the Florida climate and shut down at 50. It also has a built in defrost to prevent ice from forming at those low temps (which we can get at night here in May).

 

[dinom]

Just ordered and received the new Aquabot Pool Rover S2-40. This thing is great! Cleaned my pool in about 1.5 hours and seems to be very well built for the price (about $300 from Amazon). This is the new style for 2013 to replace the older Aquabot Pool Rover Jr.

 

[DCAG]

What's your water temp? It's been cooler here for a few days - has the heat pump been able to maintain the temp?

Dan

 

[dinom]

Water temp. has dropped to 67 degrees (air temp only 62 now) with only running the heater during the day. I'll have to run continuously for it to get close to 80 by tomorrow afternoon assuming tonight doesn't get too cold (last night dropped to almost freezing). So it's true a heat pump can't keep up with these very cold nights, and I didn't expect it to. A solar cover would have helped, but again, I'm not ready to deal with the hassle.

But we've already spent several days in a warm pool, so I guess that makes up for it. Once the weather warms up a bit, it will be running more efficiently.

 

[dinom]

Updated photos showing ladder and pavers/river stones surrounding the pool.

 

[redhdgirl417]

Looks great!

 

[Casey]

Hubby wants Diver Dave but for right now, he's gonna get me holding a pole!

The rocks and border look really nice and gives it a clean look! Congrats and enjoy the pool!

 

[Livinright]

Beautiful pool and installation !

 

[dinom]

Thanks folks!

 

[dinom]

Over the weekend, I finished up the stone surround for the equipment pad. This helps with drainage for the heat pump (puts out a lot of condensation) and also from the pump when cleaning out the basket. In front of the heat pump I dug the ground deeper and filled it with the river rocks to help the drainage even more.

 

[hyperionguy]

What a nice setup. Very clean and well done! Very nice back yard.

I cracked up that the northerner has a bigger heat pump than a/c. I can't relate.

 

[Matt Ush]

That is very nice and clean. That is one of the nicest plumbing jobs I've seen on an above ground pool lol