New Build in Southeast - Questions

[pmj78910]

Thanks to anyone who may be able to help.

We are accepting bids for a new pool/spa project in the Southeast. Due to the shape and size of our yard, all three bids have pretty much the same design and have come in at a very similar price. However, there are considerable variations in equipment, particularly in regards to pumps.

Details.

-14 x 38 foot (L-shaped), 22-25,000 gallons.
-115 ft perimeter
-570-585 square feet pool
-3 ft to 7 ft deep
-950 sq ft of decking
- 7 x 7 ft square spa with 2 foot spillover waterfall.
- 3 multicolor LED lights in pool (2 in pool, 1 in spa)
- Polaris 280 with ¾ hp booster pump
- Pumps below


PB 1 - Jandy Stealth Dual Speed 2 HP (PB 1 did offer to change his to a variable speed if we wanted for no additional charge. He did not initially include this on the estimate, because he said they've had problems with the Jandy VS pumps in the past)
PB 2 - Jandy EPump Variable Speed 2.0HP
PB 3 - Pentair IntelliFlo Variable Speed.

Here are my questions.

1. Our electrical bills can get pretty high in the summer, so I'm looking at energy savings. Is there a big difference between the energy consumption of a Dual Speed vs Variable speed? Do these options seem powerful enough for both pool and spa? Any red flags with any of these options?

2. Our heat source is natural gas and we will definitely want to heat our pool (wife and kids hate cold water). All of our quotes come with a 400K BTU heater. One of the builders recommended a Heat Pump upgrade ($5K) while the other two did not. Does this seem like a worthwhile upgrade?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

My thoughts:
- If you are worried about energy costs .. do NOT get a pressure side cleaner that requires a booster pump. Either get a pressure side that will work on the main pool pump, or a suction cleaner or a robot.
- What size and type of filter are in the quotes?
- The VS can give slightly lower electrical costs because it can run at a lower RPM than the 2-speed on low. It can also not run at full speed if that much flow is not needed. But the VS pumps usually cost more money upfront and thus may take a long time to recoup the added cost. The VS could be nice to allow you to dial in the desired action in the spa.
- All those pumps should be fine to run the spa and pool ... assuming plumbing is done correctly.
- Whether a heat pump makes sense depends on your location. A gas heater will always work (heat the pool in the winter if you want). A heat pump will not work well when the air temperature drops. Heat pumps are good if you need to continually be adding heat I think while gas are better for just occasionally adding heat. If you just want to be a little warmer in the summer, use a cover and/or solar heating. And then maybe use the gas only when you need to add a lot of heat quickly. Actually, I am not sure a heat pump would be a good idea with a spa.

 

[pmj78910]

Thanks for the information and the advice on the booster pump for cleaner! To answer your question, depending on the PB, the filters are Pentair Clean and Clear 520 sq ft, Jandy CL-460, or Jandy CV-460.

 

[jblizzle]

Ok, so a nice big cartridge ... that is good and will not be a limiting factor to anything.

 

[pmj78910]

Thanks for the help.

Another question about pumps for a new build. In addition to the main Jandy E pump or Stealth pump, some of the quotes have included a separate "2 HP spa booster pump". What is the function of a separate booster pump for the spa? Is this necessary?

 

[jblizzle]

Some spas have a separate plumbing loop for the jets where a 2nd pump is used strictly for running them. It would have a suction line from the spa and usually skip the filter and heater and go right back to the spa. Your main filter pump would run through the filter and the heater and return to the spa as well through other ports for cleaning and heating. In spa mode you would likely need to run both pumps (unless the spa pump ran through the heater, although that would preclude you from ever being able to heat the pool).

If you had a separate spa pump, then there is no reason to have such a large filter pump. You save money on electricity by running at low flow rates and it actually filters better as well. You would also not really need such a large filter if you are never running high flow rates through it.

With a large VS pump, I would think that is the only pump you would need.

Just different ways of doing things.