Buying a Pool, need Filter and Pump Advice

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mattk22

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Feb 24, 2014
34
Delaware, OH
I am getting a 27’ round Blue Cascade Harmony AGP. It has Hayward wide mouth automatic pool skimmer and adjustable return in-let. Dual bottom main drains. Pool plumbing is schedule-40 PVC flex hose with independent flow control valves. (They say they don't use ribbed plumbing hoses because they usually last just a couple years due to drying and cracking). First does all of this sound good?

Second, the dealer has a Hayward Matrix 1-1/2 HP, 2-Speed pool pump and a 19” Heyward sm1915shg filter with 150lbs of sand in my package. From the reading here, it sounds like I would be better off with a Hayward Matrix 1hp 2-Speed pump and a 21” Sand Filter with 300lbs of sand. Is that what I should do, if not what do you recommend?
 
I think you have learned a lot by reading :goodjob:

That 1HP should be cheaper to buy and run and should be plenty for the pool. Also, the 21" filter is about the minimum I would even consider.

- - - Updated - - -

Just wanted to add that floor drains are far from required and can sometimes lead to problems down the road.
 
Welcome to TFP ? mattk22 !

Yep that 1 hp 2 speed matrix is the one to get. I've got one and it is plenty of pump. You wont be disappointed.

I agree with Jason that filter is the min I would get. Bigger is better in filters. ?
 
What is the issue with bottom drains? my dealer says they install them with almost every pool they do and have never had problems with them. he can't understand why you wouldn't want them due to the increase in circulation they give.

Also, he states how big of a pain it is to clean an insert filter. another place I talked to said in his personal pool he just hoses is filter off every two weeks. which of those statements is more accurate?

And the 19" Filter specs say it will filter 21,600 gallons every 8 hours, why is that not big enough for a 19,000 gallon pool? I am slightly confused.
 
Filters work better at lower flow rates .. that 21600 in 8 hours is likely the MAX rated flow rate. Your pump will determine what your actual flow rate is. BTW, the flow rate and turn over is meaningless ... read this: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/152-determine-pump-run-time

The bigger the filter, the less often you have to clean it. If you got a nice big cartridge filter, you may only need to clean it once a year like other members.

Ideally for a 19k pool I would suggest at least a 25" sand filter or a 280+ sqft cartridge filter. If you put a tiny 100 sqft cartridge on the pool, you may find that you have to clean it very often.

BTW, we recommend cleaning the filter when the pressure rises 20-25% over the clean pressure.

With floor drains there is always the risk (although small) that you will develop a leak under the pool which is difficult to repair. Circulation is just fine without them and generally you want most of the flow through the skimmer anyway so that you capture most debris before it sinks.
 
It is very common for these combo packages to have oversized pumps and undersized filters. It is not an issue of can the filter flow enough for the pump size, but the fact that a bigger filter will let you go longer between filter cleanings. You have a lot of variation from location to location, pool to pool, but getting one of these smaller filters and you may find yourself having to take the time to clean / backwash the filter every week, sure it is only 5 minutes of time, but is also lots of wasted water, where if you invest just a bit more in a larger filter that may turn into once every month or two. For those with a short swim season and an oversized filter this can turn into cleaning the filter only at the start and end of the swim season as part of the start up / shut down process.

As to Floor drains, I don't have one, sometimes I wish I did, but I also read many horror stories about broken floor drain pipes, etc.
 

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Yeah, I put your pool at closer to 17k gallons, making the filter recommendations: 24" sand or 250 sqft cartridge ... smaller will work, just require more frequent cleaning.
 
I decided to go with a Hayward XStream 150 and a Matrix 1.5hp pump. The XStream 150 was the top of my budget, so i got the biggest I could. I really wanted a 1hp, but the XStream only comes with a 1.5hp.
During this process of looking for more info on filters and pumps, i sent a tweet to Hayward. What a great experience. They tweeted me back and asked if they could have a tech call me and discuss. After I sent them my number, John from Hayward called me and talked to me for about 25 minutes. He recommended a 1hp also, but said the 150 didn't come that low, even though he wished they would offer it like that. What great service from Hayward, i will be a customer for life now. I go down and finalize everything next week and should have my pool installed in early April. Thanks so much for the help, i will be around these parts a lot more now!
 
Could you not have found a better deal on a non-combo unit? Generally the combos do not make sense ... like this one where the filter is small and the pump is big. I would have thought you could have found a separate larger filter with a separate smaller pump and come out around the same price. Although admittedly I have never looked.

What you got will work, just not quite as efficiently. Is the pump at least a 2-speed?
 
The flow rate difference for the Matrix 1.5 HP vs the Maxtrix 1 HP is not all that different so I would not be too concerned. In general, AG pumps tend to have much lower flow rates than the same rated IG pumps. On AG equipment, the flow rate for the 1.5 HP pump should be around 55 GPM and using the APSP-15 specification of 0.375 GPM/sq-ft, results in a minimum filter size of 145 sq-ft so with a 150 sq-ft filter you should still be ok. Bigger is better when it comes to a cartridge filters but the setup you have should be sufficient.
 
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