Hi,
I recently "inherited" a 50+ year old community inground pool. The dimensions are 65' x 25' with a 3' shallow-end and a 9' deep-end. We're in Canada so the pool only sees 9-10 weeks of use per year. The pool has a good deal of pine trees that surround it- picturesque, but a mess in pine needles and sand. In the adjacent pump shed are 2 jet pumps to pull water up from sand point wells in the ground, as well as 2 Jacuzzi Laser sand filtration pumps (1.5 hp) and sand tanks. 2 months ago I knew nothing about in-ground pool operation and season opening, but I've had to do a lot of learning to get it open for late June. So excuse any naivete on my descriptions or question please- I'm still learning. I've read the sticky post on pump and water theory, but have some questions pertaining to pool maintenance.
Right now we vacuum every 2 days and it takes over an hour to do since there is a good deal of pool use and sand/pine needles get into the pool from wet feet. The community also prefers minimal chlorine use so a missed dose or two may start some algae growth. The suction is really poor on the closer skimmer, and almost non-existent for the far skimmer. When we vac, we turn off the other skimmer and drain in order to maximize the water intake. Cleaning the basket and doing backwashes helps a little, but the pressure is just ****-poor. I'm considering a robot cleaner, but before such an investment, I'm wondering if the pool is sub-optimally setup. So onto my questions:
- For that sized pool, are the two 1.5 hp pumps sufficient? I'd assume 3+hp would be needed.
- The vacuum is attached to the close skimmer but performs very poorly, perhaps a shorter vacuum hose? It's currently 65' or so (guess). It's always a wrestling match to get the air out of the tube before starting.
- The poor suction on the far skimmer may be due to eroded pipes, is there a good way to check the pipes without jackhammering the pipe path?
- Anything else I should look for to increase water flow during the regular operation. The pump for the long/far skimmer cycle runs at 8 psi and the close one is at 20 psi (at least that's what the gauges are telling me). The pipes are 2.5" if that helps.
I appreciate any answers/tips/etc.
I recently "inherited" a 50+ year old community inground pool. The dimensions are 65' x 25' with a 3' shallow-end and a 9' deep-end. We're in Canada so the pool only sees 9-10 weeks of use per year. The pool has a good deal of pine trees that surround it- picturesque, but a mess in pine needles and sand. In the adjacent pump shed are 2 jet pumps to pull water up from sand point wells in the ground, as well as 2 Jacuzzi Laser sand filtration pumps (1.5 hp) and sand tanks. 2 months ago I knew nothing about in-ground pool operation and season opening, but I've had to do a lot of learning to get it open for late June. So excuse any naivete on my descriptions or question please- I'm still learning. I've read the sticky post on pump and water theory, but have some questions pertaining to pool maintenance.
Right now we vacuum every 2 days and it takes over an hour to do since there is a good deal of pool use and sand/pine needles get into the pool from wet feet. The community also prefers minimal chlorine use so a missed dose or two may start some algae growth. The suction is really poor on the closer skimmer, and almost non-existent for the far skimmer. When we vac, we turn off the other skimmer and drain in order to maximize the water intake. Cleaning the basket and doing backwashes helps a little, but the pressure is just ****-poor. I'm considering a robot cleaner, but before such an investment, I'm wondering if the pool is sub-optimally setup. So onto my questions:
- For that sized pool, are the two 1.5 hp pumps sufficient? I'd assume 3+hp would be needed.
- The vacuum is attached to the close skimmer but performs very poorly, perhaps a shorter vacuum hose? It's currently 65' or so (guess). It's always a wrestling match to get the air out of the tube before starting.
- The poor suction on the far skimmer may be due to eroded pipes, is there a good way to check the pipes without jackhammering the pipe path?
- Anything else I should look for to increase water flow during the regular operation. The pump for the long/far skimmer cycle runs at 8 psi and the close one is at 20 psi (at least that's what the gauges are telling me). The pipes are 2.5" if that helps.
I appreciate any answers/tips/etc.
