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B

brb

0
Mar 3, 2015
4
Chicago/IL
Just want to say hi ... and sorry for tons of annoying questions to come :).

Last year we bough a new home with a 20' X 40' Fox in ground with spa in bad shape. We started with pool last summer - liner, cleaning, pressure test and winterizing.
Since end of this winter is hopefully coming I am in the process of planning/quoting on mechanical side of my "waterhole". As you probably know by now it is a learning process for me.
I am hoping to find some good people here that would let me use their knowledge in getting the right answers/choices. Right now I am trying to decide on brands / sizes types on all the equipment. Shopping for:
- Filter (sand or insert) ... so far - Pentair Quad DE High Flow Filter | 100 Sq Ft
- Pumps ... Pentair IntelliFlo Variable Speed Pump VS+ 3.2kW 3HP Max as main and not sure about the boost for spa
- Heater : so far
Pentair MasterTemp HD Low NOx Pool Heater - Electronic Ignition - Cupro
Nickel - Natural Gas - 400,000 BTU HD
- trying to decide on salt or not ..if yes ......Pentair Intellichlor Salt Chlorine Generator | 60,000 Gallon Complete System

After that I will need to replace light maybe some control unit ... as you see everything I have so far is Pentair. Not sure if there is better choices ... considering product itself as well as price/warranty. I am on a budget ... hoping to put it together myself. I did talk with two pool guys ... they have their own opinions. I am a bit confused after. I was set on salt now one of them told me that it will destroy my liner ...?

It's probably little chaotic ... sorry. Please let me have your opinions, advise anything will be welcomed.
Thanks
 
:wave: Welcome to TFP!!!

Filter: Filter sizes are based on the pool size and length of season. If I assume your average depth is 4' then your volume is around 24k gallons and you have a shorter season than us in the SW. So the filter sizes I would suggest as minimums would be:
350 sqft cartridge filter or 28" diameter sand or 60 sqft DE
That huge quad DE is likely overkill, but certainly will not hurt anything ... just means less frequent cleanings

Pump: If you have high electrical costs, then a VS pump can make sense. The Intelliflo is a nice full-feature VS pump. It is likely strong enough that you would not need a booster pump or 2nd pump for the spa.

Heater: Hands-down Raypak heaters get the most recommendations on the forum. They are simple and easy to work on. There is really no need to go to the Cupro Nickle. Bigger is better for heaters (assuming you have the gas pipes to support it).

SWG: Most people that have them love them. We recommend sizing for 1.5-3 times the size of your pool. So a 40k cell would be a good minimum size. Note that the Pentair may not be the best choice. Without a Pentair automation system, you do not have as much control over the output. And since a lot of the electronics are in the cell, replacement cells are more expensive.

One thing you need to be doing now also is learning about the chemistry so you can maintain the pool once you get it going. How much Pool School have you read? Start with these:
ABCs of Water Chemistry
Recommended Pool Chemicals
How to Chlorinate Your Pool

And of course ask questions as they arise.
 
Thank you guys ... how about :

Raypak Digital Propane Gas Pool Heater 360K BTU | Electronic Ignition | Cupro Nickel Heat Exchanger | P-R406A-EP-X #58 014953 P-M406A-EP-X #58 014981

Better than :

Pentair MasterTemp HD Low NOx Pool Heater - Electronic Ignition - Cupro
Nickel - Natural Gas - 400,000 BTU HD - 460805

?
 
Based on feedback ... Yes. And the 10% difference in output will not really be noticeable. Again you could save some by just getting Copper instead of Cupro Nickel
 
ok ... how about filters
Originally this pool was running on Triton 2 TR 30or 36 not sure. I could go the same way ... but some people say that

Pentair Sta-Rite System:3 Modular Media Cartridge Filter | 450 sq. ft. | S8M150

would be much more easier with maintenance. What do you think ?
 
jblizzle said:
The different filters all have pluses and minuses. It is personal preference. The easiest maintenance is with sand filters. Cartridges can be a nightmare if you are not on top of the chemistry and have to clear up algae blooms.
Click to expand...

+1 on having to clean your cartridge filter every day or two if you are trying to kill some algae. But, I only let that happen ONCE! so far anyway ... :)
 

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Welcome to the best pool place on the 'net!

I used to have a cart. filter. I now have a sand one and LOVE it! Almost no work at all to "clean".
-turn off the pump
-open valve leading out
-turn filter handle to back wash
-turn pump back
-watch water come out until it runs clean

The filter does all of the work really.

With the cart. ones you WILL get wet and it takes effort on your part to clean it.

Kim
 
Some people are able to plumb the backwash port into their sewage line (check your local laws). Most just backwash into the grass/yard. A build up of DE can have adverse effects, but using a fiber product instead of DE can actually be beneficial to the grass.
 
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