Yes, the flex pipe was expensive, but there is not a huge amount there. Plus with the great variance in temperatures here, and our previous experience with broken pipes, we felt it was more practical. Also, we were trying to reduce the number of bends and crooks in the plumbing to maintain flow. We will be splicing in a fairly large (320 sq ft) solar panel system for this spring, and wanted to maintain flow as much as possible.
The pump and filter are Doughboy. I have no complaints yet about the quality of the equipment, but I am already annoyed about the expense of parts and how hard they are to get. You cannot just get on the internet and order them- you have to go through a regional dealer, who has the secret handshake and your very particular part numbers, and it is a pain. And none of the end on the pump or filter or skimmer or return are standard 1.5 inch PVC attachments. They are all some odd diameter slip fitting, so we also had to buy expensive adapters for this set up- another reason for the flex-pipe- to fit the ridiculous non-standard attach points. When we get ready to replace, it will be with something more standard.
The "local" dealer also laughed at us (really) when we asked about a 2-speed pump. We were not confident enough in our knowledge at that point to insist- now I know.
Cherie, we did have ice last week, and it was because we were enveloped in "freezing fog"- blowing around ice particles that stuck to cold metal surfaces (such as our pool rails) and formed a skin of ice. The water did not freeze however. The lowest it got was 40 degrees.
Budster, if we lived too much further north than this, I would be more concerned about freezing. I am from Minnesota, and I have seen frozen waterfalls, among many other frozen things. While we do get freezing temps, they do not stick around for more than a couple days, and the sun is very warm, so if it comes out, it will melt ice even if the air is below freezing- actually kind of interesting to see.
We do have a back up plan as well, because our power goes out frequently. If that should happen during an ice storm, we have a small back up generator. Failing that, we will go out, shut everything down, open up all the connections and drain plugs, and drain the system. We will shortly have shelter above and around the pump, filter, and plumbing, and can put a shop heater in the shelter to keep everything from freezing long enough for it to drain. Hopefully, we will not have to go that far, but it never hurts to be prepared.
The pump and filter are Doughboy. I have no complaints yet about the quality of the equipment, but I am already annoyed about the expense of parts and how hard they are to get. You cannot just get on the internet and order them- you have to go through a regional dealer, who has the secret handshake and your very particular part numbers, and it is a pain. And none of the end on the pump or filter or skimmer or return are standard 1.5 inch PVC attachments. They are all some odd diameter slip fitting, so we also had to buy expensive adapters for this set up- another reason for the flex-pipe- to fit the ridiculous non-standard attach points. When we get ready to replace, it will be with something more standard.
The "local" dealer also laughed at us (really) when we asked about a 2-speed pump. We were not confident enough in our knowledge at that point to insist- now I know.
Cherie, we did have ice last week, and it was because we were enveloped in "freezing fog"- blowing around ice particles that stuck to cold metal surfaces (such as our pool rails) and formed a skin of ice. The water did not freeze however. The lowest it got was 40 degrees.
Budster, if we lived too much further north than this, I would be more concerned about freezing. I am from Minnesota, and I have seen frozen waterfalls, among many other frozen things. While we do get freezing temps, they do not stick around for more than a couple days, and the sun is very warm, so if it comes out, it will melt ice even if the air is below freezing- actually kind of interesting to see.
We do have a back up plan as well, because our power goes out frequently. If that should happen during an ice storm, we have a small back up generator. Failing that, we will go out, shut everything down, open up all the connections and drain plugs, and drain the system. We will shortly have shelter above and around the pump, filter, and plumbing, and can put a shop heater in the shelter to keep everything from freezing long enough for it to drain. Hopefully, we will not have to go that far, but it never hurts to be prepared.
* But we now feel confident that a 2-speed pump on low, with pipes wrapped and an equipment wall will be sufficient to handle the Texas winters! Amjohn, I'll try to post pictures when I get them off my camera. I procrastinated and ended up with about 2,500 pictures on my camera, which will take a VERY long time to download!
