Hello TFP folks! I set up a new AG pool yesterday, and assembled a solar heater I purchased off of a random craigslister. My pool has two inlets and one return. I only used one inlet and one return for my sand filter, and hooked an over wall skimmer to the other inlet, and plumbed that to the solar heater. Two questions. The pump I have running the water to the solar heater on the roof is a .82hp c.m.t brand pump. Is this overkill? That pump is a higher hp rating than the one in my sand filter. Second question is whether I can plumb the return line from my solar heater to the same pool return that the sand filter is using. Since the pump I'm using for the solar heater flows so much water, I'm curious whether it might overpower the sand filter's pump and reduce its flow. The return from my solar heater is currently just hanging over the wall and there is a significant flow rate. Anyone who has played around with this stuff and has advice to offer would be greatly appreciated.
Solar heater pump return
- Thread starter Taupe
- Start date
- May 3, 2007
- 16,828
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
You should always plumb a solar panel post filter so no debris gets stuck the solar panel tubes.
Next, if the panels are on the ground, you should not need an extra pump. But if you need the extra lift of a bigger pump for a roof mounted solar, then you can plumb the second pump between the filter and the panels.
Also, it is nearly impossible to tell if a pump is oversized vs undersized from just the HP rating. There are 1/2 HP pumps that deliver more flow rate than some 2 HP pumps so in order for me to comment on that, I need the exact make and model number of the pump.
Next, if the panels are on the ground, you should not need an extra pump. But if you need the extra lift of a bigger pump for a roof mounted solar, then you can plumb the second pump between the filter and the panels.
Also, it is nearly impossible to tell if a pump is oversized vs undersized from just the HP rating. There are 1/2 HP pumps that deliver more flow rate than some 2 HP pumps so in order for me to comment on that, I need the exact make and model number of the pump.
Thanks, I'll try to figure out a way to run through the filter. The specs on the pump running the solar panel are 3450 rpm, hmax 10m, qmax 250l/min, kW .60, hp.82, pump is a c.m.t brand model 10148.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,828
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
That pump could be an issue for your filter because it is about 4x more flow rate than the filter pump so unless you get another filter, I probably would not use it. But you didn't say if the panels were on the ground or not.
Sorry, the solar panel is on the roof, approximately 11 ft off the ground. I do have an extra paper filter that I could put in line to keep the systems separate.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,828
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Your current pump probably would not work well with that height. If you use the larger pump, you would just need to make sure the cartridge filter would handle the flow rate (~50 GPM).
