Hello,
Here is the pool - it is very small and irregular, but I estimate volume at around 10 cubic metres (2640 gallons).
It turned green 10 minutes (OK - 3 days) after being filled.
I have acquired but not yet fitted a pump and filter combo in a fiberglass box.
The pump is 0.5hp, and claims a flow rate of 12 m3/h (3170 gallons/h), the filter is sand, claims a flow rate of 6 m3/h (1585 gallons). Tubes/fittings are all 50mm (2 inch).
I have approached local pool builders for advice/help, but sense they are not interested because my pool is too small and already exists and they are down by the sea and I am up in the mountains... so the job is not worth their while.
So I am trying to source stuff online (here in Italy), and work with my local plumber to put it together.
I have a series of questions - I hope it is OK to put them all in one post!
Question 1: can I put the pump and filter above water level (about 3 feet above water level, 24 feet pipe run) if have lots of non return valves in the right places? My plumber is not keen and the people who supplied the pump advised against it, although the pump manual alleges 4 metres of lift. If the answer really is no, I will bury the box at/below water level about 30 ft of pipe run away (just around the corner of the fence in the middle of the pic), but it would be a lot tidier and easier to operate if I can put it in a small shed already present just out of shot to the left in the pic.
Question 2: finding the right SWG - I am very keen to go this route. However all the units I am finding online here seem to be very expensive and suitable for a pool at least 5 times bigger than mine. The exception are some Intex products, for which the spec says very fiercely they can only ever be used for intex pools. Can I use an intex above ground system that says it is suitable for pump flows matching my pump (although the intex pipes are 32 mm (1.25 inch)), or is this a false economy/simply won't work? If I buy something at triple the price to fit my 50mm pipes and designed for a pool 5 times bigger, can I still "tune" it to provide the right chlorine levels for my small pool?
Question 3: the right heat pump - I actually need this to be "reversible", it is more important to able to cool the water down in high summer than heat it at other times. I have found one suitable for my volume of water, but it says it should have a through flow of 2 m3/h (500 gallons/h) - again, the connecting pipes/tubes are 32mm (1.25 inch). Can I connect this into my pump/filter/SWG (maybe intex or maybe other) system? Or will the flow through it be too fast, or slow the rest of the system down too much?
I will be eternally grateful for any help with all this - I am in the place where I have done loads of online research and acquired just enough knowledge to develop what seem like viable ideas which will almost certainly turn out to be a disaster...
In hope
DB in Italy
