Purchased a house a few months ago that has an older (existing) in-ground concrete pool. The pool was somewhat neglected by previous homeowners so we are working to get it back and running.
The pool itself has no leaks but will need to be redone within a few years. We are waiting to tackle that project, mainly for budgeting and prioritization purposes.
Most of the equipment was older as well (with one exception but will circle back to that later). Due to an addition we are doing on the house, we will need to move the equipment location so we are taking the opportunity to go ahead and upgrade/replace the equipment now rather than moving the existing equipment.
I have calculated the volume of the pool and determined that it is approximately 14k - 15k gallons. Pool equipment will be relatively close to pool (approx. 40' pipe length from skimmer to pump). No spa. Main drain and skimmer lines are apparently tied together underground before getting to the equipment pad.
We asked our pool guy for a proposal to replace the equipment and provide recommendations on equipment size/types. He's recommended the following:
- 420 sq ft cartridge filter
- 1.5 HP main pump (variable speed)
- Rainbow chlorine feeder (unsure on size/model). I understand downsides with chlorine feeders but I am not really looking to go to SWG, at least at this time.
The existing Polaris booster pump and Polaris cleaner are both in good shape and were replaced within the last few years by the previous owners. Therefore, we are looking at reinstalling the current booster pump (Model PB4SQ) and using the pressure-side cleaner.
A heat pump or pool heater is not included in current scope but I'd like the ability to easily add one later. My thoughts are to install a 3-way valve that I can use as a bypass valve down the road plus a "T" downstream of that, where one leg of the T is capped. Later, I can tie into the 3-way valve for the heat pump inlet line and the T for the outlet.
Also - no controls are included now due to simplicity of the current system. When we redo the pool, we may decide to add water features at which time we might add controls. Or perhaps if/when we add a heater.
Lastly, I would like the ability to take flow readings to adjust pump speed and fine-tune operation. I am going to insist on an inline flow meter and my thoughts are that it can be installed after the filter/heater but before the chlorine feeder. I'm also going to insist that the flow meter and chlorine feeder are installed with unions (as I will with all other major equipment).
I have sketched up a preliminary configuration for the pool equipment (see below).
My questions for the forum would be:
1. A 420 sq ft cartridge filter seems large for my pool size but was recommended by pool guy. He said we could go down to 320 sq ft but he would stick to 420. In research, it seems oversizing a pool filter is not necessarily a bad thing and the only downside appears to be additional costs associated with the larger filter. Any concerns other than that?
2. Do I need isolation valves on the return lines in this configuration?
3. Do I need any check valves for the booster pump, or any other locations? I suppose I could have a scenario where my booster pumps go out and I wouldn't be able to isolate it but I'd still be able to operate my main pump and filter, even if the booster pump is not running.
4. I'm assuming 2" line sizes are sufficient for this setup but any concerns or thoughts on that?
5. Any other general concerns with this proposed configuration? I want to keep it as simple/economical as possible while not having any oversights from a maintenance/operation perspective later.
Thanks in advance for input.
The pool itself has no leaks but will need to be redone within a few years. We are waiting to tackle that project, mainly for budgeting and prioritization purposes.
Most of the equipment was older as well (with one exception but will circle back to that later). Due to an addition we are doing on the house, we will need to move the equipment location so we are taking the opportunity to go ahead and upgrade/replace the equipment now rather than moving the existing equipment.
I have calculated the volume of the pool and determined that it is approximately 14k - 15k gallons. Pool equipment will be relatively close to pool (approx. 40' pipe length from skimmer to pump). No spa. Main drain and skimmer lines are apparently tied together underground before getting to the equipment pad.
We asked our pool guy for a proposal to replace the equipment and provide recommendations on equipment size/types. He's recommended the following:
- 420 sq ft cartridge filter
- 1.5 HP main pump (variable speed)
- Rainbow chlorine feeder (unsure on size/model). I understand downsides with chlorine feeders but I am not really looking to go to SWG, at least at this time.
The existing Polaris booster pump and Polaris cleaner are both in good shape and were replaced within the last few years by the previous owners. Therefore, we are looking at reinstalling the current booster pump (Model PB4SQ) and using the pressure-side cleaner.
A heat pump or pool heater is not included in current scope but I'd like the ability to easily add one later. My thoughts are to install a 3-way valve that I can use as a bypass valve down the road plus a "T" downstream of that, where one leg of the T is capped. Later, I can tie into the 3-way valve for the heat pump inlet line and the T for the outlet.
Also - no controls are included now due to simplicity of the current system. When we redo the pool, we may decide to add water features at which time we might add controls. Or perhaps if/when we add a heater.
Lastly, I would like the ability to take flow readings to adjust pump speed and fine-tune operation. I am going to insist on an inline flow meter and my thoughts are that it can be installed after the filter/heater but before the chlorine feeder. I'm also going to insist that the flow meter and chlorine feeder are installed with unions (as I will with all other major equipment).
I have sketched up a preliminary configuration for the pool equipment (see below).
My questions for the forum would be:
1. A 420 sq ft cartridge filter seems large for my pool size but was recommended by pool guy. He said we could go down to 320 sq ft but he would stick to 420. In research, it seems oversizing a pool filter is not necessarily a bad thing and the only downside appears to be additional costs associated with the larger filter. Any concerns other than that?
2. Do I need isolation valves on the return lines in this configuration?
3. Do I need any check valves for the booster pump, or any other locations? I suppose I could have a scenario where my booster pumps go out and I wouldn't be able to isolate it but I'd still be able to operate my main pump and filter, even if the booster pump is not running.
4. I'm assuming 2" line sizes are sufficient for this setup but any concerns or thoughts on that?
5. Any other general concerns with this proposed configuration? I want to keep it as simple/economical as possible while not having any oversights from a maintenance/operation perspective later.
Thanks in advance for input.
