Thanks JoyfulNoise, I will try to get all that info and will report back.
Extra clean (UV?) pools in the Boston, MA area
- Thread starter dfmk
- Start date
Thanks JoyfulNoise, I will try to get all that info and will report back.
OK, I got some information. The size of the pool in terms of volume is ~35,000 gallons. The shape is very irregular, kind of similar to the baseball diamond. My friend also took some pictures of the equipment and marked them up. I am attaching them to this post. She also mentioned that the primary disinfection agent that she uses is Bromine. I wonder if it is compatible with all the other components that JoyfulNoise was suggesting earlier.
I would appreciate any advice on whether it would be possible to retrofit her pool with all those advanced purification technologies and, if yes, what a project like that would entail. Thank you in advance!
Bromine......Please do some searching on water mold. I will do some asking around but my gut says this will be a no-go for your daughter 
Bromine......Please do some searching on water mold. I will do some asking around but my gut says this will be a no-go for your daughter
Huh... Definitely concerning. So potentially the project of converting my friend's pool into something safe enough for my daughter is going to be larger than it seemed originally. However, the question remains: is it still possible, given what we know? Would it be simpler to replace the entire equipment pad and start from scratch? I have no idea how feasible of a budget this would entail, but if in the end I can solve the problem of having a place for my daughter to learn to swim it may be worth it.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,729
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Would not need to replace the whole pad. But would need to convert to Chlorine (either liquid or SWCG) from Bromine. That process is better left to the chemists. I believe it requires a nearly complete water exchange. Not a big deal, just need to understand any issues with it.
Take care.
Take care.
Got it. So it seems that I need to engage a pool company to do all the steps. Here is what, as I very roughly understand, I would need them to do:
Convert pool to Chlorine
Install UV-C sanitizer
Replace the water
Right?
Couple of questions: would SWCG be more effective in terms of the range of pathogens it eliminates? In other words, would it result in cleaner water? What is the trade-off? Cost of installation, or ongoing upkeep?
Something called "SeaKlear PRS system" has been mentioned earlier. Based on some reading I've done this is simply an additive that one regularly pours into the filter. Is that correct? Or are there any equipment modifications that are required for it to work?
Thank you again and again for all the support, guys!
Convert pool to Chlorine
Install UV-C sanitizer
Replace the water
Right?
Couple of questions: would SWCG be more effective in terms of the range of pathogens it eliminates? In other words, would it result in cleaner water? What is the trade-off? Cost of installation, or ongoing upkeep?
Something called "SeaKlear PRS system" has been mentioned earlier. Based on some reading I've done this is simply an additive that one regularly pours into the filter. Is that correct? Or are there any equipment modifications that are required for it to work?
Thank you again and again for all the support, guys!
- May 23, 2015
- 25,727
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Bromine in a pool is a non-starter. We see bromine pools occasionally as it was a popular thing to do in the 80's & 90's until people realized how much of a PITA it is to maintain a bromine pool. 35k gallons of water would have to be dumped BUT you can't do that with a vinyl liner pool as the liner will be wrecked if you drain it.
The DE filter is fine (that model is a bit old) but the pump might need changing for efficiency sake. Brominator has to go.
The DE filter is fine (that model is a bit old) but the pump might need changing for efficiency sake. Brominator has to go.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,727
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
PRS is designed for sand filtration systems. You wouldn't want to use PRS with a DE filter or else you'd gum it up pretty bad.
Got it. So I can now further refine my ToDo's:
Replace the pump
Replace the DE filter for a newer model
Replace the brominator with chlorinator(?)
Replace the water (I don't think it will be a problem since she just got it done as part of a re-tiling project)
The UV-C system -- how does that get installed? Just another device on the equipment pad?
- - - Updated - - -
Does it mean that I want to replace the DE filter with a sand filter, so I can use PRS and reap its benefits? Or does the DE filter by its nature already do the job of the PRS system? As I understand PRS is designed to help rid the pool of parasites like crypto, and it is high on my list of priorities, so if replacing DE with sand filter is the way to go I'll do it.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,727
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Technically, using a DE filter should be the equivalent of using the PRS system. A sand filter only has a particle size filtration spec of about 20-30 microns - much, much larger than a crypto parasite. So the PRS system acts as a coagulant to bind up all the suspended solids (and parasites) into larger clumps so that a sand filter can clear them. A DE filter, by contrast, uses diatomaceous earth as the filtration media and that has a particle size spec down to 3-5 microns. So, in theory, the DE filter should be able to trap free-floating crypto in the water. DE filters, on the downside, sometimes need a lot of baby-sitting and can require frequent backwashing if the filter size is too small for the pool. As well, DE filters must be recharged with DE after every backwash and many people don't like to mess around with DE because of fears associated with it being a respiratory hazard (although those fears are entire overblown).
Switching between sand and DE would be up to you and your friend but, if you do go to sand, you will need the PRS system which will be an on-going expense that most sand filter owners never have to contend with. Also, given the age of that filter, it should be taken completely apart and thoroughly inspected for operational soundness (DE grids are intact and not damaged) as many DE filter owners neglect them.
Switching between sand and DE would be up to you and your friend but, if you do go to sand, you will need the PRS system which will be an on-going expense that most sand filter owners never have to contend with. Also, given the age of that filter, it should be taken completely apart and thoroughly inspected for operational soundness (DE grids are intact and not damaged) as many DE filter owners neglect them.
Very interesting, thank you. I am already doing some further reading on the subject: http://www.aquaticsintl.com/facilities/maintenance/crypto-proof_o
Now that the main components of my friend's pool modernization project are starting to take shape (thanks to everybody in this thread), I began to look at some potential equipment to start getting an idea of the budget, assuming all of the existing equipment will need to be replaced and the pool will be converted from bromine to chlorine. Here are some of the listings that I looked at.
Pump: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OLSWQS6
Filter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00268F6BW
Chlorination system: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WKJ5ES
UV sanitizer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JJ5GV5A
Am I even in the right ballpark?
Pump: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OLSWQS6
Filter: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00268F6BW
Chlorination system: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002WKJ5ES
UV sanitizer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JJ5GV5A
Am I even in the right ballpark?
Your SWG is too small. For the most efficient/longest service life we recommend a SWG that is 2-3X bigger than the pool.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,727
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I would also compare your UV sanitizer with a Paramount Ultra UV system. The Paramount systems can be extended to 4 bulbs running at once to give very high UV-C fluence.
- - - Updated - - -
Agreed. At 35,000 gallons, you'd be hard-pressed to get any SWG to put out enough chlorine. Maybe a Pentair IC-60 could do it, but that would be on the edge.
You might consider liquid chlorine injection using a Stenner pump.
- - - Updated - - -
Agreed. At 35,000 gallons, you'd be hard-pressed to get any SWG to put out enough chlorine. Maybe a Pentair IC-60 could do it, but that would be on the edge.
You might consider liquid chlorine injection using a Stenner pump.
Got it. Two potentially very stupid questions regarding chlorination:
1. Can you install two SWGs in line or in parallel to keep up with the large pool size?
2. Could you install a chlorine injection pump in addition to the SWG to mitigate the insufficient output, or does it have to be one or the other?
And another potentially very stupid, but similar, question regarding the UV lamp: I am only finding the 2-lamp variant (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015091DWE/). Would installing two of those double the benefit, or would it just be redundant?
Thank you again!
Daniel,
I had a best friend who's daughter had the same condition...32 years ago! Has a great life and has birthed 4 children. She received her liver from a donor.
Just trying to possibly ease some of the anxiety for your family. Best of luck on your pool endeavor! Prayers for all of you
I had a best friend who's daughter had the same condition...32 years ago! Has a great life and has birthed 4 children. She received her liver from a donor.
Just trying to possibly ease some of the anxiety for your family. Best of luck on your pool endeavor! Prayers for all of you
Daniel,
I had a best friend who's daughter had the same condition...32 years ago! Has a great life and has birthed 4 children. She received her liver from a donor.
Just trying to possibly ease some of the anxiety for your family. Best of luck on your pool endeavor! Prayers for all of you
I LOOOOVE hearing stories like this! My daughter's future looks very uncertain from where we stand now, so it does indeed give us great hope knowing that normal life for her is still possible. Thank you!
- May 23, 2015
- 25,727
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
In theory, yes you can install two SWGs in parallel. In practice, no residential automation system is designed to easily work that way so the setup is fairly complicated.
Better to just choose one or the other. Liquid chlorine injection would be the better choice.
I believe the 4-lamp model from Paramount may be a special order thing or only available through dealers/pool builders. You'd have to check with paramount to see what a 4-bulb unit would cost. I don't think there's a huge benefit to doubling the unit as it just doubles the fluence and increases the rate at which you can flow water through it. Again, paramount would be able to give you some idea of how the size the UV unit for your pool volume.