Glacier Pool Chiller in FL?

[MCF50]

And if you are going to do glacier make sure you get it installed when doing new. It's simple - just one more return dedicated for the glacier chiller. If you do it after the fact their installation is very convoluted.

 

[jark87]

If you do it after the fact their installation is very convoluted.

While I agree that having one installed during the original build is the best way to go, I don’t think there’s anything convoluted about an after the fact installation, which is what I had done. When I bought mine, I talked to a few references before the purchase and all of them had added their Glaciers after the fact. Our installation was done in a day by one person and it works great!

 

[MCF50]

I'm not saying they are bad by any means, I just know that a 5% difference in humidity will have a notable affect. If anyone knows of a reputable installer in Houston or surrounding areas please let me know because the one's I have talked to on the phone don't seem to know what they are talking about. I want it tied into my Pentair control panel which means they also have to know how to work with it.....the thing about post installation is having to run from the discharge of your pool pump to the chiller and then back to the suction with some automated valves in the line. It is more difficult then if you do it right off the bat. If I would have know about it during my construction I probably would have done it. Some installers I have talked to don't give me the warm fuzzy feeling and one tried to upsell me on a larger unit even though my pool is only 14,000 gallons (at most).

 

[duckcmmndr]

You contradictded yourself. You stated in your first email it was 84% humidity but in this email you state humidity went from 80-60%? That is a big difference. When the humidity dropped over night is when you got the cooling. If you run it with 80+% humidity the cooling effect will be reduced. It can only cool to dew point. Not possible to cool below that. Now Pentair and a couple other companies have developed some very efficient heat pumps. I have a gas heater and will use it for heating the hot tub/pool and use heat pump to cool. The nice thing about a heat pump is you can set the temp and forget. You can also set it to get to a temp and have it turn off. So cool from 88F water at 8pm to 82F water overnight and once it hits 82 it will turn off and not come back on.

No...I simply stated what it was while I was running it. Humidity varies throughout the day you know. You have already turned your nose up at the chiller. This thread is about the chiller. If you have practical experience with one...please tell us all about it.

 

[jark87]

You’re correct about the effect of humidity, but all I know is that my water temp rarely, if ever, gets above 83° all summer long. That includes some really hot and humid days, like we had here a couple of weeks ago after heavy rain. If anything, I’ve found that lower humidity definitely improves the efficiency because my water will get downright cold. Last summer, it was down to 71° and only rising to about 75° when we had extra low humidity. For once, the water was too cold, even for me. But during really humid periods, my water temp rises to low-80s maximum.

And I’m not saying this to steer your towards Glacier. I definitely had my doubts when I bought mine and seriously considered a heat pump, even though I already had a gas heater. I’m just sharing my experience.

In terms of installers, I found mine on the Glacier website. At the time, there were only 2 in the entire DFW area, as they just weren’t that popular. Only 1 of the 2 would give me references of Glaciers installed after the fact, so that’s who I chose. My pool builder sales rep is now a good friend of mine and he told me they don’t recommend them because people expect them to work like an AC unit, with precise temp control. Most people won’t take the time to understand how they work.

Here’s a link of Houston area installers from Glacier’s website, if you’re interested. If you end up with a heat pump, I’m sure you’ll be happy with that choice, too, especially since you’ve researched it thoroughly. Good luck!

Service and Installation for Your Pool Chillers | Glacier Pool Coolers

glacierpoolcoolers.com

 

[MCF50]

No...I simply stated what it was while I was running it. Humidity varies throughout the day you know. You have already turned your nose up at the chiller. This thread is about the chiller. If you have practical experience with one...please tell us all about it.

Ok calm down.

 

[ginahoust]

I’m in the Dallas area, so our climate is not quite as humid as yours, but close. The Glacier was the best investment I’ve made in our pool. We went from water temps in the mid-90s to low-80s and can even drop into the 70s when humidity drops below 45%. There are quite a few members on TFP that live in the Houston area that are having similar success with their Glaciers, and I think Houston’s combined heat and humidity is worse than yours.

We are thinking of getting a chiller but read that the maintenance is a little tough if you have a salt system. Do you have salt or chlorine? Has that been an issue?

 

[Bvacchiano]

I have seriously considered the Glacier and after a lot of research (regardless of what Glacier says) the system will not work well in high humidity areas like Houston. I have called them twice and talked to their designers and both times have been treated like a child. Another red flag I have encountered is no reputable pool builders will install them. The only installers I can find in Houston are HVAC or pool cleaning companies. Sorry, but I am not going to let a pool cleaning service install pool equipment requiring automated valves and tying into my Pentair control panel. Based on this I will probably go with a Pentair heat pump, which really is the correct way to do it.

Ive had a Glacier Chiller in Houston for the past 4 years. It’s work’s phenomenally. Right now my water is 84 degrees at 11:30 AM and it’s 102 deg outside with rediculous humidity. Whoever said it doesn’t work in high humidity is LYING TO YOU. Of course pool builders would rather sell you a heat pump. It’s more expensive, breaks routinely, and they get kick backs from the major equipment companies for selling it. Mine was put in by the pool builder. Power wise I don’t even notice the change and I run the thing 14 hours a day. I have several friends with heat pumps and they are switching out to Chillers.

 

[duraleigh]

For those of you considering a chiller, please google here on this forum "fountain", "evaporative cooler", or "pool cooler".

Evaporative cooling really works and it's free. I am not saying it will cool as much as the glacier but it might be perfectly adequate..........it certainly worked for my 43k pool in North Carolina.

 

[jark87]

Do you have salt or chlorine? Has that been an issue?

Yes, salt and no, it hasn’t been an issue at all. The unit itself is made of fiberglass and the fan blade are plastic. There’s really not much metal on it at all.

 

[duckcmmndr]

Ive had a Glacier Chiller in Houston for the past 4 years. It’s work’s phenomenally. Right now my water is 84 degrees at 11:30 AM and it’s 102 deg outside with rediculous humidity. Whoever said it doesn’t work in high humidity is LYING TO YOU. Of course pool builders would rather sell you a heat pump. It’s more expensive, breaks routinely, and they get kick backs from the major equipment companies for selling it. Mine was put in by the pool builder. Power wise I don’t even notice the change and I run the thing 14 hours a day. I have several friends with heat pumps and they are switching out to Chillers.

This is 100% true. It's 100 here straight up noon and my pool is currently 86. My pool is in full sun from about 8AM till 7PM every day. It might make warm up another degree...but that's it. Without the chiller it would be 93 or 94 degrees. Salt pool and zero issues with chiller.

 

[jark87]

Evaporative cooling really works and it's free.

I agree completely. I certainly gave it a try before moving on to the Glacier. I tried 2 different kinds of misters/sprayers and they only dropped the water a couple of degrees. The wind would also blow the spray onto the surrounding landscaping and that was doing some damage.