jark87
Silver Supporter
- Jun 5, 2011
- 1,180
- Pool Size
- 25500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
Glacier Pool Coolers vs Heat Pump Chiller - Help me decide
- Thread starter Neoex
- Start date
My pool builder is using a Pentair 2.0 whisperflo and I’d ask if everyone recommends Glacier pool chiller or TropiCool by Aqua Cal? The glacier is less expensive and I did read the thread but want to have ease of use and integrated. Can anyone comment on which would be best?
jark87
Silver Supporter
- Jun 5, 2011
- 1,180
- Pool Size
- 25500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
I have a Glacier but can’t speak to the TropiCool. The Glacier has worked great for us. We’re also in the Dallas area and our pool used to get into the mid-90s by early July. Now, our pool remains in the low to mid-80s all summer. Since you’ve done some research, you probably understand how the Glacier works off of evaporation, so the drier the air, the better the cooling. In terms of automation, I have the Glacier on a program that opens the valve to the unit and also turns it on. I’ve found that having the chiller come on around 3am and running until the pool shuts off at 8pm during the summer works best. I run it every day, starting in April or May so that I can get ahead of the heat.
Even though I recommend the Glacier, I have had a couple of problems. The pump is in the basin and is connected with PVC. The PVC wasn’t glued very well, so the vibration of the pump caused it to become disconnected. Luckily I was home and caught it before it flooded. Fixing it was easy, as I just glued it back on with PVC primer and glue. The 2nd issue was the fan motor went out at the end of this summer. It’s 5 years old, but I thought it would last longer than that. Replacement motor is $500 through Glacier, so I’m planning to take it to a motor repair shop during the winter. I definitely want the chiller functional before next summer.
Hope this helps!
Even though I recommend the Glacier, I have had a couple of problems. The pump is in the basin and is connected with PVC. The PVC wasn’t glued very well, so the vibration of the pump caused it to become disconnected. Luckily I was home and caught it before it flooded. Fixing it was easy, as I just glued it back on with PVC primer and glue. The 2nd issue was the fan motor went out at the end of this summer. It’s 5 years old, but I thought it would last longer than that. Replacement motor is $500 through Glacier, so I’m planning to take it to a motor repair shop during the winter. I definitely want the chiller functional before next summer.
Hope this helps!
Love my Glacier. I’ve had for two years and works great. I get my water down to low 80’s if i want to. Mine is wired to my Pentair Easy Touch which makes it great to set schedules,turn it in off remotely,etc. initially I run mine pretty much all day (20 hours) fir first three/four days I turn it in for summer then it runs 12 hours a dat starting at 4 am and ending at 4 pm. My main complaint is it is loud. DO NOT put it near a bedroom window. Also if you can put in the shade that helps as well
Glacier was the proper answer for me because I already had a NG heater for my Hottub and my pool being only 10,000~ gallon its easy enough to heat. The glacier chiller I had schedule to run from 10:00PM to 8:00AM Thursday/Friday/Saturday for primary pool use of friday/saturday/sunday. I was able to keep my pool in the low-mid 80s even on the hottest Oklahoma days. Prior to the glacier my pool got to be 94 degrees.
From an energy use perspective I believe the Glacier to be ions beyond the Tropic heat pump. You can look at at amperage requirments and see that clear as day.. With the heat-pump youre basically running an additional 5-ton AC unit when your running that chiller.
If you want to do a polar plunge type deal and super chill the water, I dont know that the Glacier will do what you want. It works off the ambient area temp like a radiator to cool the water. But for a comfort level on a residential pool(80-87 degrees) it works 100% as advertised and I am VERY VERY happy with it.
From an energy use perspective I believe the Glacier to be ions beyond the Tropic heat pump. You can look at at amperage requirments and see that clear as day.. With the heat-pump youre basically running an additional 5-ton AC unit when your running that chiller.
If you want to do a polar plunge type deal and super chill the water, I dont know that the Glacier will do what you want. It works off the ambient area temp like a radiator to cool the water. But for a comfort level on a residential pool(80-87 degrees) it works 100% as advertised and I am VERY VERY happy with it.