We already had a gas heater, so I went with a Glacier chiller. It gave the pool new life. Water temps were hitting mid-90s by early July and the pool wasn’t very refreshing. I can now keep water temps in the low- to mid-80s all summer long.
It’s not without its flaws though. My biggest beef with Glacier is not including some kind of sensor to shut it off if the sump pump fails. The way it works is that pool water is sprayed by rotating wands over plastic grids. As the water runs down the grids, a fan pulls air up and across, increasing evaporation and cooling the water - basically a swamp cooler. The water falls into a basin that has a pump with a float switch. Water gets to a certain level, triggering the pump and is pumped back to the pool. However, if that pump fails, there’s nothing to stop the process and the basin will overflow, ultimately draining the pool. Making matters worse, the most effective time to run the chiller is at night. A simple float switch above the pump’s water line that would shut off the chiller would solve the problem.
Having said that, I’ve had the Glacier for something like 10 years. No pump failure (yet). If we’re out of town, I just turn the chiller off. Otherwise, it runs 3am - 9pm every day and keeps the pool right where I like it. It can also be used on demand instead of on a regular schedule, but you have to plan at least 2-3 days in advance. Contrary to Glacier’s claims, I don’t get 10°-12° cooling overnight. It’s more like 3°-5°.
