Help with "new to us pool and pump"

[clg82]

Hey everyone we close on our next home December 30th we currently already have a pool but it doesn't have nearly as many accessories as this one....the new one has an inground spa, solar heating, robot cleaner etc....I am unsure as to what all of the valves and such do.....and the inspector was also unable to get the heater to work for the spa....maybe the gas is shut off? Any help with what each valve does etc would be appreciated.....also on what equipment should be upgraded if possible to help our new pool and spa to run more efficient etc would be appreciated....and now the pictures:

 

[clg82]

anyone?

 

[Jimrahbe]

clg,

Nice looking pool and spa area.

Not sure I can help, as it appears your pictures pretty much tell you everything you need to know.

1st picture shows the circuit breaker panel with built in time clock, which I assume was similar to your old pool. Should automatically turn on/off the pump at whatever time it is set for..
2nd picture is your freeze protection. This will turn on the pump whenever the temperature gets below the setting on the knob.
3rd picture looks like a suction or pressure side cleaner, not a Robot which has no external hose.
You have a very old DE filter..
The Return and Suction valves seem to be marked pretty well.
The Return side valve is set to send all the water to the Spa and none to the Pool
The Suction side valve is set to suck water from the Skimmer/Vac port, and none from the Spa.. This set up should cause water to overflow from the Spa and into your pool.
You have a valve that selects between the Vac port and the Skimmer, but I can't really see it all that well, so I can't tell its position
The gas is on at the heater, but may be off somewhere else.
I really can't tell what the 2nd pump does, based upon the pictures.

If I was moving into the house/pool, and planned to be there for more than a few years... I'd rip everything out and start over. Your pump(s) and heater are very old and I suspect not at all energy efficient.

I'm not sure if that is what you wanted to hear or not, but I'd be glad to answer any specific questions you might have. Really broad questions often take paragraphs to answer and I suspect that is why you did not get a quicker response.

Got more questions... just ask away,

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[tstex]

clg82

Jim gave you about as good as a review you are going to get from pictures and all. If you are buying this house, then treat all of the pool equipment and other just as you would the house when it comes to inspections, allowances and other...

If your inspector does not know this pool equipment, then here are my suggestions:

1. find an independent pool specialist that knows this equipment well and how to operate it all.
2. if this person doesn't know how to solve electrical issues too, then get an electrician that deals w pools too
3. whatever does not work or operate correctly, have the pool person make specific notations and what is not working
4. for all of (4) above, get quotes to equal replacements

once you have all of the above, add this to your list of allowances before you close...

the main things you should be interested are all of the piping and other underground runs that would require extensive breaking up of concrete or pool to fix

Finally, some of the older equipment is WAY BETTER BUILT than a lot of the "high-tech" junk today. So I would highly consider replacement parts to older equipment than new to junk that will break in months...

good luck

 

[clg82]

With all of that said Jim, I appreciate your feedback....what would you replace first if you were going to do this project as funds became available? The DE filter? Pool heater? The response from the seller was that they never used the pool heater because the solar heating that the pool has kept it warm enough.....he said when they first moved in they were unable to get the heater to light....they called the home warranty company and they sent someone out to look at it....and the pool guy was able to get it to work they just never used it after that.......any help would be appreciated!~Chris

 

[Jimrahbe]

clg,

My comment about "ripping it all out and starting over" was based upon my personal experience with a couple of rent house pools. Before I replaced the equipment, it was patch, patch, patch, after I replaced the equipment the pools have been pretty much malfunction free and my life has been much easier.. Also, in my mind, it is much easier to layout an equipment pad with new equipment than it is to try and install new pieces of equipment in an old layout, one at a time.

But, I can certainly understand the funds situation.... Since you don't close on this house until the end of December, it might just be best to use the equipment you have for a while, and see what works and what does not, before deciding what to replace.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[clg82]

clg,

My comment about "ripping it all out and starting over" was based upon my personal experience with a couple of rent house pools. Before I replaced the equipment, it was patch, patch, patch, after I replaced the equipment the pools have been pretty much malfunction free and my life has been much easier.. Also, in my mind, it is much easier to layout an equipment pad with new equipment than it is to try and install new pieces of equipment in an old layout, one at a time.

But, I can certainly understand the funds situation.... Since you don't close on this house until the end of December, it might just be best to use the equipment you have for a while, and see what works and what does not, before deciding what to replace.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks for the response Jim. But with some of the funds that we make on our current home I'd like to at least get a head start on replacing the oldest thing first Another question why does it look like their is two "pump look in glasses" on the piping. Probably the easiest way to describe it. LOL hopefully you know what I mean.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Thanks for the response Jim. But with some of the funds that we make on our current home I'd like to at least get a head start on replacing the oldest thing first Another question why does it look like their is two "pump look in glasses" on the piping. Probably the easiest way to describe it. LOL hopefully you know what I mean.

clg,

I believe that the "pump look in glasses" are one-way check valves.. If you look at the top of them, you will see an arrow for the direction of flow that is allowed. Generally, these are used to prevent a raised Spa from draining back into the Pool and to prevent highly chlorinated water from back-feeding into the heater. I'm sure they have other uses, but I can't tell for sure on your pool.

Assuming everything is working ok, the first thing I would replace is the main pool pump. This is the one thing that sucks up the most electrical power. I personally like variable speed pumps, because you can run them fast when, and if, you need it, but can run them very slow most of the time. My pump only uses about 175 Watts when running at 1,200 RPM.

Before buying anything, keep in mind that not all equipment brands work together well.. So for example.. if you went out and bought my pump (Pentair Intelliflo) and then decided you liked the Hayward automation system, you'd be out of luck, as the Hayward system can't control the Pentair pump.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[clg82]

I see! Thanks Jim! I probably will see if a pool guy from around the area where we live will have any suggestions on what to replace first since the majority of it is out dated.....lots of research to be done. Hopefully whoever comes out to look at it can give me a walkthrough on what does what as well.

 

[Jimrahbe]

clg,

Having "Pool School" for the mechanical workings of your pool sounds like a great idea to me. Make sure they explain how your older DE filter works and what you will need to do to clean it. And, how to switch between the Pool Mode and Spa mode. I would also suggest you have then show you how the solar heating works.

But... I suggest that you do not listen much to anything they have to say about taking care of your pool chemically. That is what we are for...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[needsajet]

If it was mine, I'd make a complete plan for how I want the equipment to be after x years or spare funds. There's great expertise here to give you the pros and cons leading to your own best decision.

For example one pool I help with has a 30 yr old filter that works entirely fine. Pump motors can be swapped if you like that sort of work, or if you like tech you might prefer something fancy and integrated. Your State or power co. might have subsidies for modernizing.

It's great that it's working now which gives you time to plan for a good outcome that fits for you.

 

[clg82]

If it was mine, I'd make a complete plan for how I want the equipment to be after x years or spare funds. There's great expertise here to give you the pros and cons leading to your own best decision.

For example one pool I help with has a 30 yr old filter that works entirely fine. Pump motors can be swapped if you like that sort of work, or if you like tech you might prefer something fancy and integrated. Your State or power co. might have subsidies for modernizing.

It's great that it's working now which gives you time to plan for a good outcome that fits for you.

clg,

Having "Pool School" for the mechanical workings of your pool sounds like a great idea to me. Make sure they explain how your older DE filter works and what you will need to do to clean it. And, how to switch between the Pool Mode and Spa mode. I would also suggest you have then show you how the solar heating works.

But... I suggest that you do not listen much to anything they have to say about taking care of your pool chemically. That is what we are for...

Thanks,

Jim R.

I appreciate all of the input so far everyone! I will report back with the "pool guys" findings, and let you know what he says about replacing the outdated equipment. Move in date is the 30th so hopefully the week after I can get someone out to take a look. thanks again everyone for your help!

 

[Uavmx]

I just did some major troubleshooting and repair to get a similar heater working. If you want help message me


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