Need help picking out new pool pump, filter and Salt chlorine ator

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Ok so my current filter housing turned out to be ok so I’m saving a little there which I will spend further down this post !

discountsaltpools upgraded new to the 45k chlorinator for no extra cost so that was pretty amazing.

pool heaters - it’s cold here right now and I suspect in the winter I won’t use the pool much so I’m wondering what others have purchased as I have someone offering me a thermeau 105k for 3000 installed.

also what are people’s thoughts on pool covers? FPL has an electric cost calculator and that shows a reduction of 50% of your bill if you have a cover

thank you for the help!
Pools being drained this weekend I think !
 
Rand,

With salt systems it's hard to go to big unless you have a very small pool. On heat I'd go with natural gas if you have it. Otherwise probably heat pump. We use our pool all year round and wife wants 90 deg + so I run the gas heater a LOT in winter months. A cover would definitely help but I don't mess with it. Gas bill stays under $250 without it and I think the enclosure helps a little. If you don't plan to use the pool in the winter I wouldn't bother with a cover and maybe the heater also.

Chris
 
Rand,

Another thought on heater is if you use your spa a lot make sure you know how quickly it can heat up the spa. We heat ours to 94 or so in 20 min. Then raise it up to 100 while we're in. With spa for us it's more important to heat reasonably quick than to be super efficient. Most people don't really end up using the spa very often and if you're in that camp then the answer is different.

Bottom line on heaters is the right answer is all about your preferences and your available fuels.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 
Well we have a pool!

Here are some of the after pictures. We aren't finished out there (still need to paint the bull nose and the pool deck etc etc but we are moving along and its nice to have something to enjoy whilst we rip apart the house and renovate :)

I was lucky enough to be able to keep the existing tile and the pool guys put the step tile in for free - I think they felt sorry for me after they had to chip it all out. We discovered the previous owners had re-surfaced with no bonding agent. When we drained the pool and walked in it it felt like a bad linoleum job.

I did put the pre-filter on and I have to say it worked pretty well and constantly shows sediment after a brush.

I ended up with the 1.5hp pump, the pre filter, original 150 haywood filter (new cartridge of course) 45k chlorinator and a heater (pool has been 89 for days now!)

I would love to know what people have set their pumps to schedule / speed wise as mine has been running way more than it should I am sure. We just put the salt in around 4 days ago.
 

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Randomguy81 said:
No spa on the pool here just a pool :)
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Whoops I missed that. Still have the same advice. Figure out what amount of heat is worth it for you to get extra swimming time. We run gas heat at about $2.75 per hour and get +/- 2.5 deg F each hour depending on ambient conditions. If the pool's running 80 we need 88 min for wife's absolute minimum. That said we still do it often. Sometimes run 10+ hrs. Works for us but your preference drives the correct answer for you.

Chris
 
Randomguy81 said:
Well we have a pool!

Here are some of the after pictures. We aren't finished out there (still need to paint the bull nose and the pool deck etc etc but we are moving along and its nice to have something to enjoy whilst we rip apart the house and renovate :)

I was lucky enough to be able to keep the existing tile and the pool guys put the step tile in for free - I think they felt sorry for me after they had to chip it all out. We discovered the previous owners had re-surfaced with no bonding agent. When we drained the pool and walked in it it felt like a bad linoleum job.

I did put the pre-filter on and I have to say it worked pretty well and constantly shows sediment after a brush.

I ended up with the 1.5hp pump, the pre filter, original 150 haywood filter (new cartridge of course) 45k chlorinator and a heater (pool has been 89 for days now!)

I would love to know what people have set their pumps to schedule / speed wise as mine has been running way more than it should I am sure. We just put the salt in around 4 days ago.
Click to expand...
Congrats on the pool! You're gonna love your salt!

I set my pump to run on 2800 rpm for high speed and around 1800 for high (still playing around some with the low speed). High speed on mine runs anytime the gas heater is on or the solar bypass is closed. Low speed is all other times. I find I get adequate skimming and bottom cleaning with these settings and the total pump run time from 10 am to 6 pm. I adjust the chlorinator to run long enough to provide the required FC level. This ranges from about 3 hours this time of year to 7 hrs peak season at 40% power setting. For your installation I would start with a min run time to keep the pool tidied up on bottom (can't remember if you have a pool cleaner) and surface skimmed. Then switch to low speed. Make sure the combination is enough to keep your FC level where you need it. Some people run their pump 24/7 just because they like to. It's all up to you and your pool preferences. Pool Math is a handy tool to get to your starting run time. You can determine your typical ppm/day of FC required then adjust the % power and run time to get your chlorinator settings. This time of year I seem to use around .5 ppm per day or less.

I hope this helps and congrats on the great new pool!

Chris

PS please do fill in your signature when you have time. Here's how.
 
Signature updated :)

I do have a pool heater - pool is currently a nice warm 89 which the wife requests :)

So once I have the pool stabalized (which to be honest is pretty ,much now) I guess I need to start playing with the speeds and confirm how much / how often my chlorinator needs to be on - coupled with how often I need to run ithe pump to keep the warmth up.

I just noticed the pool math calculator on the left here so I will jump on that and start working out my timings - currently its on constantly and I am thinking that may be a bit of a waste.
 
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Yes, you can use the Pool Math app to calculate the amount of CL that is produced for a given run time on your SWG... its really neat. Most of the people here with VS pumps just run them all the time and vary the speeds schedule since they pull so little power. Since the two are related you will tinker with both ! ;)
 
Ok so I guess I need to go buy myself a good pool tester as I've been using the strips to get by

and then learn what FC etc mean... is there a how to somewhere for the Pool Math app?

Does anyone recommend a good vacuum? This is something I am looking at but they seem very hit and miss.

Today I am going to work out what speed my SWG and Heater are comfortable operating with and start working out run times that I will be adjusting over the next few days :)

I have noticed that I am regularly putting acid into the pool to bring the PH down.

On a side note - @setsailsoon do you own a sailboat? We just sold ours after 8 years
 
I have a newish pool, and Im constantly adding MA to lower pH. My other chemicals seem pretty stable. I was given a vaccuum with my new pool along with a robot. The vaccuum is collecting dust; Ive never used it. The robot seems to do all that needs to be done on that front. And get a darn test kit! You need it now!
 
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Randomguy81 said:
Ok so I guess I need to go buy myself a good pool tester as I've been using the strips to get by

and then learn what FC etc mean... is there a how to somewhere for the Pool Math app?

Does anyone recommend a good vacuum? This is something I am looking at but they seem very hit and miss.

Today I am going to work out what speed my SWG and Heater are comfortable operating with and start working out run times that I will be adjusting over the next few days :)

I have noticed that I am regularly putting acid into the pool to bring the PH down.

On a side note - @setsailsoon do you own a sailboat? We just sold ours after 8 years
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Rand,
A test kit is mandatory for TFP methodology. Please get one on order as soon as you can. Two are recommended in Pool School by our experts. Most prefer the TF 100 with XL option. I got mine 6 years ago and I use it extensively. It's by far the best value but it is also a little more expensive up front. Free pool store tests are unreliable, test strips are just as bad. Test results are the heart of the process and we know from thousands of users you get the best results this way. Read this for further information.

See this video for Pool Math overview and use.

Yes, my wife and I are avid blue water sailors. We previously owned a 41' sloop and lived/cruised the Eastern Caribbean on our 42' sail cat for about 6 years. Sailed about 25K miles before we sold the boat and settled in Stuart FL. We still do bare boat charters a couple times per year.

It's normal to add acid for most pool owners. Keep your TA on the low end of the range. You can also use borates (I do this) and it helps as well. But the normal aeration process causes pH to climb and water features exacerbate because they also aerate the water.

Hope this is helpful.

Chris
 
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When you order the test kit make sure you get a Speedstir. It will make testing so much easier, almost fun.

My wife likes to call me Beeker whenever she sees me running the pool tests. She even makes the mememememe noise.
 

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