New Soft Sided Pool with Natural Gas Heater

[Jarome_Turner]

Hey All,
New to the forum and new to owning a pool. We've been trying to buy a pool to fit our (smaller) yard for the past year, but with Covid it's been hard. We finally managed to get one that will fit, although not exactly the quality that we wanted. Our intention is to get this set up, and upgrade the pool in the next few years when they are easier to find in stock. My wife has demanded that the pool be heated (we do have an 8 year old autistic son who won't get in unless it's near bathtub temps, so there's that), and I figure if we're going to heat it we may as well invest in a really good heating system which we can carry forward when we eventually upgrade the pool.

I've done some research and am about to pull the trigger on this set up;

Already purchased pool;
Coleman Rattan 16' x 8' soft side & steel frame

Natural gas heater;
Pentair MasterTemp 125,000 BTU Low NOx Natural Gas Swimming Pool Heater | Pool Supplies Canada

Upgraded Pump:
Hayward 1.5 HP Ultra Pro Pump Above | Pool Supplies Canada

So, my questions are;
- Are there any issues with pairing the above pool, heater, and pump that you can see?
- I'm confused on the filter requirements - does the above pump have an in-unit filter, or should I be looking at a seperate filter set up?
- Anything I may be missing?

I know this is going to be an expensive set up for a simple pool that cost only $900, (with the ~$2K for the heater & pump, ~$1K for a gas fitter to come and set it up), but as mentioned above the pool itself is a temporary solution until we have more options to upgrade. I just want to make sure this will work and there's nothing I'm missing that may cause me major headaches or unanticipated costs.

Thoughts?

 

[kellyfair]

Don’t know anything about heaters, but yep, that’s just the pump. You also need a filter.

 

[Jarome_Turner]

I have a Flowclear 1500GPH Filter Pump that came with the pool, but I assumed it would be too small for the heater I'm looking at (in my original post). Does anybody know if the Flowclear 1500 GPH filter pump would be a good fit (compatible) with the Pentair heater I posted above?

 

[hwy17]

Definitely not. You might want to look at an AGP combo pump and filter set like the Hayward xstream. 1.5hp is a bit overpowered, 1hp or less is fine. Two speed would be a good idea, but they can be hard to find.

Keep in mind that the intex/bestway/coleman etc pumps come with a GFCI adapter. Regular AGP's do not, so you'll need to provide GFCI protected outlets for all this equipment, you'll also need to run bonding wire connecting the pool, water, equipment, and ground.

You'll need to adapt AGP plumbing to the soft side pool, they don't use the same connections. Typical way to do this would be to use a kit like SP1091LX and custom install that on the pool.

 

[Jarome_Turner]

Definitely not. You might want to look at an AGP combo pump and filter set like the Hayward xstream. 1.5hp is a bit overpowered, 1hp or less is fine. Two speed would be a good idea, but they can be hard to find.

Keep in mind that the intex/bestway/coleman etc pumps come with a GFCI adapter. Regular AGP's do not, so you'll need to provide GFCI protected outlets for all this equipment, you'll also need to run bonding wire connecting the pool, water, equipment, and ground.

You'll need to adapt AGP plumbing to the soft side pool, they don't use the same connections. Typical way to do this would be to use a kit like SP1091LX and custom install that on the pool.

Thanks! I do have a GFCI outlet located by the pool, so am in luck there. Can you recommend a 1HP pump/filter combo that would work well with the pentair heater? I searched the Hayward Xstream but it looks like it’s just a pump? I will order that SP1091LX as well, it seems to have good reviews!

 

[hwy17]

I'm referring to something like this. But not sure of availability in Canada.

Hayward XStream Full-Flo Element Filter System, 100 sq ft with 1 HP Matrix Pump

Hayward XStream Full-Flo Element Filter System, 100 sq ft with 1 HP Matrix Pump. Hurry and purchase today at Doheny's Pool Supplies Fast

www.doheny.com

SP1091WM is the other option with a wider mouth. And be aware that either of them are a custom installation. They are not intended for soft side pools and you will have to read up on old forum posts about how people have adapted them for soft side pools.

 

[Jarome_Turner]

I'm referring to something like this. But not sure of availability in Canada.

Hayward XStream Full-Flo Element Filter System, 100 sq ft with 1 HP Matrix Pump

Hayward XStream Full-Flo Element Filter System, 100 sq ft with 1 HP Matrix Pump. Hurry and purchase today at Doheny's Pool Supplies Fast

www.doheny.com

SP1091WM is the other option with a wider mouth. And be aware that either of them are a custom installation. They are not intended for soft side pools and you will have to read up on old forum posts about how people have adapted them for soft side pools.

How about this combo for pump/filter, along with the above heater and the SP1091LX;

Pump: Hayward 1 HP Ultra Pro Pump Above Gr | Pool Supplies Canada

Filter: Carvin Sherlock 160 Sq. Ft Cartridge Filter | Pool Supplies Canada

Thoughts?

 

[hwy17]

I think if you're new to pool equipment then a combo set will make things easier as it comes with the pump to filter plumbing.

I would honestly recommend getting up and running with the kit that came with the pool, get used to managing the chemicals etc. and then start working on upgrades. Trying to figure all of this out at once will be a lot.

0.5 HP Above Ground Pump and 16 Inch Sand Filter Combo | Pool Supplies Canada

Perfect for small above ground pools, this 0.5 HP Above Ground Pump and 16 Inch Sand Filter Combo is an excellent choice for new or existing pools. Available direct online from Pool Supplies Canada.

www.poolsuppliescanada.ca

 

[Jennifer/Airdrie]

Hey All,
New to the forum and new to owning a pool. We've been trying to buy a pool to fit our (smaller) yard for the past year, but with Covid it's been hard. We finally managed to get one that will fit, although not exactly the quality that we wanted. Our intention is to get this set up, and upgrade the pool in the next few years when they are easier to find in stock. My wife has demanded that the pool be heated (we do have an 8 year old autistic son who won't get in unless it's near bathtub temps, so there's that), and I figure if we're going to heat it we may as well invest in a really good heating system which we can carry forward when we eventually upgrade the pool.

I've done some research and am about to pull the trigger on this set up;

Already purchased pool;
Coleman Rattan 16' x 8' soft side & steel frame

Natural gas heater;
Pentair MasterTemp 125,000 BTU Low NOx Natural Gas Swimming Pool Heater | Pool Supplies Canada

Upgraded Pump:
Hayward 1.5 HP Ultra Pro Pump Above | Pool Supplies Canada

So, my questions are;
- Are there any issues with pairing the above pool, heater, and pump that you can see?
- I'm confused on the filter requirements - does the above pump have an in-unit filter, or should I be looking at a seperate filter set up?
- Anything I may be missing?

I know this is going to be an expensive set up for a simple pool that cost only $900, (with the ~$2K for the heater & pump, ~$1K for a gas fitter to come and set it up), but as mentioned above the pool itself is a temporary solution until we have more options to upgrade. I just want to make sure this will work and there's nothing I'm missing that may cause me major headaches or unanticipated costs.

Thoughts?

Jarome, I bought the exact same pool and am looking for the same solution. I looked into an electric heater but it seems that the gas heater is the way to go. I’m a single mom and I’ve been doing a ton of research but I still feel like I’m way over my head with this and would love to just copy whatever you think works. I still need to get a gas fitter in to tell me how much it’ll run to setup. Would you mind updating me once you’ve decided on what you’ll get for the heater and the filter/pump? The combo filter/pump seems very interesting and perhaps killing two birds with one stone.

 

[JessicaK]

Hey All,
New to the forum and new to owning a pool. We've been trying to buy a pool to fit our (smaller) yard for the past year, but with Covid it's been hard. We finally managed to get one that will fit, although not exactly the quality that we wanted. Our intention is to get this set up, and upgrade the pool in the next few years when they are easier to find in stock. My wife has demanded that the pool be heated (we do have an 8 year old autistic son who won't get in unless it's near bathtub temps, so there's that), and I figure if we're going to heat it we may as well invest in a really good heating system which we can carry forward when we eventually upgrade the pool.

I've done some research and am about to pull the trigger on this set up;

Already purchased pool;
Coleman Rattan 16' x 8' soft side & steel frame

Natural gas heater;
Pentair MasterTemp 125,000 BTU Low NOx Natural Gas Swimming Pool Heater | Pool Supplies Canada

Upgraded Pump:
Hayward 1.5 HP Ultra Pro Pump Above | Pool Supplies Canada

So, my questions are;
- Are there any issues with pairing the above pool, heater, and pump that you can see?
- I'm confused on the filter requirements - does the above pump have an in-unit filter, or should I be looking at a seperate filter set up?
- Anything I may be missing?

I know this is going to be an expensive set up for a simple pool that cost only $900, (with the ~$2K for the heater & pump, ~$1K for a gas fitter to come and set it up), but as mentioned above the pool itself is a temporary solution until we have more options to upgrade. I just want to make sure this will work and there's nothing I'm missing that may cause me major headaches or unanticipated costs.

Thoughts?

Hello! I’m new to the forum and came across your post from last year! Just curious if you ended up going with the set up last summer and how it worked out? We are in norther AB and looking at this exact pool for the summer but wondering if a similar heater and pump will be the way to go! Any info would be amazing!