Plumbing Done, Want To Drop Booster Pump

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drp3434

Active member
Apr 8, 2021
34
Fort Worth, TX
Pool Size
12500
Surface
Plaster
Hello! We are in the middle of our pool build; first pool. We are through tile and coping, so our plumbing is all done. I've recently been learning a lot more, mostly thanks to this site, and I've decided I want to invest in a robot cleaner. Being completely unknowledgeable when we signed the contract, I didn't fully realize what a booster pump and side pressure vacuum were, nor did I obviously ask enough questions. Anyways, upon learning more about robots, I went back through our contract and did see a Boostrite pump and Pentair racer vacuum included; equipment list attached.

My main question is, with the plumbing all done, which would include plumbing for the Boostrite pump I assume, am I still ok to tell the builder I don't want this pump installed? Would they just cap the plumbing meant for this, or is it inline with other equipment so an even smaller issue? I read up more on the racer vacuums yesterday and it confirmed my want for a robot even more :)
 

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Try to work out a deal with the builder so everyone's happy. Get rid of the inline chlorinator (tablet feeder)/booster pump/cleaner and upgrade to a salt water chlorination system. Tablets are okay for occasional use, but there's no need for the Rainbow 320. Hopefully you can work something out.

Best of luck!
 
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Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
Try to work out a deal with the builder so everyone's happy. Get rid of the inline chlorinator (tablet feeder)/booster pump/cleaner and upgrade to a salt water chlorination system. Tablets are okay for occasional use, but there's no need for the Rainbow 320. Hopefully you can work something out.

Best of luck!
Click to expand...
Thank you! IF I were to switch to a SWG, would that use the all the other same equipment that is listed other than dropping the rainbow 320? And SWG is that much better? Haven't done a ton of research on it; failed at that...
 
Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
@Jimrahbe can advise if the Intellicenter has a built in SWG controller. The VS pump is a great option to have with the SWG.
Click to expand...
Awesome, thank you for the input. Waiting for a response from my builder on dropping the vacuum and booster pump, and what moving to a SWG may look like. Dug into this site more and I can see SWG's are vastly more recommended. I definitely am a fan of the lower maintenance aspect!
 
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Heard back from the builder this morning. No savings on pulling out the racer vac and booster pump, and an extra $2250 to add the SWG; plumbers have to come back out. A little frustrating, but is what it is. Thinking of rolling with the booster pump and racer vac and updating to a robot when those fail, and possibly putting in the extra money to install the SWG. Or would it be better to just not have them install the pump and try to sell it and the vacuum locally via Facebook marketplace or something?
 
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I personally dont like saltwater as I want to use the pool as an emergency drinking water source. Most people dont think that way.

I use a stenner pump system. It is a pain to constantly buy bleach, but I can buy 15-30 gallons at a time and pour into a 55 gallon blue drum. The stenner pump injects it into the top port of the rainbow 320.

People say salt accumulates from bleach, which it will. However i have my gutters feeding into the pool which will constantly dilute the pool water. That should help to keep calcium down as well. It should also let me use pucks without letting the CYA get too high.

The stenner pump is definitely not as set and forget as a SWCG. The rubber tube needs to be replaced yearly and the bleach deposits crystals which can clog up the pump so need to be cleaned every other year.
 
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march2012 said:
I personally dont like saltwater as I want to use the pool as an emergency drinking water source. Most people dont think that way.

I use a stenner pump system. It is a pain to constantly buy bleach, but I can buy 15-30 gallons at a time and pour into a 55 gallon blue drum. The stenner pump injects it into the top port of the rainbow 320.

People say salt accumulates from bleach, which it will. However i have my gutters feeding into the pool which will constantly dilute the pool water. That should help to keep calcium down as well. It should also let me use pucks without letting the CYA get too high.

The stenner pump is definitely not as set and forget as a SWCG. The rubber tube needs to be replaced yearly and the bleach deposits crystals which can clog up the pump so need to be cleaned every other year.
Click to expand...
Interesting take. I appreciate it. Is it hard to switch to SWG down the road once starting with regular bleach/chlorine? We are over budget on the pool, so it would be nice to put off the spending a few years, but the lower maintenance is extremely enticing.
 
drp3434 said:
Thinking of rolling with the booster pump and racer vac and updating to a robot when those fail, and possibly putting in the extra money to install the SWG.
Click to expand...
There's nothing wrong with pressure/suction cleaner. A robot does a better job of scrubbing the surface. Your Racer will do a good job of picking up debris from the bottom. You'll just have to brush the pool every few days. I'm happy with my suction cleaner. It's worked flawlessly for over 5 years with no maintenance required. I would keep the Racer.

You'll have to decide if the extra money is worth it for the SWG. You can purchase a standalone Pentair IC40 with power center for about $1200 that should work with your Intellicenter. If you install yourself, you'd only get a 60 day warranty. Check your Pentair equipment list and review the warranties available. If you have the PB install it with your other equipment, it should be eligible for a 3-yr warranty.

www.pentair.com

Pool Product Warranty Information

Pentair delivers smart, sustainable solutions that empower our customers to make the most of life's essential resource. At Pentair, we believe the health of our world depends on reliable access to clean water.
www.pentair.com www.pentair.com
 
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Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:
There's nothing wrong with pressure/suction cleaner. A robot does a better job of scrubbing the surface. Your Racer will do a good job of picking up debris from the bottom. You'll just have to brush the pool every few days. I'm happy with my suction cleaner. It's worked flawlessly for over 5 years with no maintenance required. I would keep the Racer.

You'll have to decide if the extra money is worth it for the SWG. You can purchase a standalone Pentair IC40 with power center for about $1200 that should work with your Intellicenter. If you install yourself, you'd only get a 60 day warranty. Check your Pentair equipment list and review the warranties available. If you have the PB install it with your other equipment, it should be eligible for a 3-yr warranty.

www.pentair.com

Pool Product Warranty Information

Pentair delivers smart, sustainable solutions that empower our customers to make the most of life's essential resource. At Pentair, we believe the health of our world depends on reliable access to clean water.
www.pentair.com www.pentair.com
Click to expand...
Thank you. I really appreciate you answering my many questions on here. Honestly, knowing that on the SWG and me being pretty handy around the house, I think I'll roll with what we have for now to keep things moving on the build. Our builder likes to really upcharge every change (duh), so sounds like I could actually save money by waiting. With that, the warranty doesn't concern me too much. I might just see how this first year goes, and if the normal chlorine drives me crazy enough, upgrade to the SWG next season.
 
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drp3434 said:
Interesting take. I appreciate it. Is it hard to switch to SWG down the road once starting with regular bleach/chlorine? We are over budget on the pool, so it would be nice to put off the spending a few years, but the lower maintenance is extremely enticing.
Click to expand...
very easy to add a swcg. Really you could likely buy one and install it yourself.
 
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