Possible to add gas heater to Intex with 1600gph Krystal Clear pump?

[Northern_Swimmer]

Hello all, I was all set to finally order a gas heater last night, when I stumbled upon a post about flow rate. (And now I feel silly for not considering it.)

Question: is it possible to add a gas heater to an above ground Intex pool with a Krystal Clear pump / 14” sand SF15110. It says that the max flow is 1600gph.

The heater I am considering is the RayPak 156A which needs a flow rate of 1200-4200gph.

I am not sure if the pump max flow is the system flow, but it is probably not. I’m a bit confused whether this pump will be adequate.

We wanted to add a heater this year to increase the number of swimmable days. Often the water temperature is 24°, yet I am not able to go in it until it is 26°.
Thank you in advance

 

[domct203]

Hello all, I was all set to finally order a gas heater last night, when I stumbled upon a post about flow rate. (And now I feel silly for not considering it.)

Question: is it possible to add a gas heater to an above ground Intex pool with a Krystal Clear pump / 14” sand SF15110. It says that the max flow is 1600gph.

The heater I am considering is the RayPak 156A which needs a flow rate of 1200-4200gph.

I am not sure if the pump max flow is the system flow, but it is probably not. I’m a bit confused whether this pump will be adequate.

We wanted to add a heater this year to increase the number of swimmable days. Often the water temperature is 24°, yet I am not able to go in it until it is 26°.
Thank you in advance

According to Intex, your SF15110 has a system flow rate of 1500GPH. My experience with Intex pumps is that their system rated flow is a bit 'optimistic'.

http://www.intexcorp.com/support/56677eg.html

Seeing that you are already very close to the minimum rated flow of the heater, I wouldn't chance it. Too slow of a flow rate can make the heater constantly cycle on and off because the heater is getting more heat than the water. This is not efficient at all, and may lead to heater damage. I would not chance it without actually measuring system flow over an extended period, using a Flo-Vis flow meter ( https://www.h2flow.net/flowvis-flow-meter/ ).

My personal experience with a 14" Intex sand filter with Intex 3/4HP pump (rated at 2000GPH system) is that once the filter starts trapping debris the pump's flow rate slows down quite noticeably. I'll bet the rated system flow rate is with a perfectly clean sand bed, and very short, straight runs of hard pipe.

Best thing I ever did for my 18'X48" Ultra Frame was invest in a larger filter and stronger pump.

 

[Northern_Swimmer]

Thank you so much.
I think I will hold off for now on the gas heater and maybe instead reconnect our solar coils which we used a couple of years ago while we consider getting a larger pump.
Do you think there would be any issues with connecting the small black irrigation hose coils to our existing pump, in terms of damage to the pump? I believe it is 1 inch in diameter.

 

[domct203]

How long is the total length of hose coil? Will it be below water level?

You should be ok, just watch the flow coming back into the pool, and your filter pressure.