Thinking of adding dedicate line for pressure or suction cleaner, pipe size?

[kevreh]

I have a pressure line that leaks. I’m getting my patio replaced so I have a chance to dig it up and fix it. May be easier to just run a new line to the same hole. What’s a good, typical pipe size? I may have to run it inside the pipe that goes through my concrete pool wall.

Thanks

 

[mguzzy]

I would put the money you would be spending to run a new line into getting a robot. They have been around long enough now to be pretty reliable. The more basic ones with out all the bells and whistles are sub $700bux. And they clean the pool better, and they use less power... then you can just cap that old line off and not have to worry about throwing good money after old.

 

[kevreh]

I gotta robot. Dolphin Active 20. My yard has a lot of trees and greenery. So I could run the robot one day, but then there's stuff in the pool the next day. BUT... I may upgrade to a variable speed pump. I've heard its cost effective to pretty much run them all the time, so maybe that will help skim debris before it settles.

BTW, have you ever thought of getting a Hayward controller (I have the Prologic PL4), and running your cell, pump, lights, heater, etc... off of it? I sold my Aquarite Controller for @$300 and applied it towards the Prologic.

 

[mguzzy]

So.. you are saying you run both a robot AND a pool sweep? sounds like over kill. The skimmer isn't keep the surface clear?

Has to the Pro-Logic controller, I thought of it for all of about 30 Sec. The original owners put a bank of switches on the side of the house that turn on the pool lights, water fall, etc. The only thing that's left is spa control.. and that is just a 20 foot walk to flip some valves and push a button. So, I never felt I needed to be able to turn on the spa from inside.

 

[kevreh]

Used to use a Polaris 280 with pressure side pump, but the line started leaking (loss of water). Would like to fix the line in case I ever want to use it in the future. About the skimmer keeping the surface clean, I think if I ran the pump more than 8 hours a day it would do a better job. But electric costs would go up. So its a trade off.

 

[Newdude]

I've heard its cost effective to pretty much run them all the time, so maybe that will help skim debris before it settles

Most everything that falls in the pool will float for a while until it’s saturated and sinks. When the pump is off for 8-16 hours that’s a lot of time for it all to sink.

I ran 24/7 with my VS at a cost of about $20 for the looks alone. The unforeseen added bonus at the time was that no matter when something dropped in the pool, it was in the skimmers 10 minutes later. Pretty much anything that did make it to the bottom did so when the wind was blowing the opposite direction of the flow. You can plan your pool as much as you’d like, but sometimes the wind blows the other way (or 2 ways at once) and we will all have that problem no matter what. The overwhelming rest of the time I was skimming.

The other other added bonus was full time filtering. The turnover myth is just that, a myth, but extra filtering certainly didn’t hurt.

the other other OTHER added bonus was full time topping off of FC with the SWG (when it applies). No matter what happened with the weather or the sun or the bather load that day, I was starting with a full safety net with my FC at the top of in range with lots to spare.

For those with a VS pump it is the only way to go IMHO.

 

[kevreh]

Why is the turnover myth a myth? Don't you need decent water turnover to filter it and keep chlorine levels where they need to? But yeah, with what you said, I'm thinking of upgrading to a VS pump this year.

 

[Newdude]

The industry said for years (and still) that you needed to turnover the pool volume daily. That’s simply untrue. You need what you need and it’s usually much less. In heavy pollen season/areas, it may even be more. But it’s a one size fits all that doesn’t really apply to any.

however, filtering more than you need to does not hurt anything either and running 24/7 kept me in tip top shape without ever needed to adjust based on need. I was running anyway and it was basically free at that point.

 

[mguzzy]

Why is the turnover myth a myth? Don't you need decent water turnover to filter it and keep chlorine levels where they need to? But yeah, with what you said, I'm thinking of upgrading to a VS pump this year.

Its not really a myth.. its more like a grand oversimplification. There is mixing involved and other hydrodynamic mumbo jumbo... there is just no way you can "turn over" your water. Its not like flipping a pancake.. a part will always be unflipped.. its more like..ummm..making scrambled eggs. You just keep moving them around the pan until they are cooked to your liking (@Newdude .. ya like that metaphor!)

BUT I hear your pain, I get a lot of tree snot in my pool too and if you are looking for a better way to get the floaters your skimmer isn't getting, longer filtration of the top layer may fix that.. hence a VSP would make that more cost effective. Also I know they make robot skimmers.. but I've never kept up on the feedback about them on the forum. here is a recent-ish thread

Robotic surface skimmers...anyone?

Here are four solar/battery skimmers I've found: Solar Breeze NX2, Skim Devil, SolaSkimmer, and Skim King. Recently I think another was announced at a show in New Orleans, but I don't remember the name of it, and from what I recall, it's not even shipping yet. The market leader seems to be...

www.troublefreepool.com

Either way.. I don't think its worth it to fix a pressure side/suction side line for back up sweep. There are better options these days.

 

[kevreh]

Either way.. I don't think its worth it to fix a pressure side/suction side line for back up sweep. There are better options these days.

Anything come to mind besides robots? In my experience whether its having a suction side cleaner running when the pump is on, or a pressure cleaner with the pressure pump running when you want, both of those do better keeping stuff off the bottom of my pool. I guess if you ran a robot every day it would be a wash (or the robot would win because it cleans the sides better). But then your sort of babysitting the bot every day. I know, first world problems.

 

[mguzzy]

Well.. I think you have to ask yourself, what is your threshold for having Crud in the pool... Unless I am having an event I sweep and brush and scoop out the leaves once a week. This time of year there is a lot of stuff dropping into the pool from my trees so I do it more frequently and that is if I happen to be passing by. But for me its unrealistic to keep it pristine 100% of the time, I gotta life and besides its an unstable point of equilibrium. If you need it clean all the time then you need something out there to clean it all the time, otherwise its you. Robot sweeps will get the bottom, and there is nothing that says you can't run it everyday. That should still be more cost effective than a booster pump. If your surface skimmer is under performing at its current setting run it more, or get another gizmo to help.

I have to disclaim.. I don't have a bot, when something goes catastrophically wrong with my Polaris, or I find a killer sale, I will switch. Right now it not cost effective. But from everything I have read, you can pretty much treat them the same as your sweep. Lots of people leave them in the water for the whole pool season, and set them to do a lap everyday. I don't think you really have to baby sit it much.

 

[kevreh]

All good points. I don't think mine has the capability to run automatically every day. Nice feature.