Would you replace old but working equipment?

[Soupy]

Posting here because I'm thinking about redoing my entire equipment pad. My pool dates to 1979. I've had it for almost 10 years. The heater and sand filter may well be original to the pool, pump is 8 or 9 years old. And the layout of the pad is terrible, so if I'm redoing all the plumbing, should I think about replacing gear?

Pump - 2 speed 1.0 HP Superflo. Looks like my electric company has a $400 rebate on Energy Star variable speed pumps. I tend to run the existing pump 24/7 on low. Pentair's website is apparently terrible, so I can't find a way to compare power draw from this pump vs an Intelliflo.

Heater - Given that this thing is between 20-40 years old, are new ones sufficiently more efficient that it's cost-effective to replace? We get a good bit of use out of the heater, almost all summer, as our pool is very heavily shaded. I wouldn't mind a larger capacity heater as well, to heat the pool faster.

Filter - Nothing wrong with it, but if I'm redoing my whole equipment pad and can get a larger filter with better flow that I backwash less often, that's a minor win.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I did replace ancient working equipment last year. My guess that some of it had been replaced once since the pool was built in '88.

Part of my motivation was that I had to re-plaster, so it was convenient to replace the equipment while the pool was empty. I added automation to replace the mechanical (!) timers, and that was definitely worth it. I kept only my newer Intelliflo pump, which replaced the old single-speed pump when I added photovoltaic solar in 2012. All the other gear in my signature is new as of '18.

 

[borjis]

wow that is old for the heater....and it still works well?

If I were in your situation and money wasn't an issue, then yes I would upgrade everything to new.

 

[Soupy]

The heater definitely works. But I'm not sure how well. It's a 300000 BTU unit, in theory, but I find we get about 1 degree per hour of temperature rise. Now, 18000 gallons of water weighs 150000 pounds, and 1 BTU raises 1 pound of water by 1 degree F. So 300000 BTU should give us 2 degrees per hour.... but minus the efficiency of the heater. Is it possible the efficiency of this heater is closer to 50%? Or could it be filled with scale which is making things worse... hadn't really thought about that until just now.

 

[sktn77a]

If that heater is working, I'd keep it until it dies. Modern heaters aren't much more efficient that older ones and definitely aren't as reliable or durable as those old workhorses. I have a 5 year old 250,000 btu heater and it heats my 15,000 gal pool at a rate of about 1 degree per hour. You are heating your pool but you are also losing heat from the surface, from the shell into the ground, and via evaporation, so you can't expect the theoretical maximum increase.

 

[Soupy]

Fair points indeed.

 

[Soupy]

I did replace ancient working equipment last year. My guess that some of it had been replaced once since the pool was built in '88.

Part of my motivation was that I had to re-plaster, so it was convenient to replace the equipment while the pool was empty. I added automation to replace the mechanical (!) timers, and that was definitely worth it. I kept only my newer Intelliflo pump, which replaced the old single-speed pump when I added photovoltaic solar in 2012. All the other gear in my signature is new as of '18.

Any noticeable advantages from the new gear?

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Any noticeable advantages from the new gear?

Well, the EasyTouch automation is a big step up from the mechanical timers and controls the VS pump much better, especially dealing with solar. The old system had an add-on solar controller which was simply an on/off switch on a thermostat. The bigger filter allows more time between cleanings but is a bit more of a pain to clean because the big cartridges are unwieldy. The rest of the gear functions pretty much the same as before, just newer.

The heater is small because it's only for the spa. My pool is too big to heat with a gas heater, but now I kind of wish I'd bought the 400 instead of the 300 because the solar isn't getting me there yet and I am impatient to swim.

 

[borjis]

I LOOOOOVE solar.
Nothing like free pool heating on a hot day.

But ya those cloudy days early in the season....ack!

 

[sacredcow]

I did. Pool was built in 1982 and had an American Titan Stainless DE filter, old single speed pump, sketchy multiport valve, and the mechanical timers for the pump and cleaner. The filter housing had been dropped a time or two, so getting it sealed after cleaning was an exercise in patience (which I lack). The timers shot some impressive sparks when manually starting or stopping the pump. The wiring into the breaker box was... creative... and dangerous. Only thing I didn't replace was the booster pump, which was relatively new. No regrets with the current setup. Love the automation.