Posts Tagged ‘pool heat pumps’

Swimming Pools – Keeping it Clean

Monday, February 28th, 2011

Pool cleaning is the downside of owning a pool, maintaining a crystal clear and healthy pool takes a lot of time and work. Fortunately with today’s technology there are several automated systems.

Electric Robot

This type of automated cleaner is a battery powered robot that rove3s the bottom of the pool vacuuming debris and dirt. The electric robot is quit expensive and is more commonly used in larger commercial pools.

Water Pressure Systems

There are two types of water pressure systems:

The Booster-less System

This system uses the circulation pump as the booster, it does not require a separate booster to operate. The booster less system is connected to the return line after the pump but before the filter. The cleaner will receive the water before the heater does, which can cause low water pressure to the heater. The heater could overheat and burn out. This system requires an automatic valve and control system to prevent the heater from trying to operate. The disadvantage of this system is that the cleaner and heater cannot be operating at the same time.

Booster Pump System

This type of system operates by using a separate pump and motor. The pump attaches after, both, the pump and heater. A high pressure jet of water is sent through flexible hoses and the cleaner while it patrols the bottom of the pool, acting as a vacuum. There are tow types of vacuum heads; the vacuum head and the sweep head. The vacuum has it own bag to collect debris from underwater pool surfaces. The vacuum head style will force water through to stalk to power a turbine then vacuums up most of the larger debris, some water is sent out of a tail which will whip around the bottom of the pool and stir up smaller particles, that will be filtered out by the pool’s circulation system. The water pressure will also move the vacuum head on the wheels attached to the bottom. The vacuum head system has several moving parts, as with any mechanical equipment they must be maintained in order to properly function. This system also has problems with odd shaped pools, sometimes getting caught in corner or on ladders. Make sure to have adequate hose and a properly installed shut off valve. This valve will allow the vacuum head to back itself up. The sweep head type is simply a booster pump that floats on top of the water. It uses water pressure to move long arms to stir the debris from the bottom allowing the larger particles to be removed by the main drain, while finer dirt gets trapped in the filter.

Suction-side system

This automatic cleaner attaches to the pool’s slimmer, using a standard vacuum hose. The vacuum head runs along the bottom of the pool collection leaves and dirt sending it to the skimmer basket. Once the collection pot is full, it simply needs to be emptied. Unfortunately, when the strainer pot gets full the pump will loose suction and the skimmer becomes useless.

Self-Cleaning System

A self cleaning system requires jets set in the bottom of the pool. The jets will push all of the dirt and debris to the deepest part of the pool, where it will be sucked into the main drain. Conversely, it the pressure is not equal to all of the jets cleaning will be uneven.

When deciding on an automatic cleaning system, look at all available systems and ask questions. Get all of the information you can and follow the directions tat come with whatever system you choose for the most efficient operation.

Nicholas Ayres is from Neo Pools, a Perth based concrete swimming pool designer. Neo also provide swimming pool tips and advice.

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How To Build Your Solar Pool Heater

Saturday, January 15th, 2011

A solar pool heater enables you and your family to enjoy your swimming pool or outdoor spa for a greater part of the year. Into spring and autumn. And into cooler mornings and evenings. When others are shivering!

There are four ways to heat your pool:

Electric heater

Gas, usually a propane heater

Using a pool cover

Solar pool heater

The solar solution is best. It’s cheap to run and you don’t contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. A guilt-free time in your comfortably warm pool or outdoor spa! Why not.

A commercial pool heater can cost you up to $2000. But you can build your own at a small fraction of that cost.

Just look around on the web for guides that give you clear instructions of how to build your system. There are several.

Look for these essential elements at least, in any guide you buy:

A clear list of materials with step-by-step instructions

Materials should be easy to source locally and be inexpensive

No requirements for complicated engineering, electrical skills or welding

Clear diagrams

Some troubleshooting suggestions

How do solar pool heaters work?

They run on a passive solar principle. Simply, pool water runs through long lengths of flexible tubing. These are suspended in front of reflectors to receive and transmit the sun’s warmth to the water in the tubing. The tubing should be protected, say with with polythene sheeting, from any wind chill.

The reflectors can be made out of halved storm water piping, sprayed with chrome paint to maximise their reflective powers.

To circulate this warmed water through your pool or spa you will need a small pond pump or solar electric pump. The latter is more expensive, but obviously you will help the environment and your wallet by spending a little more to start with.

One guide suggests that minimum pump specifications should be that it delivers 10 litres per minute (120 gals/hour) and is capable of raising water to 1.6m (5′2″).

All components, containing tubing, reflectors and cover, are assembled into a solar panel. Its ideal size depends on optimum dimensions for ease of handling, structural integrity and heating efficiency. Of course more than one panel can be used. A spa would not need a large panel. But then again… some like it hot!

In general, a panel measuring 3.4m (11′ 4″) by 1.4m (4′ 8″) is effective on pools up to 30,000 litres (6000 gal).

Panels should be placed in such a way to maximise receipt of the sun’s rays. It’s best to have them face the sun’s mid day position. Place them vertically on a fence or horizontally on your roof.

To make the best of your solar pool heater, it makes sense to use it with a solar blanket. But this is not normally required to benefit from your now upgraded asset – your pool or spa.

Give it a go! It’s easier than you think. And your family will thank you for it.

Dr Erik Leipoldt has long been concerned about the effects of global warming. In particular he uses his own experience of severe disability in practical approaches towards alternate energy sources to survive and thrive in our environmentally disabled world. See http://www.alternate-energy-sources.com/solar-pool-heater.html

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Inground Pool Pump – How to Buy One And Save Money

Friday, December 31st, 2010

An inground pool pump serves as the heart of your pool system. Aside from keeping your pool free from germs, it also ensures clearer water that’s algae-free. It works with your pool filter by circulating water and making sure chemicals and chlorine aren’t concentrated in one area. Investing in a high quality pool pump should keep your pool functioning like new. It lets you enjoy your pool without worrying about maintenance.

A typical water pump works by drawing water from the pull then pushing it through a filter and heater, if you have one. After the water has been cleaned free of sediments and contaminants, it is then released back into the pool through its return ports. Buying just any pool pump won’t do the trick. There is a specific pump type and capacity to suit every swimming pool. As a general rule, you have to consider the horsepower, flow rate, pump head pressure and pump type. These should all be in accordance to your pool’s dimensions and volume.

Energy-efficiency is a common concern among new pool pump buyers. You can easily see this on the main unit. Look closely as it is usually written on a name plate in fine print. The wrong pool pump can lead to higher energy consumption and outrageous electricity bills. Higher power doesn’t exactly mean higher efficiency so make sure you’re buying the right pump for your pool. Otherwise, you might end up spending on something that would be of no use.

Flow rate is another important consideration when buying pool pumps. The flow rate is the amount of water moved by the main unit within a particular period. It is commonly gauged in liters or gallons per minute. Figuring out the correct flow out can be tricky. As a good measure, you must decide first how often you want water to be redistributed. If you own a commercial pool, it isn’t surprising to have a pool pump running for 24 hours. However, this isn’t necessary for a pool with very few users. A residential pool typically needs water circulation at least once or twice a day.

An efficient pump should be capable of releasing 250 l/m. Under normal circumstances, a pool pump with a capacity of 250 liters per minute requires at least 500 watts of electricity to work. If you own a bigger pool, be prepared to have a higher electricity bill since a 350 l/m pool pump runs on 1200 to 1500 watts.

Lastly, look for a pool pump with the right head pressure. Smaller head pumps are enough for above-ground pools and small inground pools. If you own an average-sized inground pool then you’re better off with a medium head pump. These are capable of handling pools with capacities of up to 20,000 gallons. If your pool is bigger than this, then use a high head pump. An ultra high head pump is available for combination pools or those with a built-in spa.

It’s difficult to pick just one inground pool pump with all the choices available. While they are all basically the same, it is crucial to find one with features that would suit your pool. The best place to search for advice is through the Internet. Consumer reviews can give you unbiased opinions and first-hand experiences with these products

If you’re looking for information about Dolphin Pool Cleaners, Inground Pool Cleaners or anything Pool Related, check out our website http://www.dolphinpoolcleanersguide.com.

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Solar Pool Heating

Saturday, December 4th, 2010

Do you have a pool at home? If you do, you will benefit from having a solar blanket or cover. Through the solar cover, the solar radiation can heat up the pool. By simply covering the pool for pool for 12 hours, it can already increase the pool water’s temperature by 5?F. The cover will also help in retention of heat since evaporation is limited. In pool maintenance, you will need to put certain chemicals and with the help of the pool cover, chemical depletion is reduced as well.

To create a solar pool heater, you will need a submersible pump, solar PV panel, plastic landscape tubing, joiners or junctions for the tubing, and tubing mounts (optional). Free power is provided by solar pool heaters. However, you will still need electricity for the pumps. All you have to do is to cut the tubes short and arrange them so that connecting will be very easy. You can use the junctions and t joiners to assemble the panel.

The tubes can be placed over the sides of the pool, or you can mount them using plywood. The tubing should get a lot of sunlight. The tubes should be connected to the pump so that water will run inside it. The water should also return to the pool. You need to ensure that the pump is clean, especially the filter, because debris can lead to increased electricity consumption through the pump. Avoid too many bends in the pipes because this also will require increased power.

The DIY solar pool heating is really easy to make. You can also make your own pool cover that can collect the heat of the sun. You can shop around DIY stores and ask for the type of material that can be used to cover the pool. Both the pool cover and the solar pool heater tubing can heat the water in the pool. Now, you can enjoy the warm water in your pool at less cost. Going solar is the trend these days. It can be very rewarding to make your own poll heaters rather than using the commercial heaters that will cost you a lot of money in the long term.

Kirby in NC
http://www.onlinecampingtents.com
kirbz105@gmail.com

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