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Thread: Pool Plumbing - any ideas?

  1. #1
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    Pool Plumbing - any ideas?

    G'day guys

    As your usually such a helpful bunch im looking for a bit of advice!

    Im just in the process of ripping all the pipework for my pool out so i can replace the pumps filter and chlorinator, and get the pipework neat, sensible and correct.

    1st question is... where can i source the plumbing fittings from in perth? Bunnings seem incredibly expensive at the moment.. i dont want to pay $8-9 per fitting! be good it was a wholesaler type of place...

    2nd question.. regarding the one way valve or check valve or whatever you want to call it.. can i not sit this up near the pump? they mostly seem to be servicable but tend to get buried? and i beleive they suggest they should be placed as close to the skimmer as possible below the water level? but i would like to get everything up by the pumps.. so it all in one place and if anything goes wrong.. i can get to it (current check valves and pool heating sensor are buried under a water fall.. about 5 ton of granite!)

    any help would be appreciated!

    Steve

  2. #2
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    I'm not sure about the valve setup.

    But for the joiners etc can you go to an Agriculture shop, alot of the early retic systems used PVC.
    I have one down the road from me that is really helpful. If you let me know what size fittings you need i can call in after work tomorrow and ask them

  3. #3
    clean32 is offline AULRO Holiday Reward Points Winner!
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    the question is why is there a non return valve to start with. whats the hight of you pump in relation to the level of your pool? what sort of pool is it. do you have a return from your hydrostatic valve? what sort of filter do you have? pump? do you have solar ( some times there is a non return to stop the water flowing back into the pump and spinning off the impeller)

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    Steve
    There is a pump shop just up from Bunnings Maddington,on the old Albany Hwy,not the bypass.Same side maybe 300m closer to Perth.
    GOOD OLD FASHIONED SERVICE AND PRICES.
    Everything pools there,I was in there buying a capacitor for my bench grinder that so called SPECIALISTS in LOTS OF SHOPS couldnt help me with.
    They had them,same as a pool pump.
    Andrew
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  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Siska View Post
    I'm not sure about the valve setup.

    But for the joiners etc can you go to an Agriculture shop, alot of the early retic systems used PVC.
    I have one down the road from me that is really helpful. If you let me know what size fittings you need i can call in after work tomorrow and ask them
    Thanks for that.. not sure what fittings i require yet.. still digging all the old pipework out to find where the hell it runs. Where abouts is the shop your talking about?

    Quote Originally Posted by clean32 View Post
    the question is why is there a non return valve to start with. whats the hight of you pump in relation to the level of your pool? what sort of pool is it. do you have a return from your hydrostatic valve? what sort of filter do you have? pump? do you have solar ( some times there is a non return to stop the water flowing back into the pump and spinning off the impeller)
    Yep the pumps are above the water line by about 600-700mm at least.. Its a fibreglass pool and no hydrostatic valve (not sure they are required here?) never seen one over here. The non return valves are used to stop the pump losing prime when they are off, due to the height.

    I currently have a cartridge filter which i am replacing with another but a hurcon zx150. i am limited for space and limited by space for a soakwell for backwash. I also prefer cartridge as i find them easy to keep clean. All pumps filter and chlorintor are on their way..

    Quote Originally Posted by LandyAndy View Post
    Steve
    There is a pump shop just up from Bunnings Maddington,on the old Albany Hwy,not the bypass.Same side maybe 300m closer to Perth.
    GOOD OLD FASHIONED SERVICE AND PRICES.
    Everything pools there,I was in there buying a capacitor for my bench grinder that so called SPECIALISTS in LOTS OF SHOPS couldnt help me with.
    They had them,same as a pool pump.
    Andrew
    Thanks for that Andy! doesnt seem to be many pool shops that actually know anything let alone what service is... i think some see it as a licence to print money! not all of course.. i ended up getting the gear from over east where the guy actually knew something and also stopped me spending more than i needed to...

    Any idea what the shop is called? i'll have a look on the net anyway.. appreciate that!

    Thanks guys!

    Steve

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    Any plumbing store or poolmart (they will be dearer)

    Adam

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    clean32 is offline AULRO Holiday Reward Points Winner!
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5teve View Post

    I currently have a cartridge filter which i am replacing with another but a hurcon zx150. i am limited for space and limited by space for a soakwell for backwash. I also prefer cartridge as i find them easy to keep clean. All pumps filter and chlorintor are on their way..

    Steve
    ok cool Hurcon kit is good, very good, if you can afford it get there chlorinator as well, even better one of there pumps in the TX range are brilliant.

    personally i hate cartridge filters, you lose way to much water when things go wrong, like a green pool, but if you have to over size it by 50% and fit a by pass or a dump valve at least.

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    Quote Originally Posted by agrojnr View Post
    Any plumbing store or poolmart (they will be dearer)

    Adam
    Thanks Adam... i will try the plumbing places but they seem to be becoming a rarity round here... just the usual big chain places...

    Quote Originally Posted by clean32 View Post
    ok cool Hurcon kit is good, very good, if you can afford it get there chlorinator as well, even better one of there pumps in the TX range are brilliant.

    personally i hate cartridge filters, you lose way to much water when things go wrong, like a green pool, but if you have to over size it by 50% and fit a by pass or a dump valve at least.
    Yup.. got the Vx7t chlorinator and the zx150 cartridge filter.. the pool is approx 50000 litres so it is oversized by about 50%. The existing Onga pantera old thing is 150sq ft also and not had an issue with that... other than the thing getting old never had a water issue and it takes me about 20 minutes once every couple of months to clean it out.. also the water savings from backwashing i like also as without the pool cover we lose 100-125mm of water a week cause of the breeze across it.

    I plan to have everything with unions so that anything can be replaced.

    For pumps i was looking hurlcon CTX but changed to the onga silentflo due to the Hurlcon being power hogs... and im using a 3/4hp for the solar and 1hp for the main. the onga use around 2/3 of the power the hurlcons required.

    I have also been conned into buying a spa electrics retro LED pool light by SWMBO, she saw one working and said wow... i want one.... and as our light was not working (and had water inside!) well... that was the end of that....

    So... any advice on the one way valves? any experience with them?

    Thanks

    Steve

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    clean32 is offline AULRO Holiday Reward Points Winner!
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    Quote Originally Posted by 5teve View Post

    I plan to have everything with unions so that anything can be replaced.

    For pumps i was looking hurlcon CTX but changed to the onga silentflo due to the Hurlcon being power hogs... and im using a 3/4hp for the solar and 1hp for the main. the onga use around 2/3 of the power the hurlcons required.
    Good stuff. But i would look at the hurcon pumps again as i know that they are the most efficient far more so than a Onga badged job. we sort of worked on 5 years life for an onga and 10 for a hurcon, i have never swapped a hurcon out under warranty i have certainly swapped plenty of davy and ongers out. for example a 3/4 TX flows more than a 1HP CTX. and Ongers have no head so the cnr in your pipe work and there flow drops to next to nothing.

    but the trick with sizing pumps is to look at there flow and pressure. a 3/4 HP TX hurcon will flow the same and have a slightly higher presser than a 1hp onga. Now depends on where you go most people will steer you to the Onga because there mark up is better and only look at the TX range all the rest are down specked.

    what is your solar system, and how are you pluming it up. is it sperate to the filter system or all part of the same? and do you really need 3/4 for that? sounds like a second story set up with that much power?

    Lastly a good sand filter will actually use less water than a cartridge filter if used correctly. but then size can be a factor.

    look at some surface sealer, its like a liquid but it floats on top of the pool water and reduces evaporation. its not cheep but it works well, just cant use it if you have a wet deck.

    doint get the 7t, trust me you want the 11T, there are times when you have to bump things up a bit and when your salt gets a bit low etc.

  10. #10
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    Good stuff. But i would look at the hurcon pumps again as i know that they are the most efficient far more so than a Onga badged job. we sort of worked on 5 years life for an onga and 10 for a hurcon, i have never swapped a hurcon out under warranty i have certainly swapped plenty of davy and ongers out. for example a 3/4 TX flows more than a 1HP CTX. and Ongers have no head so the cnr in your pipe work and there flow drops to next to nothing.

    but the trick with sizing pumps is to look at there flow and pressure. a 3/4 HP TX hurcon will flow the same and have a slightly higher presser than a 1hp onga. Now depends on where you go most people will steer you to the Onga because there mark up is better and only look at the TX range all the rest are down specked.

    what is your solar system, and how are you pluming it up. is it sperate to the filter system or all part of the same? and do you really need 3/4 for that? sounds like a second story set up with that much power?

    Lastly a good sand filter will actually use less water than a cartridge filter if used correctly. but then size can be a factor.

    look at some surface sealer, its like a liquid but it floats on top of the pool water and reduces evaporation. its not cheep but it works well, just cant use it if you have a wet deck.

    doint get the 7t, trust me you want the 11T, there are times when you have to bump things up a bit and when your salt gets a bit low etc.
    Thanks for that ... but as i said its on its way! ( i should of asked earlier!!! ) the 7t should be fine for over here... its about 40% up on our existing clearwater output (if thats running ok) so will deal with it fine. its rated to 50000L in a tropical climate which perth isnt classed as.

    I did look long and hard at pumps... and i mean long and hard.. weighing up most things.. the TX is discontinued now i beleive and the CX and TX have been combined into the CTX.

    The onga silentflow are relatively new to the market and as such are very efficient... with very good flow compared to previous models (i am replacing LT550 and LT750 onga pumps) the old LT pumps have been going for 7 years without a hiccup and were also for 5 of those fully exposed to the elements...

    The solar is existing (as is everything else which makes it all the harder) and its a single storey install but with about 25m pipework to get to the roof.. and then about 15 back to the pool. the Onga silentflow (only 550w input) will give slightly more flow than the existing pump but not much more. Its actually an incredibly small pump compared to our friends installs... a single storey with a 1 1/2hp pump! he compains it doesnt heat up much and i wonder why! i know with solar you dont need flow as it heats better that way. Im also going to limit the number of bends i use.. preferably use 135deg instead... as i dont seem to be able to find swept bends anywhere? that should ease the flow (lots of experience with Koi ponds and designing/building gravity fed filter systems)

    Nearly forgot to say the solar is unfiltered and just a direct loop from pool through pump to roof and back... with a controller of course... strangely correct me if im wrong... but the current solar temperature sensor for the pool water sits in the solar line... so when it hits tempand stops... the sensor gets no new water to detect temperaure with.. so therefore relies on the water in the pipe cooling down... surely it should be in the main pool line?

    I just havent got space for the sand filter and associated equipment (soakwell etc) and as im comfortable with the cartridge i'm happy.. plus it is over specc'd again... i think they are a bit like boats... your either a Tinny guy or a Glass guy...

    I havent heard of a surface sealer.. sounds interesting so will look at that... we just cover it up every time as its not too much hassle to cover and uncover.

    Thanks for the help... appreciate it!

    Steve

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