DIY pool heater project

[wmrcomputers]

I'm operating the pool with a salt cell.

May I ask how technical these are? I've considered switching myself, but if it requires daily adjustments and chlorine readings then i might aswell stick with just using chlorine. If it was an automated system that self adjusts everything then I might be tempted.

 

[hop]

May I ask how technical these are? I've considered switching myself, but if it requires daily adjustments and chlorine readings then i might aswell stick with just using chlorine. If it was an automated system that self adjusts everything then I might be tempted.

Its pretty much fully automatic. The only time you might want to make an adjustment is if you will have a larger than normal people using the pool. Say you are have a BBQ and pool party for 12 guests but you normally only have a family unit using the pool. In which case you can turn a dial to increase the dosage. I've never had any issues with algae or the like, then again the pump is connected to a large sand filter. Currently I have the heating, pumping, skimming and filtering running overnight using economy 7. This uses 3.5 kWh so running for 7 hours per day on economy 7 costs a little over £1 a day to filter and maintain the temperature (the heat pump putting out about 12 kWh of heat). There is some heat loss though hence I would like to maximize the solar gain during the day.

I don't both too much with chlorine readings, more checking pH - but the newer models can even automatically alter the pH for you.

 

[hop]

In fact you can see it on page 4 of this thread. The middle picture shows the plant room. The main machine with a Colorex label is the heat pump, the small box to the right is the control of the salt cell (digital screen showing the reading and a dial to increase or decrease the dosage). The transparent horizontal tube with the wire running the the box is the salt cell itself.

 

[wmrcomputers]

Say you are have a BBQ and pool party for 12 guests but you normally only have a family unit using the pool. In which case you can turn a dial to increase the dosage.

You obviously haven't met our family. 12 isn't much more than our "family unit"

 

[wmrcomputers]

the small box to the right is the control of the salt cell (digital screen showing the reading and a dial to increase or decrease the dosage).

So does it give you the reading of the current free chlorine? If so then this is the kind of thing I'd love. I wouldn't be bothered about pH if I'm honest as I could adjust that manually like you do. In fact, quite strangely, I didn't need to adjust pH once after the initial pool setup last year. It kept itself in perfect balance. Possibly more of a fluke than anything else.