Living on a steep hillside in California made installing a pool a challenge, but I kept the dream alive. Last year I started and built a Snorkel Cedar Hot Tub that was nicely worked into a lower deck, but was waiting for Solar guys to finish up changes and additions to electrical panels before installing the filter, pump, and heater, we're almost there! Note, I already bought a Pentair Superflo VS and Pentair 100 sqft Cartridge filter.
But then... a couple of weeks ago, I acquired a used Original Endless Pool 7 x 14 ft, it was an opportunity I could not resist. Since this is small and modular it's easy enough to install in the little flat spot I have for it. The EP comes with its own small Laing circulation pump and Gecko heater/controller. This small pump seems to fail often, so I’d love to replace this with the Pentair Variable Speed pump and connect the Pool and Spa together so I only have 1 system to maintain, 1 pump/filter/heater/automation to buy but the challenges are the 20-35ft distance and 8ft elevation change between pool and hot tub or 14ft to the equipment pad I had first designated just below the hot tub.
Below is the drawing, with an indication of elevation and distances. South is to the right on this drawing, so the endless pool will be in the sun, but the hot tub is on a lower deck, with more shade, privacy, and a nice view. The Endless pool will be semi-in-ground and higher than the hot tub!
Originally, I made space just below the hot tub for the equipment pad (13 x 2ft) but that might be too far/low from the Endless Pool. The pump seems fine with it, even at the lowest speed the Pentair Superflo VS has 12ft of dynamic head and goes up to 75 ft at higher speeds.
Alternatively, I could extend the vault (concrete, block wall) for the endless pool to the right and make this the spot for the hydraulic motor for the current and for the filter/pump/heater. The other equipment pad can become a storage for garden tools/pool chemicals.
I work from home mostly and have no problem maintaining the pool/hot tub, but 5-6 times a year I’ll be traveling for work for 1-2 weeks and I can’t really ask my wife to take on pool maintenance and this setup will be fairly non-standard to outsource maintenance for. So I am planning to automate the setup, with valve actuators and a peristaltic pump to dose chlorine. (Salt Water is not advised for Endless Pools). Automating this once, for both pool and hot tub is of course desirable.
I don’t necessarily plan to “mix” the water from the Pool and Hot tub, the cedar hot tubs leach tannins for a while, but I might set it all up so there is an overflow from pool to hot tub for the future. There are 2 unused inlet/outlets in the endless pool that could be used for this purpose, connecting them to a vertical overflow pipe. I read posts here on the forum on this setup but will need to dig into this more.
If setting up the pump higher will priming the pump from the hot tub side be ok? The elevation will be about 5-6ft from the top of the hot tub to the pump.
.. and ideally, I’d love to include solar pool heater panels in the mix and/or a heat pump.
Any and all advice is welcome, it’s a bit of a challenging situation and setup. Based on your experience, would you connect the pool and hot tub? If so, where would you place the pump? Up or down? Any other pitfalls to avoid with either setup?
Thanks,
Bert
But then... a couple of weeks ago, I acquired a used Original Endless Pool 7 x 14 ft, it was an opportunity I could not resist. Since this is small and modular it's easy enough to install in the little flat spot I have for it. The EP comes with its own small Laing circulation pump and Gecko heater/controller. This small pump seems to fail often, so I’d love to replace this with the Pentair Variable Speed pump and connect the Pool and Spa together so I only have 1 system to maintain, 1 pump/filter/heater/automation to buy but the challenges are the 20-35ft distance and 8ft elevation change between pool and hot tub or 14ft to the equipment pad I had first designated just below the hot tub.
Below is the drawing, with an indication of elevation and distances. South is to the right on this drawing, so the endless pool will be in the sun, but the hot tub is on a lower deck, with more shade, privacy, and a nice view. The Endless pool will be semi-in-ground and higher than the hot tub!
Originally, I made space just below the hot tub for the equipment pad (13 x 2ft) but that might be too far/low from the Endless Pool. The pump seems fine with it, even at the lowest speed the Pentair Superflo VS has 12ft of dynamic head and goes up to 75 ft at higher speeds.
Alternatively, I could extend the vault (concrete, block wall) for the endless pool to the right and make this the spot for the hydraulic motor for the current and for the filter/pump/heater. The other equipment pad can become a storage for garden tools/pool chemicals.
I work from home mostly and have no problem maintaining the pool/hot tub, but 5-6 times a year I’ll be traveling for work for 1-2 weeks and I can’t really ask my wife to take on pool maintenance and this setup will be fairly non-standard to outsource maintenance for. So I am planning to automate the setup, with valve actuators and a peristaltic pump to dose chlorine. (Salt Water is not advised for Endless Pools). Automating this once, for both pool and hot tub is of course desirable.
I don’t necessarily plan to “mix” the water from the Pool and Hot tub, the cedar hot tubs leach tannins for a while, but I might set it all up so there is an overflow from pool to hot tub for the future. There are 2 unused inlet/outlets in the endless pool that could be used for this purpose, connecting them to a vertical overflow pipe. I read posts here on the forum on this setup but will need to dig into this more.
If setting up the pump higher will priming the pump from the hot tub side be ok? The elevation will be about 5-6ft from the top of the hot tub to the pump.
.. and ideally, I’d love to include solar pool heater panels in the mix and/or a heat pump.
Any and all advice is welcome, it’s a bit of a challenging situation and setup. Based on your experience, would you connect the pool and hot tub? If so, where would you place the pump? Up or down? Any other pitfalls to avoid with either setup?
Thanks,
Bert
