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Both the flow rate and water quality are always affected by the pipe sizes used, the length of the pipe run, the number of 90-degree and 45-degree elbows and the pump and filtration system used
Power and other equipment cables cannot be shortened by the installer. However, they can be shortened by your electrician. This will help tidy up the area
The overall aim is to keep the pipework simple, as short as possible, and with the least number of elbows
Overcoming pool equipment installation nightmares By Cal Stanley
S
ome of the biggest problems I came across in my time as a consultant was with pool equipment and control installations. In reality, there should be no “nightmares”, but too often they arise.
The pool equipment location
Simply put, the best location is as close to the pool as is physically and aesthetically possible. However, the pool builder will not always be able to put it in that best location. During my time in the industry, I dealt exclusively with the prospective pool owner many times, and it was often not difficult to talk them into a better location when the advantage in doing so was well explained.
“The smaller the pipe sizes and/or the longer the pipe run and the further the equipment is from the pool, the worse the pool water quality will be.”
The smaller the pipe sizes and/or the longer the pipe run and the further the equipment is from the pool, the worse the pool water quality will be.
Planning the plant room
You don’t build or install the pool without a plan indicating its precise location. The same goes for the equipment installation. 1. First, draw all the equipment, controllers, and power points on paper, even if it is only a rough sketch. This will assist in getting everything in the best order and location. Do this before any pipes are installed so that the pump suction line is ready for the pump without further pipework requiring more pipe fittings. 2. The overall aim is to keep the pipework simple, as short as possible, and with the least number of elbows. 3. Have your electrician position power points as close as possible to where the equipment will be located. 4. P ower and other equipment cables cannot be shortened by the installer. However, they can be shortened by your electrician. This will help tidy up the area.
Equipment pipework However, I mostly worked through architects and home builders. Some would see the reasoning behind a change of location and others would not budge at all. Many of these discussions would lead to a variation in my price. One of the problems of pool equipment being in a location remote from the pool is that it should, in most instances, trigger a change in the quoted or the contract price. Why is this you may ask? Because the distance that the equipment area is from the pool affects the efficiency of the entire filtration system and the quality of the pool water. Both the flow rate and water quality are always affected by the pipe sizes used, the length of the pipe run, the number of 90-degree and 45-degree elbows and the pump and filtration system used. 24 SPLASH! August/September 2021
For most domestic pools, it is acceptable to plumb in the pipe size that matches the equipment connections. However, if a pump has one sized connection and the equipment item has another, always plumb the system in the larger pipe size. I hope you will never have anything like the pictures on this page! n For these columns, Cal Stanley draws on his experience and success in pool construction, having run awardwinning Neptune Pools in Western Australia for three decades, as well as sitting on many standards committees and industry boards, and working as a pool consultant, trainer and delivering hydraulics courses for the swimming pool industry. If you have a question regarding his columns, email him at cal@westnet.com.au.