JandyAn efficient pool build starts from the ground up. Brennan Warde, owner of ARC Pools based in San Diego, California, aims to provide that for his clients with oversized plumbing and a Jandy equipment set that comes standard with all his pool builds. Both the plumbing and equipment, he believes, make for a hydraulically efficient system.
Warde plumbs all his pools with 2 ½-inch pipe. Jandy recommends 2- to 3-inch pipes for most of its pumps and has large ports for the intake and exhaust. “That pump needs a lot of water,” Warde says. To save on costs, many builders will use smaller-sized pipes, essentially starving the pump. By providing a lot of supply, the pump runs more efficiently and quietly.
But it’s not just the intake that keeps the pump working at its best. The outflow pressure also must be considered. Instead of 1-inch returns, Warde uses 2.5-inch floor returns split into four 2-inch feeds to floor heat return.
“Now we have a no-pressure return on our plumbing, which greatly quiets down the whole system,” Warde says. “Pool filters are usually 15 to 20 PSI because that pump is pushing all that water into it, but it can’t exit into the pool without back pressure.” By contrast, filters on Warde’s pools usually run at three to five PSI.
“Which is huge because the pump is not working as hard, which means it’s not drawing as much power,” he says.
On a recent build, the client wanted their pool to be warm, so energy efficiency wasn’t the only goal. The city doesn’t allow gas heaters, so the family’s solar contractor suggested a heat pump.
“The Raypak heat pump runs on 25 amps, which is very low for a heat pump,” Warde says. But with little room on the equipment pad and only a 15,000-gallon pool, the small pump was the perfect fit. “It was actually heating so much that it reversed and had to start cooling the pool down.”
The heat pump took 1 ½-inch plumbing, so a bypass was created to avoid affecting the efficiency of Warde’s system. “I want the client to be happy, and I want the system to work,” he says.
But no matter how much heat is generated, it’s not efficient unless it’s retained. “If you want a 90-degree pool, which is what they wanted, you won’t get it without a cover,” Warde says.
A Cover Pools cover and custom foam cover for the spa were added and now the pool is warm all day and night. As energy costs rise, it’s becoming easier to convince customers to add a cover. Warde says almost half the pools they build now have one.
The final piece of the efficiency pie for this build was the Jandy automation, which is also standard for Warde. “Everything we do is automated,” he says.
The timers controlling pump speeds and other equipment ensure everything runs at the optimal time. And it knows when the cover is closed to not run a water feature and reduce the chlorine production. Warde says, “When you have that integration, it makes everything work more efficiently.”
In each 2025 issue, we will showcase a pool or company focused on energy efficiency and sustainability with an article and video highlighting its features.
