Building A Pool With Single Phase Electric

[parallaxtech]

I am interested in building a 4x8m pool next to my house, but two people have warned me that you need three phase elec. My hoiuse has one a/c, h/w heater, washing machine, and just standard appliances. It will not be possible for me to replace the cable with three phase cable. Does anyone have a swimming pool in single phase and has it been a problem?

Thanks,

Mike

[Chaichara]

You do not need 3-phase electricity under any circumstances whatsoever. A normal, standard, 220 volt, 1 HP, (0.75 Kw) or 1.5 Hp (1.1 Kw) will be perfectly adequate for a pool your size. And BTW: don't let yourself be charged any more than about 13,800 to 15,800 baht for it.

Three phase pumps start at around 3 HP ((2.2 Kw), and are used for large, commercial swimming pools, and where of course a three`phase supply will almost already be installed.

Make sure that you also get the proper advice on the type and size of filter to go with your pump.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Chaichara

[gilbreth]

Chaichara is 100% spot on - no need for 3 phase for this size! 220v will be perfect. For this size pool also, maybe you could consider a pump / filter combo unit also. Simply plug and play. For these units, a salt system can also be plumbed into the return line easily.

Gil

[longball53098]

I think there is some misunderstanding about the need for 3 phase when a topic discusses electrical needs. Most of us from the US hear the words 3 phase and start thinking about these big, powerful 3 phase motors. Not the case here in LOS. When 3 phase is discussed here most likely it is in terms of what the maximum supply you can get from the MEA/PEA. We westerners like to use a lot of power and we build houses here that burn a lot of kilowatts. The typical Thai uses about one tenth of what we use in a day.

So, if the house you have is supplied with a lower single phase supply it may not be adequate for you're power demands. You may have to increase the supply to the next level and if that still is not big enough then the option to install 3 phase to get the higher power needed. You are not installing 3 phase because you have a motor that needs three phase but because you need higher amperage supply for the home/pool.

On a single phase system the maximum supply you can get from the PEA in some areas is 15(45). The highest current you can draw from this system is about 50 amps without having problems. If you have a 3 phase supply of 15(45) you now have 3 times the capacity because you can use each leg or phase to supply your needs. So as an example here you could power the pool equipment with one leg of the 3 phase and still have the other 2 legs for the house load.

It's all about maximum demand. A calculation for the maximum demand should be done to see if the supply you have at you're location is sufficient. If not consider upping the supply to a higher single phase supply or possibly to 3 phase to get even higher supply.

The use of three phase here is not just about powering special motors.