Building a pool / spa combo and how to control it

Including a spa in your pool space can add a lot of class to your project. Before you decide, it is important to understand how the spa will be controlled and operated. There are three ways to plumb and operate a pool / spa combo in your backyard. A passive system, a split system, and a dual system.

A passive system includes one pump that runs and pulls water from the pool and spa at the same time and returns it back proportionally to both vessels, heated, chlorinated, and filtered. This is done by setting the valves to pull most of the water from the pool and return MOST of the water back to the pool. By setting the valves (and this does take a bit of trial and error), an appropriate percentage of water is pulled back, treated, and returned to the spa based on use and water level. All of the water is mixed in this process and all of the water is the same temp.

If you want the spa to have a higher temp, you would turn the valves to pull ALL the water from the spa and send ALL the water back to the spa. You would set the heater to the desired temp allowing the spa water to heat up to that temp point. You would only want to do this for a day or evening as in this configuration, the pool is not getting circulated. When you are done with the warm spa time, the valves should be placed BACK to the known ‘balanced’ position allowing the pool to begin circulating again. In a situation where the spa is going to be mostly for seating, a passive system works fine. This passive configuration is particularly well suited for a pool with a built-in spa such as the Castaway model and is the most economical way to build a pool/spa combination.

A split system is created by using computer / automation to control the spa and pool independently, but still sharing one equipment pack. The system will turn valves back and forth to spend time filtering, chlorinating, and heating each body of water. Each body of water can maintain an independent temperature and even chlorination setting. If you add a sense and dispense system such as intellichem, you could even maintain different PH and ORP levels should you so choose. Automation will also give you the ability to add and remotely control blowers, lights, and other features.

A dual system is the most costly but most flexible on function. As the name implies there are dual systems installed each controlling its own body of water. Separate pumps, filters, chlorinators, and heaters are independent of each other and take care of their own bodies of water. Both systems can be controlled by one automation system offering the most robust way to operate a pool and spa in your space.

Whether you choose a dual system or split, the advantages to having automation is the ability to control different pump speeds (if you have a variable speed pump), control the temperature, turn on a blower, remotely control both vessels, operate water features, control lighting separately, add chemical controller, and overall simply have broader control of the pool and its systems.

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