Saltwater pool water for cooling?

[jackspratski]

I have a salt water pool and a copper condenser coil.

If I used pool water for cooling, would the salt water have any effect on the copper? I'd love to be able to have thousands of gallons of cool water available, while also heating my pool.

[Euphoria]

Salt has a strong reactive chemical effect on many things, particularly metallic objects. It also contributes to electrolysis problems, since you would be basically cooling with an electrolyte. Any stray or induced current, (usually found when there are dissimilar metals involved, such as in a battery,) will be greatly enhanced due to the saline content of your coolant. Probably would not the best choice if you're worried about corrosion at all.

[T-Pee]

Use a stainless cooling system and you're in bizness.

tp

[Danespirit]

+1 On what Euphoria wrote..

Have you ever seen blocks of zinc on a boat or a outboardmotor...?
They are there for a very good reason.
Due to it's chemical properties zinc will get eaten away from the saltwater, before aluminium on the "leg" of the motor.
Funny as it may seem, the zinc protects the aluminium from getting oxydated/degenerate to fast.
The saltwater causes a galvanic reaction with the zinc.
Your fine copper would soon turn green and a refluxcoil might even clog up..!

Now to the good news:
What about building a stainless steel heatexchanger....?
It would be feed with saltwater as a coolant, but your copper would be running on clean fresh water (would only require a few liters and a cheap pump).

[jackspratski]

A heatexchanger eh? I have no idea where to begin figuring that out. I guess it's back to the forums for me.

[Danespirit]

Well, there are a few ways to accomplish that...one of them is to build a dephlegmator (a XXL one).
It works excactly as a heatexchanger.
Another way and much simpler, would be a flakestand....basically a coppercoil in a container full of water.
You wouldn't have to build it big, as it wouldn't have to do all of the cooling by itself.
A old radiator from a car also hits my mind..
The only purpose of a heatexchanger is : Thermal transfer between your equipment and the cooling media and seperation of two different coolants.
There are many ways to skin that cat...

[jackspratski]

I have a wort chiller from brewing beer that is just a copper coil.

I could in theory drop that in the pool and run fresh water through it to my copper condenser. If the wort chiller turned green, I really wouldn't care.

I think maybe thats the ticket. Thanks!

[underdog]

This is what you need.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=39745&start=20" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

I have a SW pool, too. However, irrigation water where we live is unmetered, so I don't need it.