In my quest to building a automated chlorinator I came across a family member that has a Dosatron D14mz10. I know nothing about this and not even sure if it would work. Anyone familiar with such a pump? It is adjustable and the rate is based on the amount of water pressure running thru the system, so I could possibly install an adjustable flow valve just before the pump... Here is a link to the manual.... http://dosatronusa.dosatroninternat.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/D14-US-Manual3.pdf Any advice would be appreciated.
Anyone used a Dosatron?
- Thread starter joshua5438
- Start date
- May 23, 2015
- 24,382
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
It's basically a metering pump that mixes input water and a chemical to get dosed output water. It would be setup very similarly to how people use Stenner peristaltic pumps here on the forum and might even be a bit better. You'd have to play guinea pig for us and tell us how it goes. Steiner pumps inject full-strength chlorinating liquid. This pump would be able to mix inlet pool water with chlorinating liquid to deliver a less concentrated dose. It might be better in the sense that your downstream components would see a less harsh chemical dose BUT you'd have to run this type of pump a lot longer than a Stenner pump. So there would be trade-offs here for pool pump run time (and Stenner runtime) versus downstream equipment damage. Looks interesting though...
I think I will give it a shot. Not sure how to run all the plumbing at this point. My pump currently runs 24/7 so that means the Dosatron would run 24/7 as I would not have a way to turn it on and off. Thats the only negative I see. If I ever decide to pump the pool pump on a timer then I could adjust for a greater flow rate. Not sure how to manage the amount of chlorine either since the outcome would be diluted.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,382
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Running a pool pump 24/7 is, in almost all cases, totally unnecessary and, worst of all with a single-speed pump, a complete waste of money. You might be interested to read this article in Pool School - Pool School - Determine Pump Run Time Honestly speaking, if I had to choose between a Dose-a-tron pump and a pool timer, adding a pool timer would be a much higher priority.
I used a donation in the growing industry for fertilizer or pesticide application. Typically there set up for high pressure but I'm sure there's a way to convert or there may be a lower pressure model.
We purchased the house about 6 months ago. It appears the pool has never had a timer installed. It something that I want to add but have been told its not a bad thing to run the pump 24/7. I will look in to the timers. The Dosatron will be free, thats why I was thinking about giving it a go. Will have to do some testing to be sure it will work.
While pool pumps may be reated for 24/7 operation the big issue is cost. Unless you have a two speed or variable speed pump you are wasting a lot of electricity running that long. Right now I only run mine about 4 hours a day and at the height of the season it will reach about 6 hours.
Depending on electric rates in your area a timer can pay for itself quickly.
Free is hard to beat, so not a lot to loose by trying it. The only down side i see looking through the manual is that they state " It is the responsibility of the owner/operator to replace the injection seals annually to ensure precise injection". While a Stenner recommends replacing the pump tube yearly, this will involve tearing down the unit to rebuild it. Not the end of the world, but many who have minimal mechanical skills may have issues.
We recently bought a house with a pool that didn't have a timer on the pump either. I had never heard of that before. The previous owner was told by the builder that it was best to just leave it running all the time. My only thought was that they wanted to be able to sell him a new pump when his went out prematurely.
Would this be a good timer to purchase? Intermatic Electronic Timer, 7 Days, SPST ET1725C | Zoro.com I would like to be able to run the pump and possibly a stenner pump with the dosatron doesnt work out. My pool is wired for 220V
Here is another that I have found. What are your thoughts? Aube by Honeywell TI040/U 7-Day Programmable Timer - Wall Timer Switches - Amazon.com
One of the most popular timers:
Amazon.com: intermatic pool timer t104
How To Install an Intermatic T104 Timer - INYOPools.com
Amazon.com: intermatic pool timer t104
How To Install an Intermatic T104 Timer - INYOPools.com
Thanks! That may be the way I go then. I wasnt sure if the Stenner was 110 or 220. I see that you have the adjustable pump. If I purchased the non adjustable then I assume I would have to purchase another timer to go between the pool pump timer and the stenner pump? Trying to figure out how to regulate the chlorine if both pumps work off the same timer.
Indeed, some folks address the issue of having their Stenner and filter pumps "tethered" in run time by getting the variable speed Stenner--to be able to adjust FC dosing to pump runtimes. I personally find it more flexible to have the Stenner and filter pump on separate timers. Based on another member's idea, I snagged one of the Woods WiOn WiFi outdoor timers. It can be easily programmed/reprogrammed from your phone. It has worked flawlessly for me thus far and has proven very useful on a couple of occasions already. One needs to be mindful of selecting run times for the Stenner that match the filter pump run times. From what others have reported, the single speed pump also seems less prone to problems that are introduced by the ratcheting mechanism of the variable speed Stenner.
dang, I just bought a woods outdoor timer that isn't wifi. Hadn't ever heard of the WiOn. Unfortunately my amazon order already shipped. Maybe I'll return it.
- Jan 4, 2016
- 5,288
- Pool Size
- 44000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
I was thinking about Dosatron as well for adding acid, mostly just because I'm familiar with them from nursery production. As a fertilizer injector, they're good at maintaining a consistent dilution rate (e.g. 1:200) so that a gallon of concentrate is injected for every 200 gallons of water that goes through the injector. So regardless of which irrigation valves are open, the fertilizer is the same strength, provided you stay within the operating range of the injector. A common layout in a nursery is to have one or more large fertilizer injectors for overall needs (100+ GPM, 60-120 PSI), and use Dosatrons for localized applications (e.g. under 30 GPM, under 80 PSI, or something that's different from what most of the crops need)
A small Dosatron such as shown in your link handles up to 14 gallons per minute vs. 50 GPM flow for my small pool. Brand new, they cost more than a Stenner, but if it's free, I think you could make it work on a parallel 3/4" line by throttling the flow on the main return line to push water through the parallel line and overcome the friction loss in the Dosatron. Dosatron also makes a venturi style that is around the same price as a Stenner, and larger fertilizer injectors priced in the $000s.
The Stenner meters a consistent amount over time, without regard to the amount of water flowing through the pool piping. I'm guessing this might be easier to manage, but you could manage the Dosatron by monitoring consumption of bleach or acid and dial it in accordingly. If you do try it out, I'm certainly interested to learn how it goes. I have a way to get a free one too
A small Dosatron such as shown in your link handles up to 14 gallons per minute vs. 50 GPM flow for my small pool. Brand new, they cost more than a Stenner, but if it's free, I think you could make it work on a parallel 3/4" line by throttling the flow on the main return line to push water through the parallel line and overcome the friction loss in the Dosatron. Dosatron also makes a venturi style that is around the same price as a Stenner, and larger fertilizer injectors priced in the $000s.
The Stenner meters a consistent amount over time, without regard to the amount of water flowing through the pool piping. I'm guessing this might be easier to manage, but you could manage the Dosatron by monitoring consumption of bleach or acid and dial it in accordingly. If you do try it out, I'm certainly interested to learn how it goes. I have a way to get a free one too
I'd either return it or repurpose it to outdoor lighting or something. This is the guy I was talking about:
http://www.amazon.com/50049-Outdoor-Outlet-Wireless-Programmable/dp/B00ZYLQZEK
The interface is basic but functional, but very easy to program and/or reprogram when dialing in things like I'm doing now. Good luck!
Jay
you talked me into it. I haven't set my final pool pump run time schedule yet, but I hope to run it in 3 couple of hour periods throughout the day. And on top of that, I want to add chlorine via my stenner pump in each of those run cycles. I wasn't looking forward to setting up 3 different on/off periods for the stenner pump via the button interface on the non wifi model. So I went ahead and ordered the wifi model, and I'll return the other most likely.