Questions on variable speed pump program

[pisstol27]

I recently got all new equipment installed for my pool, including a Hayward MaxFlo 1.65 hp VS pump. The company that did all the installation set up the pump programs and told me there should be no need to tinker with it. Reading the TFP forums has taught me a lot, including to be skeptical of pool companies so I wanted some reassurances from here. The current program is:

12AM-8M: 1800 RPM (at this level there is no filter pressure and the heater won't operate due to no flow)
8AM-10AM: 2300RPM, (at this level there is 5psi on the filter and the heater won't operate due to no flow)
10AM-11:45PM 3000 RPM (at this level there is 12psi and enough flow for the heater to work)

So my main questions are:
1) Is it normal for there to be no filter pressure and no flow to the heater at the two lower speeds.
2) If it is normal, is there really any benefit to running the pump for 10 hours with little to no pressure other than to keep the water moving.
3) It seems to me that running the pump from 10AM-11:45PM at 3000RPM seems like overkill. If I want to run the heater all day then I obviously need to, but I used to run it for four hours in the morning and four hours in the afternoon (after consulting the pool school) with my old one speed pump and never had a water quality problem.

Thanks for any help

 

[pooldv]

1. Yes for filter pressure, depends on plumbing head pressure for the heater, but it seems like it should work above 2000 rpm
2. Yes, filters work much more efficiently with low pressure
3. Agree, a couple hours in the AM and PM should be fine

I run my pump at 1100 rpm for skimming, making chlorine with the SWG and filtering. 0 pressure on filter gauge.

 

[mas985]

2) Only if you are removing debris. Otherwise it is a waste of energy.

 

[Davegvg]

How do you determine what is the lowest speed at which the skimmer functions?

Here is the method that works for me,

While looking down into the skimmer basket I run the pump up at 50 RPM increments until I see 2 water ridge lines - I loosely refer to these as "harmonics" then tune from there in small rpm increments.

This indicates to me Ive got enough skimming function for the pool to actually clean itself effectively- with a chlorinator I bump up till it activates then stop, Im back to bleach to I stop here.

When the filter starts to plug up a quick glance in the basket will show a reduction to one harmonic, then on to nothing until you clean your filter or bump up the RPM to get everything flowing again (which defeats the purpose of all the nice gear to begin with)

Happy tuning your pool for what works best for you.

Dave

 

[mas985]

The other thing you can do is look at the weir. Water should flow over the weir and pull the weir down. When the flow rate is too low, the weir will stand up straight and water will flow around the sides.

 

[pooldv]

Hey that is a handy tip!

 

[pisstol27]

thanks everyone, i will keep an eye on the skimmer in the morning at the lower speed. I'm leaning towards running it 12 hours, 4 each in the morning and afternoon at a high enough RPM to allow the heater to work and a 4 hours overnight at a lower speed.

 

[mas985]

With the two 4 hour periods, you really shouldn't need the third. In fact, you should only need 2 2-3 hour run periods at most.

 

[pisstol27]

I'd like to have the heater on for more, especially early in the season. Doesn't ever really get too hot here in NY until July.

 

[mas985]

Ok, that makes sense. Are you using a solar cover?

 

[pisstol27]

no solar cover, which i know will help. i was going to purchase one but because my pool is oddly shaped I would have to buy a rectangular one and cut it to fit. I figured it would make putting it on and removing it each day (plus storing it) a bit more of a chore than its worth.I have friends who have a bar going across the deep end where they can roll it not each day but they have a rectangle so it is much easier.

 

[mas985]

This is what I did to make it easier and can work for nearly any shaped pool: DIY Solar Cover Roller

A cover will save you a ton of money in both heating and pump run time costs.

 

[pooldv]

+1 to that. I have been resisting the solar cover for years due to perceived difficulty of dealing with it. I finally got one this year and, as usual, I was wrong. Again. It makes a huge difference in heat retention. There is a bit of a learning curve with taking the cover off and on. But, it takes less than 15 minutes even if you're bad at it. It also significantly reduced FC demand and virtually stopped PH rise.