Pentair Intelliflo VS+SVRS and Pentair Cartridge Filter

[BerkeleyBear]

Hi! Great forum! First question/post here. My question has likely been asked before but I couldn't find a search query.

I recently installed a Pentair Intelliflo VS+SVRS pump. My filter is a 420 sq.ft. Pentair cartridge filter. It says the filter design flow rate is 150 GPM...is this a maximum design rate or a recommended rate? If it's a recommended flow rate, perhaps the filter is oversized to run the motor at lowest speed? Should I program my motor to run a few hours at a higher speed to get proper filtration?

I'll likely need to experiment by testing water quality for my particular application, but I was wondering if anyone had any advice on this?

My pool is ~18,000 gallons and I live in the San Fernando Valley. It's a basic, featureless, late 1950s pool with one 2" return line.

Thanks!

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

150 GPM is the maximum flow rate. Filtering improves as the flow rate goes down, so running the pump at the lowest speed, or anything except possibly the very highest speed, is just fine.

In a normal setup the most energy efficient flow rate for an IntelliFlo pump is usually around 1000 RPM. At lower speeds electrical usage for a constant amount of water moved usually starts to go up just slightly.

 

[BerkeleyBear]

Thanks for the response. Makes sense for better filtering at lower speeds, plus lower wear on system piping. I got the pump running at 1100 RPM (probably around 40 GPM) for 8 hours a day. Probably need to increase run time during hot summer months. The pump is using about 160 Watts at this speed. I'm impressed, you cannot hear the pump unless right next to it at 1100 RPM! $500 rebate from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power helps too.

 

[susa]

>> pump running at 1100 RPM (probably around 40 GPM) for 8 hours a day... using about 160 Watts at this speed.

just for comparison, running an IntelliFlow VF @ 850 rpm and 95 watts and 24 hr/day