Check Valve/Flow Meter Install

[poolneophyte]

I purchased the new check valve/flow meter from TFTestkits and did the install today. I took pictures of the install process and will also share some lessons learned with the forum. I apologize in advance if this is a long post but I feel it may help others.

The first thing I found is that the valve body is made by Praher not Jandy as I assumed after reading another post. I was able to find some accurate dimensions on Praher's website and found that the pipe cut needs to be 3.75". The overall body length is 6.5" and the socket depth is approximately 1-3/8". The most important number is the 3.75" pipe cut since that is how much pipe needs to be removed in order to install the flow meter. I also removed the guts of the flow meter so I could put a torpedo level on top and also check that the pipes were bottomed out in the socket during the install. I used Oatey clear primer and Oatey clear general purpose cement to do the install. I also noticed that the Praher valve body has an additional port on one side which can be drilled out and serves no purpose with this flow meter. The valve body is symmetrical so it doesn't matter which way it gets installed but the flow meter must be installed such that the side with the flow scale is on the downstream side of the flow.

The installation went very well. The only trouble that I had was leveling the valve body which ended up being slightly off. I waited a few hours to let the cement cure per Oatey's instructions. I then started the pump and the flow meter seems to work very well with very little effect on the system. I will follow-up with another post with a detailed review on the flow meters operation and effect on the system.

Here are some pictures of the install:

 

[duraleigh]

Nice work on the install. Did you notice any psi increase? Was the flow about what you expected?

My retrofit goes in next week, I have calculated my flow a couple of times but it will be interesting to see what it actually is.

 

[poolneophyte]

Dave,

Thanks for shipping the flow meter so quickly. I took a bunch of data before and after the installation of the flow meter and saw very little change in pump pressure. I have attached a summary of the data to see if any of the pumping experts on this forum can make any sense out of it.

For my testing, I used pump speeds which have flow curves in the pump owners manual. These are 1500, 2400, 3000 and 3450 RPM. I also tested at 2800 RPM since that is the normal filtration speed which I have been using for the last couple of years. I have a 3-way valve on the suction side which selects between the skimmers, main drains or mix of both. I generally run the pump with a mix of both but wanted to test with all flow coming from either the skimmers or main drain for accuracy and repeatability of the test. I also marked the normal position of the 3-way valve and ran a few tests for mixed suction.

The pressure readings were taken from the gauge on the filter. I know it's not the most accurate of gauges but it's all I have. I used decimal places on some of the pressure readings just to signify that the number is different from another. I have no way of getting that kind of accuracy from this gauge, so consider it my best guess.

Watt readings were taken through the control system directly from the Jandy ePump.

Test data is as follows:[attachment=0:1flhxk34]Flow Meter Data.pdf[/attachment:1flhxk34]

Conclusion:

I found that the flow meter had very little effect on the pressure gauge readings. I was surprised by this given just how tight the spring feels when I pushed the check valve flapper open by hand prior to the install. I also determined that I can run my pump at a slower speed and still get adequate turnover. I need to find a good speed where skimmer action still works well. I may try using 2400 RPM (which I now know to be 40GPM) and see if the pool stays clean and algae free. I also found that the pressure gauge is pinned at the botton of the scale when I ran at 1500RPM. That's why I said <2 on the attached test data. The pump is really quiet at that speed but I doubt that it would keep my pool clean and would require a 15 hour run time for one turnover.

I also learned that my current 12 hour daily run time at 2800 RPM is probably doing more than two complete turnovers per day. Once again, I can probably scale the speed back to save some energy.

Overall, I think the flow meter is a good addition to my system. If it is as accurate as the manufacturer claims, then I think it is very usefull for variable speed pump owners.