VS Pump - how long to run?

[shawnra]

I am new to this and just had my pool completed a few weeks back. I have a 30K gal IG with a sand filter, Intelliclor SWG and an Intelliflow variable speed pump. I really have no idea how long I should be running it and how I should be setting the SWG. The PB left it running at about 2400 rpm 24hr a day. I have adjusted it down to run about 12 hours/day at 1800 rpm. So my questions are:

• Is there an easy way to convert RPM to GPM?
• How many turn-overs should I shoot for per day?
• Is there an "optimal" pump speed?
• Do I essentially pick a pump schedule that keeps the pool clean and then adjust SWG ouput to maintain sufficient chlorine levels?

Seems clear that I may need to tweak as outdoor temps go up and down, but trying to figure out how I can establish a baseline. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

 

[mas985]

First, you might want to read this: http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/152-determine-pump-run-time

And the article in my sig.

Knowledge of flow rate and turnover is not really required although you here a lot about it in the industry. It turns out that it is not that important.

However, in terms of speed, 1000 RPM is about the most efficient speed but it may not be high enough for the skimmers to work. Probably your limiting factor will be your SWG. With a 31k pool, you will probably need at least 6 hours at 100% setting so I would start there but some experimentation will be needed.

So start at 1000 RPM and see if the skimmers can keep up and keep the surface clear of debris, if not then increase speed. For the SWG, start at 6 hours of run time at 100% and see if you can hit your FC target, if not increase run time proportionally. If you overshoot FC, you can reduce run time.

 

[shawnra]

Thanks for the info. There is so much good data here that somehow I overlooked the article on pump run time. All very helpful!

 

[rustyb85]

I have a 23K pool with a VS pump and SWG. I have it set to run either 19-20 hrs at 1000RPM with the SWG running between 35%-40% according to how hot it is and it seems to be keeping up just fine. I have two skimmers and it is still skimming fine at the 1000RPMs. I do manually turn the pump up to 1800RPM right before I clean out the skimmers to make sure it sucks all of the dust and bugs down into the basket right before I pull them out and then when I put the baskets back in I turn the pump right back down. It is working well and my pool is staying clean.

 

[jblizzle]

I have a 23K pool with a VS pump and SWG. I have it set to run either 19-20 hrs at 1000RPM with the SWG running between 35%-40% according to how hot it is and it seems to be keeping up just fine. I have two skimmers and it is still skimming fine at the 1000RPMs. I do manually turn the pump up to 1800RPM right before I clean out the skimmers to make sure it sucks all of the dust and bugs down into the basket right before I pull them out and then when I put the baskets back in I turn the pump right back down. It is working well and my pool is staying clean.

So why not try running for 10 hours (or two 5 hour periods) and double the SWG %? Save yourself 50% of the power you are currently using.

 

[rustyb85]

So why not try running for 10 hours (or two 5 hour periods) and double the SWG %? Save yourself 50% of the power you are currently using.

Well it doesn't hurt the bank considering running the VS Pump at 1000rpms is roughly 141watts which costs me about $7.80-$8.00 month to run for 20 hours per day with our electric rates. I also looked at turning up the speed a little bit and running it for shorter a shorter duration and when I changed it to 1500rpms the current draw increases to 311 watts. That equates to $10.37 per month to run it for 12 hours a day. I also like having the pump circulating water all the time. When we had an above ground pool the pump was set to run for 6 hours to keep the chlorine levels up enough and then we never felt like the pool was clean when we wanted to get in because the skimmer wasn't running. That was one of the reasons that we went with the VS pump. It costs us very little to leave the pump running for long periods of time and water is constantly moving. A nice fact on our above ground to in ground... for that 6 hours of run time on the single speed pump on our above ground pool the pump ran at 720 watts costing us over $12/month for a 6000 gallon pool and that's not adding in the extra time that we ran it for quick clean up's before we got in. It's nice that our in-ground pool is costing us less in electricity than our small above ground pool did.

I also talked to the pool builder that I used about it to see what his thoughts were on the best run time considering he sells and installs a bunch of these pumps. If I remember correctly he said that he has found that around 18-20 hours is where he has found that the pool is staying the cleanest.

 

[shawnra]

I like the idea of running nearly continuously. I think I will try this and see how it works. At 1000 rpm, looks like the pump is only consuming a little over 100W. Thanks everyone for the input!

Now I just need to get all of the chemicals balanced....