Stenner Questions

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peter.bastian

0
Feb 28, 2009
49
College Station, Texas USA
Pool Size
9000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Moderator comment: This post was separated out from this thread: Bye-Bye Liquidator... Hello Stenner!... Maybe. (This time with info in my sig, doh!) - Page 2

Just reading all this and I am fascinated by this prospect. I have a 9,000 gal in-ground plaster pool. All the equipment is outdoors, unprotected (electrical is under the eaves of the roof line). I live in South TX north of Houston. From the pool calc, I put in about 16-32 oz. of 8.25% bleach to maintain my FC with low (20-30) CYA concentration. So, it sounds like I need:

1) 3GPD High Pressure Fixed Rate 45MPHP2 Stenner pump ($208 at Lokewell.com)

2) 15 gal UV-proof (non-clear) storage tank - is bleach sensitive to heat, or just light? I'm also looking on the Lokewell.com site. Stenner makes 15-gal UV resistant tanks that lets you mount the pump right to it. Anyone ever tried these? Seems fit for purpose and just what I need. About $114 at Lokewell.com.

3) Mechanical timer or digital timer (saw the remark about keeping the timing technology consistent) - not sure how to go with this; from my calcs, I'd need to run the 3GPD pump 1 to 2 hrs per day in peak season. Power failures are rare in our area, and digital would give lots of control. Any recommendations on brands and models of timers?

Is it easy to wire the Stenner pump to the timer? I think I all I might need an electrician to do is run an additional plug off the circuit used by the pool pump. I would do the rest.

The 15-gal tank should be more than adequate to chlorinate the pool for several weeks up to about a month from what I can see here.

Does this sound right?
 
At 9,000 gallons the 3gpd pump and a 15 gallon tank will easily last you more than a month. While bleach is somewhat sensitive to heat, given the strength we use it will be fine for a month. I have a lean-to over my equipment, but it sits out in the heat and I never worry about the bleach losing strength in the time it gets used up.

I have a standard 15 gallon plastic drum, but I really like the stenner tank. The fact that you can mount the pump to the tank is a bonus.
 
peter.bastian said:
Moderator comment: This post was separated out from this thread: Bye-Bye Liquidator... Hello Stenner!... Maybe. (This time with info in my sig, doh!) - Page 2

3) Mechanical timer or digital timer (saw the remark about keeping the timing technology consistent) - not sure how to go with this; from my calcs, I'd need to run the 3GPD pump 1 to 2 hrs per day in peak season. Power failures are rare in our area, and digital would give lots of control. Any recommendations on brands and models of timers?

Is it easy to wire the Stenner pump to the timer? I think I all I might need an electrician to do is run an additional plug off the circuit used by the pool pump. I would do the rest.
Click to expand...

The timer comment was mine. In my former profession, we worried about very low likely hood events in our designs. The comment on timer technology was to ensure similar behavior in the event of power outages to prevent dosing w/o the pump running. If you're not worried about that then its not a consideration for you.

I would recommend the intermatic ET-1100 digital series. If your only going to operate the stenner pump off it, then the ET-1105CR or CPD82 are good options for you if your pump is 115V and my second choice for a 230V pump with the ET-1125CR being my first choice in that case.

Wiring the stenner pump to the timer consists of wiring an outlet to the timer and plugging the stenner into the outlet. If outdoors you need weather tight enclosures.

The fact you asked that question, probably implies you should have an electrician hook it up.


Gary
 
peter.bastian said:
Terrific. I am getting very fired up about this system. I hate using pucks, because of CYA buildup, and this is cost effective and ideal compared to SWG option. Awesome!!
Click to expand...

Based on my experience you will not be disappointed. I use to get mustard algae about every two weeks on the south walls of my pool. I've now gone 6 weeks with the clearest pool I've every had.


Gary
 
OK. I have the pump and 15 gal tank all set up (still waiting for electrician to come to install the power plug). In the mean time, I have plugged the pump into a wall outlet, and it is all connected to the pool water flow outlet downstream of the filter, etc.

I've got the little flow meter hooked up, mounted vertically on the tank, flow direction pointed UP, and close to the pump, and slightly below the elevation of the pump itself. When I run the pump, the little ball in the flow meter does not move. I know the pump is moving fluid - I've got water in the tank for testing, and if I disconnect the line from the top end of the flow meter, fluid comes out. I also did a test - at 3 GPD, that should be 8 oz in 30 minutes. Ran pump for 30 mins into a measuring cup and it pumped out 8 oz in 30 minutes, as it should have. So, its working. Question is why the little flow meter ball isn't moving, or floating up in it's little tube.

Thoughts anyone?
 

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RPHPool - the flow meter is downstream of the discharge output from the Stenner pump, so it is correctly placed with regards to the flow. I have about 8" of tubing between the Stenner pump discharge port, and the inlet to the flow meter. I've mounted the flow meter directly to my liquids tank that the Stenner is installed on.

Bama Rambler - that is my main thought. Since I tested the Stenner by using an 8 oz measuring cup, I know the Stenner is putting out its designed capacity. Exactly 8 oz in 30 minutes...I don't know where to find the rated range of the flow meter, though...I looked on the packaging and it doesn't say anything about that. Packaging says it is an AK600 (which simply means it is for for 1/4" tubing), but beyond that, I just don't know enough about it. I am expecting to see a pulse, vs. continuous flow..I get that, because of the way the pump does its thing. But, the ball just sits on the bottom of the flow meter. No movement. I do see small air bubbles trapped in the flow meter, and you can see the bubbles pulsing. So, that's another indication that things are moving.

Just want that little ball to do its thing!! Haha!
 
Thanks, rphpool, for helping out with some research. Unfortunately, the instructions that came with the flow indicator clearly show installation on the discharge side, and this makes sense...the pulses of fluid coming out of the pump should move the ball up with each pulse. I could try swapping it - maybe the suction would lift the ball up, instead of discharge pushing ball up.

Will let you know.
 
Ok, no change. Hooking it up on suction or discharge makes no difference. Paperwork that came with flow indicator says hook it to discharge side, so that's the way I will leave it.

So, that leaves me with two possibilities, I think:
1) The flow indicator isn't rated for 3 GPD pumps (the most likely scenario, I think). Spec sheets show max of 85 GPD, but no reference to a minimum, or
2) The density of the 8.25% bleach I will be using is about 4% higher than that of plain water. I already know the ball itself is denser than water, because it doesn't float when I run water through the Stenner pump. Maybe the slightly denser chemical solution will be just about right and the ball will do what it is supposed to do??
 
Stenner bleach injection system is installed and working. It is very cool. Install of the equipment itself was very very easy. Hardest part was finding an electrician to do the small job of hooking up the digital timer to my electrical panel and running that to a plug that I plug the Stenner motor into.

I got the Intermatic digital timer, the Stenner 3 GPD high-pressure pump, and Stenner 15 gal tank. By my estimate, the 11 gals of 8.25% bleach i put in the tank should last nearly 3 months. I run the pump twice a day (at 8 am and 8 pm) for 30 minutes each time, which puts about 16 oz of bleach in the pool each day. That means each gal of bleach equates to 8 days of chlorination.

The only thing not working well is the little flow indicator from Stenner. At 3 GPD rate, the little ball doesn't move/pulse at all when the pump is running, and Stenner tech support told me there wouldn't be much movement. Mine has none. If you are going to use the 3 GPD pump, you can save the $12 or so, and skip the flow indicator. Anyone else have this issue, or see something different, let me know.

My CL measurement varies between 2 and 3.5 ppm over the last few days I have had the Stenner pump running. I take a sample right before the Stenner comes on, and that is typically at 2 ppm. My CYA is somewhere between 20 and 30, a bit low, but I'm going to see if I can keep things this way.

Overall, very happy with the Stenner system so far. Works exactly as advertised. I think I can say goodbye to having to pour bleach into my pool.
 
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