Help me save money with our pool pumps

Jump to latest Follow Reply
N

NickinTX

Member
Feb 22, 2020
20
Austin, TX
Hello. I am a new member from TX. I bought a house that has a nice pool, but it consumes quite a bit of energy. There are 12 pumps on the system, but 4 of them consume the bulk of the energy each month. The rest are accessory pumps for water slides, waterfalls, etc. I spoke with a few local pool companies about variable speed pumps, but I was not impressed with their knowledge and pump selection process. None of them asked me how many gallons are in the pools, and none of them were able to provide payback calculations. Hence, I created a couple spreadsheets to work through the process myself. There are 3 cartridge filter pumps on the system, but the spa pump doesn't seem to run enough hours to warrant an upgrade to a VS pump. However, since this the first time I have owned a pool, I would like to get some advice on the pump selection process. Please review the attached spreadsheets and let me know if you have any suggestions. In summary, I am planning to replace the main pool filter pump and the catch pool filter pump. On the latter, it looks like there are too many turnovers with the current schedule, but I'm not sure if this pump was originally sized to also run the in-floor cleaning system. I would also like to cut down on the power consumption of the main pool's in-floor cleaning system, but I'm not sure how many GPH this system requires. It probably would be easier to simply run the in-floor cleaning system fewer hours per day.

I appreciate any help and/or insights into this process!

Thanks!
 

Attachments

  • Pool Energy Analysis.pdf
    431.8 KB · Views: 27
  • Pool Turnover and TDH Analysis.pdf
    416.3 KB · Views: 23
Did you say 12 pumps on the system? We need pictures. Of everything!!!

The experts here will certainly be able to help you, but I just want to see this big beautiful pool and all the plumbing that goes along with it.
 
Welcome to the Forum!

www.troublefreepool.com

Read This BEFORE You Post

We'd like to give you a few basic pointers of items that will help us, help you. From filling out a signature to posting test results.
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Next, you might want to start by reading this: Determine Pump Run Time - Trouble Free Pool

Running a pump for a specific number of turnovers will always lead you to running your pump for way too long. Think about running a pump to perform a task rather than turnovers. In-floor cleaners should be able to clean the floor in 1-2 hours of run-time. That should also be enough for skimming and circulation as well. The fact is that nearly all pools can get away with less than 4 hours of total run time and most less than 2 hours to maintain a sanitary pool. But there are unique conditions that can drive you to run for longer such as a SWG, solar or pool heater. But looking at all the features and run time you have, it is pretty clear that you are running your pumps way too long.

However, given the design of the pool, specifically the infinity edge and in-floor cleaners, a VS pump is unlikely to help you much. Both of those functions require very high flow rates and pressure to operate properly which means the pump will use a lot of energy, VS or single speed. Plus you shouldn't need any extra run time after those two functions anyway so there will be little need to run on lower speeds.
 
We need to know the manufacture and model of each pump along with it's function and runtime to try and help you.

My sense is that amount of pumps is unnecessary and you can redesign your plumbing and eliminate some pumps. To look at that we really need to understand the design and plumbing of your pool in both pictures and words.

What automation do you have to control all those pumps?

Please create your signature with details of your pool.

@mas985 thoughts?
 
Thanks for the replies. I updated my signature, but can get more details, if needed. As mentioned, I am only focused on upgrading two filter pumps right now (2004 Jandy JHPU single speed 1.5 HP). As Mark mentioned, I am not planning to upgrade the accessory pumps, as they either require high flow or don't run enough hours to generate the economic payback. The run-time, amps and voltage are all included in one of the attachments in my post above. Here is a quick video of the pool.

Thanks again for the help.
 
So that is a beautiful house and pool. The only thing that I can add is you might want to get a robot to use instead of the in floor system. The robot will use much less power than the pump that drives the in floor system, and I bet it will clean the pool better.
 
nice place
I'm no expert but you can google and find that if your pump is single speed its using 5-10x the power a VS pump would for less flow
Both numbers are guesses but my older pentair VS pumps use 1600 watts or more at full speed and 200 at lower speeds

A post here shows 2500 watts at 70gpm and 150 watts at 15 gpm
I only have 3 VS pumps but REALLY appreciate the power savings when Freez protection is on or when I have to run them just to make chlorine

Intelliflo Watts per RPM

I found this post from 2009. Are these Watt numbers a good estimate for a VS3500? Will the Watts be constant for RPM or do they also depend on the GPM (that is do they vary depending on back pressure). I am trying to work out the best settings for a new VS3500 install. Also is there a minimum...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 
NickinTX said:
Thanks for the replies. I updated my signature, but can get more details, if needed. As mentioned, I am only focused on upgrading two filter pumps right now (2004 Jandy JHPU single speed 1.5 HP). As Mark mentioned, I am not planning to upgrade the accessory pumps, as they either require high flow or don't run enough hours to generate the economic payback. The run-time, amps and voltage are all included in one of the attachments in my post above.
Click to expand...
I think you may of missed my point from above. I was trying to make the case that after you run the in-floors and the edge, you may not need any more run time so a VS may not offer much benefit even when replacing your main circulation pump.

Try this. Change your pool in-floor run time to 2 hrs per day and change your main filter run time (sans in-floor) to 0 hrs per day. See if your pool does not stay just as clean as it did before but at a fraction of the energy use. BTW, how do you chlorinate the pool. Run time may need to be adjusted based upon the method.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
So listen, this is going to be way too complicated for you to constantly try to figure out. You are gonna want a few of us to move in so we can handle all the difficult stuff. We are all just good people who are willing to take one for the team like that. If you pick me i will learn how to make wood fired pizza in that fireplace. Check out the BBQ thread to select the others.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: kimkats and carnivalday
Hi Mark. I'm following your logic now, as I had assumed the filter was the most important part of the equation. Instead of the experiment you mentioned, can you look at the run schedule I originally posted and propose a new schedule for the listed pumps? I appreciate your help.

Thanks,
Nick
 
PS - I am currently chlorinating with tri-chlor tabs and granular. There are in-line chlorinator chambers for the tabs, but I mainly use floaters. I was using granulated cal hypo last year, but I was constantly adding additional stabilizer (I believe this was linked to the water I lost via the negative edge splash), and things have been more stable since switching to tri-chlor. CYA usually around 40.
 
Chlorination/sanitation is the #1 priority, then comes cleaning/debris removal. The filter only traps debris and just prevents it from going back into the pool. Trying to filter out suspended particles in the body of the pool water is a waste of energy since most of those particles are too small to be trapped by a pool filter anyway. Anything the pool filter can remove is going to either float or sink. If it sinks, the in-floor will get it and send it to the filter. If it floats, then the edge run time will get that and deposit in one of the basins. So those are the two primary functions that will be necessary to keep the pool clean.

Here are the run times that I would suggest to start with:

Main pool filter pump: 0 hrs
Main pool floor cleaner: 2 hrs
Spillway floor cleaner: 1 hr
Vanishing edge pump: 1 hr - Should be before the spillway cleaning cycle
Spa filter pump: 1 hr
Catch pool filter pump: 2 hrs

Adjust as required. Given that you are mainly using the floaters, chlorination does not depend on run time so much. So all of the above run time is to make the pool as aesthetically clean as you want it.

BTW, is the spa on it's own loop and does it ever spillover into the pool? How big is the spa?

Does the catch pool have skimmers and/or floor cleaner? How big is the catch pool?

But keep in mind with trichlor, you need to keep an eye on CYA. As the CYA level rises, the FC target rises with it (~10% of CYA).
 
I don't see why you can't change out the main filter pump to a variable speed like the 3HP Pentair 011028 (I just changed out my 1HP Hayward Superpump for this model) and run your pump on a lower flow for a few hours a day to get some filtration happening. My 1HP was running 12 hours per day, so this new pump will save a lot on electricity...I'm getting nice flow at less than half the watts. I'd also keep an eye on the CYA using tabs...maybe consider a Stenner setup for liquid chlorine injections.

I guess a good thing about Texas is you probably won't need to run a heater as much as us living up north. That alone will save you a ton of money.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply