Does this combo look alright?

[Henry Porter]

Hi!
I have asked for a quote on to those two items below from a reseller of Pentair products in Sweden.
Clean&clear plus cartridge 420sq.ft
Intellflo VS-3050
Haven't got the quote back yet, I suspect it to be pretty dear. I'm ready to pay extra for the benefit of easier maintainance though. But the question is if it's overkill for my pool size. From my research I would be able to run the filter for almost a season without cleaning with that size. My pool capacity is approx 16000 gallons. I can add that I don't think I will have much debris from trees that will fall in to the pool.

//Mats

 

[mas985]

I have the 420 sq-ft with a 21k gallon pool and only clean it twice a year and have very little PSI rise when I do. If you were to scale my setup, then you might be able to get away with the 320 sq-ft but the max flow rate would be reduced some.

Ideal flow rates are about 1/4 GPM/sq-ft of filter so the 320 would be around 80 GPM while the 420 would be 105 GPM. My guess is that you will be running the Intelliflo well below those flow rates to save money so you could easily reduce the size if you really want to and still not need to clean it more once a year (I assume you close in the winter ).

However, if you need the higher flow rates for anything (e.g. spa), then you might want to stick with the larger filter.

 

[Henry Porter]

Thanks mas985 for another excellent answer

I looked up the capacity of the heatpump. I thought it would take a higher flowrate than it does. Recommended flowrate is 20gpm.
I can run my system without any bypass If I run my pump 24-7. That would leave me with 2 turnovers( I think I will have little less water than 16000 gallons when I have built my stairs) But around 2 turnovers.

Am I headed in the wrong direction here mas985? If I would think out load(like I use to do) can I see an advantage with having the pump run 24hours. I can run my heatpump as much I like since the pump is running all the time. And it's nice to have the pump running while bathing, feels fresher I can imagine! I can use a smaller swg and still get enough FC in the pool. Less elctricity on the pump?
The downsides I can think of now is that I might have some troubles to get the skimmers to work properly due to the low flow!!??
outwear the swg quicker beacuse of it's long runtime?

So the 320sq.ft would be more than enough for me if I can use the plan above.

I would highly appreciate your thoughts on this.

Regards
Mats

 

[JasonLion]

The SWG will end up running the same amount. When you double the pump run time you will need to half the SWG percentage, so the actual SWG turned on time will be the same.

 

[mas985]

At real low flow rates, your skimmers are going to be much less effective but you can always run at higher speeds for a few hours a day if you need to. However, 20 gpm may or may not be the most efficient operating point for the pump but you can figure that out when everything is up and running. For low head loss plumbing, the optimum gallons per watt-hour might actually be a higher flow rates usually around 1000 RPM.

Ditto on Jason's comment regarding the SWG. That can always be set for the appropriate level.

 

[Henry Porter]

The SWG will end up running the same amount. When you double the pump run time you will need to half the SWG percentage, so the actual SWG turned on time will be the same.

Hi thanks for you answers
Regarding the comment above I think I was careless in my explanation of what I meant. When I filled in the information on Stranniks swg calculator on his site I was recommended a smaller swg the longer I intend to run the pump. Without changing any of the other parameters. Thats why I assume a smaller swg will run for longer periods( which it most, I assume). Of course I could choose a bigger model, but my thinking was from the impressions I've got from his calculator.

Anyhow! I've got back my quote on the VS-3050 and the cartridge filter from our swedish reseller. I have expected it to be expensive but not 4 times as much as I would pay for the pump and filter I had in my original calculation. I looked up the pump on poolsupplys.com and I will save almost half of the cost to buy it there. I will wait as long as I can to place the order in hope that our currency will stabilize itself.

Mas985, I totally agree in what you write about different speeds on the pump. It's was just a stupid thought from my side that I would escape the bypass valve on the heatpump. of course shall install such, so I can use the pumps all benefits. Or run the HP on the night time only when I run the pool pump on low flow. That's another option, that again would save me the installation of the by pass valve No just kidding! I will install that valve so I have the chooice to heat my pool whenever I want. i guess in the beginning of the season i probably would have to run it pretty much day around, before reaching desired temperature.


Thanks!!

 

[JasonLion]

I see what you are saying, if your pump is running longer you can purchase a smaller SWG. Less chlorine per hour times more hours can give you the same total amount of chlorine. It is unusual to think that way. Most people pick a SWG size based only on the number of gallons in the pool because that is the way they are normally marketed.

Keep in mind that it doesn't hurt to get a SWG that is a little bit too large. But getting one that is too small can be a significant problem (you would have to supplement with extra chlorine). If you get one that is way to large there can be some minor problems, but not as serious as getting one that is too small. Depending on your confidence in your calculations, you might want to get one a little larger than what you think you need.

 

[mas985]

To add to what Jason said, there is also an up side to getting a larger SWG. It will be on less and therefore the cell should last much longer.