New Pool - Water Feature Question

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Lawtyger

Well-known member
Mar 11, 2016
121
Tampa, Florida
Hello all, first post here. Just discovered the forum and look forward to reading through the pool school page since this is our first pool.

I actually found the forum while searching the internet for an answer about what pump is best for my water features. I got my signature setup with what I know so far and as far as water features go we have 2 LED bubblers and 4 laminars and a spillover from the spa to the pool (not sure if that is a water feature). My recollection from when we put the pool together with the builder was that our 2nd pump – a Hayward Tristar – would run the water features.

While looking through some of the Hayward Omnilogic YouTube tutorials I noticed that one of them showed the water features being controlled by a variable speed pump and that allowed the water features to be adjusted to several different heights, etc. After seeing this, I started thinking that maybe I should have gotten a variable speed pump for the water features also. Any thoughts on this?

I really wanted to make the pool have several water features and LED light options and now that I’ve learned more I’m wondering if the regular non-variable speed Tristar wasn’t the best choice for the builder to suggest. Thanks for any thoughts.

Here’s a pic of the pool which should be wrapped up this Monday when a Hayward rep is coming out (who I plan to ask the above question too as well).
 

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First, welcome to TFP! Great view of your set-up. Very nice. As for the pump to the spa/water feature(s), that's a popular question. Many folks will of course use a VSP for that very purpose - to manipulate several items at once while customizing the flow with their valves. I guess it all depends on how your EcoStar VSP was plumbed and for what purpose. I would've assumed the VSP was co-plumbed for pool and spa use so you could adjust the speed of flow to the pool returns and spa - hence the spa's spill-over flow, but that would depend on how it was plumbed. So then I would have assumed that the TriStar (2-speed) was only taking care of bubblers and laminars. Your builder should be able to confirm that if you're not sure. If I missed something, please let me know.

Regardless, welcome to TFP! :wave:
 
Yes, looking at my plans on the side with features it says the TriStar is a 3 hp and then it has (w/f) after it so I believe that pump is solely for the water features. I guess I was wondering if that pump would benefit from being a TriStar variable speed pump as opposed to a non-variable speed pump.
 
Woo, the more I re-read this thread, the more I start to confuse myself. :hammer: But to be clear, in your situation, unlike a true waterfall, I would not consider the spa's spillover a water feature since I'm assuming it's plumbed-in with the pool. Perhaps overall water pressure is simply adjusted with separate operating valves to adjust flow to the spa. If your builder did indeed plumb the TriStar (2 speed) for water features, then that would mean the only way you could adjust water height for bubblers would be by selecting low/high speed, and/or perhaps adjusting a valve for that purpose if he installed one. I can understand what you mean when you say it would make sense that the VSP should operate the water features as you mentioned earlier.

At the same time though, many folks prefer the VSP to adjust pool versus spa pressure - and sometimes more items. So if you confirm that the 2-speed is powering your bubblers and laminars, and all you have is the low & high speed selector, with no valves or other methods to adjust those features, then I'd speak to the builder to confirm.

On a side note though, I would still confirm with your builder if "w/f" was intended to mean water feature or waterfall. Just to be safe. My guess is water feature too, but can't hurt to ask. :)
 
Texas Splash said:
So if you confirm that the 2-speed is powering your bubblers and laminars, and all you have is the low & high speed selector, with no valves or other methods to adjust those features, then I'd speak to the builder to confirm.

On a side note though, I would still confirm with your builder if "w/f" was intended to mean water feature or waterfall. Just to be safe. My guess is water feature too, but can't hurt to ask. :)
Click to expand...

Did a fairly quick "pool school" with the builder yesterday and got some more accurate information about my setup. The Ecostar pump is definitely the pool/spa pump (and I understand now why the spillover really isn't a water feature as it is controlled by increasing the speed on the Ecostar pump). I do have a dedicated "water feature" pump which is a Hayward Tristar 1.5hp single speed pump so I don't have the two speed option currently.

But, that pump maybe changing (or not) because the way they plumbed the water features (which just got up and running yesterday) was incorrect and not as we discussed. The 2 bubblers and the 4 laminars were supposed to be plumbed so (1) all could be on at once, (2) only the bubblers on, or (3) only the laminars on - all controllable from the Omnilogic. Currently, it's all on or all off and when they are all on the "seas get pretty choppy" (a boat reference for any boaters out there). Anyway, I might inquire about upgrading to a variable speed pump for the water features. While this is my first pool, that sounds like it may be the best way to control the height of the bubblers and laminars under any of the three options I listed above. If anyone has any suggestions or experience with this, let me know.
 
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