Live Oak Pollen -> Stains Plaster

[paulmaz]

Hi all,

So last week I mentioned in other posts, I have switched form running my single speed motor 24/7 to about 8 hours/day. Pool is still clear, and seems to be more than enough. (still thinking I can reduce it, and I am shopping round for a VS Pump. Thinking about the Pentair SuperFlo VS 1.5 HP Energy Star....I would get a $300 rebate from my utility company! anyway...I digress)

One small issue I am running into. I have tons of trees (Live Oaks) around my pool, and tons of debris falls into my pool. Overall not an issue, except the pollen. Now that the skimmer is not running full time, the pollen sinks tot he bottom, and stains the plaster. It seems over time, it goes away, but is there anything I can do to minimize this? I run my filter right now from 10-6, and the Polaris ruins from 12-4. The Polaris picks stuff up almost all the debris, but unfortunately the pollen leaves stains. I know higher chlorine levels will make it disappear faster...anything else I can do? The pollen is really bad in March/April, but still a little falls pretty much year round.

Thanks all! This site is great BTW. Last week I converted a co-worker to the TFP way. He has some high CYA, so he ordered the kit, and is reading up Pool School, and on his way to being on his own.

 

[DaninFLA]

the requirement on pump run time is to run long enough so that the water is clean to your standards. for others like myself that run a saltwater pool, the other criteria is to run it long enough to achieve proper chlorination. Based on what you are saying, it seems to me that you are going to need to run your pump longer. What is your FC/CYA levels? how is your filtration setup? In florida we also get good amounts of pollen, and i run heavier on the skimmer. you will pull more water from skimmers than a main drain, and if you can get the pollen skimmed off the water before settling i think thats your best bet. i have my valve set to about 3/4 of the supply coming from the skimmer. that has increase the amount of water coming from the returns and is doing a better job of skimming. also be sure to check your weir in the the skimmer box to make sure its functioning properly.

 

[Texas Splash]

Do anything else other than a slightly elevated FC and sweeping/vacuuming? This might just be one of those times where you have no choice but to run the pump a little longer during this time of the year (low speed if you have it) to try and let it suck-in all that surface debris. Once the heavy stuff falls and we start to approach summer, then you can back-off the run times again since your water (chemistry) seems to be doing well. Like Dan said, if you are able to adjust (less) drain versus (more) skimmer suction, that might be a good option as well.

 

[paulmaz]

Hey Dan. I am trying to get the right amount of run time for filter, to keep pool clean and to not empty my wallet! Last month, running my single speed motor 24/7 cost over $150 for the month. I know I need more skimmer time, and that is why I am thinking I am going to bite the bullet and get the VS pump to keep things moving, and avoid this.

Filter setup is very basic. Two skimmers, sand filter, separate motor for Polaris 280. 1.5 HP single speed motor. I don't think I have a main drain...I think all comes from two skimmers. I don't see a drain in my pool....

CYA is 65-70, FC is 10.

 

[DaninFLA]

Hey Dan. I am trying to get the right amount of run time for filter, to keep pool clean and to not empty my wallet! Last month, running my single speed motor 24/7 cost over $150 for the month. I know I need more skimmer time, and that is why I am thinking I am going to bite the bullet and get the VS pump to keep things moving, and avoid this.

Filter setup is very basic. Two skimmers, sand filter, separate motor for Polaris 280. 1.5 HP single speed motor. I don't think I have a main drain...I think all comes from two skimmers. I don't see a drain in my pool....

CYA is 65-70, FC is 10.

definitely not saying to run it 24 hours. does your time allow you to run it twice per day? how much do you pay in electricity?? if it was $150 for a 1.5hp pump, for a 31 day month that means you would be paying $0.18 per kwh! ouch! i pay around $0.12 here. ok, since no main drain on the floor you are all skimmer which is good. how is your water circulation, may need to play around with aiming of jets to improve circulation.

 

[paulmaz]

definitely not saying to run it 24 hours. does your time allow you to run it twice per day? how much do you pay in electricity?? if it was $150 for a 1.5hp pump, for a 31 day month that means you would be paying $0.18 per kwh! ouch! i pay around $0.12 here. ok, since no main drain on the floor you are all skimmer which is good. how is your water circulation, may need to play around with aiming of jets to improve circulation.

$150 may be an exaggeration. We have not moved into the house yet, and all that was running was the pool and some small lights, and the total kWh used was 1,337. And that was only 21 days, as I took ownership April 8th. My cost per kwh is under $.10. Bottom line, is it is a lot of money! As far as timing, no, its a basic timer...one on, one off... Could upgrade timer, or just get a VS pump. Got the Pentair SuperFlo VS 1.5 HP Energy Star on Amazon for like 650. The guy who used to take care of my pool would charge $300 to install (he is a good guy) and then I would get $300 back in rebate from my utility company. Seems I would make the $650 back in no time. And solution to my debris problem.

 

[paulmaz]

Wait. I just realized something. I have an Intermatic Mechanical Timer. I just need to get more metal trippers to be able to run it at different times. What do you recommend as far as different times?

 

[borjis]

Morning & late afternoon (an hour at least before i get home so it's ready to swim in)

 

[Texas Splash]

Paul, on my side of town the wind kicks-up about 9:00 am and is heaviest in the late afternoon/early evening. Usually settles-down overnight. Might want to think about your windiest times to encourage water movement towards the skimmer during those times. What works for Helotes might be slightly different for Seguin. I think I saw extra timer tabs at Home Depot.

 

[paulmaz]

Morning & late afternoon (an hour at least before i get home so it's ready to swim in)

Cool. will start with that. Just ordered some more trippers on Amazon for like $3. Also, one more question...probably pretty obvious, but just making sure. The Polaris can run when the filter is off right, since it has its own motor? Would the best time to run that be midday or at night? Guess it is just personal preference.