Moderator note - Split from here: Optimal flow rates for variable speed pumps
I don't have any heater or spa or SWG -- a plain and simple rectangular pool of about 16,000 gallons with one skimmer. I am in South Florida and this is an open air pool so gets a fair sprinkling of leaves, seeds, pollens and bugs. My Smartpools wall scrubber robots takes care of the debris quite well and also helps mixing the pool water when I run the robot -- which is , may be, twice a week. My variable speed pump outputs about 30 GPM at 1500 RPM. So am I safe running the pump at 1500 RPM for 10 hours a day? Why do I need to run the pump at higher RPM? And if I do not need higher RPM -- why do I need a variable speed pump? I suspect that the skimmer does not pull the larger debris at this RPM.
If I do need the higher RPM, can anyone suggest how should I program my pump between the different RPMs? These problems have confused me for a long time.
Many thanks for your help
The heater is more efficient at higher flow rates, up to about 80 GPM, but the difference isn't all that large and the pump is less efficient at those flow rates so it kind of cancels out. I would use 45 or 50 GPM for the heater, just to make sure you aren't right near the lower limit.
Assuming the waterfall is plumbed the way most of them are, which the waterfall pump having it's own separate suction, then the main pool pump doesn't need to be on at all while the waterfall is running.
I'm less sure about the SWG flow rate. That is the highest minimum flow rate I've see for a residential SWG cell. It is not clear to me why they are asking for that flow rate. There are some possible reasons that are fairly important, or they might just be overly cautious.
I don't have any heater or spa or SWG -- a plain and simple rectangular pool of about 16,000 gallons with one skimmer. I am in South Florida and this is an open air pool so gets a fair sprinkling of leaves, seeds, pollens and bugs. My Smartpools wall scrubber robots takes care of the debris quite well and also helps mixing the pool water when I run the robot -- which is , may be, twice a week. My variable speed pump outputs about 30 GPM at 1500 RPM. So am I safe running the pump at 1500 RPM for 10 hours a day? Why do I need to run the pump at higher RPM? And if I do not need higher RPM -- why do I need a variable speed pump? I suspect that the skimmer does not pull the larger debris at this RPM.
If I do need the higher RPM, can anyone suggest how should I program my pump between the different RPMs? These problems have confused me for a long time.
Many thanks for your help