Pentair VS Pump settings

[NEWBIEFIBERGLASS]

Hello all. Nearing completion of an off season pool installation. I've been quietly reading on the forum for months and my most recent reading has been on the Florida Atlantic pool flow study. My installer is old school and he is recommending the typical turn the water over 1-2 times daily. He is also a fan of 2 speed pumps with timer rather than vs pumps so he isn't offering alot of advice on settings for the VS pump I went with instead. So my current questions are the following.

1. For a small pool (10,500 gallons) if I wanted to run the recommended 2-3 hours per day what would be a good speed to run it at when I am not using the heater?
2. Then on days I need to use the heater for say 4-6 hours what would be a setting to run the pump for that window?

I tried some of the various pool math but the variables involved keeping throwing me off a bit and I am VERY new to pools. My initial thoughts were 1200 for 2-3 hours daily or 1000 for 4-6 hours when the heat pump is running. Still reading on the most efficient speed to run the pump and heat the water at the same time.
Thanks!

 

[Jimrahbe]

nbfg,

The speed you need to run when using the heater will depend on the heater. Heaters have a pressure switch that needs to close before the heater will work. Depending on your plumbing and the specific heater, your speed may be different than my speed... Each pool is a little different.

You will need to experiment to find at what speed the switch closes.. Then I suggest you add 100 RPM just to make sure.

When you do not want to run your heater, you can run any speed you want, but one of the main reason to run a pump is to skim the surface of the pool. So, again, it depends on your pool... 2-3 hours may be enough, and maybe not...

Personally, I think that you may be worrying about something that makes little difference.. For example .. I can run my 3 HP IntelliFlo pump at 1200 RPM, 24/7 for less than $20 bucks a month. So from my point of view even if you never ran your pump, the most you would be saving is $20 bucks..

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[AftonJeeper]

It seems like most people with VS pumps run them 24/7, many of us are at 1200 rpm. I don't need the skimming action on my pool because I have an autocover. I run mine to keep the water moving and not have dead zones that algae can grow in. At least that's what I tell myself.

I'm still playing with my pump speed for heating, currently well over 2000 rpm. But I have a natural gas heater and a larger pool, so like Jim said, each pool is different.

On a side note I'm planning my outdoor kitchen build for this spring and I see you have a kegerator. How do you like it and is it easy to get small enough kegs to fit 2 in there?

 

[NEWBIEFIBERGLASS]

nbfg,

The speed you need to run when using the heater will depend on the heater. Heaters have a pressure switch that needs to close before the heater will work. Depending on your plumbing and the specific heater, your speed may be different than my speed... Each pool is a little different.

You will need to experiment to find at what speed the switch closes.. Then I suggest you add 100 RPM just to make sure.

When you do not want to run your heater, you can run any speed you want, but one of the main reason to run a pump is to skim the surface of the pool. So, again, it depends on your pool... 2-3 hours may be enough, and maybe not...

Personally, I think that you may be worrying about something that makes little difference.. For example .. I can run my 3 HP IntelliFlo pump at 1200 RPM, 24/7 for less than $20 bucks a month. So from my point of view even if you never ran your pump, the most you would be saving is $20 bucks..

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

Wow that is amazingly inexpensive. Power in my area is very reasonable (.08 kwh) so I'm hoping that is the case to get the most usage out of the pool as my wife will only use it if the water is warmer than most would normally use.

 

[NEWBIEFIBERGLASS]

It seems like most people with VS pumps run them 24/7, many of us are at 1200 rpm. I don't need the skimming action on my pool because I have an autocover. I run mine to keep the water moving and not have dead zones that algae can grow in. At least that's what I tell myself.

I'm still playing with my pump speed for heating, currently well over 2000 rpm. But I have a natural gas heater and a larger pool, so like Jim said, each pool is different.

On a side note I'm planning my outdoor kitchen build for this spring and I see you have a kegerator. How do you like it and is it easy to get small enough kegs to fit 2 in there?

Thanks for the info. If the heat pump is efficient as the specs say I hope to use it 4-6 hours a day on weekends but I will have to experiment a bit of course. Wow you have a massive pool I wish I had that option but I literally crammed the biggest pool possibly in a very compact space (quite a bit of grading to make it work) I will post pics when complete.

Regarding the kegerator I am a huge fan although I have only had it for 2 months. Took a big of time to get the CO2 pressure correct but no issues since then. My unit fits 2 1/6 kegs at a time perfectly. I could also do a few other variations such as a 1/4 and a 1/6 as long as they are tall slim make or a single 1/2 short keg. I find the unit I purchased very simple and well built (over 100lbs empty). It's essentially a very well constructed mini fridge with 2 beer taps, regulator, etc. As issues arise I feel I will be able to repair on my own so that is a plus for me as well. As for the beer I had forgotten the amount of difference it makes vs bottle/can. Well worth every penny.