The following link discloses persuasive evidence that slower circulation can radically cut power usage. Though the slower pump has to stay on longer, overall power drain is disproportionally reduced, as much as 90%. As the price of electricity creeps up, living on a fixed income I find the prospect appealing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIz4R-1d2k
Thus a good and dear friend, an aerospace engineer who probably understands these matters better than I, strongly urges me to switch over. However several concerns arise which I'm hoping TFP can address:
1. I depend upon surface flow to slowly convey flotsam to the skimmer port. Would a slower pump not impede this action, requiring inordinate bouts of manual scooping
2. More critical, in an above-ground station my Polaris booster is connected at the output of the filter. Whether or not it is capable of self-priming I'm not sure, but I hesitate to experiment because if it sucks air it could self-destruct. Therefore I assume that pump speed would have to be adjusted to maintain at least a slight positive pressure at this juncture. So I am wondering if this consideration might not diminish any hoped saving of energy
3. Less critical but nonetheless a concern: For chlorination I depend on chlor-tabs tossed into the deep end but because recirculation takes place principally at the surface, wouldn't slower pumping concentrate FC at the bottom
Of course my Polaris does stir up the deep end but I am wondering if any bottom-to-top circulation it might provide would prove adequate
I hasten to explain about my controversial practice with the tabs. A high FC concentration near the surface drastically shortens the life of my solar cover, an important factor living on a fixed income so if I can prolong its life by just one season, in the time I hope to live I might save as much as $20,000 even discounting inflation. Of course the high concentration around a tab might eventually damage the fiberglass finish but I am depending on an occasional nudge by the Polaris to minimize the eventuality
Thank you guys for all your past and future help
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dIz4R-1d2k
Thus a good and dear friend, an aerospace engineer who probably understands these matters better than I, strongly urges me to switch over. However several concerns arise which I'm hoping TFP can address:
1. I depend upon surface flow to slowly convey flotsam to the skimmer port. Would a slower pump not impede this action, requiring inordinate bouts of manual scooping
2. More critical, in an above-ground station my Polaris booster is connected at the output of the filter. Whether or not it is capable of self-priming I'm not sure, but I hesitate to experiment because if it sucks air it could self-destruct. Therefore I assume that pump speed would have to be adjusted to maintain at least a slight positive pressure at this juncture. So I am wondering if this consideration might not diminish any hoped saving of energy
3. Less critical but nonetheless a concern: For chlorination I depend on chlor-tabs tossed into the deep end but because recirculation takes place principally at the surface, wouldn't slower pumping concentrate FC at the bottom
Of course my Polaris does stir up the deep end but I am wondering if any bottom-to-top circulation it might provide would prove adequate
I hasten to explain about my controversial practice with the tabs. A high FC concentration near the surface drastically shortens the life of my solar cover, an important factor living on a fixed income so if I can prolong its life by just one season, in the time I hope to live I might save as much as $20,000 even discounting inflation. Of course the high concentration around a tab might eventually damage the fiberglass finish but I am depending on an occasional nudge by the Polaris to minimize the eventuality
Thank you guys for all your past and future help