Help with pump run time for a spa

[beezar]

So I have a spa (~4500 gallons) with a Hayward Tristar single speed pump (2.7 THP, 2.0 FRHP -- which HP do you report by the way?) and the pool guy who used to take care of the spa said that the ideal pump run times were around 6 hours in winter and 9 hours in summer.

Does that seem right to you? Seems a bit high. What would you expect a pump time would be for that type of setup? I realize it depends upon flow rate achieved, etc. The spa is around 30 feet from the pump by the way.

Would installing a flow meter help give me an approximate pump run time?

thanks

 

[mas985]

I don't think you need a flow meter, you can just ball park it. The Tristar 2 FRHP delivers about 95 GPM for pool plumbing and probably more than that for spa plumbing. So figure 100 GPM. With a 4500 gallon spa, more like a spool to me, that is a 45 min turnover. 6 hour run time would be 8 turnovers which I think is probably way more than what you need. Given the size of the spa, I would be surprised if you need more than 3 turnovers (~2 hrs) if idle. Is the spa covered and how often do you use it?

 

[beezar]

I don't think you need a flow meter, you can just ball park it. The Tristar 2 FRHP delivers about 95 GPM for pool plumbing and probably more than that for spa plumbing. So figure 100 GPM. With a 4500 gallon spa, more like a spool to me, that is a 45 min turnover. 6 hour run time would be 8 turnovers which I think is probably way more than what you need. Given the size of the spa, I would be surprised if you need more than 3 turnovers (~2 hrs) if idle. Is the spa covered and how often do you use it?

No, the spa is not covered and we only use it about once every week or more. What is the usual requirement for number of turnovers for a spa and for that matter, a pool (my pool is separate and its 18000 gallons)? Thanks

 

[mas985]

A pool can usually get away with less than 2 turnovers per day even in the hottest part of the summer. Currently, I am running about 1/2 turnover but the water is very cold. A spa usually has much less water and many more people per gallon of water so I would expect it to require more circulation and filtering. But given the size of your spa and the frequency of usage, I would treat it more like a pool than a spa. Also, when you are using the spa, I would assume it gets extra run time for heat up so that will help keep things properly chlorinated before use.

Does your spa share water with the pool or in other words, on the same or separate circulation system?

Do you keep the spa heated at all times or just when used?

 

[beezar]

A pool can usually get away with less than 2 turnovers per day even in the hottest part of the summer. Currently, I am running about 1/2 turnover but the water is very cold. A spa usually has much less water and many more people per gallon of water so I would expect it to require more circulation and filtering. But given the size of your spa and the frequency of usage, I would treat it more like a pool than a spa. Also, when you are using the spa, I would assume it gets extra run time for heat up so that will help keep things properly chlorinated before use.

Does your spa share water with the pool or in other words, on the same or separate circulation system?

Do you keep the spa heated at all times or just when used?

That is good to know that I can significantly come down on the spa pump run time. Will save me some money on my gigantic electric bill... My spa is only heated when used, and it is on a separate circulation system from the pool. (ie: double testing, double chemical pouring, etc. But really not too bad thanks to this website!)

So if you go too low in pump run time, after how many days would you notice the cloudiness in your water? or is it soon after?

 

[mas985]

Assuming that you are adding enough chlorine each day no matter what run time, with short run times the biggest issue will probably be algae spots somewhere. This would indicate not enough circulation during the day to keep those spots chlorinated.