3 psi on low / 14 on high

[IrishEyesSmiling]

Hello. Pool equipment was just set up this past weekend. We are using 10 gauge electrical cord until permanent electric can be set up next week (pending install of deck). Using liquid chlorine for the time being. I'm only running the pump to get the water going before and after testing. Water looks great.

My question is about the psi. Our pressure gauge is 0-60 (I'll eventually get the one from TFP) and seems to be working okay. My issue is that the psi is so minimal when the pump is on low. Is that normal? I see no air in the pump window and the flow seems okay at pool. Is this something I should be concerned with? I have a hairnet and skumbug in the skimmer.

 

[Joshii]

Totally normal! The reason is that most of the pressure in the system is due how fast the water is flowing through the pipes. So, if you reduce the speed of the water, you greatly reduce the pressure as well. When you see online head calculators based on pipe length, diameter, etc, those calculators are assuming a certain flow rate through the pipes. Totally invalid for 2- and VS- pumps operating at their low speeds!

 

[Jimrahbe]

ies,

To follow up on what Josh just said...

The pressure gage is really telling you the amount of effort it takes to force water through your filter..

The more water you try to push through your filter, in the same amount of time, the more effort it takes and why the gage reads higher at a higher pump speed.

It is also why you must watch this pressure to know when to backwash your filter. When the pressure increases by 25% over its clean pressure then you should backwash.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.

 

[IrishEyesSmiling]

Thank you!! Feeling better now. This whole pool thing is new to me. Can't say enough good things about this forum. Looking forward to a great summer!!! :sunny: