Sta-Rite question

[andy]

I have a sta-rite max-e-therm heater, sta-rite heater control box(mx 1800) and the sta-rite in-house remote

Can this be programmed to run the pool twice a day? When I programmed the in-house remote I only see it letting me add one start and one stop time.

 

[Titanium]

andy,

Here is the Sta-Rite Pool/Spa Heater Control Box Installation and Service Manual for Models MX1000 and MX1800:

https://www.gpspool.com/customer/geposp ... _Feb01.pdf

I don't see any way to directly program a second start/duration time.

But I think I see a way to add a second start/duration time indirectly, but it would require that you have the Aux 1 or Aux 2 relay available as a spare. Or it could work if you had the optional Booster/Low Speed Pump Relay available as a spare.

Assuming that you had one of these relays (Aux 1, Aux 2, or Booster/Low Speed Pump) available, what you could do is wire this second relay in parallel with the normal Filter Relay. And then you would program the start/duration time on this second relay. This second relay would then turn on your filter pump at the second start/duration time that you desired.

If you decide to go forward with this little project, let us know. The wiring would be very easy, but we would need to be sure that you knew and understood the risks and safety procedures necessary to work inside of a 240 Volt AC panel before you could proceed. Again, the wiring would be very easy and we could help you along with each step.

Titanium

 

[andy]

Titanium, Thanks for the reply. I had thought about your suggestions also but was hoping that there was another way I wasn't seeing. I installed the equipment so I'll wire it up using one of your suggestions. Thanks again. Andy

 

[andy]

I've set my filter pump to run on filter pump relay 6am-9am and on the aux 1 relay 6pm-9pm.

Is two 3 hour periods enough? Or should I set it to 4 hour run times(total 8 hours a day)? Or more?

 

[JasonLion]

How long you need to run your pump varies for each pool depending on the relative size of the pump and the pool, and seasonally based on the water temperature. When the water is cold you can run the pump far less than you need to when the water is warm.

There are various ways to guess at a good pump run time. In the summer a 12 hour run time is often a good place to start. If you know the flow rate of your pump system and the size of your pool you can start with enough pump run time to pump the number of gallons that are in the pool once each day. But the real determination is how the water looks. Over time you can get a sense of how good the water can look with a long pump run time and then reduce the pump run time as long as the water still looks that good.

 

[andy]

I'll up my run time to two 4 hour periods and see how that goes. Thanks

*edit*
done, pool is now set to run 6am-10am and 6pm-10pm

 

[Titanium]

andy,

I'm not sure how cold your pool is right now, but I don't run my filter pump 8 hours even in the summer time. Granted, my pool is not in full sun for the entire day.

Now that the water is in the 40's here in northern California, I can get away with not running the filter pump for several days in a row, assuming that I have my FC in the proper range. I tend to only run the filter pump in the winter not for filtering purposes, but more for time for the pressure-side cleaner to run and for the PoolSkim to clean the surface of the pool. Algae is not a problem for me in the winter, and the water is always crystal clear. Basically I only run the filter pump in the wnter when I am in the backyard and notice leaves and needles floating on the surface or if I notice leaves and needles that have sunk to the bottom, which might only amount to a couple of hours per week during the winter.

Titanium

 

[andy]

My pool is indoor and kept at 84+ deg.

 

[Titanium]

andy,

My pool is indoor and kept at 84+ deg.

Well, that might make a difference.

I will bet that you are using your warm indoor pool slightly more often than we are using our 40 degree outdoor pool.

If your pool water has the appropriate pH, TA and FC and is clear, then one can normally reduce the filtering time until you start to see a difference in water clarity. Once you see a decrease in water clarity, merely undo the most recent filtering time reduction.

Also, it would be helpful if you updated your signature so we could see the details of your pool, especially since you have a rare (for TFP) indoor pool.

Titanium

 

[andy]

Thanks. I tried to update my sig but it didn't work. I'll try again later.