Just installed a Hayward Ecostar, Quick question...

[NJKen]

Well, I just conquered installing my first pool pump! All said and down including trips to Lowes for PVC stuff, right around 5 hours. The worst part was the fact that I had to move my filter/pump pad back 7.5". My old Superpump was fed almost directly from the suction lines and the new ecostar needed a minimum of 7.5" of pipe between the pump and the suction valve. I did have to call in an electrician to run another wire underground and I paid dearly for it, or should I say got raped by the electrician. Anyway once they left yesterday after putting in 6 hours, I got to work and did all the pipe work. This morning I installed the new in-line chlorinator (not that I use it, but old one was shot) then I wired up the Ecostar and fired it up.

Wow, this pump is amazingly quiet while it's running. My neighbors AC unit is about 100ft from my pool pump and at 900 RPMs, unless I am squatting dowm next to the pump I can't hear it over the neighbors AC. It used to be the other way around LoL. Setting the pump up initially was a breeze, I quickly created two timer programs. First one starting at 8:30am to run at 1750 RPMs and then switching to 900 RPMs from 11:30am to 12AM.

Now I know I should go by my individual results but, how long should I be running this thing for to start? It's a 32,000+ gallon Lazy L with a 2 person swim up spa bump out. It measures approximately 20' x 40" and my pump inlet is approximately 14" above the skimmer/water line. It is connected to a Hayward DE-6020 filter as well as like I mentioned the in-line chlorinator. I really want to just start out with 1 complete filter per day and then I am going to try to go down from there.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: I have 1.5" piping with 2 skimmers, the main, and 4 return jets 2 in the pool and 2 in the spa thingy.

 

[JasonLion]

The first step is to figure out what the ideal speed for the pump is. You want to run at the higher of 900 RPM and whatever speed is the lowest speed the skimmer(s) will still work effectively. For most pools that will end up being higher than 900 RPM.

I suggest trying 12 hours a day as a starting run time, or shorter if your RPM ends up being 1500 or higher.

 

[NJKen]

The first step is to figure out what the ideal speed for the pump is. You want to run at the higher of 900 RPM and whatever speed is the lowest speed the skimmer(s) will still work effectively. For most pools that will end up being higher than 900 RPM.

I suggest trying 12 hours a day as a starting run time, or shorter if your RPM ends up being 1500 or higher.

Thank you for the suggestion to tune in the skimmers, I will start with that. However, I figured most of the surface crud can be skimmed in 2-3 hours and that was why I started the morning cycle at 1750 (which did skim).

I will report back once I check what power I can still effectively skim.

 

[SteveK]

Well, I just conquered installing my first pool pump! All said and down including trips to Lowes for PVC stuff, right around 5 hours. The worst part was the fact that I had to move my filter/pump pad back 7.5". My old Superpump was fed almost directly from the suction lines and the new ecostar needed a minimum of 7.5" of pipe between the pump and the suction valve. I did have to call in an electrician to run another wire underground and I paid dearly for it, or should I say got raped by the electrician. Anyway once they left yesterday after putting in 6 hours, I got to work and did all the pipe work.

Ken,
Congratulations! I just went through a similar effort, but I did it all myself -- re-located electrical panels/timer about 8 feet, added a junction box for an extended branch circuit, expanded equipment pad, upgraded pad plumbing to 2" pipes, installed new Intelliflo pump, installed new Hayward Swimclear cartridge filter, re-installed existing Polaris Booster pump (re-wiring it to 120V from 220V), re-connected existing Paramount water valve for bottom returns, and re-installed an Aqua-Rite SWCG. Took quite a bit more than 5 hours, but the project was pretty broad-scoped.

Since you're in NJ, do you mind (via PM) letting me know approximately how much you were charged by the electrician for his work?

Many thanks. I'll be posting pictures of the completed project once I get the landscaping back together.

 

[JasonLion]

If you go too long between periods of skimming, debris will sink to the bottom. It usually only takes half an hour to an hour to clear surface debris (though this varies from pool to pool). Running so slow that the skimmers don't work is usually a waste of time, as enough run time to skim effectively is usually enough total run time. The limiting factor when the water starts clear is typically catching surface debris, rather than bulk filtering. The ideal setup is several evenly spaced periods of skimming, which usually takes care of it (assuming no solar heat or other options requiring higher flow rates).

 

[NJKen]

If you go too long between periods of skimming, debris will sink to the bottom. It usually only takes half an hour to an hour to clear surface debris (though this varies from pool to pool). Running so slow that the skimmers don't work is usually a waste of time, as enough run time to skim effectively is usually enough total run time. The limiting factor when the water starts clear is typically catching surface debris, rather than bulk filtering. The ideal setup is several evenly spaced periods of skimming, which usually takes care of it (assuming no solar heat or other options requiring higher flow rates).

Ok, so the magic number for my pool is about 1275 rpm. At that point, I am getting decent movement into the far skimmer (shallow end, opposite end/corner from pad). So would I be best served running the pool from 7:30am at 1275 rpm (reflecting that my son and wife usually end up going in at like 10am) and running it till 4:30pm with two 1 hour intervals of say 1700rpm?

I apologize for the question, I understand it depends on the pool and how it reacts to the cycle. However, I just want to make a relatively safe starting point to get enough pool water filtered through.


Thank you so much for your help!