How long should the pump run?

[tmac]

Hi there-
I'm back with a quick Q for a friend of mine who owns a fountain in his new home. (300 gallons).
Just wondering how long the pump should run per day? There is no filter on the pump. The water gets about 6-7 hours of sun.
Current readings are;
FC = 7-8
pH = 7.2
TA = 60-70
CYA = 90 (he was using Chlor tabs for a while, so this got up a bit higher than I'd want it to be)

Pump is:
Vancs
Model : 50PN2.25S Submersible Pump, Continuous duty
approx 50 gallons per minute

If anyone has any ideas, it'd be great.
Thanks !
Travis

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

What is the goal? How long should it run for...?

Sent via Tapatalk...

 

[jblizzle]

If all you want to do is circulate the chemicals ... 15 minutes of probably plenty if you are really running 50gpm ... But that is actually a pretty high flow rate for a small fountain.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[tmac]

Sorry about that. Guess I should have added why I was asking. posting.php?mode=reply&f=11&t=55170#

I was just wondering if the circulation helps at all in preventing algae growth (besides just keeping the chems at the proper levels).
... and if it does in a fountain like this, whether there is an "optimum" time for it to run each day - without having to leave it on continuously for energy conservation reasons of course.

The pump is larger because there is a "waterfall" feature. The water needs to be pumped up about ten feet to a large "rain gutter" type tray, which it then falls down back into the fountain where the main 'tub' is.
Somewhat hard to describe. Sorry. It is a beautiful water feature however.

I have my own pool ( 16,000 in-ground pebble tech), and I'm good with keeping my water like it should be. Since he knows nothing about caring for "pools of water" he asked if I could help him out with this fountain.

Hope this helps clarify.
Thanks again guys.
Travis

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

I was just wondering if the circulation helps at all in preventing algae growth (besides just keeping the chems at the proper levels).
... and if it does in a fountain like this, whether there is an "optimum" time for it to run each day - without having to leave it on continuously for energy conservation reasons of course.

Locally chlorine can get used up and "proper" circulation helps prevent this in a pool. In a waterfall the amount of water movement is pretty extreme compared to what you get in a pool I would be surprised if the fountain needed more than 1-2 turns of water which would take about 6 mins per turn if your pump flow is close to the max - to be conservative I would say a couple of hours spread over the day just to avoid local starvation when the pump isn't running.

But honestly - I'm just guessing.

 

[jblizzle]

Also, without some form of filtration, the water is going to eventually just not look clean ... the high flow rates may just stir up any dirt in the water.

I have never had a fountain, so like UWV I am just guessing. But, I would imagine every so often you would have to clean the fountain out and replace the water just to get rid of dirt/debris ... or add small filter to the setup (if possible).

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Also, without some form of filtration, the water is going to eventually just not look clean ... the high flow rates may just stir up any dirt in the water.

I have never had a fountain, so like UWV I am just guessing. But, I would imagine every so often you would have to clean the fountain out and replace the water just to get rid of dirt/debris ... or add small filter to the setup (if possible).

We have a small fountain (under 5 gallons) and it runs constantly when we are using it. We put a cap full of bleach in every few day or two and change the water frequently. No CYA which might help make the bleach last longer (didn't know until this past year about CYA - at least not the chemical kind ).

 

[tmac]

Ok. Thanks for all the info! I'll start by telling him to have it run for a bit in the a.m., and again in the p.m.. Then look into getting some form of filtration going. Not sure if filtering will be possible, so changing the water out when needed may be the only solution to keep it looking nice.
Thanks again! You folks are always such a huge help.
Travis