VS Pump Run Scedule

[Wicked]

Hey guys. I have had a new VS pump that I installed last season. With the weather warming up I wanted to get input in how often and what speeds you all run your pump.

Currently I run it everyday for 4 hours on the lowest speed setting. I then run it 3 times a week at 2300 RPM for 2 hours for my Polaris 280 to run.

Is there a need or benefit to run it at a higher RPM at anytime?

What do your schedules look like?

My pool stats in my signature.

Thanks!

 

[JasonLion]

The IntelliFlo is most efficient at about 1000 RPM. Lower speeds use less electricity but they also move proportionally less water and so are less efficient. You also want to double check that your skimmers are still skimming effectively at what ever low speed you end up using. Most skimmers are fine at very low speed but now and then you find one that needs a slightly higher speed to skim correctly.

Ideally you want to split the pump run time into a couple of shorter periods across the day. That catches more surface debris in the skimmer before it sinks and reduces the amount of pool cleaning you need to do.

 

[Wicked]

What is the best way to assure skimmers are working properly?

Is there any benefit to running the pump on a very high RPM occasionally?

Thanks

 

[JasonLion]

The best way to check the skimmer(s) is to find the pool at a time when the pump is off and there is some visible surface debris, turn on the pump, and watch to see how well the debris is drawn into the skimmers. The surface should be cleared within half an hour (assuming more debris isn't falling too rapidly). If it takes longer than half an hour, you may need to adjust the circulation pattern or increase the pump speed.

As long as skimming is happening effectively and you don't have any additional equipment, like a pool cleaner, to worry about there is no advantage to running the pump at a higher speed. The only normal uses for higher speeds (apart from additional equipment) are when vacuuming or when backwashing the filter (if your filter is a kind that needs backwashing).