what RPM for vacuuming?

[twd000]

I had the pool guy out for some plumbing work and he thought that my max speed (3450 RPM) on my Intelliflo VS was way too high, even for vacuuming. Said their with a mix of 1.5" and 2" lines, I'm probably stressing the pump without any benefit by running that high.

I filter at 1500 RPM which gives me 4 psi across the sand filter.

I would like to be smart about setting the max speed, since that is used for both priming and manual vacuuming. I can get upwards of 30 psi when I run it at 3450 RPM. Filter pressure and vacuum suction seems to decrease roughly linearly as I decrease RPM. So how low should I go?

 

[mas985]

For max speed, I would set the RPM for no more than 25 PSI.

For vacuuming though, you will need to try some settings to see which one works the best. It also depends on how you hook up the vacuum and if you can control the flow through the vacuum.

 

[twd000]

I can't adjust any flow through the vacuum - just jam the 45' hose into the skimmer basket

I assume you mean 25 psi prior to connecting the vac, since it drops considerably once I connect it?

I'll play around with the settings tonight

 

[mas985]

25 PSI is ONLY for the maximum RPM and is completely independent from the vacuum RPM. Vacuum RPM should be much less and needs to be determined by trial an error. Have you tried 1500 RPM? Start low and gradually move to higher RPMs until the cleaner moves like you want it to.

Is there only 1 vacuum line from the pool to the pump and is it a 1.5" line?

 

[SunMan]

I recently spoke with the Hayward service field supervisor who insisted I set my max rpm in control panel to 3200. Avoids pump getting stuck in a cycle of shutting down during priming if sensors aren't happy with amp draw. Made sense to me so i was able to go back to auto-sense on prime instead of 3 minute setting. Also, I have an in floor system which works well at 2700 rpm and I use 1200 rpm for normal filtration. Occasionally I let it run full speed (3200) when we are in the pool and want the waterfall running hard. I use relay control since my Jandy system is not compatable with Haywards logic. Have 3 aux relays which gives me the ability to program 8 speeds (only use 3). When I manually vacuum using the skimmer port, I shut down the floor drains to increase suction. Works well.