Did I waste money on a Jandy VersaFlo?

[ChristopherDB]

Hi all,

I have a JXI400 natural gas heater which I installed a VersaFlo on. Currently with all flow going to the heater, it requires the pump to operate at 2700 RPM or the low flow warning will appear. Not sure if that's a little high? I know all pool configurations are different though.

The pressure on the filter gauge reads at 26PSI (filter needs a cleaning) when at 3450 RPM when I use the manual bypass valve to bypass the heater entirely.

When I use the manual bypass valve and direct all flow to the heater, and let the VersaFlo bypass the heater, the PSI raises 2PSI at the same speed.

So with the VersaFlo in use I'm at 28PSI. If I didn't have the VersaFlo and just used the manual bypass to stop flow to the heater I'd be 26 PSI when bypassing the heater.

I bought the VersaFlo so I wouldn't have to manually operate the bypass (I didn't want water pumping through the heater all day when I don't use the heater often) but I'm wondering if at the expense of 2 more PSI, was it worth it? Am I losing the claimed energy benefit by now introducing 2 more PSI? Am I better of just using a JVA to automate the manual bypass valve?

Thanks!

 

[Splitpi]

I have a similar setup with a JXi400N, Versaflow, and a Jandy Variable Speed Pump. When the heater kicks on, the VersaFlow engages and the pump kicks up to about priming levels. I notice that the pressure gauge on Jandy DE60 hits around 25-26 PSI when the heater is running. And drops back down to 10-15 PSI when normal. The whole switch over is automated and the versaflow and pump won't slow down till like 2-5 minutes after the heater turned off to allow it to cool back down.

My understanding is that the Versaflow really helps with overall wear on the heater coils by keeping it out of the loop, but I could be wrong.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Chris,

You live in what I call "The land of the dinky filters".. I think you would have been better off to buy the largest filter Jandy offers, and then you have much lower pressure all the time.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PoolGate]

You have a 400k BTU heater. It needs a LOT of flow to utilize all of that heat. Mine runs at 3000k RPMs. If you are dancing around the heater's pressure switch trying to see how low you can go you are asking for problems.

In my opinion, YES, the versaflow is a total waste of money. Who cares if water flows 100% of the time through the heater? This is how it's been since the dawn of time. It looks to me like it is worse with the versaflow since if you don't use your heater a lot water just sits in there getting stagnant. And why add complexity where it isn't needed? If your water parameters are proper, your heater will last a long time with water always flowing through it.