Endless Trouble with Pentair Intelliflow VS + SVRS

[AW139]

I had my pool installed and up and running last spring, and have had an ongoing problem with the pump since. Anytime the pump is running at low RPM the SVRS kicks, and shuts off the pump. It used to happen only at 1500 RPM and below, and then it was 1600, then 1700. Now the only way I can keep the pump running is to program it to maintain 1800 RPM or higher.

There doesn’t seem to be a suction side air leak, and I really don’t know what else to troubleshoot. Anyone have any suggestions? I’ll attach some photos of the equipment pad.

Thanks!

 

[HermanTX]

I know @Jimrahbe dislikes the SVRS feature and he has some experience with it. Maybe he can help.

 

[Jimrahbe]

AW,

I too have the IntelliFlo with SVRS.. The standard IntelliFlo is the "gold" standard for pool pumps.. The SVRS version is the "brown" standard, if you catch my drift...

There is nothing you can do about it, but find a way not to do, whatever makes it trip.. Or buy a new pump. The SVRS is just not needed as most pools now have two main drain covers.

Any slight water surge will cause the pump to shut off. Often, you then have to restart it several times before it will run. I have learned to never let my water get too low at the skimmer. Not to quickly shut off any Jandy valve or the filter air relief valve.

I also run 24/7, so that the pump almost never has to go through the prime cycle.

I have no problem running at 1200 RPM.. But you have a lot more "stuff" for the water to go through..

When was the filter last cleaned?? Have you tried to by pass the UV thing to see what happens?

I would also try running with the skimmer wide open and the main drain almost closed..

I wish there was a better answer..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[AW139]

AW,

I too have the IntelliFlo with SVRS.. The standard IntelliFlo is the "gold" standard for pool pumps.. The SVRS version is the "brown" standard, if you catch my drift...

There is nothing you can do about it, but find a way not to do, whatever makes it trip.. Or buy a new pump. The SVRS is just not needed as most pools now have two main drain covers.

Any slight water surge will cause the pump to shut off. Often, you then have to restart it several times before it will run. I have learned to never let my water get too low at the skimmer. Not to quickly shut off any Jandy valve or the filter air relief valve.

I also run 24/7, so that the pump almost never has to go through the prime cycle.

I have no problem running at 1200 RPM.. But you have a lot more "stuff" for the water to go through..

When was the filter last cleaned?? Have you tried to by pass the UV thing to see what happens?

I would also try running with the skimmer wide open and the main drain almost closed..

I wish there was a better answer..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks for all that Jim.

It do want to simplify my setup, and I don’t need the UV filter and don’t use the tab feeder at all. Maybe I will re-plumb it and hopefully that will help. The filter could probably use another clean, but it was acting very similarly even with a perfectly clean one.

I do have the valve set to mostly skimmer, and just a bit of wall drain.

I’m definitely considering selling the pump, but maybe I will try re-plumbing first. It’s too bad they didn’t build an SVRS sensitivity setting in the pump.

 

[Jimrahbe]

AW,

Since your pool is new, I find it very odd that your pool builder installed the SVRS pump at all..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Newdude]

Seeing how it's spring with tons of crud falling, are your skimmer baskets clean or are they filling up quickly ? Are you using hair nets ?

I also had the SVRS misfortune and was no fan of it.

 

[AW139]

Seeing how it's spring with tons of crud falling, are your skimmer baskets clean or are they filling up quickly ? Are you using hair nets ?

I also had the SVRS misfortune and was no fan of it.

When it windy it fills up, but I’m pretty good about emptying it often. No hair net, but I might want to do that.

 

[Newdude]

No hair net, but I might want to do that.

Not yet as it may only worsen the SVRS tripping if the flow hiccups with full nets. They work great but possibly too great here.

Next time it shuts off, see if it correlates with full skimmers.

 

[Jimrahbe]

WD,

Just to give you more ideas..

If swimmers in the pool make a wave, when it enters the skimmer, that is enough to set my SVRS off.. Anything that can cause a small surge..

Maybe your skimmer's weir door is intermittently sticking up and that would certainly cause the pump to shut off.

I know I suggest that you run full skimmer and almost no main drain.. As a test you might try running 50/50 main drain and skimmer, or maybe mostly main drain and less skimmer, just to see if it has any effect.

Running 24/7 at a low RPM has really helped me.. It eliminated about 80% of the false trips I was getting.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[AW139]

WD,

Just to give you more ideas..

If swimmers in the pool make a wave, when it enters the skimmer, that is enough to set my SVRS off.. Anything that can cause a small surge..

Maybe your skimmer's weir door is intermittently sticking up and that would certainly cause the pump to shut off.

I know I suggest that you run full skimmer and almost no main drain.. As a test you might try running 50/50 main drain and skimmer, or maybe mostly main drain and less skimmer, just to see if it has any effect.

Running 24/7 at a low RPM has really helped me.. It eliminated about 80% of the false trips I was getting.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Waves inside the skimmer don’t seem to have an effect. Right after I had the pool installed I had even more trouble keeping the pump running, and it turned out to be that the weir door was bent. That was causing occasional water starvation and tripping the SVRS. I replaced the door and things improved, but still not perfect obviously.

I have tested with different combinations of skimmer and wall drain, with no real difference in SVRS.

I appreciate all the input. I think I’m going to remove the UV filter to simplify things, and then see how that goes.