Help me with my VSP settings?

[DigitalCK]

Okay, starting to feel a little more comfortable about things so diving in a little deeper (no pun intended) to ensure I have everything set up as optimal as possible.

So would love some help digesting the info, and maybe any suggestions on my variable speed pump settings. Screen shots below.

Equipment is all Jandy, with iAqualink RS3 (I believe) for great remote access and config.

Pool is about 18-20K gallons (I need to dig for the actual number, but this is very close), and includes a large tanning ledge and a large spa. Min/max depth of pool 3.5' -> 5'.

Location is north texas / DFW area.

We have a gas heater, in-line chlorine (uses tabs, metal filter insert removed and plug added), large DE filter system, and a heat/cool pump.

We also have a Betta bot that does our skimming (and it's phenomenal, apologies to my wife for waiting so long to buy this).

Pump 1 is for my pool in general (Filtration), with a max speed of 3450, priming at 2500, for 3 minutes

Pump 2 is for my Waterfalls/Sheer Descent, Qty 3, 24" each (Aux Pump), with a max speed of 3560, priming at 2500, for 3 minutes



Question about basic setup:

1) Do these seem right? Should I be validating this with my pump settings, or assume (yikes) they are accurate?

My main pump is the one I'm curious more about:



By the way I read this, if the pool is in the mode listed in "Speed Label" column, then the pump runs at "Speed Setting". So if I'm running the Cleaner, the pump runs at 2750. Normal pool mode is 1750, spa mode is 2750 also for example.

Questions on this:

1) Does it make sense the pool is slower than the spa because it runs more of the time and this is for efficiency?
2) Is spa too high? Or is this higher to keep circulation higher and motion in the spa?
3) Heat options are slower - this is to move it at a reasonable rate - but why is Heat Pump higher? (Note Heat Pump is heat and cool both)
4) Cleaner is higher - is this to run more through the filter, even though the cleaner (Quattro Sport) has its own pump?

On related question:

5) How can I determine the best schedule as well?
- How long should the pump run daily for moving water purposes?
- How long should the cleaner run daily for the robot vac?
- Anything else I should update for the sake of either cleanliness or efficiency?

If I missed any important info, please let me know.

Thanks!

 

[mas985]

1) Do these seem right? Should I be validating this with my pump settings, or assume (yikes) they are accurate?

These are just for priming and max speed. I set my max speed at 95% just so the pump motor never runs full out. Prime setting is fine unless the pump is having issues priming.

1) Does it make sense the pool is slower than the spa because it runs more of the time and this is for efficiency?

Yes. In fact, you could possibly run it at a lower RPM. Generally for just circulation and skimming, you want to run at the lowest RPM possible to save on energy costs. Since you have an auto skimmer, you may be able to run on very low RPM. Most VS pump efficiency maxes out around 800 RPM so there is no point going below that.

2) Is spa too high? Or is this higher to keep circulation higher and motion in the spa?

RPM is proportional to GPM and for spas, GPM is related to jet strength. So set this RPM to a level where the jet strength is sufficient for your needs.

3) Heat options are slower - this is to move it at a reasonable rate - but why is Heat Pump higher? (Note Heat Pump is heat and cool both)

It may be required for that particular unit. You could try lowering it a bit and see if the HP alarms. Trial error is usually the best option when optimizing RPM/GPM.

4) Cleaner is higher - is this to run more through the filter, even though the cleaner (Quattro Sport) has its own pump?

Does that schedule actually turn on the robot or do you do that manually? Most setups turn on robots through there own control panel but your setup could be different. As far as RPM goes, I would keep it at the same the pool schedule.

5) How can I determine the best schedule as well?

Trial and error. However, if you set the main pool filtration to very low RPM, you could run 24/7 and probably not see much of an energy cost increase.

- How long should the pump run daily for moving water purposes?

Out of all the requirements of a pool; heater, chlorination, skimming and circulation, circulation requires the least amount of runtime and if ignoring the others, you could get by with as little as 1 hr/day. Everything else will dictate the run time.

- How long should the cleaner run daily for the robot vac?

Robots can be operated completely independent of the pool so no schedule is really necessary and they should run on their own schedule. However, if you want to have them start on a certain schedule via the pool controller, that is fine but again, the length of runtime is set by the cleaner and is usually no more than 3 hrs. You should not set the schedule to be less than the cleaner dictates or the pool may not get fully clean.

- Anything else I should update for the sake of either cleanliness or efficiency?

Just optimize the RPM for lowest possible to get the job done, whatever that may be.

With an in-line chlorinator, you might think about replacing that with a SWG. Do you understand the issue with Trichlor and rising CYA?