Not sure where else to ask this so hopefully y'all can help. The pool school from the PB was less than helpful. So I have a VS 2.7HP pump, and a Booster Pump for the pool cleaner. Do both have to be running in order for it to work? Does the filter pump need to be running 100%? They said yes, but I am not sure. They didn't even program a schedule or anything so I get to figure that out too. In addition, the "automation" I have isn't what I was told. I was told I'd be able to turn my 3 water features on and off individually with my phone. I have to turn them off and on manually with the valve, and I was also told to get what I wanted, I needed another pump?!? This PB is starting to really Tick me off!
There's some info here:
A working Filter and pump are vital parts for your pool. Read our artiticle on how to clean your filter & other Pool Maintenance Tips.
www.troublefreepool.com
I have a VSF pump and a new pool in Austin. I created a spreadsheet that monitors efficiency at different RPMs and total flow to try and optimize power usage. I now don't care so much, but I definitely think running your pump 24/7 is absolute overkill and will cost you a lot of energy.
There are a lot of people who think you should turn over your pool 1-2 times, but even now people say that could be excessive. I have a VSF pump that is adjustable on both speed and flow, so I get a reporting on flow rate at different speeds. So for my pool, it's around 27,000 gallons, so if I want to filter 27,000 gallons of water, I have many options:
At 3,000RPM, I can turn over 60 gpm, or 3600 gallons per hour, so I can run that for 7.5 hours and get that turnover. This uses 1,500W per hour.
At 1,950RPM, I can turn over 30 gpm, or 1800 gallons per hour, so I can run that for 15 hours and get that same turnover. This uses only 400 watts per hour.
So 1,500 * 7.5 versus 400 * 15 = 11.25 kWh per day or 6 kWh per day
Basically, low and slow for longer is more efficient. That said, I've found my pool stays crystal clear with much less pump time. Basically, I run 2,750 for about an hour per day and an additional 30 minutes of spillway time. Then I run at 1,950 rpm (30 gpm) for another 7-8 hours. I also turn the pumps on when we're in the pool so when it's in use and subject to more stuff, there's more run time, more chlorine/SWG/etc. It works well for me.
Long story short, start with running it 12 hours, then lower speed and/or time a little bit each week or so and monitor your pool. You should run it more in the Summer than in Winter, so what you need now is more than what you'll need in other seasons. Pay mind to minimum flow rates for any features, like SWG/IC60 wants 25-30 gpm, my 400k BTU heater wants 40, so when I heat, I run a higher pump speed. 30gpm is a good sweet spot of enough flow and efficient usage, any lower and returns and bubblers and other features begin to struggle.
Finally, I did run my filter 24x7 for the first week just considering all the chemicals, plaster curing, etc. Also, as my project finished up, many outdoor living things were being constructed, I upped filter times on days guys were sawing wood/concrete, etc.