New Pool, Pentair IntelliFlo Variable Speed Pump (3 HP) Run Time

[DanielHobley]

Howdy,

Our new, small pool (just under 10,000 gallons) was filled about 11 days ago. The Pentair IntelliFlo Variable Speed Pump (3 HP) was turned on about 10 days ago, and left to run (all day/night) at 2,400 RPMs. This was done at the builder's recommendation (and, well, they set it up that way).

I was told today that I could lower the RPMs to 2,100, but that I should consider leaving the pump running 24/7 anyway. I have no idea what to realistically expect in terms of energy cost, and I feel weird leaving anything on alllllll the time, so I'm wondering if anyone had some input or direction on the matter that they'd like to share.

If I were to institute a schedule (say, 8 hours vs. 24 hours), should I plan on having different speeds for different hours? If so, what would that schedule look like?

I did read the article available in Pool School, but I guess I am looking for some supporting comments/additional input.

As always, I really appreciate the help!

Thanks!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Daniel,

I run my IntelliFlo pump 24/7, because I have a SWCG and like making a little chlorine all the time. I also like skimming all the time. I run mine at 1200 RPM and my total cost is less than $20 bucks a month.. I am only telling you this to give you an idea of the cost involved... There is no requirement to run 24/7.

We have members that only run their pump for a few hours a day.. I think that for most people, 8 hours a day would work just fine.

Each pool is different, so you just need to set up a schedule that you want and then try it out and see how it works.

Since you do not have a heater and have a large filter, I would try running between 1200 and 1500 RPM and see how that works.

The only reason you would need to change speeds is if you had a water feature you need to run, or maybe to help with skimming.

You did not say how you are sanitizing your pool, but if you are using a tab feeder, then you will need to make sure that you run the pump fast enough to make it work..


Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Divin Dave]

Hi Daniel,
Im with Jim. Every pool is different, so you will to make some judgement calls on how long and and at what speeds that minimally, you need to keep your pool how you want it to be.

Me? I run my Intelliflo 24/7 too and I do it because I cannot tolerate anything floating on my water or in it. I want it gone out of there asap!

I run mine at 1200 RPM and at that speed, the pump is uing 187 watts, And that costs me around 20$ a month with my electrical rates.

 

[KDpoolguy]

I’m jealous of you TX boys and your electrical prices. It takes time to adjust to what’s right for your pool. When I took ownership in March the pool service was running it at 2200 rpm for 16 hours/day. Wasted electricity in my book, and the pump abuts my bedroom wall and anything above 1400 rpm I can hear through the wall.

I run my Intelliflo at 1200 rpm to get flow rate for my SWG, for 8 hr/evening now in summer. I’ve had pesky green algae on my pool line (I have pebble lip-no pool line tile) so I’ve been running the pump the remainder of the 24/7 period at 900 rpm (only 60 watts) just to keep water moving and it’s done the trick while saving me money. Longer run times and lower rpms is best for electrical savings.

 

[DanielHobley]

Thank you all for your responses. I lowered the RPM down to 1,500 Tuesday morning and did not have any spiders or beetles in the skimmers this morning (we've had a few every morning since turning on the pump), so I bumped it up to 1,800 and will see what I get. As evil as I feel about drowning the things, I am more concerned with my 6 year old getting bitten or, well, just screaming his head off.

I am using liquid chlorine to sanitize the pool (we have a feeder installed, but feedback from the forum was to ditch it). Things were working pretty well until this morning. Looks like all the chlorine burned off with the intense sun we had yesterday. I checked all levels, entered them into the PoolMath app, and have gone from there. We'll see what this evening looks like.

Anyway, thanks for the help and insight!