New Pump!

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picchu55

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Jun 16, 2020
24
Oklahoma City, OK
Just installed a new Pentair IntelliFlo VSF pump to replace my old Sta-Rite Dura-Glas pump that was leaking like a sieve despite replacing the pump seal and all the gaskets. Any tips or tricks for a new variable speed pump user? I know every pool is different, but I'm curious as to how long other users have their pumps running at full (or nearly full) speed during a regular 24 hour period.
 
So the first reason to run your pump is to either create your chlorine (with a SWCG), or to distribute the liquid chlorine you add each day. As I do not see a SWCG in your signature, you must be adding liquid chlorine every day. So the pump needs to run about an hour after you add the chlorine.

Second reason to run the pump is to skim the surface. The RPM needed for that depends on your pool. I would suggest starting at 1500 rpm and 4-6 hours and see if that keeps the pool clean. Adjust as necessary (rpm and time) to achieve your desires.
 
You're correct, no SWCG here, just liquid chlorine.

Okay, I'll have to play with the settings and see how the pool responds to various rpm levels. We get lots of tree debris, so that'll make it easy for me to test various settings out and see if it stays clean. Thanks for the tips!
 
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I'll add a third reason to mknauss's response. If you have a heat pump, you need to be running the VSP to heat the pool. This is important in the spring and fall, not right now. From your signature, it's not your concern since you have a gas heater.
 
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I have setup my pump to run 24 hours a day. That said, I have it programmed for 40 GPM for 90% of the time. The power usage is about 55 Watts. My old single speed 1 hp pump was 1776 Watts (240V * 7.4 Amps) for 130 GPM, 16 hours per day. I do have it programmed to go to 100 GPM in the morning for 1 hour, evening for an hour and when I switch the spa on to circulate that line for 1/2 hour a day: 21.5 hours @ 55W + 2.5 hours @ 711W = 3kW. My old pump used about 28 kW per day! At 9 cents per kWh, I save about $800 per year! That was the price of the pump!

My system still has a 3/4 HP "Boost Pump". When we use the spa, I switch on the boost pump, since I can't control my main pump speed with my control system. This ensures we get 100 GPM when we need it.
 
Are you sure on the 55 watts used, that seems really low? I have the same pump and at 1200rpm/21gpm I'm at 121w, 1500rpm/33gpm 225W, and 1750rpm/40gpm and at 350w. 3000rpm/73gpm and 1740w.
 
@red-beard I'm curious as to why you programmed by GPM vs RPM. I guess to keep a constant flow of water regardless of anything that might be impeding the flow through your system? And yeah, that 55 watt usage seems incredibly low! Maybe because the Hayward Tri-Star VS isn't 3HP like the IntelliFlo VSF?
 
picchu55 said:
@red-beard I'm curious as to why you programmed by GPM vs RPM. I guess to keep a constant flow of water regardless of anything that might be impeding the flow through your system? And yeah, that 55 watt usage seems incredibly low! Maybe because the Hayward Tri-Star VS isn't 3HP like the IntelliFlo VSF?
Click to expand...

I did program it by RPM, but since we use different pumps, my RPM won't translate to your RPM.

The "old" Tristar VS is 1.85 HP. 1050 RPM = 40 GPM & 55 Watts.
 

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That makes perfect sense. Time for me to play with the new toy and figure out the best settings for my pool. Right now, I have it set to run at 30 GPM most of the time, bumping it up to 45 for 3 hours before and after peak usage times, then hitting it at 60 for 6 hours during the peak usage. Tried running it at 20 overnight last night, but that didn't seem to push enough water for the skimmer to work well, so we'll give 30 a shot tonight.
 
I ran up an excel spreadsheet with the pump data based on my pump and the head/pressure. This only works for my pool/plumbing. But it is illustrative. Once you get below 1500 RPM the power per GPM is very good. My "all day" is 40 GPM (1050 RPM).

Each pool pump has a chart with a set of curves showing the flow at X rpm & Y "head". Head is a pressure measurement. Multiply the pressure gauge reading by 2.307 to get "Feet" of head. Hayward has a calculator showing the power at an RPM. I had to put a fudge factor on to match my actual readings.

Pump Chart.jpg

Tristar pump curve.jpg
 
I should start making my own spreadsheet to track this information. Right now, mine is running at 40gpm (not 45 like I thought I programmed), which is hitting 2125 rpm at 14psi. So that means my feet of head is 32.3, right? If so, that puts me right in line with the chart in my manual. And my power consumption is 563 watts. If I'm understanding the chart correctly, your feet of head is much lower than mine (in the 5-10 range), which is why you can hit 40gpm at 1050rpm. I'm guessing the feet of head is dictated by plumbing and distance from equipment to pool, right?
 
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