Running VS pump on max?

[Teris]

My pool guy (who I hope to get rid of soon when I go to Pool School on this site) told me I had a bit of algae today and had no chlorine in the pool. It's a 15k gallons chlorine pool.

He set a schedule that runs my Intelliflo variable speed pump at the max speed (3450 RPM or so) for three hours and 2 hours at 2500 RPM. I bought this pump specifically because my electric bill was through the roof and I wanted to run it at lower speeds. I don't see much need for a variable speed pump if I'm running it at max speed.

He said that the algae was because the water wasn't circulating enough at the speeds the pump was on. The pump was set to 1800 RPMs for 3 hours and 2200 RPMs for 2 hours. It's the winter here in Southern California and we don't use the pool. I don't trust that he knows what he's talking about, so I thought I would ask here about what speeds to set the pump. I'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks very much!

 

[Jimrahbe]

T,

Chemicals prevent algae and not the number of times water passes through the filter. Your pool guy has no clue!!

You have algae because your FC (Free Chlorine) is zero.

I assume you hire the pool guy to keep chlorine in your pool. Just one more reason to fire him.

I suggest that you take a long read though our Pool School and see how we maintain a pool.

I agree with you about your VS pump speeds.. I run mine at 1200 RPM most of time and have never had algae.

BTW.. You can't have a "little" algae. Either you have it, or you don't.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Jimrahbe]

T,

It just dawned on me that you probably have a tab feeder.

If true, you need to make sure you run your pump long enough to dissolve the tablets. Faster pump speeds might make the tablets dissolve faster, but it makes more sense to just run longer at a lower RPM.

Jim R.

 

[kul]

I run my pump at 2400 for 4 hours each morning. If I’m gonna heat my pool or jacuzzi I run it at 1500. If we are using the pool I also run it at low speed during that time. This works well for me.
Regarding your algae issue - it’s because you don’t have enough chlorine. Be sure to get your own test kit and start testing so you know what’s going on with your pool chemistry.
Test Kits Compared
ABCs of Pool Water Chemistry

 

[Teris]

I knew this guy didn't know what he was doing! Thank you, Jim and kul.

I don't know what a tab feeder is, but if it's chorine, the pool guy uses liquid chlorine. He put about a gallon and a half in today. He said the pool was good last week and this week it has zero chlorine. That doesn't sound right to me.

Gotta fire this guy. Thanks again!

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Without a salt water chlorine generator (SWG) or chlorine feeder, it's impossible to effectively manage a pool with weekly visits. Get rid of the pool guy, use the first month's savings to invest in a good test kit and take control of your pool. Take the next 10 months' savings and invest in a SWG.

 

[Jimrahbe]

T,

Most pools use 2 to 4 ppm of FC per day, so as mentioned above, adding liquid chlorine once a week won't work.

Another question is what is your CYA (Stabilizer) level. CYA prevents the chlorine from being quickly burned off by the sun. Too little CYA is bad because your pool will use a lot of chlorine, and too much CYA is also bad because it will mean that your chlorine level will need to be much higher to work,

I too recommend a SWCG or Saltwater Chlorine generator. Instead of buying liquid chlorine, the SWCG just uses low voltage electricity and a small amount of salt in your pool water to generate the chlorine your pool needs each day.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dirk]

+1 for SWG. +1 for firing pool guy. +1 for getting a good test kit and learning yourself how to test and dose your own pool. You'll be so happy with all three of those.

I wonder if my old pool guy moved to Los Angeles. I got the same service. A gallon once a week, and a quick brushing. Poof, gone. When I got green walls, they just turned my original two speed pump from low to high (back then that was $50 a month extra). They don't care, it's not their money. Your pool guy is lacking the knowledge necessary to care for your pool, and as pointed out, once a week isn't going to cut it dosing with liquid chlorine even if he did know what he was doing.

Turning up the pump certainly isn't the solution. Think about it. Circulation doesn't kill algae. Chlorine does. Once you've run your pump long enough to distribute added chlorine around your pool, that's all that is needed for proper sanitation. Zero chlorine = zero sanitation, even if you turned your pool into a jacuzzi! The amount of time it takes to distribute chlorine is way less than the amount of time you need to run your pump to filter your water (sanitizing and filtering are two different things). How long it takes to filter your water is a matter of aesthetics. If your water is clear, that's all the filtering you need. And as I said, the amount of pump runtime needed for filtering is more than enough to mix in the chlorine.

There is no recommended time or speed to run your pump, because every pool is different, as is its surrounding environment (size, shape, depth, amount of users, amount of leaves, wind conditions, yard conditions, etc). So you have to experiment a bit. Start with a medium speed (maybe 1500RPM), for say, four hours a day. Run that for a week or two. If the pool looks clean, and water is clear, then reduce the speed a little, reduce the time a little. Continue doing that until you start to notice the water is not as clear as you like. So then you notch it back up until you get the desired results. That's how you determine your pump speed and runtime. And that's how you take the best advantage of a VS pump. Dialing in that "just right" setting will result in the lowest amount of energy required to keep your pool pristine. It's almost a guarantee that whatever pump setting you use to keep your pool clear will be more than enough to circulate your chlorine.

Now as conditions change, you may need to make adjustments. Maybe you get a lot of dust blowing in in the fall. Or a lot of pollen in the spring. So you adjust the runtime to accommodate. Most of us have different settings for the seasons. I have two. One for winter, and another for the rest of the year.

You'll learn in our Pool School the right level to maintain for the handful of chemicals you'll need. With a good test kit, that part is really easy. Once you get those dialed in, and figure out your pump settings, you'll have no more green, and smooth sailing, and an extra bill and a half in your pocket each month!

And what should be clear by now, if you have a question, you just need to ask! TFP has your back.

 

[kul]

A gallon and a half is good but you also have to check it after to see where your chlorine level falls. Then check again after a few days to see the effect of sunny days and general weather conditions. I also do liquid chlorine. It’s a bit of a learning curve, but not difficult. Certainly with the recent sunny days you cannot just pour in chlorine once during the week.

 

[Teris]

This site is incredible. I can't thank you all enough for this info. I've got a lot to learn, but my pool guy is so bad that it can't be any worse with me managing it myself. It's a bit daunting to take on, but I'm throwing money away on this clown.

I do have a floating dispenser in the pool. I opened it yesterday and found it empty. What's the point if there's nothing in it? I also have a 5 gallon container of chlorine tablets left by the pool by the previous homeowner.

Anyway, I'll figure out what I need to buy and just buy it all so I can get rid of this guy. Thank you all again for taking the time to reply and help me!

 

[kul]

You can totally do it yourself! We are all here to help. Not sure what part of LA you’re in, but I recommend finding a place to buy 12.5% chlorine and the strongest MA (31% or 34% if available) you can find. After you get things in order that’s mostly what you’ll likely need.

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Fire the pool guy, get your test kit, post results, and we will get you pointed in the right direction.

 

[Dirk]

Fire the pool guy, get your test kit, post results, and we will get you pointed in the right direction.

I'll figure out what I need to buy and just buy it all so I can get rid of this guy.

Mike's (@Rancho Cost-a-Lotta) last post might have sounded like just words of encouragement, but they were actually a specific set of instructions. DO NOT be tempted to walk into a pool store and ask them what you need. They'll sell you everything they can talk you into, whether you need it or not. So, again:
1. Fire the pool guy.
2. Order your test kit right now. If you don't know which to buy, ask, we'll set you up. There's only a couple to choose from.
3. While you're waiting for it to arrive, go out each day and manually add some liquid chlorine (that's the only chemical you should buy at this point).
4. Tomorrow, fill in your signature with all the info you can gather about your pool and equipment. Something like mine would be great.
5. Once your test kit arrives, run all the tests and post the results in this thread.
6. Then wait a minute for the onslaught of valuable, accurate advice. Folks here will tell you exactly what to buy, and how to use it.

@Jimrahbe, how much chlorine should @Teris add each day while he's waiting for his kit?

 

[Jimrahbe]

how much chlorine should @Teris add each day while he's waiting for his kit?

T,

If this were my pool, I would add about 60 oz of 10% liquid chlorine each day. This will increase your FC by about 3 ppm.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Teris]

Okay, I'm taking all the advice here. Pool guy has officially been fired!

I'm ordering a test kit. Which should I get?

I can go to the pool store today, get liquid chlorine and use it according to Jim's instruction. Also, I keep getting targeted ads for the skim a round. Is that worth buying? My pool surface send to have a lot of debris lately because it's been windy. (Answering my own question: the company gets an F from the BBB -- Skim-A-Round | Better Business Bureau® Profile)

Thank you all so much!

 

[mknauss]

I'm ordering a test kit. Which should I get?

I suggest the TF-100 or Taylor K2006C. A proper test kit is needed to get the accurate water chemistry results needed to follow the TFP protocols.
Test Kits Compared

 

[Teris]

TF-100 ordered!

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Okay, I'm taking all the advice here. Pool guy has officially been fired!

I'm ordering a test kit...

Great decision! You'll find lots of help here.

 

[Teris]

I'll get the liquid chlorine from Leslie's today.

I have a huge bucket of chlorine tabs left by the previous homeowner. Are those no good?

 

[kul]

I have a huge bucket of chlorine tabs left by the previous homeowner. Are those no good?

Save them for when you go on vacations. Pucks typically contain CYA and sometimes calcium so you want to limit their use for special situations if you already have them.