Scheduling Spa Mode, and how long to run pump?

[fort384]

Hi all, somewhat new to pools & spas... had a large vinyl in ground growing up but with no automation and no spa. I recently moved and I have a 25000 gal fiberglass in ground with an in ground spa. I am running a Pentair Intelliflo VF connected to iAquaLink with some Jandy valves. It hadn't been opened in over 5 years, you wouldn't believe the mess, and how nicely it has cleaned up! I replaced the old broken heater and the old (loud!) Hayward single speed pump and it's really coming along nicely.

Right now, it is setup to run in pool mode, with the returns partially diverted to the spa, and the overflow takes it back to pool. If I switch to spa mode, it isolates the spa obviously, running out through the floor drains and the spa skimmer, and returns only to the spa.

My questions are:

1. Should I schedule it to run in Spa mode for a certain amount of time each day to pull from the drains and skimmer? The overflow obviously does a pretty good job of skimming anyway, but the spa does seem to end up with quite a bit of sediment.

2. What pump schedule would you recommend for a 25,000 gal pool that is situated somewhat in the woods (i.e. lots of trees and hence debris)? Right now I have it set to run in at 2250 rpm 7am-7pm, and 1500 rpm from 7pm-7am. Is this enough? Overkill? Can I get away with shutting it off for any amount of time do you think? Do I just need to experiment?

Thanks in advance, have been lurking around for awhile and read a lot of great advice here to get me up and running.

 

[Jimrahbe]

384,

Each pool is a little different, so experimentation is your best bet..

That said, we find the continually running a spillover will cause you pH to continually increase.

For pools with automation, the best bet is to shut off the constant spillover and then set up a Spillover/Spillway program and run it twice a day for 30 minutes.. This basically sucks water from the pool and sends it to the Spa with the pump running at 2500 or so.. This will cause a large spillover and help clean the spa and keep the water chlorinated.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ajw22]

You just need to experiment and see what works for your pool setup.

Try running in spa mode and see if it gets the sediment. I don't think it will. Do you have an air blower in your spa? I have my air blower set to run for a few minutes every day to stir up the water.

 

[fort384]

Great idea on the air blower, I'll set up to run a few minutes every day.

Interesting point on the spillover causing pH rise. Right now my pH is actually a bit on the low side, but if I see a rise in pH, I'll reduce the spillover time.