Setting an IntelliFlo VF pump on "timed manual" mode???

[nickinpalmsprings]

I have an IntelliFlo VF pump that has worked perfectly for my 19,500 gal. pool since the pump was installed in 2009. Shortly after install, I started using Manual mode rather than either Filter or Feature modes because it gave me complete control over flow rate and energy usage, rather than depending on the computer in the pump to decide what's best for me. I've run it 24 hours a day at about 1,550, which pulls about 204 - 230 watts depending on filter cleanliness. I've been happy with these settings, never having any sort of algae or cloudiness issue despite keeping the chlorine levels on the low side, despite living in Palm Springs where 122 degree highs in the summer are not unknown, and despite having water temps in the very high nineties in July, August, and early September. Accordingly, I'm just fine with the pool circulation 24 hours a day at that flow rate.

Recently my electrical company put me into a new plan where the KwH price doubles between 4pm and 9pm each and every day of the week. The obvious response is to have the pump shut off during those hours while upping the RPMs a bit for the remaining 20 hours in order to compensate for the reducing run times. The problem is that I've looked at the IntelliFlo manual and for the life of me I can't figure out to simply run it at, say, 1,650 RPM from 9pm to 4pm every day. Some Filter and Feature settings allow you to set start and stop times, but I just want a simple preset RPM approach rather than having the pump decide on the flow. Is what I want possible, and if so, how might I go about it?

Thanks,

Nick in Palm Springs

 

[ajw22]

Nick, what specific model number IntelliFlo pump are we discussing?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Nick,

Another idea would be to just lower your RPM to 1200 or 1300 RPM and continue to run 24/7. Even at double the cost, it would still not be much.

I run my IntelliFlo 24/7, mostly at 1200 RPM, and my skimmers and pool work just fine.

Reading your post makes me think that you believe that you have to run a certain amount of water through your filter each day to prevent algae. This is just not true. That is not what your filter is for. By the time algae shows up in your filter, you have already lost the algae war.

That said, your IntelliFlo pump can be set up like you want, but there are several models of the IntelliFlo and the setup is not exactly the same in each one, so we need to know the specific pump you have. Do you still have the manual for your pump?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[nickinpalmsprings]

Thanks for the quick responses! To address your comments and questions:
1) ajw22: "what specific model number IntelliFlo pump?" It's 011012.
2) Jimrahbe: "just lower your RPM to 1200 or 1300 RPM and continue to run 24/7" I've found that less than 1500 RPM can cause my salt water generator and my heater to trigger low flow errors. Not always, but I'd rather not have to worry about the possibility.
3) Jimrahbe: "makes me think that you believe that you have to run a certain amount of water through your filter each day to prevent algae" No, I know what the filter does and does not do. But I do need to move a minimum amount of water through the SWG and to distribute the pool chemistry evenly. Stagnation is never good.
4) Jimrahbe: "Do you still have the manual for your pump?" Yep. But for some odd reason I'm just not getting it when it comes to programming it to run at a preset RPMs for 19 hours out of 24 (I said I wanted the pump off for four hours in the original post, but apparently I can't count and it's actually five...maybe that's why I can't figure out what I want when reading the manual????).

My provider, Southern California Edison, will be charging me as much as $0.67 per KwH as the base rate, not including all of the add-ons like nuclear plant decommissioning fees, wildfire fund assessments, local taxes, and the Edison Chairman's Daughter's New Braces surcharge. No question that we're not talking about 100s of dollars here in increased monthly electricity bills. At 220 watts and $0.70/KwH for five hours a day, 30 days a month, it's just $23 a month to run the pump during that time, or about $11.50 extra from what I'm paying now (roughly). But we're also being asked to minimize electrical consumption during those hours because it's when, so they claim, the imbalance between systemwide usage and alternative sources such as solar is the greatest. I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and plan to avoid running the clothes dryer, etc., during those periods and will dial back a bit on the A\C, so if I can also do something about the pool pump that doesn't mess up what has been, to use a lovely expression, a trouble free pool for me, all the better.

Cheers,

Nick in Palm Springs

 

[Jimrahbe]

Nick,

I also have a SWCG and it is one reason that I really like running 24/7. But.. I do not have a heater. If I did, I too would have to run at 1500 or 1600 RPM.

I took a quick look at your manual and now see the problem. I'm going to have to go back to school and get a master's degree in Cryptology to understand anything Pentair is trying to say in that manual. Wow, could they have made something simple any more complex, I don't think so.

Maybe someone with this pump can chime in, but in the meantime, I'm going to take another look at the manual and see what I might be able to decipher.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Nick,

It is pretty clear that the Manual Mode is for service techs and there is no ability to set on/off timers.

To enter a start and stop schedule, you will have to use the Filter mode. Still looking into how to set that up. Like anything, it is probably simple once you do it once or twice, but on the surface, it appears to be like brain surgery.

The Filter mode will increase the flow as your filter gets dirty, which will increase the wattage to run the pump.

In my mind it makes more sense to continue to run in the Manual mode and see what the actual cost increase turns out to be.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[mknauss]

You mentioned Filter and Feature. That implies you have an automation system. Do you?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Marty,

The OP has an old VF pump.. Filter and Feature are two internal modes.

He is currently using the pump in the Manual mode that is more like running a VS pump. Manual mode is a button on the pump's control panel that would normally be used by service techs.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[nickinpalmsprings]

"In my mind it makes more sense to continue to run in the Manual mode and see what the actual cost increase turns out to be."

I'm thinking that might indeed be the solution! Glad to read that I'm not the only one perplexed by Pentair's instructions. In the beginning I did use the Filter mode (which basically just asks for total gallons, number of turnovers per day, and the start & stop times and then does the rest) but I wasn't trusting it to run at the best balance between low watts over the course of a day and avoiding low flow errors for the SWG and heater. Yeah, the guide discourages using the manual mode unless you are investigating an issue, but I'm now approaching 14 years with near exclusive use of the mode and nothing has blown up yet.

No worries about looking this up. I was just hoping someone out there knew how to set a VF in timed manual mode. I suppose I could rig up a 1950s era clock timer and turn it on and off in the old school way, but that seems a bit reactionary.

Thanks to all who responded!

Nick in Palm Springs

 

[Jimrahbe]

Nick,

I thought of using a timer, but I "assume" you would have to push the manual button every time the pump started back up.

If it will stay in the manual mode, even after a power cycle, then a timer would work just fine.

When this pump finally dies, you should replace it with VS pump, which is much easier to use and will do exactly what you want.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[jpierre]

"In my mind it makes more sense to continue to run in the Manual mode and see what the actual cost increase turns out to be."

I'm thinking that might indeed be the solution! Glad to read that I'm not the only one perplexed by Pentair's instructions. In the beginning I did use the Filter mode (which basically just asks for total gallons, number of turnovers per day, and the start & stop times and then does the rest) but I wasn't trusting it to run at the best balance between low watts over the course of a day and avoiding low flow errors for the SWG and heater. Yeah, the guide discourages using the manual mode unless you are investigating an issue, but I'm now approaching 14 years with near exclusive use of the mode and nothing has blown up yet.

No worries about looking this up. I was just hoping someone out there knew how to set a VF in timed manual mode. I suppose I could rig up a 1950s era clock timer and turn it on and off in the old school way, but that seems a bit reactionary.

Thanks to all who responded!

Nick in Palm Springs

Hi Nick,

Were you ever able to find a solution for this? I recently moved to a home that has this same pump and have the same issue with SCE.

Thanks for your help!

Jean Pierre

 

[ajw22]

Hi Nick,

Were you ever able to find a solution for this? I recently moved to a home that has this same pump and have the same issue with SCE.

Thanks for your help!

Jean Pierre

Welcome to TFP.

Nick last visited here 3 months ago. It may be best for you to start your own thread to discuss your problem.

 

[nickinpalmsprings]

AJW22, while I haven't been active in the forum for a while, I'm a believer in the long term monitoring of the threads I started... Thank goodness for automatic email notification of new posts!

Jpierre, no, I never did figure out a workaround. I considered the timer solution, but testing indicated that this VF pump would be inconsistent about restarting in Manual mode after power had been turned off then back on five hours later. Sometimes it worked just fine, other times I'd have to push the On button to get it running again (though when I did that, it was in Manual and at the preset RPM). I decided that I'd just wait until this pump went out (it's now 15 years old) and get a VS that has the feature I need.

Cheers,

Nick in Palm Springs