I looked the specs of my equipment (all Jandy), and there is no flow meter. Are folks mostly ok guesstimating flow and turn over rates going by the pump's specs? My equipment pad is not setup yet, so it would be fairly easy to do it at this time. I would probably do the flowvis digital. Do I need this?
Should I install a flow meter?
- Thread starter haroldo
- Start date
- Jun 7, 2024
- 471
- Pool Size
- 7300
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Intex Krystal Clear
Hi. Turnover doesn’t matter. What matters is having enough flow for a SWCG and/or heater. If using a variable speed pump set it as low as you can for adequate flow to equipment and your skimming preference.
The short answer is "No you don't need it".
That said I installed one of these in my own system:
Because I was curious as to what the flow actually was, and I do use it as a monitor of my filter's health. (Pressure gauge usually reads zero at normal low-rpm filter mode).
That said I installed one of these in my own system:
Because I was curious as to what the flow actually was, and I do use it as a monitor of my filter's health. (Pressure gauge usually reads zero at normal low-rpm filter mode).
Rate of filtration doesn't matter? Meaning, aren't we shooting for some x daily turn overs? I've seen anywhere from 1 to 3 turn overs a day, but first time I hear it doesn't matter. Say I had enough flow on swcg and heater, but very low flow rate of filtration (ie. equivalent of 1 pool volume a week), wouldn't this be bad?
The problem is that pools vary wildly as to how much filtration they need, so specifying a target turnover rate is not generally useful.
Particularly if you have a SWG you will likely be setting the pump run time to get enough hours on the SWG to get the required chlorine production, and likely way more filtration than is actually needed. Or if you pool collects a lot of surface debris, then you'll want the pump running enough that the skimmers are effective.
Particularly if you have a SWG you will likely be setting the pump run time to get enough hours on the SWG to get the required chlorine production, and likely way more filtration than is actually needed. Or if you pool collects a lot of surface debris, then you'll want the pump running enough that the skimmers are effective.
Harold,
Well... that would be impossible..
If water is passing through your SWCG and heater, it has to also pass through your filter...
We believe that you should run your pump for a reason, not to meet some mythical turnover number..
The number one reason to run your pump, when you have a SWCG, is to generate the amount of chlorine your pool needs each day. You want to run the pump as slow as you can and still make chlorine.
The number two reason to run your pump is to skim your pool. (Normally, if the SWCG is working, your skimmers are working, but not always, and you might have to increase the pump speed.
There is really no other reason you 'need' to run your pump.. You may want to run it to heat your spa or turn on a waterfall, etc..
Your pool stays clear and sanitized because of the chemicals in the water, not the number times water passes through the filter.. The filter is only there to capture 'junk' that falls into your pool and gets picked up by your skimmer. The filter is not there to keep you from getting algae.. By the time the filter sees any algae, it is too late and you have lost the algae war..
Thanks,
Jim R.
Last edited:
- Jun 7, 2024
- 471
- Pool Size
- 7300
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Intex Krystal Clear
Pressure checks should be done on maximum operation. My 2-speed pump has a pressure of 13.5 on high speed and a pressure of 1.5 on low speed. Pretty tough to see a 25% change on low speed
I'll cut this to the chase. I got a free Blue-White flow meter and have posted the same question a year ago. The TFP consensus was that I didn't need it.
But the tinkering in me, I tried it anyway. Know what? After a week, the novelty wore off and it's showing no flow 90% of the time as my VSP is running at 1000 rpm. I took it out. Sooo, it's up to you
But the tinkering in me, I tried it anyway. Know what? After a week, the novelty wore off and it's showing no flow 90% of the time as my VSP is running at 1000 rpm. I took it out. Sooo, it's up to you
- Jun 24, 2021
- 17,121
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
What heater are you installing?
I would recommend installing a flow meter, I would not recommend the digital, it is not necessary. The normal flowvis is fine.
The reason for the recommendation is that you can then accurately tell that you are providing sufficient flow to the heater. I would put the flow meter as the check valve on the heater bypass.
If you are not putting in a bypass, you should consider it.
Heater Bypass - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
I would also recommend adding a flow switch to the heater:
Heater Flow Switch - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
- Jan 7, 2012
- 2,148
- Pool Size
- 21000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
We might be able to offer some suggestions to optimize your setup. The more details you can provide (schematics, etc.) the better. Make sure no ball valves are used anywhere in your system, only high quality diverters (Jandy Never Lube, etc.). Install a bypass on your heater or heat pump.
Equipment Pad Best Practices - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
What heater are you installing?
I would recommend installing a flow meter, I would not recommend the digital, it is not necessary. The normal flowvis is fine.
The reason for the recommendation is that you can then accurately tell that you are providing sufficient flow to the heater. I would put the flow meter as the check valve on the heater bypass.
If you are not putting in a bypass, you should consider it.
Heater Bypass - Further Reading
I would also recommend adding a flow switch to the heater:
Heater Flow Switch - Further Reading
Yes, I've been reading up on heater bypass, and was already planning on plumbing that. To my luck, the heater we are getting already had a built in bypass feature. Its the