Single Speed Pump finally died. Went with a Hayward TRI-Star VS 950. Anyone run theirs 24/7?

[Tasimm]

I’m interested in playing around with Affinity Laws, (because science), and running my pump at 1000 RPM/76 watts. 24/7. I have a Jandy System 3 filter and it’s at around 5 psi. I don’t have any features other than a spa waterfall that I don’t really care about unless I want it on, no chlorinator, heater, etc. My calculated turnover rate at this speed/time is about 1.3.

Anyone have any experience with running their pump in this manner? Anything to look for in particular?

I figure I’ll run like this for a week or two and depending on my numbers adjust accordingly. Pool looked crystal clear this morning. I live in the hot part of SoCal, so I’m guessing as summer rolls around my chemistry will change significantly, but for now I’d like to play around with this low power setting.

 

[AQUA~HOLICS]

Years ago at the Wester Pool and Spa show in Long Beach CA. a class that I attended was about running pumps 24/7. The instructors were two brothers who had a very successful pool rout in Beverly Hills CA. and they ran all of their pumps 24/7 and saved their customers money on their electric bills while keeping the pools as clean as when they ran for 8 hours a day at high speeds. The whole concept for them was that the water never stoped moving and the chemicals were able to move all around the pool all the time. You don’t realize what it takes to get 25,000 gallons of water in complete motion. How they set the pump speeds was as slow as possible and still get water just to drip out of the filter air bleed valve, not very scientific but it worked for them and it worked good. At this time 2 HP pumps were the only things being installed in new pools because bigger was better just like today with 400,000 btu heaters, but later on the filter manufacturers started advising that the slower the water runs through the filter the more it’s able to pull particulates out of the water and prolongs the life of the filter elements.

 

[tonytx05]

I've been wondering the same thing as we get close to starting up our new pool. I could see not running it at night if the equipment is close to your house, but that shouldn't be an issue with where our equipment is located. Makes sense to me to run the pump slower for longer and keep things in constant circulation as much as possible.

 

[HermanTX]

Many run VS pumps 24/7. I have read that some like to turn it off for a short duration. If you do shut off, it has been said to wait at least 30mins before start up so you don't short cycle the motor. Some also say wait 1-2 hrs. between off and on. Some turn off for some length of time during daylight and run all night because their electricity is cheaper at night.

It is not good to have repeated cycles of on then off, such as 2 hrs on, 1 hr off, 3 hours on, 1 hr off etc. as that can affect motor longevity. Also, some automation won't allow a complete 24 hr period without an off cycle.

So pick the best speeds that you need for chlorine productions (using a SWCG), skimming or cleaner needs and then the rest is just for circulation. Some with SWCG feel it is easier to control chlorine additions by running longer pump times at lower % output. I use LC and pour at least twice a day knowing the pump is on and have consistent PPM levels throughout the day.

 

[wireform]

How's 30 minutes even considered short cycle.

 

[ajw22]

I have read that some like to turn it off for a short duration. If you do shut off, it has been said to wait at least 30mins before start up so you don't short cycle the motor. Some also say wait 1-2 hrs. between off and on. Some turn off for some length of time during daylight and run all night because their electricity is cheaper at night.

This is how OWT's circulate. I read somewhere that...

It is not good to have repeated cycles of on then off, such as 2 hrs on, 1 hr off, 3 hours on, 1 hr off etc. as that can affect motor longevity. Also, some automation won't allow a complete 24 hr period without an off cycle.

It is thermal cycles that wears out electronics and equipment. If you reduce the thermal cycles you can extend the life of equipment. Startup of a cold motor puts a lot of stress on the parts as it begins rotating and comes up to its operating temperature. Running a pump 24/7 keeps the electronics, if it has any, and motor at an even temperature and there is little stress on the operating parts.

 

[Jimrahbe]

I don’t have any features other than a spa waterfall that I don’t really care about unless I want it on,

T,

Keep in mind that the spa spillover is what keeps fresh water in your spa.. If you never run it the water will go stagnate.

I have three pools that run 24/7... They all have IntelliFlo pumps and in total they have been running that way for about 25 years...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[tonytx05]

If you do shut off, it has been said to wait at least 30mins before start up so you don't short cycle the motor. Some also say wait 1-2 hrs. between off and on.

What kills motors over time is heat breaking down the insulation. The back of the motor shaft has a fan attached to it that blows air over the motor windings when the pump is running. For a typical motor, there is an initial spike in current and heat when it first turns on. If your on cycle is too short, the fan doesn't move enough air to cool the windings. If you then turn it off and don't leave it off long enough, the heat doesn't have time to dissipate before you start it back up again.

Now, a lot of that changes when you switch to variable speed motors. The initial spike in current and heat goes away because the voltage/current/rpm ramps up more slowly. This also reduces the mechanical wear on the pump because it's a more gradual startup each time.

I'm not sure about Hayward pumps, but the Pentair VS one has an "Over Heat" alarm that stops the pump if the motor gets too hot. I would assume if you aren't seeing that alarm, then you aren't negatively affecting the motor windings. You could also test this by seeing how long until the motor casing is cool to the touch after stopping. 30 minutes is probably plenty of time, 1–2 hours is probably overkill.

 

[wireform]

Single speed motors will always run hotter because heat is a derivative of inefficiency vs vsp where the current gets used much more efficiently thereby lower operating temperatures. The heat is the part which is from wasted electricity and is what heats the motor up. Compare two motors same rpm one single speed and the other a vsp and there should be a noticeable temperature difference on the motor itself.

 

[Tasimm]

T,

Keep in mind that the spa spillover is what keeps fresh water in your spa.. If you never run it the water will go stagnate.

I have three pools that run 24/7... They all have IntelliFlo pumps and in total they have been running that way for about 25 years...

Thanks,

Jim R.

I have a 1 hour program for the spa setup, I may need to increase that for turnover going forward though.

 

[tonytx05]

Compare two motors same rpm one single speed and the other a vsp and there should be a noticeable temperature difference on the motor itself.

Two motors running the same speed, doing the same work, should have roughly the same efficiency and heat generation. At most you may see a single-digit difference in electrical efficiency between two such motors.

The difference between single/dual-speed motors vs. variable speed is the load on the pump is much lower at lower rates/RPMs, so you see overall efficiency increase when you start decreasing the RPM. Run a single-speed motor for an hour and it would consume more power than a variable-speed running half that speed for two hours.

 

[Darin]

I start my pool in May and never shut it off until 10th of September. Run it down to about 25 Hz. I only run it at 60 Hz (wide open) during vaccuming which is for about 30 minutes a week. Other than that there is no reason for me, a simple pool with two skimmers, to ever run it any faster than 25 Hz.