You all keep giving feedback and I keep editing the original write up. So many things I didn't think about. The feed back has been great very positive.
Stenner liquid chlorine pump - How to choose and install
- Thread starter Steve_in_C
- Start date
Thanks for the info on the stenner pump wring. Those options crossed my mind for feeding the power to the timer, but, lol,, always a but. If say the main pump timer kicks in. Now the stenner timer can come on when it is ready. Here is the but.. One of the windings in the main pump opened which would not cause a short and pop the breaker. Or if possible the impeller screwed up someway ( never had that one yet in 40 years ) . OR a short in the main motor that in enough to stop it but not high enough in current draw to pop the breaker, if ,, just if, one of those happened the chlorine would be pumped into a dead return line. Guess not the end of the world unless you do it every day. SOOOO, what my dream is is to add a pressure switch via a tee on one of my filters pressure gauges. No pump pressure, switch is open. Pressure and switch is closed. Now the stenner can do its thing when its timer wants to. I am using a 24v output timer i had laying around . It feeds a 24V relay coil which when energized closes the contacts and switches the 120v stenner on. I would wire the pressure switch into the 24v line and if not closed the relay will not close. Timer has battery back up but don't want to depend on that.
Pressure switch (or flow switch) is an interesting idea. Probably over kill, but interesting.
I've been running a pool for like 30 years and never had a pump failure. Often there are early warning signs before things completely fail.
If you did have a chlorine "dose" once on a catastrophic failure it probably wouldn't do all that much damage. You just don't want to do it on regular basis.
Like my pump now has a small leak and is louder than normal (bearing or seal or both going). I'm gonna replace it before it goes, it would probably go another year, but why wait, I got 15 years out of it.
I could rebuild it, but it's not worth my time.
On my setup, no heater, I don't think it would hurt anything. It would go back into the huge filter (all plastic) and towards pool lines. Everything is Plastic and Stainless.
I think only heaters would be the highest risk. Not sure where those are typically placed.
My heater/circulation pump/booster pump/Stenner pump setup:
I have a Jandy Lite 2 Heater equipped with the optional Jandy relay, which facilitates operating the heater in what they call the "Internal Time Clock" mode. The on-off duty cycle for the main pump is thus set up and controlled by settings at the heater. The Stenner pump and Polaris booster pump are also energized by this same heater relay. The booster pump on-off cycle is controlled manually by a simple in-line toggle switch, and can only run whenever the main pump is running. Similarly, the Stenner pump is also energized by the heater relay and can only operate when the main circulation pump is running. It's on-off duty cycle (always considerably shorter than the main pump cycle) is controlled by a digital Intermatic timer.
To be honest, I hadn't even thought of some of the main pump failure modes that you bring up in your following comments. I guess if the main pump should fail in such a way that it doesn't open the breaker, and the Stenner pump continues to inject chlorine into a "dead" return line, there is a remote chance that, without a return line check valve, highly chlorinated water could migrate into the heater. Alternately, I could, as you suggest, make the system further fail-safe by installing a pressure switch to shut down the Stenner pump.
I think I'm inclined to "take my chances" and go without the return line check valve.
I have a Jandy Lite 2 Heater equipped with the optional Jandy relay, which facilitates operating the heater in what they call the "Internal Time Clock" mode. The on-off duty cycle for the main pump is thus set up and controlled by settings at the heater. The Stenner pump and Polaris booster pump are also energized by this same heater relay. The booster pump on-off cycle is controlled manually by a simple in-line toggle switch, and can only run whenever the main pump is running. Similarly, the Stenner pump is also energized by the heater relay and can only operate when the main circulation pump is running. It's on-off duty cycle (always considerably shorter than the main pump cycle) is controlled by a digital Intermatic timer.
To be honest, I hadn't even thought of some of the main pump failure modes that you bring up in your following comments. I guess if the main pump should fail in such a way that it doesn't open the breaker, and the Stenner pump continues to inject chlorine into a "dead" return line, there is a remote chance that, without a return line check valve, highly chlorinated water could migrate into the heater. Alternately, I could, as you suggest, make the system further fail-safe by installing a pressure switch to shut down the Stenner pump.
I think I'm inclined to "take my chances" and go without the return line check valve.
I don't have a heater but i bet ya that thing will not fire up until a switch it tripped that looks for water pressure. That's a great place for the stenner to operate from. I know the heater in my hot tube has such a pressure switch. ( might be a flow switch )
I like to play so this is why i am going this route guys. For 99% of break downs the set up of having it pick up after the main pump timer will work. Pressure / flow / switch. A flow switch will work if you plumb it into the return line. For my set up a pressure switch is the easiest.
I like to play so this is why i am going this route guys. For 99% of break downs the set up of having it pick up after the main pump timer will work. Pressure / flow / switch. A flow switch will work if you plumb it into the return line. For my set up a pressure switch is the easiest.
You’re quite right. Heater won’t turn on until it senses flow (pressure) and water temp hasn’t reached set point. If the pump is switched off while the heater burner is still on, a built-in “fireman switch” continues to run the pump for 20 minutes to provide a cool-down transition before turning the pump off. So I guess it’s a reasonably fail-safe setup.
As long as the Stenner pump cannot operate until/unless there is flow in the return, I guess I see little need for the check valve in the return line.
As long as the Stenner pump cannot operate until/unless there is flow in the return, I guess I see little need for the check valve in the return line.
My Stenner pump and my supply of 6% bleach. This is more than I will use for the rest of this season. I don't like to haul bleach. 2 trips a year is all it takes. The good thing is that at lower temps over the winter, the half life should be > 3 years. So it will still be OK to use next year. Just to be sure, I'll do a check on the leftover bleach strength next year.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,403
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
If accurately knowing your bleach concentration is important to you, Taylor does sell a bleach testing kit that can accurately give you the wt% sodium hypochlorite concentration. It’s based on the starch-iodine analysis method and it’s used by commercial liquid chlorine manufacturers and suppliers for spot testing bleach strength. It’s more accurate than trying to dilute a sample of bleach in water and using the DPD-FAS test.
Just throwing that out there.
That's interesting. But I have calibrated my Stenner which gives me 1ppm in 60 minutes. As long as it does that again next year, I'm close enough for a swimming pool.
I did end up ordering a flow switch on Amazon for $31
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MR8371I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
now I just need to come up with a good solution for wiring it
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MR8371I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
now I just need to come up with a good solution for wiring it
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,847
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Do any Stenner offerings include a solution for flow detection? Or is everyone using Stenner gambling on timers executing correctly? Or wiring them off the pump circuit somehow?
I did end up ordering a flow switch on Amazon for $31
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MR8371I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
now I just need to come up with a good solution for wiring it
Runboy, i’ve been watching this thread too, I’ll probably eventually go for a pressure switch so that I can tee it off my stenner injection point. But that 2” flow switch is nice if you are redoing some plumbing (is that in your near future?)...I don’t have any place to insert it in my setup.
Yes, I will be doing some Plumbing and adding a second Stenner for Acid injecrion anyway, so a good time to ad a flow switch as well.
In my case pressure at the filter is no guaranteed that I have flow where I inject my Chlorine, so the flow switch will work bettet in my setup.
Stenner offers flow swtiches: Dry Contact Two Wire Flow Switch for PVC or copper pipe installations . Update: this is for 3/4 or 1" plumbing. Most pools have 1.5 or 2" PVC plumbing. So this won't work.
How about a pressure switch instead of a flow switch. You'd need a normally open pressure switch that would close at your desired pump pressure and complete the Stenner circuit.
Flow indicator AK600: Miscellaneous parts for Stenner Peristaltic Metering Pumps
Dirk, my 120V outlet feeding my Stenner comes of the pump timer. My Stenner cannot run without the pump timer being on - of course the pump could fail, but unlikely to fail without warning. And "gambling" on timers is not that bad. They are fairly reliable.. Verify operation with FC test...
How about a pressure switch instead of a flow switch. You'd need a normally open pressure switch that would close at your desired pump pressure and complete the Stenner circuit.
Flow indicator AK600: Miscellaneous parts for Stenner Peristaltic Metering Pumps
Dirk, my 120V outlet feeding my Stenner comes of the pump timer. My Stenner cannot run without the pump timer being on - of course the pump could fail, but unlikely to fail without warning. And "gambling" on timers is not that bad. They are fairly reliable.. Verify operation with FC test...
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,847
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
That seems pretty safe, a reasonable risk, anyway. Was it this thread or another that discussed the various ways to handle this? Flow switch. Wiring to pump circuit. Using current-sensing relays when the pump is wired to hot all the time, etc. Definitely something to be sorting out for this How To guide, as others will want to know the options available...
The easiest thing (if you have a 240V pool pump and a 120V Stenner) is to wire in parallel the pool pump timer and the coil of a contactor. Then your Stenner circuit is handled by the contactor and can only run when the pool pump timer is on. These are not expensive - Universal Packard Aftermarket Replacement Contactor - 30 Amp, 2 Pole, 240 Volt Coil: Amazon.com: Industrial Scientific
With a 120V pool pump and 120V Stenner, the contactor would not be necessary.
However, I think that flow switches, pressure switches, and contactors / relays are beyond the scope of the average person's comfort level. So, I think most people would be better to do it with timers.
With a 120V pool pump and 120V Stenner, the contactor would not be necessary.
However, I think that flow switches, pressure switches, and contactors / relays are beyond the scope of the average person's comfort level. So, I think most people would be better to do it with timers.
In my case, all pump programming is done on the pump itself. So running this of the pool pump timer is out of the question.
Does anyone else's Stenner pump run very hot? I had a case around mine initially that included quite a bit of circulation possibilities, including an "exhaust" for the fan that forced it to pull new air into the case and push hot air from the fan out. The fan on my Stenner seems to circulates very little air.
On my first day, I was testing it out in 105 degree weather, and it overheated very quickly and shut off (after 15 minutes, for about 30 minutes). I ended up jettisoning this smaller case and encolosing it with a much larger one that was essentially almost open on the front, bottom, and one side. It hasn't given me any problems, but I also only run it at night (my use model).
On my first day, I was testing it out in 105 degree weather, and it overheated very quickly and shut off (after 15 minutes, for about 30 minutes). I ended up jettisoning this smaller case and encolosing it with a much larger one that was essentially almost open on the front, bottom, and one side. It hasn't given me any problems, but I also only run it at night (my use model).
Your Stenner has a fan? What Stenner do you have?
The Econ T has an external power supply and the motor is only 24VDC
Tried to find normally open low pressure switch for the application. They are not common and seem to be $200+. It'd be easiest just to synchronize your pump setting with the Stenner timer settings.