Suction Cleaner / VS Pump Question

[titleistseemore]

I have a Zodiac Atlas suction cleaner that came with the pool, now that I have the equipment pad working properly, I went to set up the Atlas. Reading the user manual, the Atlas needs to spin its wheels 10 revolutions in 20 seconds. I found 2 ways to meet this requirement:

1. Set the pump to 3450 and set the manual Jandy divertor valve to its normal location (See Photo below circled in yellow). That is allot of RPMS for cleaning IMO and would like lower RPMS for energy costs and wear and tear on my pump.

2. Set the pump at 2150 RPM and change the divertor valve so that the skimmer is completely off. By doing this, my strainer basket on the pump only fills up about halfway, not sure if these will do any harm or not. See photos below.

Obviously, I would like to use situation 2 for cost savings but also having to change the divertor valve manually each time is probable going to get messed up when the kids are on their weekly chores ... I guess I could have the pool company install an auto Jandy Valve and set up the panel for a cleaner button.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks
Tim

 

[Jimrahbe]

Tim,

If you wanted economy, you should not have gone with a suction side cleaner...

I do not think it is a good idea to restrict the water going into the pump. If this were my pool, I'd run the cleaner at 3450 RPM.

If you have an automation system, I'd add a valve actuator, so that you could run in just the skimmer mode or run in the cleaner/skimmer mode.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

As @Jimrahbe said above, it’s not a good idea to restrict your intake like that. The cleaner line is only 1-1/2” pipe typically and you’re pulling on it with a powerful pump. You need to skimmer to run for safety reasons - if all of your suction is on the cleaner and it were to clog somehow you’re going to run the pump dry. Not a good situation.

I have a similar setup and I will only set my diverted to a minimum of 1/3rd skimmer & 2/3rds cleaner. Anything less on the skimmer and it restricts the suction too much. Now that valve set-point is fine for my suction cleaner as I get adequate flow. You may need to tweak the diverter/RPM settings a bit more but I would never go with zero skimmer, just not safe.

 

[titleistseemore]

Ok,
Thanks, I did order a Dolphin but want to have the suction cleaner ready to go with the proper settings, I am a "be prepared type of person". Looking at the Photo with the yellow circle, does that setting look correct on the divertor valve?

 

[1poolman1]

Give the pump more rpm to get the cleaner to move correctly and clear the air from the pot if needed, then open the valve to the skimmer as in your picture and adjust some more if needed. You want both cleaning and skimming if at all possible (with a VSP it should not be a problem).

The "correct" valve position is different on every pool. Just takes some experimenting to get the results you want. If you are not pulling air (continually able to get air from the filter air relief valve), having air in the pot just means there is not enough flow to clear it, it won't harm the pump. VSPs are regularly talked about on this forum as having air in the pot at lower rpm.

 

[titleistseemore]

I read the manual for the PDA6 and figured out how to reprogram the speeds for the default pump settings, so now I can select cleaner, and the pump will be at 3450 RPM's. Do you suggest that when I am not using the suction cleaner that I set the valve to be 100% on the skimmer?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Yes!!!

 

[titleistseemore]

Will change the valve to 100% skimmer, now I do wish I had an auto valve. Think I will call the pool company.

 

[guinness]

I read the manual for the PDA6 and figured out how to reprogram the speeds for the default pump settings, so now I can select cleaner, and the pump will be at 3450 RPM's.

Do you have the AquaLink PDA PS6? If so I'd recommend adding that your your signature. Suggest adding a valve actuator for about $120.

 

[titleistseemore]

Done, at least the signature piece. I will try on the valve, My Dolphin Active 20 will be here on Saturday, then I will switch to the Dolphin but as robots go, there will be a failure and having the Zodiac suction cleaner all set up with ease will be important down the road. Will see how far I get with the pool company

 

[guinness]

Maytronics User Instructions cautions not to operate in water below 43F. Assuming this preserves the seals and therefore avoids water intrusion. Might be an idea to use the suction cleaner in the winter months and the Dolphin at other times.

 

[titleistseemore]

Thank you. Good Idea.

 

[titleistseemore]

Now I am trying to figure out my daily pump run time.

For now, I am keeping the solar cover on the pool (Today I ordered a Rocky Solar Cover Reel), One I get the reel, then I will take the cover off and store indoors, the main purpose for the run time is for filtration (I am plumbed for solar but not installed yet and the pool is not being used during the winter months, so no heat needed from the gas heater)

I went to the Jandy website and looked at the pump run savings calculator (picture of website is below) and read the pump manual, but I am not a water pump knowledgeable person and like always need some help.

based on the sheet from Jandy's website at 1750 RPM (This is the setting for my pump speed in pool mode) I would be putting out 47.5 GPM. Pool size 16,700 gallons would be 351.58 minutes to turn the pool over in one day which is about a 6 hour pump run time. I have the pump set for a 4 hour run time. I read "The Determine Pump Run Time" article her on TFP and a few posts from members and people in the industry and I am getting the impression that I do not have to turn the pool over every day. Need some advice

Additional Info:
I live in the city; the trees are in the neighbor's backyard of which I pruned them so there is not allot of debris getting to the pool.

I have a Stenner Pump all set up (Just need to program it and fill the tank with Chlorine) which is tomorrow mornings pool project. Currently losing about 1ppm of CL per day with a CYA of 50.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Tim,

The idea that you have to "turnover" the water in your pool X times a day is a myth. Your filter is there to capture the junk that falls into your pool, not to prevent you from getting algae. You just need to run the pump long enough to add the chlorine you need and to keep the water skimmed the way you want.

I run my pump 24/7 at 1200 RPM most of the time. This lets me make a little chlorine all the time and to skim all the time. I works well for me, but is certainly not necessary. The whole point of having a VS pump is so you can run at a low RPM and save on the electrical bill. For me to run 24/7 costs less than $20 bucks a month, and that is with an old VS pump. New pumps are even more efficient.

Each pool and pool owner is different, so you will just have to experiment to see what works best for you.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Newdude]

+1. Runtime is a moving target as far as the actual 'need' goes. You need a good deal more filtering in the early spring and late fall when all the crud is dropping/blowing into the pool. Go look at your pool size. It's a 12x32 vacuum that will gobble up whatever falls in it, or lands upwind of it. In the dead middle of the summer you may need next to no filtering a day.

Your neighbor will have entirely different needs depending on which side of that big shared tree he is. The wind never blows it east.

Anywho, the industry requirement that all pools need X anything is bullfeathers. They are all unique and need to be listened to as such. If the pool is stupid clear, you are filtering at least enough, possibly too much. (With no harm, of course). If the chemistry is dead on but the pool loses a bit of its sparkle, you need to filter more.

Me ? I can't be bothered when my VS pump costs $20 or less to run a month. To fiddle with it and adjust it based upon need isn't worth saving $7 -$10 a month to me. Plus we like the look of the moving water.

 

[Padle]

I have a Zodiac Atlas suction cleaner that came with the pool, now that I have the equipment pad working properly, I went to set up the Atlas. Reading the user manual, the Atlas needs to spin its wheels 10 revolutions in 20 seconds. I found 2 ways to meet this requirement:

1. Set the pump to 3450 and set the manual Jandy divertor valve to its normal location (See Photo below circled in yellow). That is allot of RPMS for cleaning IMO and would like lower RPMS for energy costs and wear and tear on my pump.

2. Set the pump at 2150 RPM and change the divertor valve so that the skimmer is completely off. By doing this, my strainer basket on the pump only fills up about halfway, not sure if these will do any harm or not. See photos below.

Obviously, I would like to use situation 2 for cost savings but also having to change the divertor valve manually each time is probable going to get messed up when the kids are on their weekly chores ... I guess I could have the pool company install an auto Jandy Valve and set up the panel for a cleaner button.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks
TimView attachment 462900View attachment 462901View attachment 462902

I know this is a old thread, but here are my thoughts

Now that I have the same cleaner I would say like this. The robot doesn't need that much RPM to just clean the bottom of the pool, and there isn't really a need to vacuum the walls.

The only reason to have it climb the walls is if you believe it is scrubbing the walls for you. In that case, you only need to let it do that once in a while.

I hope you are happy with your .