VSF pump speed - GPM vs RPM

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Mattikuss

Mattikuss

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Sep 1, 2023
47
Minnesota
Pool Size
21000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I have an inteliflo3 VSP on a 28k gal pool.

I have 2 questions:

1) The pump is capable of setting GPM or RPM. On a VSP why would I use RPM instead of GPM?

2) Currently going through pool school (pool is brand new), reading a ton about adding chemicals and setting a higher flow rate or running the pump 24/7 vs less often. Our pool builder set the pump to run 24/7 at 55 GPM on the pool, heater, and cleaner (3 different settings but all set the same). What would y’all set these to?

I was hoping to be able to run the pump in the morning at a high flow rate and then run it a medium rate for the rest of the day or off but my app does not allow that so I am trying to find a happy medium GPM rate n
 
There is no reason to run a pump based on GPM. Just use RPM. You have a SWCG so set the base RPM at what you need to close the flow switch on the SWCG plus 100-200 rpm. Then use whatever pump rate is needed for other functions through out the day.
 
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mknauss said:
There is no reason to run a pump based on GPM. Just use RPM. You have a SWCG so set the base RPM at what you need to close the flow switch on the SWCG plus 100-200 rpm. Then use whatever pump rate is needed for other functions through out the day.
Click to expand...
I noticed you mentioned this earlier on another post. I have, literally, no idea what “close the flow switch” means. I’m currently going through pool school which is, okay.
 
You show a Pentair IntelliChlor SWCG. It has a flow switch. If the flow of water through it is too slow, the FLOW light will be red. If the flow through it is enough, the FLOW light will be green.
 
mknauss said:
You show a Pentair IntelliChlor SWCG. It has a flow switch. If the flow of water through it is too slow, the FLOW light will be red. If the flow through it is enough, the FLOW light will be green.
Click to expand...
Ah, simple enough. Okay. I’ll do that. Thank you very much for your reply.
 
mknauss said:
You show a Pentair IntelliChlor SWCG. It has a flow switch. If the flow of water through it is too slow, the FLOW light will be red. If the flow through it is enough, the FLOW light will be green.
Click to expand...
My wife just mentioned that we have a built in booster pump for a vacuum Polaris something. Does this have any impact on anything? None of this makes any sense to me and I’m really frustrated. I’m not even sure if what I’m saying makes any sense.
 
A booster pump needs a certain flow from the main pump to it to run the cleaner. You will have to see if your base rate is enough to satisfy that booster pump when the system runs.
 
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Hi Friends,

Trying to figure out the lowest (+200 RPM) setting I can use on my brand new IC40 SWG. I’m reading about a ton of people running their pumps in the 1200 neighborhood with no issue but my SWG didn’t activate until 1550. The GPM was super low at that point as well (12 GPM). Does this seem off to you? The RPM is at 1650, triggering the flow switch of the SWG and producing 20 GPM. I feel like the GPM should be higher at this RPM. Any help?
 

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Ignore the GPM. It is at best an approximation. Use RPM.

Please fill out your signature.
Do you have a heater?
 
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mknauss said:
Ignore the GPM. It is at best an approximation. Use RPM.

Please fill out your signature.
Do you have a heater?
Click to expand...
I thought my signature was filled out. Yes, I have a heater, it is a Pentair Mastertemp 250. The heater is not running on this setting. When the heater runs I have the pump increase to 2150 RPM, same with the cleaner that plugs into the side of my pool wall. Could a high RPM and low GPM mean a filter issue?
 

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I finally got my automated heater bypass operational. I used to need 1700 rpm through my MasterTemp 400 for the IntelliChlor flow switch.

With the MasterTemp bypassed I can now run at 1200 rpm.

Big difference with the heater bypassed.
 
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