VSP Pump run times in Texas

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SamsIam

SamsIam

Bronze Supporter
May 28, 2016
379
Arlington, TX
I am looking for runtime recommendations for my Pentair VSP in Texas. I have heard 1hr/10degrees, and just 12 hrs. I was wondering what others run theirs at in Texas.

I was thinking 3hrs high flow (while robot runs) and then low flow the rest of the day. But that is just a guess.

Any help is appreciated.

Scott
 
scottsams said:
I was thinking 3hrs high flow (while robot runs) and then low flow the rest of the day. But that is just a guess.
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Robots don't even need the pump to run so why would you need to run on high speed.

Probably most of what you have heard about run time is not true. If you manually chlorinate the pool, you only "need" maybe an hour of run time. The rest is for cleaning up debris and that depends on how well the skimmer collect debris. But in most cases, you shouldn't "need" more than a couple of hours for that. So most pools can get away with 2-4 hours of run time.
 
You shouldnt need to run on high speed at all. Robots don't kick up dust, they are supposed to capture it. If it isn't, something's wrong with it.

As for lower speeds, you want to set the rpm such that water still flows over weir door instead of the sides.
 
Hey, Pool tech here from Houston Texas. Hopefully I can help you with your speeds. So with you 25k pool with your 520 cart filter I suggest running the pool between 12 hrs to 16 hrs. You can run it less in the winter and run it more in the summer.
So I prefer to set 1750rpm from 7am to 9pm and 2350rpm from 7:30am to 11:30am. If you have a cleaner with a booster pump then setting the speed for the booster pump to 2350 and the schedule for the time i suggested for the high speed will work perfect. Now when your pump is running on low speed and you don't see water overflowing from the spa that is an indicator that your filter needs to be cleaned.

Also if you have a cleaner that uses a booster pump like polaris cleaners and booster pump. You do need to run the pump while the booster pump is on. The booster pump is not an independent pump and needs the extra help. If you don't run the pump while running the booster pump then the booster pump will overheat from the lack of water pushing thru it to cool down and will cause leaks and damage the pump. But since you have an EZtouch then if your booster pump is set up as the master cleaner then it won't allow the booster pump to turn on unless the pump is on.
 
RedBluePool said:
Hey, Pool tech here from Houston Texas. Hopefully I can help you with your speeds. So with you 25k pool with your 520 cart filter I suggest running the pool between 12 hrs to 16 hrs. You can run it less in the winter and run it more in the summer.
So I prefer to set 1750rpm from 7am to 9pm and 2350rpm from 7:30am to 11:30am. If you have a cleaner with a booster pump then setting the speed for the booster pump to 2350 and the schedule for the time i suggested for the high speed will work perfect. Now when your pump is running on low speed and you don't see water overflowing from the spa that is an indicator that your filter needs to be cleaned
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There is no good reason to run a pump that long and to use an RPM that high. It is just a waste of energy and money.
 
While I respect your opinion, you are in San Francisco right? It is a bit different here in Texas where it gets kind of hot. I was running my pool about how you suggested and one rain I had an algae bloom. I am surely no expert and I would love to run it 2-4hrs/day but it does not seem to work here.
 
I run my VS pump at 1750 for 4 hours in the morning (8AM - noon) and 4 hours in the evening (5PM - 9PM). I have my spillway on for 1 hour in the afternoon (5PM - 6PM) to make sure the hot tub stays chlorinated and that runs at 2500 rpm's.

I cycle the time down during the cooler months. I am holding a FC of 5 with this method and my SWG set at 30%. This is the same run time I used prior to the SWG when I was manually pouring bleach in and I could have easily turned the time down to 5 or 6 hours.

The main thing is to make sure you're adding bleach frequent enough to keep your FC / CYA ratio based on the TFP method.
 
scottsams said:
While I respect your opinion, you are in San Francisco right? It is a bit different here in Texas where it gets kind of hot. I was running my pool about how you suggested and one rain I had an algae bloom. I am surely no expert and I would love to run it 2-4hrs/day but it does not seem to work here.
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Algae has very little to do with run time and everything to do with chemistry. Your FC level was too low for your CYA.
 

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scottsams said:
While I respect your opinion, you are in San Francisco right? It is a bit different here in Texas where it gets kind of hot. I was running my pool about how you suggested and one rain I had an algae bloom. I am surely no expert and I would love to run it 2-4hrs/day but it does not seem to work here.
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Scott,

Algae blooms have little to do with rain or pump run times.. The reason you got algae is that you are just not keeping your FC high enough for your CYA level.

That said, you can run your IntelliFlo 24/7 at 1,200 RPM for less than $20 bucks a month.

I assume you do not have a SWCG.. so how are you chlorinating your pool???

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
interesting. i had two different pool maintenance companies servicing my pool this last week. both said chemicals were fine. they both seemed quite legitimate and i have spoken to them both at length. with my new pool i decided to have someone service it - at least for the first year. i admit i am not the best at pool chemicals so i am paying someone to handle it. i left on Saturday - it rained a lot, by Wednesday when my regular showed up he said there was a bloom but chemicals were fine. checking camera, i could see my bench was green. i had another company come out and scrub pool on thursday. he also said chemicals were fine but suggested some chemical to prevent blooms. he did say he shocked it a bit too
 
Most pool companies don't understand the relationship between FC and CYA. This is why nearly all of the forum members here take care of their own pools.
 
scottsams said:
interesting. i had two different pool maintenance companies servicing my pool this last week. both said chemicals were fine. they both seemed quite legitimate and i have spoken to them both at length. with my new pool i decided to have someone service it - at least for the first year. i admit i am not the best at pool chemicals so i am paying someone to handle it. i left on Saturday - it rained a lot, by Wednesday when my regular showed up he said there was a bloom but chemicals were fine. checking camera, i could see my bench was green. i had another company come out and scrub pool on thursday. he also said chemicals were fine but suggested some chemical to prevent blooms. he did say he shocked it a bit too
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Scott,

The basic problem is that their definition of "just fine" is not what we would call "just fine". :p

If you get a chance read this... TFPC for Beginners

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
fair enough. i will inquire more. the person i chose to do my maintenance spoke at length with me on pool maintenance. i felt he knew far more than anyone else i have ever spoken to about the intricacies of pool chemicals. he was not just another company. thanks for the information!
 
Hi Scott,
getting back on the subject of pump run time. The run time really depends on the environment as well as your personal wants and wishes. For example, a pool in Nebraska surrounded by farms will have more dirt and debris collect in it while a pool in a tropical back yard in Southern Florida will not. So the minimum filtering needs of those two pools will be very different.

You should set your pump run time based upon your surrounding environment and your personal experience of how much debris gets in your pool to be filtered out.

Typically, 2 to 4 hours is plenty, but the example above shows the run time can vary. So you need to determine what works best for you. The pool industry will make recommended run times based upon your pool water "turning over" 2 to 4 times a day. Most people here at TFP will comment that the turn over rate of a pool has nothing to do with it being clean and sparkly. The chemistry of your pool has the larger effect for water clarity. And I wholeheartedly agree.

As others have already mentioned, filter time has very little to do with getting algae or not. If you are getting algae, then per the TFP method, your FC is too low in relationship to your CYA level.

Me personally, I despise seeing any floating debris in my pool at all!. I have a VSP and I run mine 24/7 at 1200 RPM and it costs me about 20 dollars a month.
Does my pool need that much? Nope. But it's my pool and running it 24/7 makes me happy.
 
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