What speed to use?

[Jenrudolph1]

Hello TFP!

Our very old single speed pump kicked the bucket last week. We now have a fancy (to us) variable speed pump. Is there a calculation that isn’t too complicated for which speeds to run it at and for how long? The installer did program it for us but I want to confirm it’s set right.

Thanks!
Jen

 

[Edge70]

Hi Jen, you'll love the new VS Pump. Should save you a lot of money. Generally the lower speed the better as long as you move enough water to skim the surface ok. All pools react differently and it really depends on your skimmer setup (how many, location, etc). You can figure this out by trial and error. Start at something like 2000 rpm and see if the skimmers function ok. The lower you can run the pumps and have them do the task they are designed for, the less money you'll spend on energy to power them. The other thing to keep in mind is equipment. Heaters, Salt Water generators etc often need a minimum water flow to function. You need to determine what that is. I run my pump at 1500 and things run well. When I want to heat my pool, I have to increase the RPM up to 2500.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Jen,

I run my pump 24/7 most of the time at 1200 RPM, for less than $20 bucks a month. I have a saltwater pool, so I like making a little chlorine all the time and skimming all the time.

You have a heater so you might have to run faster, say 1500 to 1800 to make things work for you.

There is no magic number, as each pool is different, and VS pumps come in different sizes and brands. You just need to experiment and see what works best for you.

As Edge says above... Slower is almost always better when running a VS pump.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[proavia]

Don't forget to update your signature with the new equipment - manufacturers and model numbers.

Do you have a heater bypass?

Heater Bypass - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Having a heater bypass allows running your VS pump at a lower speed when not using the heater and get about the same flow rate.

Having a VS pump allows running at a slow speed and saving money on electricity.
The pump needs to run fast enough to provide adequate skimming. A speed of 1000 rpm or higher is usually best. At less than 1000 rpm, the efficiency of the pump drops sharply.
You need to experiment and find what works best for you and your pool.

I run my pump at 1200 rpm 20 hours per day and at 2800 rpm for 4 hours per day. The 2800 rpm setting is to allow my infloor cleaning system work satisfactorily.
It costs me less than $20 per month to run my pump.

 

[Jenrudolph1]

Wow - you guys are awesome. The installer left our program at 3200 rpm for 12 hours during the day and 2500 rpm for 12 hours overnight. It seemed a little "overkill".

The heater is not on - it's finally warm enough in Chicago to not heat the pool! We do have a bypass and they set the valve so only a little is flowing through the heater right now. That matches what is suggested in the article shared above.

I just went out and set today's daytime run to 2500. I'm going to see how the skimmers do - we have a lot of old trees that drop fun things into the pool. If it stays high-functioning, tomorrow I may try a bit lower speed. 3200 just seemed awfully high....

Thanks!! You are all the best!

jen

 

[lotsalemon]

I just recently installed a new VS pump and have been trying out different speeds - currently using 1700 for 10hrs and my single skimmer is working as well as it did with my old single speed 3/4hp pump. No issues with running the heater at that RPM either.
May try to bump it down a bit more and see how low I can go