- Jun 7, 2017
- 9,153
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
I updated the chart to reflect an increase in electric and also added a daily costs column.
Why is calculating run-time for my new VS motor so difficult?
- Thread starter ron_jeremy
- Start date
I have a V-Green 165. I've had it a few years. Like you, I'm using the existing pump. I have an 18,800 gallon pool. My schedule is 8pm it goes on at 1100 rpm until 10pm. At 10 pm it goes up to 2,000 rpm while my Polaris booster pump kicks in for a couple of hours to run the pool sweep. After the booster pump shuts down after 2 hours the V-Green goes back to 1100 RPM around midnight. It runs at this speed until 7am. I've been using this schedule for several years now.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,989
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
- May 3, 2007
- 16,989
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Rich807
Bronze Supporter
In my estimation, based on info garnered here on the site, is that not only is the cost of running ones' VSP pumps 24/7 negligible, but it's likely more service-life-expectancy 'friendly' to let the pump continuously do it's thing vs having it turn itself off & on multiple times a day/week/yr. Hard to argue with guys here that have pumps that've been running continuously (in round #s anyway) for the better part of 10-years (or more).
- May 3, 2007
- 16,989
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
It isn't just about cost, 230 watts * 24 hrs * 365 days ~ 1 Ton of CO2/yr
Also, VS pumps do not suffer from on/off fatigue as they ramp speeds much slower than an induction motor so there is less stress on the mechanical parts.
Also, VS pumps do not suffer from on/off fatigue as they ramp speeds much slower than an induction motor so there is less stress on the mechanical parts.
Rich807
Bronze Supporter
Mine ramps up like it's a B-52 bomber jet engine being lit by explosives assist. Perhaps I could slow that ramp up speed via internal settings?, but that's the way it's run since it was installed last year.
- May 7, 2014
- 429
- Pool Size
- 29980
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I run mine 24/7...I like to keep it skimming/filtering.
I run 1700 RPM from 7AM till 10PM then drop back to 900 RPM from 10PM till 7AM
My SWG and pool cleaner run during the daytime higher RPM run. Been this way for the 7 months since I put the pool in and it works great for what I wanted to accomplish and does not cost much to run it this way.
I run 1700 RPM from 7AM till 10PM then drop back to 900 RPM from 10PM till 7AM
My SWG and pool cleaner run during the daytime higher RPM run. Been this way for the 7 months since I put the pool in and it works great for what I wanted to accomplish and does not cost much to run it this way.
- May 3, 2007
- 16,989
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
Perhaps but I suspect it is far from a hard start like a 1 or 2 speed pump.
borjis
LifeTime Supporter
I put in a 2 speed motor this past winter.
I had been running 2 hrs daily, and also when guests are in the pool for the past 5 years.
With the 2-speed I found 4 hrs on low speed daily to be sufficient. Very pleased with it. It's amazing how well it skims on low speed. I didn't think it would do as well.
I had been running 2 hrs daily, and also when guests are in the pool for the past 5 years.
With the 2-speed I found 4 hrs on low speed daily to be sufficient. Very pleased with it. It's amazing how well it skims on low speed. I didn't think it would do as well.
Oly
Gold Supporter
Is your pump set to auto prime up to max rpm at each startup? My system does not require priming after being off for 12 hours or more so I disabled this feature, and the ramp up is much less now. I have three speed / time settings and utilize a max rpm of 2200 rpm for the first and last settings and the 1300rpm for the middle and longest run schedule. Total peak run time in summer is 12 hours and 6 in winter.
Last edited:
csconner
Bronze Supporter
- May 8, 2020
- 121
- Pool Size
- 8000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-20
R_J
For some more perspective here is what I do;
I run my VSF 7x24 @550RPM all winter (I do a soft close)
I my pump 7x24 @970RPM spring, summer, fall to drive my swg and skimmer. @970 RPM I’m consuming 58watts of electricity according to the pump read out.
I ramp up to 1100, 1600, 2200 RPM for 15-120 min to drive quicker skimmer action, disperse chemicals, drive waterfall, prior to swim, after big swim party, etc.
@3300RPM when I vacuum for 15 min every week or two.
When the HP/Chiler is running I set it to run @30gpm (that’s about 1660RPM), this is the only time i use GPM as I want to ensure I move that specific amount of water thru the HP As that’s defined by the manufacturer as best practice and I do get about 1degree of heating/cooling per hour at that rate.
I can run at lower speed bulk of the time as my SWG flow switch is closed ( it’s actually closed as low as 920RPM, but like Jim said, I leave a little room for variables) and my skimmer works great at low speeds due the Venturi thats part of the skimmer.
As folks have shared, every pool is different.
Hope that helps..
For some more perspective here is what I do;
I run my VSF 7x24 @550RPM all winter (I do a soft close)
I my pump 7x24 @970RPM spring, summer, fall to drive my swg and skimmer. @970 RPM I’m consuming 58watts of electricity according to the pump read out.
I ramp up to 1100, 1600, 2200 RPM for 15-120 min to drive quicker skimmer action, disperse chemicals, drive waterfall, prior to swim, after big swim party, etc.
@3300RPM when I vacuum for 15 min every week or two.
When the HP/Chiler is running I set it to run @30gpm (that’s about 1660RPM), this is the only time i use GPM as I want to ensure I move that specific amount of water thru the HP As that’s defined by the manufacturer as best practice and I do get about 1degree of heating/cooling per hour at that rate.
I can run at lower speed bulk of the time as my SWG flow switch is closed ( it’s actually closed as low as 920RPM, but like Jim said, I leave a little room for variables) and my skimmer works great at low speeds due the Venturi thats part of the skimmer.
As folks have shared, every pool is different.
Hope that helps..
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I recently got a Intelliflo VSF. I played around with it for a couple of weeks until I figured out where I like it. I have a suction vacuum and skimmer. I run at 2500rpm for 3 hours then 6 hours at 1500 rpm. My skimmer doesn't do much at lower speeds so I like to run it higher for a few hours.
csconner
Bronze Supporter
- May 8, 2020
- 121
- Pool Size
- 8000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-20
DM, I too am a 100% pentair guy, anyway..
on my VSF pump I have couple of choices;
1. disable/enable prime
2. control prime speed which is also max speed
I’ve played with both, being out of town often I’ve chosen to leave prime enabled, in case it needs to prime and also left max speed at 3450RPM. I never use that, as I set speed to 3300RPM for vacuuming that seems to do the trick.
Rich807
Bronze Supporter
I'm sure it is. Honestly I haven't messed with it as I didn't think there was a need to (I could be wrong though), thought being when the thing needs to re-prime it should do so quickly & with authority.
I'm using 2 different speeds at 3 points in a given 24-hr period right now. My low rpm speed runs 23.5hrs a day @ 1450rpm (the lowest rpm I can get water over my weir door), then I bump it up to around 2300 for 2 separate times a day 15min each. Other than that I sometimes run more gpm when cycling the waterfall 1 or 2x a week (mainly to keep the water in those pipes from stagnating) &/or manually set it to a higher pre-setting rpm value I have for mixing chemicals & such until a point I click that temp higher rpm off & let things go back to normal 24/7 ops.
Oly
Gold Supporter
Yes I understand your position. I tested my system several times after opening and cleaning my filter to observe the result of priming the pump at 2200rpm and it worked fine. My startup rpm is 2200rpm so I am ok with disabling the auto prime.
If it works, it works.
I only played with my settings on year 8, just before moving. I had no idea I could adjust it all. There was no reason whatsoever to fire up at Mach 4 with 3450 RPMs. I’ll be lowering the new pumps settings considerably on day 1.
The days when people tried to get numbers-specific about pump run time, primarily for turnover, are no more. Today, we encourage pump run times for two simple reasons - surface skimming and chemical maintenance (i.e. SWG production, mixing chemicals, etc). If your VSP also powers a cleaner, then that would also apply, but that's really it.
Determine Pump Run Time
To figure out how many hours you need to run your pump, you need to know how fast your pump works. You can find this here.www.troublefreepool.com
That's not really it. You would also run your pump for a heat pump.
red-beard
Gold Supporter
- May 27, 2019
- 1,621
- Pool Size
- 25000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite Pro (T-15)
The VGreen 2.7 hp is going to be similar in electric usage and flow to the Hayward Tristar 950.
Energy Calculator
www.hayward-pool.com
Here is the pump flow vs. speed & head curves
Before I installed my SWG, I was running a 1.85 hp pump at 850 RPM = 30 GPM for a 25,000 gallon pool. I like the low speed filtration with the cartridge filter. I run my filter at 1050 now, 40 GPM, for the SWG. This flow is not great for "skimming" my pool. I kick it up to 2800 RPM which is 100 GPM, twice a day for 2 hours each.
1000 RPM, you should have very little back pressure, so call it 50-60 GPM. This will be ~80 Watts. This will be a very reasonable place to run the pump, even 24/7. For skimming, 100 GPM would be 1750-2000 RPM and use 325-450 Watts. I think these would be good settings for you.
Power consumption per day would be 3.2kWh or 1168 kWh/yr.
You have a very good pump.
Energy Calculator
[Tools] Energy Calculator
Hayward's easy-to-use Energy Solutions Calculator computes your estimated savings by switching to the Hayward family of variable speed pumps.
www.hayward-pool.com
Here is the pump flow vs. speed & head curves
Before I installed my SWG, I was running a 1.85 hp pump at 850 RPM = 30 GPM for a 25,000 gallon pool. I like the low speed filtration with the cartridge filter. I run my filter at 1050 now, 40 GPM, for the SWG. This flow is not great for "skimming" my pool. I kick it up to 2800 RPM which is 100 GPM, twice a day for 2 hours each.
1000 RPM, you should have very little back pressure, so call it 50-60 GPM. This will be ~80 Watts. This will be a very reasonable place to run the pump, even 24/7. For skimming, 100 GPM would be 1750-2000 RPM and use 325-450 Watts. I think these would be good settings for you.
Power consumption per day would be 3.2kWh or 1168 kWh/yr.
You have a very good pump.
drsipe
Gold Supporter
- Jul 24, 2020
- 384
- Pool Size
- 24500
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
I'm doing research to determine if I should swap out my 1HP single speed Hayward Super Pump with a VS pump. You say you have a high electric rate, how much are you paying per kwh?
Currently I have a 1 HP Hayward Super Pump, according to the specs, it runs at 750 watts (compared to the VS pumps that's at lest 3x your rate) for 9 hours a day, at an electrical rate of .085 per kwh. I think if I did my math correctly:
.085x.75x9x30= $1721 per month
I know that when my current pump craps out, I will be forced to replace it with a multi speed or VS pump, but at this time it doesn't look like a good financial move to change the pump at this time.