Average RPMs for Spa to spillover to pool

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SAM9862

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Nov 11, 2018
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Lake Elsinore, California
Hi Newbie here.... I have a new 9K gal, 12 x 26 fiberglass pool with all Jandy equipment. Everything is working great but I've run into an issue that I'm working with my PB with. I upgraded from a 2 speed pump to a variable speed pump during construction because I wanted to run the pump on a lower speed over a longer period of time for a more quiet operation (equipment is near my neighbors house...and I like them! :)) I also wanted to reap the benefit of a lower electrical bill by running on a lower speed. The problem I'm having is the I need the RPMs to be at 2500 rpms (run 5 hrs a day right now 8am to 1pm) in order for the water to cascade over the spillway and not fall directly onto the stone below the spillway. I started at 1750 RPMs and increased gradually until I got to 2500 RPMs and clearing the stones. What is the average RPMs needed to get the water from the spa over the spillway without hitting the stones. Is 2500 RPMs considered high?? If you need more details so you can better answer please ask...I'm new at this (my 1st post...Lol)
Thank You in Advance.
 
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Sam,

Why do you need to run it 5 hours a day?

The exact speed would be different for every pool, as it is dependent on the plumbing and how high above the equipment pad your spa is.

I have an 3 HP IntelliFlo VS pump, which is about the same as yours... I have to run it at 2800 RPM to get my waterfall wall to flow into my pool and look good.. So, 2500 sure sounds like it is in the ballpark to me.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
Thank You Jim....

Since my pool is new (November) and I'm just learning how things work, I have a pool service guy. He has it set for 5 hrs.

My pool guy said 2500 RPMs consumes low electricity compared to a single or 2 speed pump. The other problem is the pump sound is more noticeable whereas at lower speeds you almost can't hear the pump. Super quiet...another reason I upgraded to the VS pump.

The pool company is working on a solution. The spillover may need to be fixed because it's not completely level (off a little bit), there's a 90 degree flat edge on the tiles where the water drops off right above my stone. Without enough speed (2500) the water lands right on the stone. I think there's maybe a design flaw. They used a flat cut piece of tile as the base under the decorative tiles and did not use a spillover pan. I just feel I shouldn't have to run the speed at 2500 just to clear the stone wall. But who knows...maybe I'll learn otherwise on this site :)
Thanks Again Jim
 
Sam,

Running the spillover for 5 hours a day will cause your pH to increase a lot... You just need to run the spillover an hour or so to keep your spa chlorinated..

If this were my pool, I would schedule it for half an hour to 45 minutes twice a day.. But, as always.. your pool and your rules.. :)

Jim R.
 
Merged thread - Marty - TFP Mod

Hi everyone... New pool owner here (Nov 2018). Currently I have a pool service guy who manages my pool (to much to learn so quickly...pools are tricky business)
See pool equipment details below in my signature
.
I upgraded to a Jandy variable speed pump during construction so that I could run my pump at lower speeds for longer periods of time to lower electricity consumption and to reduce pump noise.

Problem: My spillover requires the RPMs to be run at 2500 RPMs in order to clear the stone wall below without water falling directly onto the stone. Not exactly the low speed I was counting on. I do not have a computer system yet and will be at least another year before I can even think about getting one.

Solution: Pool builder trying to figure out if raising the tiles in the spillway will make a difference (level is slightly off (right side slightly lower). Maybe lengthen the spillway to jut out a little further. I'm not convinced that's going to correct the problem and nervous about them having to cut into my completed spillway. There is a spa bypass valve that basically is always left in the open position. I currently run my filtration 5hrs a day pool/spa/spillover at one time.

Pool Maintenance Guy: very knowledgeable guy but forceful in his opinion. He may be right (I'm not sure) but I'm feeling like I need to be better educated and understand how this all works. Pool guy says there has to be enough water flowing to trigger the salt water generator to produce the chlorine. He has my percentage at 100% (my opinion that high percentage can't be good for too long as it would burn my SWG cell prematurely). He also told me that running the spillover 5 hrs/day won't raise the water PH (I read that it does on another post). He's making light of my desire to run my pump lower like at 1750 RPMs or something like that for longer periods to save on electricity and also to run the pump quieter (there is an audible difference at higher speed). I know it's my pool my rule...but I'm a newbie and at a great disadvantage...

Please advise if I have any other option:
1) leave everything as is cause 2500 RPMs doesn't use that much energy and my pool chemistry is good, SWG at 100%
2) Have PB fix spillway so maybe can get RPMs down to maybe between 2000 to 2200 (pool guys best guess the lowest RPMs will go with spillway adjustment)
3) do nothing until I have a computer system installed at which time I can program to bypass the spa and filter pool at lower RPMs, then program the spa separately to filter for like 1 hr a day, then he mentioned something about needing to program the spillover to run as well (is that even necessary? not sure I get that .

Sorry this is long...just needing some guidance from the experts on this site.....
Thanks in Advance!
 
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You should test what RPM is needed to satisfy your SWCG flow switch. I suspect it is much lower than 2500 rpm. Just start lowering your RPM by 100 and see when the SWCG quits generating. Then add 100 rpm to that value and that is your minimum rpm for the SWCG.

Running the SWCG at 100% will not 'burn it out'. The plates have a finite number of generating hours. So if you run it 4 hours at 100% or 8 hours at 50%, same thing.

If you get automation and actuated valves then you would want to run Spillover mode for 30 minutes or so twice per day with the SWCG on. That will keep your spa chlorinated.
 
And FYI - you really do not need a 'pool guy' if your home most of the time. With your robot and SWCG, he is really not doing much.
 
Lets talk about your SWG first. Your SWG needs to generate the amount of CL your pool needs. The amount of CL generated in 24 hours is a function of the pump runtime and the SWG % setting.

You don’t “burn out” your SWG running it at a 100% setting. You generate the maximum amount of CL. Your SWG cell has a finite amount of CL generation capacity. When it has generated all the CL it can then you need a new cell.

We need to know your pump runtime assuming the SWG runs the entire time the pump runs. If the SWG is on its own timer then how long does the SWG run?

We also need your pool chemistry to have an idea of the CL requirement of your pool.

You only need to run your pump speed fast enough to turn on the SWG flow switch. That is usally around 1500 rpm. You need to find at what RPM the flow switch shuts down the SWG then up the RPM about 100 RPM to keep it on.
 
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Thanks Everyone... good to know I won't burn out my salt cell running at 100%.
My system is so new and I don't know enough to manage it on my own but eventually I will....if I want to
(single female, built my pool to enjoy...not really needing to take care of it. I don't mind paying someone but I still want to be educated)

My original post and this one was merged because they were similar.....
My question is really wanting to know what to do about my spillover because that is what's dictating how I run everything else.
Right now I'm stuck having to run the pump at 2500 to prevent water falling onto stone wall...not sure what's the best option to take going forward


SAM9862 said:
Please advise if I have any other option:
1) leave everything as is cause 2500 RPMs doesn't use that much energy and my pool chemistry is good, SWG at 100%
2) Have PB fix spillway so maybe can get RPMs down to maybe between 2000 to 2200 (pool guys best guess the lowest RPMs will go with spillway adjustment)
3) do nothing until I have a computer system installed at which time I can program to bypass the spa and filter pool at lower RPMs, then program the spa separately to filter for like 1 hr a day, then he mentioned something about needing to program the spillover to run as well (is that even necessary? not sure I get that .
Click to expand...


Thanks Again!
Sheila... AKA SAM9862 :)
 
I like option three, but I don't have automation. My spa has a spillover into the pool, but I only run it enough to keep fresh water in the spa; maybe an hour or two every couple days in high speed mode when my suction cleaner is busy. Once a week or so, I sweep and drain the spa into the pool. You definitely want to take advantage of the significant cost savings the VS pump has to offer.
 

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Thank You Rancho Mike... I really appreciate your response! You get me! Being told by my pool guy that 2500 RPMs uses low watts is nice but I want to run lower for max cost savings. I think option 3 is my best choice... but an expensive one.

So when your running filtration for just your pool you manually close the bypass valve to the spa so you're then only circulating water in the pool? right?
 
Correct. I probably have the same type of bypass valve you do. It provides enough flow into the spa to push water over the edge into the pool without changing the suction and return settings for the pool and spa. I try to avoid using the spillover to control pH rise. I run my pump at 1500 rpm for 5 hours per day (at night) and every couple days I run two hours at 2500 rpm for the suction cleaner. I'm retired and now a stay-at-home dad so I really don't need automation.
 
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