Bullfrog Spa WellSpring Circulation / Filtration Pump Control?

[Jasonick]

On my Bullfrog spa, I'm able to schedule the filtration cycles of my WellSpring filtration pump, including setting for 24 hour filtration. The default setting was everyday 8am and 8pm for 2 hours. When I was having trouble with water quality and oxidized metals, I had set it for 24 hour for several days to clear the water, which it did. But I noticed that it didn't always appear to be running, or at least not very detectable. I guess I expected the filter baffle plate to open some. And sometimes if I want it to start ASAP, rather than at the next 1/2 hour interval, I "trick it" by changing the clock time. But I noticed that it doesn't appear to start when I think it should. Is this normal operation? Bullfrog seems to use the terms "filtration pump" and "circulation pump" interchangeably. I assume setting the filtration cycle is same as circulation? I ask this since many chemicals say to add them with the circulation pump running. The Bullfrog manual and website make only brief mentions of this pump.

Per the manual:
"If your spa uses a circulation pump configured to run 24 hours, the screen will show you the purge setting instead of filtration. The purges are pre-programmed for a fixed number of minutes, therefore the duration will be set to N/A on the screen, and only the start time can be modified."

How do I know if I have a circulation pump configured to run 24 hours? I don't see any purge setting, so I guess I don't.

Per the website:
"WellSpring™ Circulating Filtration Pump - Bullfrog Spas’ WellSpring Filtration Pump lets you filter your spa water without noise or high costs. This quiet and vibration-free circulation pump is more than 8 times as effective at filtering spa water than standard circulation pumps. The more times your water goes through the filter, the cleaner your water. Moving 35 gallons (130 liters) per minute, this pump can push every ounce of water through the dual filters many times per day." Hmmmm.... complete 434 gallon water turnover in 12 minutes?

 

[RDspaguy]

I am not that familiar with bullfrog, and never see new spas. But I'll tell you what I know, and assume.

including setting for 24 hour filtration. The default setting was everyday 8am and 8pm for 2 hours.

Pretty standard filter cycles for low speed main pump. This would not be a "circulation pump" but would be a "filtration pump".

But I noticed that it didn't always appear to be running, or at least not very detectable.

Low speed pump can be pretty quiet. It may also shut off if the temp is raised above the set temp by the heat from the pump motor.

How do I know if I have a circulation pump configured to run 24 hours? I don't see any purge setting, so I guess I don't.

Reasonable assumption. I would remove the access panel to the equipment bay and look. Post a pic and I'll tell you if you have one.

Hmmmm.... complete 434 gallon water turnover in 12 minutes?

Yep. And that's only about 3x the flow rate of the most common circulation pump. Overkill, if you ask me, but it does let you use a standard inline heater. This is a circulation pump, and also a filtering pump if plumbed to a filter. You'll get a faster turnover from your main pump in low.

 

[5tan]

I'm able to schedule the filtration cycles of my WellSpring filtration pump, including setting for 24 hour filtration. The default setting was everyday 8am and 8pm for 2 hours. When I was having trouble with water quality and oxidized metals, I had set it for 24 hour for several days to clear the water, which it did.

It is not recommended to run the filtration 24/7 as this will greatly decrease the life of your ozonator and circulation pump too. In the summer, it will add unnecessary heat to the water. You'll also find that the longer the filtration cycle runs, the less free chlorine you have. This is due to the ozonator running in tandem with filtration (ozone also runs in tandem with heating), and the ozonator will rapidly destroy all your free chlorine. This leaves you with 0.00 free chlorine residual after 24-72 hours, after which bacteria can breed in low-circulation spots (e.g. behind JetPaks). You need to balance ozonation (filtration) with having a free chlorine residual, or you can opt to add chlorine daily (and/or install a salt water chlorine generator). You could also unwire the ozonator if the filtration is more useful than ozonation.

It is recommended to run filtration every 12 hours, and to start at a total of 4 hours per day, then adjust the total daily runtime up or down as needed, based on how much ozone and filtering you need to clear up the water versus how much free chlorine you need to prevent bacterial growth. After you get your water cleared up, dial back the filtration until your water continues to stay clear, and also if you wish to prolong the life of your ozonator and circulation pump. If you want maximum water quality at any cost (e.g. replacing your ozonator and circulation pump frequently and using extra electricity), by all means run it 24/7.

But I noticed that it didn't always appear to be running, or at least not very detectable. I guess I expected the filter baffle plate to open some.

The circulation pump is extremely quiet, and even quieter if you remove the shipping bolt (look for the white tag). When it runs, you'll feel water coming out through the single hole near the entry steps. The weir plate should open somewhat, but not much. Weir plates are designed to skim from the top of the water by generating faster flow via a small opening at the top.

And sometimes if I want it to start ASAP, rather than at the next 1/2 hour interval, I "trick it" by changing the clock time. But I noticed that it doesn't appear to start when I think it should. Is this normal operation?

The filtration cycle only runs if 30 minutes has passed since the control panel has detected "spa in use". If you manually activate anything (lights, pump, keypad), it considers the spa in use and filtration will not occur until the activity has stopped and 30 minutes has elapsed after the activity stopped. This is due to ozonation occurring in tandem with filtration, and spa manufacturers intentionally disable ozonation if anyone is inside the spa.

Bullfrog seems to use the terms "filtration pump" and "circulation pump" interchangeably. I assume setting the filtration cycle is same as circulation? I ask this since many chemicals say to add them with the circulation pump running. The Bullfrog manual and website make only brief mentions of this pump.

If you are equipped with the Wellspring circulation pump, then the circulation pump is your filtration pump. If you do not have the circulation pump, then Pump 1 is plumbed at the factory to be your filtration pump.

Per the manual:
"If your spa uses a circulation pump configured to run 24 hours, the screen will show you the purge setting instead of filtration. The purges are pre-programmed for a fixed number of minutes, therefore the duration will be set to N/A on the screen, and only the start time can be modified."

How do I know if I have a circulation pump configured to run 24 hours? I don't see any purge setting, so I guess I don't.

The circulation pump configuration is defined by the Low Level Configuration of the spa pack. The spa ships from the factory pre-programmed to the correct Low Level Configuration based on the options installed at the factory. Within each Low Level Configuration, there are numerous parameters, none of which are field-programmable. The circulation pump activates (1) periodically to check temperature, (2) whenever heat is called, (3) whenever filtration is running. The purge setting on my A7 is not user-adjustable and the touchscreen is slightly different than the Gecko default firmware. Bullfrog firmware has it set so that at the start of a filtration cycle, it activates a purge of pump 2 for 60 seconds, then a purge of pump 1 for 60 seconds, then both stay off for the remainder of the time.

Per the website:
"WellSpring™ Circulating Filtration Pump - Bullfrog Spas’ WellSpring Filtration Pump lets you filter your spa water without noise or high costs. This quiet and vibration-free circulation pump is more than 8 times as effective at filtering spa water than standard circulation pumps. The more times your water goes through the filter, the cleaner your water. Moving 35 gallons (130 liters) per minute, this pump can push every ounce of water through the dual filters many times per day." Hmmmm.... complete 434 gallon water turnover in 12 minutes?

Maybe the pump by itself can move 130L/minute, but I think plumbing constricts this max flow rate. The ozone output port is where the filtered water comes out, and there is no way the flow amount on my A7 can fill it from empty in 12 minutes. However, this circulation pump combined with the EOS ozonator is very effective at destroying free chlorine, which is a pretty good indication that the filtration+ozonation system is very powerful at cleaning/destroying all of the contaminants that it is supposed to.