Ideal pump speed?

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estrunck

estrunck

0
Jul 15, 2017
17
Cary/NC
Hey all,

I'm still rather new to pool ownership - took over a very nice, existing in-ground concrete pool about 2 years ago. My primary pool pump can be set from 600-3450 RPM, and I currently have it running for 12 hours a day at 3100 RPM. Just curious if this is an OK run time and speed - I want to make sure I'm not burning out my pump by running it too long or hard, but also enough to keep the pool functioning well. Thanks for the help!
 
Erik,

If you are going to run your pump at almost full speed, there is no reason to have a VS pump... :p

For opposite end of the scale, I run my pump 24/7, but at only 1200 rpm.. The cost to do this is less than $20 bucks a month.

I can't think of any reason that you need to run your pump over 1800 or 2000 rpm except when running a Spa or maybe a large waterfall... And you would not do that all the time...

Below are the reasons you need to run your pump....

Each pool is a little different... You generally run a pump for three reasons:

1. To keep surface debris moving and being pushed into the skimmers. The more debris the more often you need to run the pump.

2. If you have a Salt Water Chlorine Generator (SWCG) you'll need to run it long enough to generate the amount of chlorine needed.

3. To circulate the water to ensure the chlorine is effectively distributed throughout the pool. Two or three hours per day is all that is needed for this to happen in most pools.


Tell us more about your pool and why you think the pump needs to run so fast???

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Mostly, these settings are pretty close to how it was set when I took over the pool. It is an in-ground 20,000 gallon pool with hot tub. I am told that because my pumps sit above the level of the pool, it is harder for them to pull water (the previous owner insisted on having the equipment under the porch, which is above the level of the pool). Maybe I could just go to the higher end of the 1800-2000 range you suggested and be ok. Thanks for the quick feedback!
 
Water filters better at slower rates of speed. That allows the filter media to grab the debris and hold it. Running at high speed allows more dirt to be forced through the filter media back into the pool. You really only need to run high speed to manually vacuum or run certain water features. Pretty much all pumps for in-ground pools are self priming and sit at or above the pool water level. Unless you are talking like a rise of 6 feet or better your pump should be just fine running on low speed.
 
Great info! Thanks for all the input. I'll definitely adjust the speed and hopefully preserve the life of my pump. I also inherited an automatic pool vac (robot) with the pool, so I don't have to worry about manual vacuuming, although I have done it a couple times just to make sure I know how!
 
estrunck said:
I'll definitely adjust the speed and hopefully preserve the life of my pump.
Click to expand...

There's a more immediate benefit: look at the energy consumption at various speeds. It's logical to assume that running at half speed consumes half the power, but it actually consumes a lot less than half - closer to 1/4!!

Note the consumption at 3100, then dial down to 1,550 and check again. You'll like what you see!

Last year I replaced my house lights with LED's and swapped the single-speed pump for a VS. My bill dropped by 40%. The lighting is better, the pump is quieter (and may last longer) and the water is perfect. :whoot:
 
That is correct, a pump running at half speed will move half the water but consume a little less than 25% of the electricity. It is called the pump affinity law. Don't Google that if you don't love hydraulic engineering, It will make your eyes cross. :)
 

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