Pentair (A&A) In-floor Cleaning and Circulation System Information and Knowledge

[Kingmoofustus]

Hello all,

I have had my pool for about a year now and feel like I have a very good grasp on a lot of what has been taught in the TFP threads. However, when I was researching my in-floor cleaner I found a lack of information. I am going to try and help contribute what I have learned in the past year to hopefully help others as this forum has helped me.

My information:
Pool 16,500 gallons with a Spa combo (1 3hp VSP Pentair pump)
Pentair in-floor cleaner (26 Venturi heads, Leaf Vac, Venturi Skimmers A&A Valve)

First, I would like to go over my pump schedule and how I came about RPM/GPM for my pool:

• I want to run my pump for 24 hours a day with varying speed allowing my water to turnover at least 3x
  • Lowest RPM which my pump can run at is 2200 rpm (43gpm). This allows the flow in my A&A valve to continue the in-floor head rotation. Any lower and the valve refuses to move zones
  • I have 2 skimmers which are slightly open as returns using the venuri system.
  • Schedule:
    • 4 hours at 3450 RPM/85GPM - 20,400 Gallons per day - 1900 watts - Used as cleaning cycle.
    • 2 hours at 2400 RPM/50GPM - 6,000 Gallons per day - 763 watts - Used as the Spa cycle to clean dirt from the spa.
    • 18 hours at 2200 RPM/43GPM - 46,440 Gallons per day - 620 watts - Used to circulate water at all times.
    • Total Gallons moved per day = 72,840 Gallons per day - about 5x turnover
• As mentioned, this is higher than I wanted but due to the minimum RPM of the pump for the valve movement.
  • This has increased my electric bill (Austin, Texas) by about $70 per month.
  • Heads are not cleaning unless at high speed due to pressure needed to move dirt.
  • Circulation is great at all times with this method.

Pros of the in-floor

• No Robot required.
• Venturi Skimmers work fine. One of the 2 can be used as a normal skimmer if needed but really haven't had an issue (this feature is to allow for a floor vacuum).
• Heating and Chemical distribution are phenomenal.
• Leaf Vac is easy to clean.

Cons of the in-floor

• Higher electric bill.
• High cost to install.
• Tons of extra pipe under the pool.
• Still requires brushing and vacuuming:
  • I brush the floor daily, Sides weekly.
  • Vacuum monthly.
• I had an interesting issue with the leafvac as well. 3 months into owning the pool I was getting a ton of air in the system. Still all under warranty but the builder could not figure it out. They did a suction side test and found nothing. Finally, the leak was found to be the connection between the leafvac and the pump. once tightened it has worked fine.

Would I recommend? Depends, I really like the circulation but hate the added cost and the worry of extra pipe under the pool. I was raised with a gen 1 in-floor cleaner so it's pretty much what i knew and am happy with the results.

I hope some of this information is helpful for anyone looking for a real-world example of how to run the in-floor.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP and thanks for sharing.

 

[jonpcar]

Hey King, welcome!

In the big scheme of things ($100K+ cost for many new pools), a $70/month cost for electricity is an acceptable cost for some pool owners, especially if it saves a lot of headaches in day-to-day pool care. In your case, you might want to keep experimenting to find the best possible combination. It’s hard to say because there are no pictures or description of your system in your footer (automation?, valve actuators, heater, spa/pool configuration, SWG, etc). You should fill out your signature…

If you look around this site a bit further, you will find that there is almost no one who advocates for ANY pool turnover rate, it simply is not necessary for sanitation but can help a bit with water clarification (small particles in the water). Many users on this site have a turnover rate that is less than 1x and have VERY nice clean pools. IFCS pools will always have a higher turnover rate, because we need volume/pressure/turnover for just the “cleaning” part.

Brushing your pool everyday is a lot of work (is your pool new?)…especially since you have an IFCS. If you really HAVE to do this (vs. wanting to do this), the IFCS is definitely not doing its job the way it is intended…I’m always a bit embarrassed to say this, but I’ve brushed my pool about 8-10 times total (in the last 8 years) since I figured out how to run my IFCS effectively, but my experience is definitely underkill.

In any case, there are varied opinions about IFCSs on this site and also slightly different opinions on the best way to run them. Here is a post where I point to some threads you might be interested in reading (post #5). Thanks, and if you have any questions be sure to ask…

IFC, Venturi Skimmer, Pump and Valve configuration

Hi TFP Family! I'm banging my head against the wall lately trying to decide how I want to run my pool. Part of my confusion/indecision comes from having "professionals" initially configure my pool and then debate me when I talk to them about how I think the pool should be operated. These...

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