Recommended speed & run times on pentair intelliflow 3hp VS

[mishtxswg]

Central texas SWG with ozone pool, estimated 35k gallons- built last year-beach entry, so gallons on design not quite accurate -to keep pebbletech covered the water level is unfortunately super close to top of skimmer.

No issue with algae, but have had to add acid regularly due to ph.

Realized startup tech set our pump speed ignoring/not taking the VS into account. They programmed to max speed 12hrs daily. I adjusted it down from 3250 to 2750 & adjusted run times 8-12 hrs/day depending on weather & chemicals/use.

Looking for recommendations on speed & run times throughout day to take advantage of efficiency we could be realizing.

 

[HermanTX]

Welcome to TFP.
A pump should be run for a specific reason and also that reason may determine the speed.
With a SWCG, it is best to run at the minimum speed to activate the flow switch which keeps the SWCG on. You can find that by lowering the speed until the flow switch turns off. Then add back 200 rpm to account for accumulated debris in the filter over time.
Also, most of us find that it is best to run a SWCG 24/7 so it makes a little chlorine throughout the day.
So mine is set at 1600 rpm for 24/7 operation. Then I adjust the SWCG % output to obtain the desired chlorine production needed. Right now I am producing about 5ppm a day.
Now the other times of the day you may want to increase the speed of the pump to improve skimming action or maybe there is a certain time of day that you may add muriatic acid, etc.
I increase my pump speed to 2300 for 3 hours in the morning for skimming. Then it drops back down to the 1600rpm.
If I put it in spa mode, the pump increases to 2600 rpm and if the heater is turned on it goes up to 2700rpm.
So this gives you an idea as to how to look at the functions and then decide which speed is best for that function.

Do you have a spa?
Do you have a heater?
Do you have a water feature tied to the main filter pump?
What type of cleaner do you have?

All of these devices may require different pump speeds to function properly.

 

[HermanTX]

This is a typical curve for energy use vs pump speed. As you can see the slower you run the pump the lower the energy usage and a doubling of pump speed can be 4x of energy consumption, so running longer times at lower pump speed is more efficient.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Mish,

Running 24/7 sounds 'bad', but it is really better for the pool and the pump, in my mind.

I have no heater or spa and can run at 1200 RPM and still produce chlorine and skim well...

I have three saltwater pools and they all run 24/7. I have been doing this for well over 10 years and the pumps run today, just like the did when they were brand new.

At 1200 RPM, you almost have to touch the pump to make sure it is still running.. That is how quiet they are.

The cost to run 24/7 at my personal pool is well less than $20 bucks a month.. And.. my IntelliFlo is at least 10 years old.. All the newer IntelliFlo pumps are much more energy efficient..

I love making a little chlorine all the time, and skimming all the time. I also think my pool looks much better with a little motion to the water. Does not look dead..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[mishtxswg]

Thank you so much for your responses.

I am a little surprised to hear of 24/7 schedule. The max we have run it since it was stabilized after build is 12 hours a day, but certainly open to trying new things. We have not had any major issues, pool has never turned colors, not developed any algae, we typically test 2-3 times per week. We’ve just had the expected elevated ph due to it being new pebbletech construction and saltwater. Hoping now that we are 1yr in that will get better. Its often at 7.8, & sometimes bumps up to 8.0.

To answer questions about additional features, pumps., rtc
— we have a paramount ozone system-clearO3 for additional sanitization—enables us to keep to lower end of FC range & Kills viruses and other things that chlorine is not effective with my understanding.
— we have a waterspillway from dpa to pool, it is always on when pool pump is activated.
—water feature pump: pentair whisperflow 2hp— currently this is only scheduled to run a few hours a couple days a week or we turn on occasionally — it was originally scheduled to run every day by the pool tech but reduce schedule to limit to aeration raising ph.
—when in spa mode, pool pump diverts to spa,
—-however, we have a 3rd pump (for spa high mode that is dedicated to certain jets.
Also is a 3hp pentair intelliflo. Our usage of the spa is random sometimes it’s a few times a week and sometimes not for a month.
— we do have a Pentair 400kbtu propane heater, honestly, we’ve never tried to use it for the pool as it would probably be really expensive to do so, although we could. so far we’ve only used it to heat the spa.
—automation/contral panel: pentair intellicenter i5.
—note : we have not added the pH or chlorination automation to intellicenter system — I actually thought they would be included when we designed pool. However, I’ve read that the test levels are not very reliable, so we didn’t think it was good investment. Plus super easy to adjust swg % to maintain chlorine. Would be nice to have automated readings that are accurate

 

[mishtxswg]

Welcome to TFP.
A pump should be run for a specific reason and also that reason may determine the speed.
With a SWCG, it is best to run at the minimum speed to activate the flow switch which keeps the SWCG on. You can find that by lowering the speed until the flow switch turns off. Then add back 200 rpm to account for accumulated debris in the filter over time.
Also, most of us find that it is best to run a SWCG 24/7 so it makes a little chlorine throughout the day.
So mine is set at 1600 rpm for 24/7 operation. Then I adjust the SWCG % output to obtain the desired chlorine production needed. Right now I am producing about 5ppm a day.
Now the other times of the day you may want to increase the speed of the pump to improve skimming action or maybe there is a certain time of day that you may add muriatic acid, etc.
I increase my pump speed to 2300 for 3 hours in the morning for skimming. Then it drops back down to the 1600rpm.
If I put it in spa mode, the pump increases to 2600 rpm and if the heater is turned on it goes up to 2700rpm.
So this gives you an idea as to how to look at the functions and then decide which speed is best for that function.

Do you have a spa?
Do you have a heater?
Do you have a water feature tied to the main filter pump?
What type of cleaner do you have?

All of these devices may require different pump speeds to function properly.

Herman- I’m new to forum so you were my first response. I wasn’t sure if I’m supposed to respond to the individual people who post or just hit reply and it goes to the entire threadz I replied to your equipment questions on thread in addition yo a suggestion from another forum member in same response. I was not sure if this is right way or if I’m supposed to respond individually.

 

[mishtxswg]

Herman- I’m new to forum so you were my first response. I wasn’t sure if I’m supposed to respond to the individual people who post or just hit reply and it goes to the entire threadz I replied to your equipment questions on thread in addition yo a suggestion from another forum member in same response. I was not sure if this is right way or if I’m supposed to respond individually.

Herman, I also wanted to personally thank you for your response.

I missed one of your questions in my thread response. We have a WYBOT ultimate…battery operated robotic cleaner..

 

[pjt]

Looking for recommendations on speed & run times throughout day to take advantage of efficiency we could be realizing.

Run the pump as slowly as possible while still satisfying your requirements (SWCG switch closed, skimmers funtioning, etc.). Each pool is different and will require some experimentation. Gradually slow the pump until the SWCG flow switch opens. Note that RPM and add ~100 to give yourself a margin. I run 24/7 at 1000 RPM, which draws ~75 watts. It costs $5/month in electricity. I like constant skimming, chlorination, filtering, and circulation.

not developed any algae

Algae is a chemistry problem, not a pump/filtering problem.

we typically test 2-3 times per week

How are you testing?

Its often at 7.8, & sometimes bumps up to 8.0

That's fine. Any pH in the 7s is good. Do you use the calculator app PoolMath?

we have a paramount ozone system

Unfortunately, it's probably not doing much for you.

Ozone Systems - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Fill out your signature if you're going to stay around.

Here's some orientation reading:

ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry

There are several items things every pool owner should know about swimming pool water. We share details on the basics of Pool Water Chemistry.

www.troublefreepool.com

Pool Care Basics Archives

Your one-stop shop for all things TFP to include: ABCs of Water Chemistry, Recommended Chemicals/Levels, Test Kits, Troubleshooting, and much more!

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Candurin]

I run our pump 24/7. 1600 RPM for salt generation (SWCG is set at 30% and we always have 7ppm FC) and then 3, one-hour runs at 2800 RPM for skinning (once every 8 hours).

 

[HermanTX]

Herman- I’m new to forum so you were my first response. I wasn’t sure if I’m supposed to respond to the individual people who post or just hit reply and it goes to the entire threadz I replied to your equipment questions on thread in addition yo a suggestion from another forum member in same response. I was not sure if this is right way or if I’m supposed to respond individually.

You can respond to an individual post as you did or just a regular post and everyone sees it.
Sometimes members hit the "like" icon to acknowledge that they read the post if no response is needed.
Stay on this thread for all concerns related to your original request.
If you have a completely new issue later on, then start a new thread for that and it may be in a different forum such as for equipment. or plumbing.
welcome to the forum.

 

[HermanTX]

— we have a paramount ozone system-clearO3 for additional sanitization—enables us to keep to lower end of FC range & Kills viruses and other things that chlorine is not effective with my understanding.

You will find that these may not work as well as advertised but many people have them.
You can read more

Ozone Systems - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

The TFP methodology foundation is to test your own water (which appears you do) and follow
FC/CYA Levels to keep a properly sanitized pool and algae free.

— we have a waterspillway from dpa to pool, it is always on when pool pump is activated.

Can you show your plumbing on this? Just wish to confirm that it is "always on" . Maybe there is a way to adjust that.

 

[mishtxswg]

Thanks Herman,

I don’t recall getting that level of detail from the builder on the plans in terms of plumbing, but I can verify every time we turn the pool pump on off the spillway activates, unless it is in spa mode.

As for the 03 unit, I do believe it’s working because the free and total chlorine levels are within the proper Delta when we’ve tested. And more importantly, we’ve never had an algae problem after 1 year plus. This is the 3rd pool weve had, but first that has never experienced some type of algae issue over 15 month period, do 1.5-2FC with ozone so far has not caused issues. If we have company we do increase chlorine levels prior and after.

Will definitely try your suggestion around, determining the proper speed to operate the VS pumps and report back.

 

[mishtxswg]

Mish,

Running 24/7 sounds 'bad', but it is really better for the pool and the pump, in my mind.

I have no heater or spa and can run at 1200 RPM and still produce chlorine and skim well...

I have three saltwater pools and they all run 24/7. I have been doing this for well over 10 years and the pumps run today, just like the did when they were brand new.

At 1200 RPM, you almost have to touch the pump to make sure it is still running.. That is how quiet they are.

The cost to run 24/7 at my personal pool is well less than $20 bucks a month.. And.. my IntelliFlo is at least 10 years old.. All the newer IntelliFlo pumps are much more energy efficient..

I love making a little chlorine all the time, and skimming all the time. I also think my pool looks much better with a little motion to the water. Does not look dead..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Will def try the 24 hour approach & update post.

We’ve learned with our pool that putting on a temperature and the pH level as little as. 1/4 gallon muriatic acid may bring it down from 7.8 to 7.6, max we use at once is 1/2 gallon to avoid equipment damage. We have generally with several things (calcium included) that the calculator on the products is often more than what is needed. I have not tried your calculator, but it has just not been difficult so far to keep chemicals balanced.

Background info:The Company our builder contracted for the initial start up last year ruined several pieces of a brand new equipment during the time it was in their care… they started out by delayinh equipment startup for 5-6 leaving days after it was filled (plus took 3 days to fill)…they must have dumped an inordinate amount of acid in at once on one or more occasions to ruin the brand new heater that had never been used in addition to components in other equipment. During that time, I was taking the water to get tested regularly and it was never balanced. We also had a bunch of white residue from their initial lack of care for & after escalating through pebbletech & builder, it was drained and they had to do an acid wash to remove residue. After it was refilled we did pool school & took over maintenance. As an fyi -a different pool company did the start up when our rental property pool had to be re-plastered within a month of our new home property pool & we chose pebbleTech again and the experience there was excellent-no issues.

 

[HermanTX]

I don’t recall getting that level of detail from the builder on the plans in terms of plumbing, but I can verify every time we turn the pool pump on off the spillway activates, unless it is in spa mode.

If you post photos of the equipment pad, specifically the suction plumbing and the returning plumbing, when in POOL mode, then we can see how it is set up to offer any recommendations.

 

[pjt]

1.5-2FC with ozone so far has not caused issues

That's dangerously low FC. Always maintain FC at or above target level for your CYA.

The Free Chlorine and Cyanuric Acid Relationship

Managing your cyanuric acid and Free Chlorine levels is key to stabilizing your pool. Learn how these two items affect each other.

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[mishtxswg]

You will find that these may not work as well as advertised but many people have them.
You can read more

Ozone Systems - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

The TFP methodology foundation is to test your own water (which appears you do) and follow
FC/CYA Levels to keep a properly sanitized pool and algae free.


Can you show your plumbing on this? Just wish to confirm that it is "always on" . Maybe there is a way to adjust that.

Will do tomorrow.