Hello all. I have a 9000 gallon above ground saltwater pool with a generic pool store saltwater generator that puts out approximately 1 pound of chlorine per 24 hour cycle. I use a Hayward 1 hp variable speed pump and my saltwater generator is on a timer running for 10 hours to maintain proper levels of chlorine in my pool. Looking at this from a wear and tear point of view, since my pump is running for 11 hours a day, at one hour at 95% and 10 hours at 55%. Is it better for me to oversize the SWG and run my pump for half the amount of time, or keep what I have with my runtimes now.
SWG output recommendations
- Thread starter goinflyn
- Start date
- Apr 10, 2018
- 6,312
- Pool Size
- 18375
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-45 Plus
Is your concern regarding wear and tear on the pump or on the SWG? At what percentage are you running the SWG?
Wear and tear on the pump. Its a variable speed programmable pump that runs at 95% for 1 hour and 55% for 10 hours. I have the SWG at 100%. If I oversize the SWG then i can run the pump less hours.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,655
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
If you want to avoid wear and tear on the pump, run it 24/7. That is what they are made to do. It is the starting and stopping that causes the most wear and tear.
55% for 23 hours is just fine. You likely can run even lower. Clean your filter. Turn the pump down until the SWCG shuts off. Add 200 RPM (or 5%) and run the pump at that speed for 24 hours. Adjust your SWCG output down for the longer runtime. This will keep your FC level.
Why do you run 95% for 1 hour?
55% for 23 hours is just fine. You likely can run even lower. Clean your filter. Turn the pump down until the SWCG shuts off. Add 200 RPM (or 5%) and run the pump at that speed for 24 hours. Adjust your SWCG output down for the longer runtime. This will keep your FC level.
Why do you run 95% for 1 hour?
Simply changing the speed doesn't really contribute to wear & tear. Run it at 95 for the hour, then as low as it will go for the remaining 23 per @PoolStored's advice.
The SWG will product the same amount of chlorine regardless of flow rate, as long as the flow rate is sufficient to trigger it. So if you run today at 100% SWG for 11 hours, figure 45% for 24 hours, and then adjust the SWG %ge accordingly.
The SWG will product the same amount of chlorine regardless of flow rate, as long as the flow rate is sufficient to trigger it. So if you run today at 100% SWG for 11 hours, figure 45% for 24 hours, and then adjust the SWG %ge accordingly.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,655
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Great reason! You might experiment with 60, 70, 80, 90% speeds and see what cleans the pollen and bugs at the lowest speed. Run the pump for whatever hours and speed you need to be happy with skimming!
My pool has gone through 2 motors in almost 30 years and counting. So they can have a pretty long life. Unless, of course, your current is beginning to have issues, and you want to stretch out the time before it fails, a little. Your SWCG life will be much shorter, so running it as low as you can (but still provide the right amount of Cl) will extend its life and likely provide the better pool economy over the years.
- Jun 24, 2021
- 15,655
- Pool Size
- 29000
- Surface
- Vinyl
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
As long as you are not running your cell 100% for 24/7, the cell life will not be shorter by varying the runtimes and output.
50% for 12 hours or 25% for 24 hours will result in the same amount of depletion of the cell.
I never understood the temporary bump to higher RPM for skimming. It already has 23 hours of water movement and anything that's going to find the skimmer should do so fairly quickly. If it's breezy, it doesn't matter how high the RPMs are.
The skimming action (the speed of the top layer of water in the vicinity of skimmers) is more effective at higher pump speed. Leaves are more likely to be drawn into the skimmers instead of circling around the pool. I do this periodically, 15 minutes every 2 hours. In my case the speed increase is pretty slight (just 200 rpm) but when I look into the skimmer I can see literally a faster cascade of water.
Agreed. But 23 hours is a long time for whatever didn't find the skimmer to get waterlogged and sink in the OPs case. At that point, no amount of RPMs will pull stiff from below or the floor. 