How long does the pump really need to run?

[Dr.DieselFS]

Ok, just had a pool put in by shasta pools az. I have a pentair system 3 and a V.S. pump with a DE filter. Now the startup guy came out to turn on the system he left it on speed 3 and turned the water feature on. since then I have brought a pool water sample down to Leslie's and they gave me a report I had to add just a little bit of muriatic acidand chlorine he also advised me to add a little bit of shock since then I brought another sample to Leslie's and he said everything was okay. so my question is can I slow this pump down? do I have to keep it running in this speed? they have not contacted me for orientation to the equipment so I have been using this site and the owners manual that I got from online to try and determine what the best procedure is. I have called Shasta a couple of times and I still have not got back to me for orientation? Thanks for the help. btw the pool has been running like this for over a week.

[kelemvor]

You probably don't need to run your pump that much. To determine how long the pump needs to run, you need to post the volume of your pool in gallons and the GPH rating for your pump. If you don't know the GPM then post what you do know about the pump and we might be able to help you.

Basically you need to be able to filter all the water once a day.

Since you're a new pool owner, there's no better time than now to get started with the BBB Method: http://poolsolutions.com/gd/the-BBB-...pool-care.html It will simplify pool chemical maintenance, while keeping your costs to a minimum. The key to that is knowing what is in your water so you can only add what is necessary. To know what's in the water you'll need a K-2006 test kit from Taylor. http://poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?14994

You'll want your own kit because believe it or not, you are likely to do a better job of testing your water than the guy at the pool store. Really. Also, the best way to go is testing and adjusting often. Daily is best. It's a lot easier to go into your backyard and spend 5 minutes on a test than it is to drive to the pool store every day.

You'll still want to chase them down on orientation. If for no other reason than to be taught which valves are what. If you do get them to come out, make sure to have a pen and paper so you can take notes.

Since it's a new pool, you'll want to keep a close eye on pH while the surface cures.

[BigDave]

Maybe even make a video of your "pool school". There will be alot of info coming at you fast.

[mas985]

Basically you need to be able to filter all the water once a day.

A turn per day is a bit of an outdated rule of thumb. You might want to have a read of this study done in 1984: http://consensus.fsu.edu/FBC/Pool-Ef...on_systems.pdf

Even back then, they recognized that only 3-4 hours of run time was needed for the average pool independent of pool size. Unfortunately, the rest of the pool industry has been very slow to adopt this philosophy. I run my pump only 4 hours per day in the heat of the summer and 3 hours of that is on low speed. Total turnover is only 1/2 the volume but the pool is more than clean enough for me. I would go shorter but I need the run time for the SWG.

Anyway, on to the OP. With a VS pump, the most efficient speed in terms of gallons pumped/watt-hr consumed is around 1000 RPM. I would start with that for about 6 hours per day and see how things go. Also, if you find your skimmer is not collecting enough debris, then you might want to have a separate 1 hour run period at higher RPM (~2500 RPM) for the skimmer.

[Dr.DieselFS]

Thanks for all the replies guys.. since I posted last I have had the new startup orientation and to be honest I learned way more from my own research, than by those guys. a tech came out to do the orientation because their startup people were out for personal reasons. I ask a lot of technical questions because I really wanted to understand the bare bones basics of everything and then build my knowledge from there. the guy was very hesitant to give me a good answer, like they were trade secrets or something. I do really want to start the BBB method just educating myself a little before I start that. I bought a basic test kit from LESLIES for now. im going to buy the Taylor soon (thanks for the suggestion). everything is going good so far. water is crystal clear and freezing a** cold. My pump will flow anywhere from 15gpm at setting 1 to 101gpm at setting 4. If I leave the speed at 2 which is around 30gpm and 1100rpm it takes about 8 hrs to filter my pool. its 12k gallons. I run the quick clean cycle 2x a week and scrub the interior and tile 1x per week and that seems to keep the water perfect. oh, its a cartridge style filter not DE sorry. Thanks for all the replies again.

[mas985]

FYI - Most of the Leslie test kits are just rebranded Taylor kits.

[Dr.DieselFS]

Gotcha...thanks a lot. Free info is much appreciated thanks guys. If you have any questions regarding diesel trucks or trucks in general i have you covered

[CarlD]

FYI - Most of the Leslie test kits are just rebranded Taylor kits.

That's true. They even have a rebranded FAS-DPD K2006 test kit sold from their online web site. It's exactly the same as Taylor's, but in a Leslie's box. It's generally a little more expensive than the kits available from Ben's signature link, but it IS exactly the same.

[Anonymous [GDPR] European in the UK]

A turn per day is a bit of an outdated rule of thumb. You might want to have a read of this study done in 1984: http://consensus.fsu.edu/FBC/Pool-Ef...on_systems.pdf

Even back then, they recognized that only 3-4 hours of run time was needed for the average pool independent of pool size. Unfortunately, the rest of the pool industry has been very slow to adopt this philosophy. I run my pump only 4 hours per day in the heat of the summer and 3 hours of that is on low speed. Total turnover is only 1/2 the volume but the pool is more than clean enough for me. I would go shorter but I need the run time for the SWG.

Anyway, on to the OP. With a VS pump, the most efficient speed in terms of gallons pumped/watt-hr consumed is around 1000 RPM. I would start with that for about 6 hours per day and see how things go. Also, if you find your skimmer is not collecting enough debris, then you might want to have a separate 1 hour run period at higher RPM (~2500 RPM) for the skimmer.

Hi Mas985,
Can I clarify if you mean 1 turnover per day (= roughly 4 turnovers to filter 98% of the water) or you actually mean 1 turnover being roughly 12000 gallons in 4 hours being 1/2 the volume?

I have varied the the pump run time and now filter 24 hours, That is at a slow speed during out of hours but sufficient to make sure almost all debris, leaves etc are skimmed rather than sink and require manual removal. During swim times the pump runs faster to keep a 6 hour turnover rate of 100% of the pool volume. My pool water has always been good in clarity but is now excellent and when the occasional manual vac is required there is no dust cloud produced when vacuuming just the occasional leaf (there is always one)

[mas985]

I was referring to my situation where I am only turning over 1/2 the pool volume per day or 1/2 turnover per day (~10k gallons). For me, one turnover is 20k gallons pumped. For the OP one turnover is 11.5k gallons pumped.

But water clarity has little to do with pump run time. Clarity is more about chemistry. What makes a pool cloudy is usually algae and not debris. Most debris either floats and can be cleaned by the skimmer or sinks and can be cleaned by a sweep. Pump run time is basically for these two things and for the distribution of chlorine, which takes only about 30 min for a manual dose. So pump run time is more about aesthetics than anything else which is why it can be significantly limited to meet only the cleanliness needs of the pool owner.