pool help please

[crabbjames11]

Sorry for the double post!!!

[Teapot]

I don't consider it a dumb question. My view is you can have a big flow through a large hole or you can have a smaller flow but at a higher speed through smaller hole, which one is correct? My view is you want the best flow you can get as that is what puts water through the filter not the speed. If you only have the one return hole then that will restrict flow but with a standard setup if the flow isn't under some kind of restriction then you can get cavitation in the pump that will wear it out. With mine I have balanced everything so the total of all the returns is equal to the area of the pipework, with my variable speed pump I can wind down the power to run at the most efficient speed to get 4 water turnovers in 24 hours and that will use less electricity than your setup uses in 2 hours. Yes I would have used pea gravel over the laterals as sand can get in and clog the slots up.