Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Pool pumps, pool filters and the plumbing of
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Hsiao Chang
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My Pool: 110m3; 1.5hp pump Qmax: 350l/min Hmax:14m ; sand filter dia: 450mm,33kw heat pump, piping : 50mm

Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Hsiao Chang » Thu 12 Oct, 2017 20:33

Dear all,
have you had experiences with pool pump speed controller please ? which brand would you recommend please ?
Any comments or advice will be highly appreciated.
Best regards,
Hsiao


Denniswiseman
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Location: United Kingdom

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Denniswiseman » Fri 13 Oct, 2017 03:51

I haven't had any experience of pool pump speed controller but this Forum should be able to help you
Hsiao Chang
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Posts: 24
Joined: Thu 12 Oct, 2017 20:09
My Pool: 110m3; 1.5hp pump Qmax: 350l/min Hmax:14m ; sand filter dia: 450mm,33kw heat pump, piping : 50mm

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Hsiao Chang » Sun 15 Oct, 2017 19:57

Thanks Dennis, have you heard of such a product please ? I was told by regulating the running speed, it saves cost, which of course makes sense to me ,
but i am not sure what aspects i should consider when choosing a right one,hence my question....
Denniswiseman
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Location: United Kingdom

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Denniswiseman » Mon 16 Oct, 2017 03:20

Hsiao Chang wrote:Thanks Dennis, have you heard of such a product please ? I was told by regulating the running speed, it saves cost, which of course makes sense to me ,
but i am not sure what aspects i should consider when choosing a right one,hence my question....

I don't know of such a product but there are variable speed pumps on the market which do reduce your electricity cost substantially
I was told there was no way to slow a swimming pool pump motor electronically otherwise I would have bought one. I suggest that you investigate whether your pump is capable of being slowed down before you go ahead
Hsiao Chang
Pool Enthusiast
Pool Enthusiast
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu 12 Oct, 2017 20:09
My Pool: 110m3; 1.5hp pump Qmax: 350l/min Hmax:14m ; sand filter dia: 450mm,33kw heat pump, piping : 50mm

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Hsiao Chang » Mon 16 Oct, 2017 20:52

Denniswiseman wrote:
Hsiao Chang wrote:Thanks Dennis, have you heard of such a product please ? I was told by regulating the running speed, it saves cost, which of course makes sense to me ,
but i am not sure what aspects i should consider when choosing a right one,hence my question....

I don't know of such a product but there are variable speed pumps on the market which do reduce your electricity cost substantially
I was told there was no way to slow a swimming pool pump motor electronically otherwise I would have bought one. I suggest that you investigate whether your pump is capable of being slowed down before you go ahead


That's very kind of you Dennis, thank you for your suggestion, a variable speed pump is kinda expensive for the moment, so we are considering installing a pump speed controller to go along with existing single speed pump, i was told by sales reps this could enable a pump run at set time and speed.
Denniswiseman
Pool Industry Leader
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Posts: 2592
Joined: Tue 06 Sep, 2011 05:48
My Pool: 10k inground fibreglass, Telescopic Cover, Hayward Powerline pump, Quality filter with glass media, 27kw output heat pump, K-2006C test kit
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Denniswiseman » Tue 17 Oct, 2017 02:15

Hi Hsiao
Check by them that it is suitable for your pump and if you do go ahead please post back so that others may benefit from your experience. I got a smaller pump because I didn't think it was possible
Thanks
Teapot
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My Pool: 12 x 24 (45m3) liner pool, Triton TR60 filter with AFM glass media (Activate) and variable speed pump running 0.08HP
Location: UK

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Teapot » Tue 17 Oct, 2017 11:09

Hi, Newbie on this site but joined to answer this question. Yes you can control the motor speed of a single phase pump.
It will save you money but there are other things to take into consideration. If you slow the pump too much you won't filter that much water and skimmers don't function that well so I suggest care and a flow meter.
You don't say much about the size of your filter or pump, suggest you add those details and then we can take a look before you spend your money.
Denniswiseman
Pool Industry Leader
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Posts: 2592
Joined: Tue 06 Sep, 2011 05:48
My Pool: 10k inground fibreglass, Telescopic Cover, Hayward Powerline pump, Quality filter with glass media, 27kw output heat pump, K-2006C test kit
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Denniswiseman » Tue 17 Oct, 2017 17:07

Teapot wrote:Hi, Newbie on this site but joined to answer this question. Yes you can control the motor speed of a single phase pump.
It will save you money but there are other things to take into consideration. If you slow the pump too much you won't filter that much water and skimmers don't function that well so I suggest care and a flow meter.
You don't say much about the size of your filter or pump, suggest you add those details and then we can take a look before you spend your money.

You are quiet correct that you won't filter so much water and skimming would be reduced
There is no pre determined about of water that should be turned over and pump run time and speed would be to
Mix chemicals
Clean and skim
Run SWCG
You would have to run it at various speeds for the correct operation
Hsiao Chang
Pool Enthusiast
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Posts: 24
Joined: Thu 12 Oct, 2017 20:09
My Pool: 110m3; 1.5hp pump Qmax: 350l/min Hmax:14m ; sand filter dia: 450mm,33kw heat pump, piping : 50mm

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Hsiao Chang » Tue 17 Oct, 2017 20:05

Hi Dennis & Teapot,
I am so glad i sought help from professionals, thank you soooo much for your advices, as I honestly haven't got much idea about technical things of a pool system,
it's a 1.5hp single phase pump we have, Qmax 350 l/min, Hmax 14, the pump speed controller as i was told enables a change from 1200 rpm to 2900 rpm and 4 timers available which allows you to set different time period so that your pool can run at different speed respectively within the time frame...
Best regards,
Hsiao C.
Denniswiseman
Pool Industry Leader
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Posts: 2592
Joined: Tue 06 Sep, 2011 05:48
My Pool: 10k inground fibreglass, Telescopic Cover, Hayward Powerline pump, Quality filter with glass media, 27kw output heat pump, K-2006C test kit
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Denniswiseman » Wed 18 Oct, 2017 02:19

What is the size of your pool (gallons/Llitres)
The controller sounds excellent being able to time at different speeds
I went from a 1hp to a .5hp because my pump was pushing to much water through my sand filter to filter properly
My pool is 10k UK gallons 45000 litres
Teapot
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Posts: 1337
Joined: Tue 17 Oct, 2017 10:52
My Pool: 12 x 24 (45m3) liner pool, Triton TR60 filter with AFM glass media (Activate) and variable speed pump running 0.08HP
Location: UK

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Teapot » Wed 18 Oct, 2017 09:53

Hsiao, we need to know the size of your pool, the diameter of the plumbing, the size of your filter (dia), type of filter and length of plumbing run approx. You may want to add these details to your profile.
I started out varying the speed for different occasions (night and daytime) but like a lot of these features I don't use them now, just the increased speed for backwashing. I run around 69 watts so you can't go much lower.
Hsiao Chang
Pool Enthusiast
Pool Enthusiast
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu 12 Oct, 2017 20:09
My Pool: 110m3; 1.5hp pump Qmax: 350l/min Hmax:14m ; sand filter dia: 450mm,33kw heat pump, piping : 50mm

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Hsiao Chang » Wed 18 Oct, 2017 20:08

Denniswiseman wrote:What is the size of your pool (gallons/Llitres)
The controller sounds excellent being able to time at different speeds
I went from a 1hp to a .5hp because my pump was pushing to much water through my sand filter to filter properly
My pool is 10k UK gallons 45000 litres


It is a 110 CBM pool, 110k liters. yes, it sounds good as it offers 4 timers, though i don't think it's necessary to set so many as 4 and the
different of electricity rate vary little here during day or night , but the idea of running at a lower speed could cut the bill. but if i set the speed too low
i might have a problem with heater , do i understand this correctly please ?
Denniswiseman
Pool Industry Leader
Pool Industry Leader
Posts: 2592
Joined: Tue 06 Sep, 2011 05:48
My Pool: 10k inground fibreglass, Telescopic Cover, Hayward Powerline pump, Quality filter with glass media, 27kw output heat pump, K-2006C test kit
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Denniswiseman » Thu 19 Oct, 2017 02:35

Yes you are correct
Running at a slower speed will reduce your running costs substantally
You would have to adjust your speed by trial and error to find the minimum flow rate through your heater for it to operate
The same goes for a SWCG
I would think that you could run on a higher speed for cleaning / skimming / mixing chems then reduce to what lower speed operates your heater
There is no set rule for water turnover, whatever cleans your water
Teapot
Pool Industry Leader
Pool Industry Leader
Posts: 1337
Joined: Tue 17 Oct, 2017 10:52
My Pool: 12 x 24 (45m3) liner pool, Triton TR60 filter with AFM glass media (Activate) and variable speed pump running 0.08HP
Location: UK

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Teapot » Thu 19 Oct, 2017 03:34

Hsiao, we need to know the diameter of the plumbing, the size of your filter (dia), type of filter and length of plumbing run approx. You may want to add these details to your profile.
The correct flow for your heater will be spec'd in the manual, often around 5m3/h. Is your heater plumbed on a bypass loop so you can adjust it?
You should get a flow meter to check the best flow to turn over your water. Gage & Bidwell's law of dilution gives us some expectations on how much water actually makes it through the filter. 1st turnover 63%, 2nd 86%, 3rd 95%, 4th 98%, 5th 99% of the water filtered. There are alternatives but they are all pretty close to one another. Personally I am happy with 4 turnovers per day and that fits nicely with the energy usage.
Hsiao Chang
Pool Enthusiast
Pool Enthusiast
Posts: 24
Joined: Thu 12 Oct, 2017 20:09
My Pool: 110m3; 1.5hp pump Qmax: 350l/min Hmax:14m ; sand filter dia: 450mm,33kw heat pump, piping : 50mm

Re: Is a pool pump speed controller necessary ?

Postby Hsiao Chang » Thu 19 Oct, 2017 20:45

Denniswiseman wrote:Yes you are correct
Running at a slower speed will reduce your running costs substantally
You would have to adjust your speed by trial and error to find the minimum flow rate through your heater for it to operate
The same goes for a SWCG
I would think that you could run on a higher speed for cleaning / skimming / mixing chems then reduce to what lower speed operates your heater
There is no set rule for water turnover, whatever cleans your water


Thank you Dennis, I think I understand things better now with your info. and instructions. the lowest RPM the pump speed controller can set is 1200 RPM,
it's even a lot less than 50% of its max. speed, 2900 RPM, I doubt if a pump would ever go that low because cleaning /skimming/ mix chems are
basics of a pool system which you can not skip.... or this could be something gimmicky, it 'sounds' great ,but not really practical in reality .

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