How To Calibrate A Variable Speed Pool Pump

[@bizango99]

Great vid. You took a complicated subject and made it SUPER simple. Just installed my vs pump today, and looking forward to the savings.

[@r3jk8]

really cool video! thank you!

[@GreenintegrateddesignPages]

Glad you liked it!

[@drdrew3]

Suggesting that a “general rule of thumb” is akin to calibration is laughably contradictory. And throwing out generic advice to turn over the volume “once OR twice” throws off your time and energy calculations by a factor of 100%. Furthermore, turning over the pool volume only once a day only filters 63% of the water because of the dilution effect upon recirculation. The industry standard is THREE turnovers which treats all the water (95% actually). Despite the title of this video no actual “calibration” was performed. Installation of an in line flow meter DIRECTLY measures gallons per minute (gpm) which is infinitely better than calculations performed by the average homeowner. They cost under $80 and install in 10 minutes with just a drill and a screwdriver. Once you have MEASURED (not calculated) the flow rates for low, medium and high you can conform visually that they run each pool feature properly. If you don’t do these steps and insure adequate turnover much of your investment in a variable speed pump is wasted. It’s a one time TRUE calibration that will save about 67% on energy costs compared to a single speed pump - but you need to do it accurately.

[@csidba]

Great video! I only wish you could have broken down the high/low flow rates into RPMS by pool size. That would have been more helpful than water flow indications based on movement of the skimmer gate and vacuum.....

[@drdrew3]

It is not possible to determine pump run time based solely upon RPM and pool size. There are so many other variables that each pool is unique and a simple table would be nearly worthless. The most accurate method involves a combination of math and observation. A flow meter and knowledge of your precise pool volume will easily allow you to calculate the time required for 3 water turnovers per day. However you must still functionally determine the minimum rpm (gpm) required for your peripheral features to function. If the lowest calculated rpm does not provide adequate skimming, vacuum, etc then you must gradually increase the rpm until you observe them to operate. So the best schedules involve a combination of long intervals of low flow (for extended circulation) as well as short sessions of higher flow (for vacuuming, filtration, skimming). Best practice is to divide half of these cycles to daytime (warmest part of the day) and nighttime (lower off peak energy rates). They most important overall observation is weather after a few weeks is the pool clear and free of algae and debris. Keep in mind that as your filter gradually becomes saturated your friction will increase necessitate higher rpm. Once you have it dialed in for the summer you can cut it in half for the off season when there is less use and colder ambient temperatures.

[@jameymaze]

Good video. I'd been looking for something to help me decide how much to run the pump, something more than trial and error. I do have a couple follow up questions. (1) How does your advice change for someone who has a robot vacuum? (2) Winters are relatively mild here (Knoxville Tennessee) so I'm going to leave my pool open all winter -- how does your advice change for running the pump during the Winter? Maybe run it the same but turn it on 24/7 on low speed when it approaches freezing? Appreciate your advice!

[@cajinguy218]

Jamey, I’m in Memphis. Would love to hear what you’ve found to work. We have a 15K gallon pool with a robot vacuum as well.

[@mikexhotmail]

Loud and clear. For small swimming pool one will need a pretty big pump to run the autocleaning equipment properly. That is where VSP shine!

[@pattijesinoski1958]

So what should the rpms be at each of the 3 steps ?

[@davidbyrnes8672]

that depends on your pool volume, around 1000-17000 for low speed, double that for high speed but make sure the cleaner is climbing and you have about an 1" of water going over the gate

[@drdrew3]

Start with 1000rpm (low), 2000 (medium), 3000 (high) and then adjust from there

[@ESmith]

What counts as low speed?

[@seminolefantodd4736]

I believe it's the speed at which you get 1/8" of water going over the door of the skimmer.

[@lloydmorrison5979]

Cartridge filter is The absolute BEST filter, D.E. is the second best filter, and the worse of all filters, ( I am surprised anyone still uses these worthless filters) is Sand filters. A Variable speed motor is the BEST investment of all!

[@poolmonkey7479]

Calibrate it into the garbage… Variable speed pumps suck. I won’t service accounts with them.