Yes: Pools are worth it....

[Mother mopar 3318]

Here is the plate. Pool isn't that big....the paperwork shows around 15,000 gallons

Thanks, based upon that the pump is running in the upper third of its capacity which creates heat and decreases motor longevity. For every 18 degrees in motor temp decrease, you extend the life of the motor by 50%.

Just me but I wouldn't run it that high if longevity is your goal. Not to mention the added benefit of saving money.

[Mother mopar 3318]

If you have a VSP it will save you money.
The entire goal of pool pumps if to turnover the water. I like to target ~2-3 times a day during swim season and 1 time a day during off season. The pump needs to be running during the heat of the day to combat algae and for salt cell generation if have one.  Electricity costs during the day are much higher than night.  Also a pump running at 30% is far more energy efficient than running at 90% (Pump Affinity Law).
So ideally you want to run during the day at lowest "high" speed you can to work salt cell and/or combat chlorine loss / algae issues.  Then run as low as possible for remaining hours (which happen to be cheaper electricity rate hours) to achieve the daily water turnover rate you are looking to achieve (2-3x during season).
 

I agree with a few things you mentioned but you don't have to run it 24/7 to combat algae and for salt cell generation. I'm in Florida where everything gets algae and I only run 12hrs a day (salt water pool) and have had no issues for the last 4 years.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10229]

21 minutes ago, Mother mopar said:

1 hour ago, MonkeyDoughnut said:

If you have a VSP it will save you money.
The entire goal of pool pumps if to turnover the water. I like to target ~2-3 times a day during swim season and 1 time a day during off season. The pump needs to be running during the heat of the day to combat algae and for salt cell generation if have one.  Electricity costs during the day are much higher than night.  Also a pump running at 30% is far more energy efficient than running at 90% (Pump Affinity Law).
So ideally you want to run during the day at lowest "high" speed you can to work salt cell and/or combat chlorine loss / algae issues.  Then run as low as possible for remaining hours (which happen to be cheaper electricity rate hours) to achieve the daily water turnover rate you are looking to achieve (2-3x during season).
 

I agree with a few things you mentioned but you don't have to run it 24/7 to combat algae and for salt cell generation. I'm in Florida where everything gets algae and I only run 12hrs a day (salt water pool) and have had no issues for the last 4 years.

Agreed, don't have to, but it's cheaper to run 24/7 at a lower speed than 12hrs at a higher speed so why not save some money in the process.

[Your Mom 4805]

On researching this I found some posts suggesting that turning the water over completely every day is less important than just simply keeping it well skimmed from leaves and debris and keeping it properly chlorinated.  I run my VSP 2 hours at a high speed to power the cleaner and at the lowest rpm the other 22 hours of the day.  At it lowest speed mine keeps the pool skimmed off just fine.  Been running it that way for a couple months now and it's clean every day.  

Also, I can't find any difference in electric rates from day vs night.  I read about that being the case in lots of places but I believe Austin Energy has the same rates regardless of time of day.  Probably not the case everywhere though.  

[PantsTent 2002]

I’m in the camp of you only need to run your pump long enough to generate chlorine if SWG, and to keep your pool clean and skimmed. Speed does not matter for chlorine generation. Maybe the time “turns the pool over”, maybe not…if it’s clear and clean you’re good. Some early morning run time does help lower the temp in our hellscape.

For the record, I’m 5-7am and 10am-5pm. First and last hour of the day shift is 2800 rpm for skimming, the rest is 1300. When it cools down the early morning run goes away and also end at 4pm

[Not that Bob 735]

How much y’all losing to evaporation these 100+ days?

[Okie State 3815]

A lot.

It has cooled down some in Houston and we've had some rain and overcast which has helped quite a bit. Seemed like I was putting water in every few days before. Also I think our overflow drain was installed too low so there's not much room for error between too full and air sucking into the skimmer.

[Quagmire 2147]

Would still save money if run 24hrs at lower speed. Costs about 10x more to run at 100% vs 50%.
So running 24hrs instead of 10hrs save you at least 50% on your electricity costs.

Gotcha, i tend run mine at 2k rpm all the time .

Think someone mentioned but I don’t think pentair has the option the set different schedules based on rpm

[Dutchrudder 11134]

I have a Hayward VSP, and our pool cleaner suggested running at 3000 RPM 8 hours a day.  Then run the spa alone for 1 hour a day.  After reading up on the thread, I adjusted it to:

Spa 7-8am

Pool full RPM 8-10am

Pool low speed 2070 RPM 10-6

I have run it at low speed before, and I thought it worked just fine. The bubblers are kind of low power that way, but I can always turn it up to 3000 rpm when we have a party. My thinking is you would want to get the high speed out of the way before the sun starts hitting the motors with more heat. That seems logical to me. 

[Dutchrudder 11134]

Finishing up landscaping this week, nearly done with it, just need some time for the plants to settle! We used Japanese Yew and Blueberries for the trees, waxleaf for the bushes, and a mix of dwarf Texas sage, cerise charm, abelia and lantanas for the color and flowers. Pine bark mulch will be going in tomorrow, then we do a final adjustment on the sprinklers to finish. Should look awesome once they take root and start to bloom a bit. 

Added a putting green along the back of the patio, which would have been dead space otherwise.  My 3 year old loves it. Got a TV to hang this weekend, add some outdoor waterproof covers for furniture and the grill, and we are set! We are gonna have a lot of good times out here 😎

[Herbie Hancock 7344]

What kind of coping is that? Looks a lot like the Lueders we picked out for ours but not like the Lueders that was installed🙄

Edited August 18, 2022 by Herbie Hancock

[Not that Bob 735]

I too used leuder but I’m wondering if that was a mistake due to the porosity. I have it sealed but still, one dropped glass of red wine worries me. 

[fattyflattie 4639]

18 minutes ago, Not that Bob said:

I too used leuder but I’m wondering if that was a mistake due to the porosity. I have it sealed but still, one dropped glass of red wine worries me. 

His pic looks very close to the trav we have for our coping.   One of the plumbers got their purple PVC glue prep on some, and the stone guys got it out completely.  I’m sure there’s a way to get wine out of your limestone if you know the trick. 

[Dutchrudder 11134]

7 hours ago, Herbie Hancock said:

What kind of coping is that? Looks a lot like the Lueders we picked out for ours but not like the Lueders that was installed🙄

We used tiramisu travertine tile for the coping around the pool and fire pit. Here's a link for it, but it comes in many sizes and shapes:

https://keystonetile.com/products/18x18-tiramisu-travertine-honed-filled-tile

 

[Brew 3049]

Finally done, or at least almost done. Still need the TV and we’re still having an issue with the pool lights, but in the grand scheme of things this project is just about complete.

[Brew 3049]

Forgot to ask, are others sealing their travertine regularly? We had ours sealed and I’m not real happy with it. It really spotted up the travertine quite a bit. The porous pieces all look fine, but the harder surface pieces ended up super shiny. You can see it in that first picture. It’s not wet, that’s just what the surface look like now. It’s a weird look with the differences in the travertine surface although I’m sure it will fade down some.

Edited August 21, 2022 by Brew

[Quagmire 2147]

I didn’t seal mine for that very reason , changes the look

[freyguy 4264]

Nope.  It absorbs alot less color over the years than concrete or other stones.  I'd recommend about once a year, give it a once over with a power washer disc.

[fattyflattie 4639]

13 hours ago, Brew said:

Forgot to ask, are others sealing their travertine regularly?

Did not seal. I make an attempt to spray it off once a week if we don’t get a rain. 

[Brew 3049]

Patios, sidewalk edges, and coping are all very light almost solid white so tile guy recommended sealing. Contractors had made a mess of it tracking mud across it. We’ll see what it looks like once it fades down.

Patio color is another in the long list of things that my wife went with visual look over practicality. She has a keen eye for the most expensive long-term option available.

[Incredulity 11654]

16 minutes ago, Brew said:

She has a keen eye for the most expensive long-term option available.

Mine too.  Its a beating.  
 

Also the constant need to rearrange furniture.  Just get used to and she fricken changes it.  Mind bottling.

[Brew 3049]

52 minutes ago, Incredulity said:

Mine too.  Its a beating.  
 

Also the constant need to rearrange furniture.  Just get used to and she fricken changes it.  Mind bottling.

Rearranged or replaced, something is always getting moved. My siblings have all decorated their houses with our old furniture. When something shows up at the house, they lay claim to it now so they know who gets it when it’s replaced.

[Incredulity 11654]

[kmac30 416]

We used a silver travertine and builder said not to seal. Landscapers came in and got red clay all over it - looked stained. Little scrub with a baking soda water mix got it all out.

[Texzilla58 4732]

Don’t currently have a pool but have had 3. Always did all my own shit. Anyway got a call from a friend of a friend, who was told I knew a little.

“Our pool has flooded!” You mean it’s over the coping, err edge? “Yes it’s flooding the yard!” OK do you know how to backwash? “What’s that?” They live aways off or I’d have gone over. “We are new pool owners but don’t know anything. We bought the house in January! But we have a super cool pool company!” And did you call them? “They said they would come out and “drain it”and power wash it. Said it would be $1000. Sounds reasonable to us!”

Why are you calling me? “My friend thought that seemed high and to call you.” I asked if her pool was loaded with mud and debris. “No. It’s dirty since the rain. “. I think they were going to charge you a lot to drain your pool down to the middle of the skimmers. It’s a five minute job. You need to fire them immediately! “Why would I fire them? They do so good and are SO nice!” I wonder if she’s fucking the pool guy.

Told her three things. You and husband fire this guy and call one of these guys. Take a bottle of water to Leslees and see what happens when they test it. Third go to pool school so you don’t get ripped off again.

It amazes me how ignorant and fearful so many pool owners are of managing their pool.

[Poolflood 845]

28 minutes ago, Texzilla58 said:

Don’t currently have a pool but have had 3. Always did all my own shit. Anyway got a call from a friend of a friend, who was told I knew a little.

“Our pool has flooded!” You mean it’s over the coping, err edge? “Yes it’s flooding the yard!” OK do you know how to backwash? “What’s that?” They live aways off or I’d have gone over. “We are new pool owners but don’t know anything. We bought the house in January! But we have a super cool pool company!” And did you call them? “They said they would come out and “drain it”and power wash it. Said it would be $1000. Sounds reasonable to us!”

Why are you calling me? “My friend thought that seemed high and to call you.” I asked if her pool was loaded with mud and debris. “No. It’s dirty since the rain. “. I think they were going to charge you a lot to drain your pool down to the middle of the skimmers. It’s a five minute job. You need to fire them immediately! “Why would I fire them? They do so good and are SO nice!” I wonder if she’s fucking the pool guy.

Told her three things. You and husband fire this guy and call one of these guys. Take a bottle of water to Leslees and see what happens when they test it. Third go to pool school so you don’t get ripped off again.

It amazes me how ignorant and fearful so many pool owners are of managing their pool.

However you want to spell it, FUCK "Leslees".  If you can, stay out of their stores and don’t buy their tabs.

[PantsTent 2002]

If pool is "flooded" over the coping, just wait a week and it will be back below the coping.  I mean, unless it keeps raining which it won't in Austin at least.  But I don't think it can really hurt anything.  Happened to me last couple of weeks.  I did have the salt diluted which made the SWG stop and chlorine drop but a bag of salt in the pool fixed that.  CYA probably dropped a bit too but I'll test that once pool is at a normal level. I tend not to complain about the free water from the sky, especially after the last four months or so. 

[Surly Bevo 24908]

I think people freak out when the pool gets to the edge because they irrationally believe all of a sudden whatever thousands of gallons of water that is already in there is all of a sudden gonna jump the fuck out….it’s not dipshits.

[kmac30 416]

However you want to spell it, FUCK "Leslees".  If you can, stay out of their stores and don’t buy their tabs.

Chlorine tabs? What’s wrong with them? My pool builder said to avoid big box store chlorine.

[Amos Moses 795]

Tabs will tend to elevate your CYA levels. Use with caution.

[kmac30 416]

I have a tower that holds about 10 tabs. What is the alternative? **I’m ~1 month in on a new pool so still learning

[DaysOff 7947]

Tabs in summer. During winter I switch to liquid chlorine. Once the water gets to 50 degrees or below the amount of Cl required to stave off algae is much lower. I was also told by my builder not to put more than 3 tabs in at a time.

[Amos Moses 795]

Kmac - I started mine in February and used tabs exclusively for the first 3 months. I noticed my stabilizer level was rapidly approaching 100ppm and switched to liquid CL to avoid having to add a bunch of fresh water. Now that it’s been raining quite a bit in my hood and I’m using tabs again. Liquid CL bottles are cheap at Walmart and I even find them at my neighborhood Kroger. Tabs are easy but come with a bit of a catch in that they all have stabilizer already included and it goes into the water whether you need it or not. The only way to lower stabilizer levels is to drain and refill.

[kmac30 416]

Ok. Thanks for the info.

[TexasEd 8066]

My neighbor uses tabs exclusively and this spring he told me he could not kill the algae in his pool no matter what he did.  I told him I suspected it was too much CYA from using tabs that was binding up his chlorine and preventing him from getting to shock levels that would kill the algae.  He needed to drain water and refill to bring CYA back under 80 or push Free Chlorine into the upper 20s. I offered to test the water but he declined.

Never told me if that was right but I’d put a bottle of Scotch on it.

[Poolflood 845]

8 hours ago, kmac30 said:

Chlorine tabs? What’s wrong with them? My pool builder said to avoid big box store chlorine.

Historically they pound tabs with a ton of cya.  They make their own tabs.  There aren't a ton around but, independent retailers generally have better product.  Big box just depends on who's making the tabs for them.  I've heard tabs having animal fat as a binder.

[Your Mom 4805]

I use bleach most of the time. I go out of town for two or three days a week and I run the tabs while I’m gone.  Then back to bleach when I get home. It’s only been one summer but so far CYA has varied from 60-80.  I think  I’ve had to add acid twice in the last 3 months.  That’s it on chemicals so far. 

[BottleRocket 644]

1 hour ago, TexasEd said:

My neighbor uses tabs exclusively and this spring he told me he could not kill the algae in his pool no matter what he did.  I told him I suspected it was too much CYA from using tabs that was binding up his chlorine and preventing him from getting to shock levels that would kill the algae.  He needed to drain water and refill to bring CYA back under 80 or push Free Chlorine into the upper 20s. I offered to test the water but he declined.

Never told me if that was right but I’d put a bottle of Scotch on it.

 

This is where I have been at all summer.  Limping along.  Didn't want to drain and fill pool during a draught so I'm waiting until next spring.  cya off the charts from years of leslies' tabs.

[Dutchrudder 11134]

So I noticed that there is a Diagnostics button on my Omnilogic app, and saw it showed the wattage used. These 3 settings are the presets for High, medium and low, and as you can see, it aligns pretty well with that chart posted upthread. This doesn't even take into account the extra heat generated by the pump a higher speeds, which also contributes to wear and tear on it. 

I run mine on high for 2 hours in the morning to ensure good flow of water, then low for the rest of the day, which I think is plenty. Pretty good tip to save some energy and give the motor a longer life. 

[Dahobbs 17526]

39 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

So I noticed that there is a Diagnostics button on my Omnilogic app, and saw it showed the wattage used. These 3 settings are the presets for High, medium and low, and as you can see, it aligns pretty well with that chart posted upthread. This doesn't even take into account the extra heat generated by the pump a higher speeds, which also contributes to wear and tear on it. 

I run mine on high for 2 hours in the morning to ensure good flow of water, then low for the rest of the day, which I think is plenty. Pretty good tip to save some energy and give the motor a longer life. 

Is this a full variable? That is a lot of power, even at low. I run mine at 1400 rpm for 21 hours a day and it only uses ~150W. Your low is like having an extra 3 ton AC running all day. I'm betting you can set your speed down to like 1500 rpm and save a ton of money on electricity and get the same results. 

Edited September 1, 2022 by Dahobbs

[Dutchrudder 11134]

15 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Is this a full variable? That is a lot of power, even at low. I run mine at 1400 rpm for 21 hours a day and it only uses ~150W. Your low is like having an extra 3 ton AC running all day. I'm betting you can set your speed down to like 1500 rpm and save a ton of money on electricity and get the same results. 

My RPM slider goes from 2070 to 3450, soit doesn't look like it. Unless there is a way to change that in the console, I'm not sure I can do much else. 

[Poolflood 845]

4 minutes ago, Dutchrudder said:

My RPM slider goes from 2070 to 3450, soit doesn't look like it. Unless there is a way to change that in the console, I'm not sure I can do much else. 

This is wrong.  Pm me your number or email and I can help you unfustercluck it.

[lonestar3 274]

well, the pup was sure excited to see his new splash pad after getting back from hunting school

 

[conVINCEd 21469]

Smelly dog incoming.

[Not that Bob 735]

The pool builder put a pipe through the negative edge basin. He says this is an "overflow" so the water doesn't get too high in the basin. WTF? Shouldn't any excess water in the basin be returned to the pool?

[Poolflood 845]

1 hour ago, Not that Bob said:

The pool builder put a pipe through the negative edge basin. He says this is an "overflow" so the water doesn't get too high in the basin. WTF? Shouldn't any excess water in the basin be returned to the pool?

Neg edge pools are a bitch.  And no, overflow won't always go back to pool.  

[Mother mopar 3318]

Finished the pool equipment shed. Was quoted $950, did it myself for under $300.

[TexasEd 8066]

On 9/9/2022 at 5:06 PM, Not that Bob said:

The pool builder put a pipe through the negative edge basin. He says this is an "overflow" so the water doesn't get too high in the basin. WTF? Shouldn't any excess water in the basin be returned to the pool?

 

On 9/9/2022 at 6:12 PM, Poolflood said:

Neg edge pools are a bitch.  And no, overflow won't always go back to pool.  

Yep,  With those pools when you have heavy rain instead of going higher on the tile line the water goes into that basin and it will fill fast.

[Not that Bob 735]

Please give me a brief tutorial on pool circulation. I was under the impression that with manipulation of the valves and pumps I could attain relatively equal and consistent levels in the pool, spa, and basin...pumping from a high area to a low area, thereby not wasting water. For example if heavy rain fills the smaller spa I can move the overflow to the larger pool, using the larger "container" for "storage", and vice versa. No? 

[TexasEd 8066]

13 minutes ago, Not that Bob said:

Please give me a brief tutorial on pool circulation. I was under the impression that with manipulation of the valves and pumps I could attain relatively equal and consistent levels in the pool, spa, and basin...pumping from a high area to a low area, thereby not wasting water. For example if heavy rain fills the smaller spa I can move the overflow to the larger pool, using the larger "container" for "storage", and vice versa. No? 

Negative edge pool only has 3 full height sides.  The "edge" side will be flush with the water level.  Add one more drop and that drop goes over the edge into the basin.  You are right it is a closed system for circulation but the part that will fluctuate is the basin.  If your pool is too low on water the basin could go dry when the pumps put it all in the pool and if the basin is too high it will overflow because the pump will move it to the pool where it will just flow over the edge again.

Think of it like a Golden Corral chocolate fountain.  If you put too much chocolate in it it will over flow onto the table at the lowest level. 

It is important to have a large enough basin that your pumps wont risk going dry and figuring out how to catch the water even in a stiff wind is a thing.

Edited September 13, 2022 by TexasEd