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Mark

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  1. In a Hayward heat pump, the high pressure error "HI" is due to high coolant pressure and not high water pressure (see manual). This error is usually caused by either low flow rate or high water termperature through the heater so having a bypass actually makes the problem worse. This can be caused by several factors, pump basket full of debris, dirty filter, incorrect valve settings. What is the current filter pressure? Have you tried to clean the filter?
  2. I can't tell you what you can get away with but I can tell you what my experience has been. IMHO, I think freeze protection is way over used in moderate climates. I am in No CA and stopped using freeze protection several years ago. We rarely get below 24 degrees and hardly ever go below freezing for more than 8 hours at a time and it actually takes much longer than that for water to freeze solid in the pipes. Time, temperature, wind and exposure are factors in how long it takes for the water to freeze. My eqiupment is next to the house which helps plus I have solar so the equipment that is after the solar system, heater and some pipe, drains after the pump shuts off so I don't have to worry about the heater. The filter, pump and a little bit of the plumbing is still filled with water though. I don't use any insulation but if it makes you feel safer then you can do that. Another trick is to cover the equipement with a tarp and place an incandecent light bulb under the tarp to add heat but I don't bother with this either. To see how quickly water will freeze on your pad, one easy test is to place a covered bucket of water a couple inches deep on the equipment pad overnight and see if the water freezes solid. The bucket must be covered as water will freeze faster if left uncovered. The water may start to freeze but what you are interested in is if it freezes solid and expands which is what actually causes damage to the plumbing. Also, every controller should have a way to shut off freeze protection so just look through some of the menus.
  3. Sounds like you have a failing cell. When an SWG cell gets close to end of life, the control unit will tend to read low salt even though the salt level is fine. Test the salt level and see if it is much higher than what the unit is reporting. If so, then you will need to purchase a new cell. BTW, how old is cell? Most last less than 3-5 years.
  4. For volume it is around 7 but if you want equal head loss, you need closer to 12.
  5. You can find data on portable electric spas here: http://www.appliances.energy.ca.gov/AdvancedSearch.aspx
  6. No the impeller shouldn't snap off like that but it could indicate that there is something else wrong with your wet end. It sounds like there might be something in the pump that is interfering with the impeller. Are you sure you installed the seal the correct way? If you reverse it, it can cause problems. Also, check the impeller ring and diffuser for defects.
  7. Yes you can stick with your DE filter but that is mostly a personal preference decision. Some backwash valves have quite a bit of head loss so a cartridge will generally be more efficient than a DE filter but again, it is really up to you. I like a cartridge filter because I only need to clean once a year and I don't have deal with backwashing. To me, it seems much lower maintenance than other types of filters. However, some pool owners have purchased too small a cartridge filter and have come to regret it as they are cleaning them quite often which would be a pain. So if you do go cartridge, go big, at least 250 sq-ft and better yet 325 sq-ft. As for the cleaner, you will probably need to program the pump to run at higher speeds when the cleaner is running. Unfortunately, most suction and especially pressure cleaners require either a lot of flow rate or pressure. Either way it usually requires higher RPM. If you really want to get efficient, you might consider a robotic. They run on their own power and very little at that plus you don't need to run the main pump while cleaning the pool.
  8. Both pumps will prime equally well. The head curves don't really tell you much about priming capabilities only operating points. All in-ground pumps are self priming and can prime with quite a bit of suction head loss including 1.5" lines. But considering that you have two 1.5" suction lines, that makes it even easier for the pump to prime. Two 1.5" parallel lines has the same head loss as a single 2" line. Setting the valve so that it is half way between the pipes actually opens each port 100% so you will full flow through both pipes. That is the most efficient way to run.
  9. I disagree that 1.5" plumbing is too small for a variable. There are a lot of people on many forums that are using these pumps on 1.5" plumbing. You don't need to prime at full speed so the speed can be set to have the identical flow rate to any HP pump you desire. For example, a 1.5 HP pump on high speed produces 68 GPM in a 1.5" install with long runs. The Intelliflo can be set to 3300 RPM and have the same flow rate. But I bet you can set the Intelliflo to 50 GPM (2400 RPM) and it will still prime in a reasonable amount of time.
  10. Enforcement of Title 20 has been somewhat problematic: http://www.poolspanews.com/2009/031/031n_energy.html Also, if you do the work yourself without permits, you can pretty much do whatever you want.
  11. The EcoStar is a fairly new pump so not much history on reliability but according to CEC data, it is a more efficient pump than either the Intelliflo or EPump. A variable speed pump will save quite a bit in energy costs but it depends on how you use the pump. You will get the most flexibility and energy savings out of the pump if you have a controller so that is something to consider. The EcoStar and Intelliflo VF both have a built in timer/controller so a separate one is not needed. As for filters, cartridge filters usually have less head loss than other filters but if you go that route, make sure you super size the filter so that you don't need to clean it more than once or twice a year. You might find that you don't need your pool guy anymore. With a 17k gallon pool, I would go with at least a 250 sq-ft filter and a 320 sq-ft would probably be better.
  12. If you do not have a spa and/or other water feature, then the smallest pump possible will be more than enough for your pool. In fact, a two speed might be the best option. A variable speed pump will give you the best efficiency but two speeds are not bad either. Two Speed recommendations in order of highest to lowest efficiency: Hayward Super Pump SP2607X102S Pentair SuperFlo SF-N2-3/4A Sta-Rite SuperMax PHK2RAY6D-101L Pentair Pinnacle PFII-P2-1A Sta-Rite SuperMax PHK2RAY6E-102L Pentair SuperFlo SF-N2-1A Jandy Flo-Pro FHPM 1.5-2 Hayward Super Pump SP2610X152S Pentair WFDS-24 If you have a spa, then that will dictate the pump size depending on the number of jets and type of jet you have.
  13. The main drain line pulls water from the deep end so it aids some in circulation but it really isn't necessary unless you have deep pool. However, plugging it will actually increase the suction at the pump even more and so might make the SVRS tripping problem worse. Although I agree that it would pull down the weir door further. Most skimmers have a cover on the port so that you can adjust the flow rate from the main drain. One thought is to cover the main drain port about 1/2 way but make sure the float cover for the skimmer, if you have one, is 100% open. Is the SVRS still shutting off the pump? That should be your first priority.
  14. I think most pool owners with two or variable speed pumps, including myself, end up running at higher speeds for at least part of the cycle. Low speeds are really only useful for filtering and water circulation. My suction cleaner works well at full speed with solar (55 GPM) and partial draw from the skimmers but on low speed without solar (35 GPM), it moves very slow even if I put the cleaner valve to 100% cleaner. With my setup, the pump runs on high when solar is engaged so the cleaner works well in that mode and will usually run 2-4 hours per day that way. Once solar shuts off, the pump steps down to low speed for circulation and filtering but the cleaner is not all that effective nor is skimming. As for cleaners, the most efficient cleaner you can get is a robotic since it doesn't require the pool pump at all.
  15. According to the California Energy Commission (CEC) measurement data with Curve-C, the 3/4 full rated Whisperflo uses about 1600 watts. But keep in mind, this is a 1.25 SFHP motor. If you assume 60% efficiency for the motor, which is typical of a lower HP motor, then the power draw at 1.25 SFHP would be 1.6 kw (1.25 * .745 / 0.60 = 1.6). Even the 1/2 HP full rated Whisperflo uses 1200 watts with plumbing Curve-C.
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