Variable Speed Pump RPM, Watts and Run Time EXAMPLES: Featuring Jandy iQPUMP01

In this article I go over some variable speed pump RPM settings using the Jandy iQPUMP01 and the FloVis Flow meter. To maximize your energy savings running your pool for one cycle per day at lower RPM settings is the best way to maximize your energy savings.

One cycle a day is all the water passing thru the filter in one run cycle. To accomplish exact calculations a flow meter is essential. Without one you are just estimating and you could be running your pool too long or too short. So if you have a variable speed pump I suggest installing a flow meter – the best is the FlowVis. I have several videos on this flow meter:

FlowVis® Flow Meter - H2flow Review & Overview: http://youtu.be/8WFXje-NWBY

FlowVis® Flow Meter Retrofit Kit Installation Guide: http://youtu.be/hsH2I06G_-A

FlowVis® Flow Meter - Plumbing in the Complete Valve: http://youtu.be/3cvUP6n3xvQ

I am using the iQPUMP01 because it is an excellent interface for the Jandy variable speed pump – I am using a 1.0 HP FloPro Pump in these examples. I prefer the 1.0 HP (1.65 total HP) pump for two reasons. A 2 HP or 3 HP is usually too much flow for most pool systems unless you have a larger filter 400 sq ft cartridge or above ( or a 60 to 100 sq ft D.E. Filter). It is just overkill in most cases. Second, the larger the HP the more AMPS which translates into higher watts. A 1.0 HP FloPro has a maximum wattage of 1400 whereas the 2.0 HP FloPro has a maximum wattage of 2400. So at higher and lower speeds the 2.0 HP pump will produce more watts.

What makes the iQPUMP01 so great is that it will display the exact amount of watts per a specific RPM. If you watch the video you will see this in more detail, but the higher the RPM the more watts that are being used. With a variable speed pump you rarely will need to run it at 3450 RPM – maybe when an attached spa is in use. So just by having a variable speed pump you will save on energy cost even when running it at a higher RPM like 2700 RPM.

Anything is better than running a standard one speed pump. I replaced a 2.0 HP WisperFlo at this pool which was a 10 amp pump which means it was producing about 2400 watts every hour it was running. With the Jandy FloPro 1.0 HP I am producing about 1,500 watts per day. So it went from 9,600 watts per day down to less than 1,500 watts per day. In less than one year the cost of the pump will pay for itself three times over in energy savings.

So setting the pump run time and RPM speed to an exact amount will translate into even more savings.

There may be certain occasions when you will need to run the pump on a higher RPM for a period of time like when you heat your pool with a heater or solar heating, run an automatic cleaner or if your pool had heavy use and you want to correct poo water quality. But for the majority of time you can run your pool on a low RPM setting.

I like having two different RPM settings only as it makes it easier for me to calculate the run time. So I have this pump set that 1700 RPM for 5 hours and then at 2800 RPM for 2 hours so that the automatic cleaner can clean the pool bottom. But you can certainly set it to run all day at 1700 RPM or even 1500 RPM without a higher speed setting. Your pool just won't look clean as the surface skimming is weak at lower RPM settings. I suggest a higher RPM for at least 2 hours a day to get the pool skimmed properly.

That is a brief look at setting some RPM speeds on your variable speed pump and the amount of wattage used at each of those speeds. The bottom line, with a variable speed pump you will save a lot of money on your electricity bill.