Great video. Thank you for this. Our "pool company" was less than helpful in instructing us and giving us the info we needed on this. You have done more in 15 minutes than they have done for us in 6 months.
Trying to follow the manual instructions were very confusing. I put the video on my phone and took it out to the pump with me and just went through one step at a time and IT WORKED! Thank you very much for this video, Chad! Very helpful!
Just inherited my first pool using this VS pump. Im geeking out and found your video on optimal settings. TY for taking the time to post this. Please do more!
Thanks for this. I have not been running a schedule because my installer basically said just leave it at 1750 24 hours a day. Turn up to 2100 when I needed to vaccum. Year 1 that worked fine, but year two it just seemed like not as much water was being cycled through on those settings. Hearing your explanation about to GPM makes so much sense. And the pump is smart enough to change its watts based on if the filter is clean or less clean. Super Helpful...I will be programming this week.
I wasn't understanding how to set the filter to come on and turn off at a certain time. Do you have to go to each of items 1-4 individually and put the time in to start and end or does it go automatically from 1-4 once you set the start time for #1 and the stop button on #4? For example. I would like to start the pump at 7am at #1 and run until 12pm ending at # 4. Not sure how to do that.
Thanks for the video, very informative on how to program this pump. I had a question, I set a schedule for program 1 for 8am-3pm but this morning it did not start. Would you be able to tell me where I went wrong?
Your video is very helpful, so much better than the manual. I noticed that your timer clock is set for the 24 hour clock which makes much more sense, how do I change mine from the 12 hour to 24 hour? Thank you
Hi thanks for the video. What is the difference between timing the pool pump via this video and the “pool timer” that uses two metal pieces to time the start and end? Also, how many GPM would you recommend for a medium size waterfall. I find at around 1600 rpm, my waterfall works great at the expense of my jets which I can barely feel. Thanks again.
The old style "single speed" pumps needed the mechanical timer to turn them on and off. The Pentair IntelliFlo pumps have a digital built in timer that renders the mechanical timer as not needed (unless you are syncing another piece of equipment, such as a salt cell or sanitation system that utilizes a mechanical timer). So in most of our IntelliFlo installs we leave the mechanical timer box mounted on the wall and use it as a junction box by bypassing the timer and running power directly to the pump. For your water feature, you would simply have to play around with the GPM setting until you achieve a setting that works for you. There are many styles of water features that spec out different flow rates. So unless you know what the spec on yours calls for you can simply program any of the 1-4 settings as a manual flow rate of 20 GPM. After that you can make sure the pump is in "start" mode, press the program number that was set to activate it, and then press the up and down arrow to fine tune the GPM to get what you want. Once that speed is determined to can set any of the unused programs to run the desired GPM that you prefer. I will make a video of how to do this in the near future for your review. If this water feature is connected to the filter pump and also runs the pool returns, you may simply be able to adjust the flow with a valve on the return manifold also. This way you can now play with both the GPM and valve to get the flow that works best for you and your pool. :)
@@screamingllamaproductions5306 is it wise to leave the pool pump on 24/7? I hear you should only run your pump for 8-12 hrs in the summer and less in the winter. Isn’t it hard on the impeller to keep it running 24/7?
My local Pentair rep has suggested to me that it is perfectly fine to keep the pump running 24/7. It was even suggested that it is easier on the pump if you overlap speeds so there is never a "hard" start and stop. Just a continuous transition. It has been compared to a car driving on a freeway vs city driving. We set up all of our VSF pumps to run 24/7 since they use so little energy on the low speed setting.
Hi I'm needing to replace a 15 yo Pentair model 011012 which has 4 start/stop periods within the single schedule mode which can be enabled/disabled, allowing the pump to start and stop up to four times per day. With the VSF you have, when setting the times for each program, 1-8, do they start/stop the pump in sequence according to the times you set if enabled or do they only operate the schedules as they are selected or turned on? Thanks in advance for your answer.
On the newer VS and VSF models the pump will turn on and off based on what is scheduled for each different program (up to eight programs). For example, if I have program one set to start at 6:00am and stop at 7:00am, then program five set to start at 7:30am and stop at 8:30am, then program two set to start at 9:00am and stop at 10:00am, the pump would essentially run program one / five / two in that order based on start times. I hope I correctly understood what you were asking and gave a helpful answer. Just keep in mind, that if you happen to have any programs overlap the pump has a build in hierarchy system for Speed (RPM) vs Flow (GPM) setting that goes like this; RPM lower speed < RPM higher speed < GPM lower speed < GPM higher speed So for overlapping programs a high speed RPM program will always override a lower speed RPM program, however a low speed GPM job will override any RPM job, and of course a higher speed GPM will override any lower speed GPM programs. I hope this helps!
Great video thank you for helping me understand the pump I purchased. I was just wondering how do I base how much GPM my pump needs to filter? You kept saying that those were your settings for the pool you have but really never told us how big your pool was. I have a 25k gallon pool. Should my settings be the same as yours?
The standard recommendation for pool turnover is that the water in your pool must run through the filter at least one time a day. This is called the turnover rate. However, depending on where you live it might be better to have a higher turnover rate. For example, I live in Arizona which has a vary hot climate. If I turn over my pool water only once a day then I may still see algae form on the pool walls. Keep this in mind as I give you the calculation for water turnover as well as an example of how it relates to my 15,000 gallon pool. Here is the calculation to use to figure out the gallons in your pool and the turnover using gallons per minute. Equation 1 (gallons of water in the pool): LENGTH x WIDTH x AVG DEPTH x 7.48 = GALLONS Equation 2 (turnover rate): (GALLONS / GPM) / 60 = HOURS FOR ONE FULL TURNOVER Step 1 (finding gallons in my pool): 33' x 15' x 4' x 7.48 = 14,810.4 gallons (I will round up to 15,000 gallons) Step 2 (calculation of turnover on slow speed): (15,000 gallons / 30 GPM) / 60 minutes = 8.33 hours for one turnover So with my current low speed setting I will achieved one full turnover of water every 8.33 hours. Since I run my low speed for 20 hours a day due to the energy usage being so minimal I will get 2.4 turnovers a day (20 hours run time / 8.33 hours turnover rate). This alone satisfies the recommended requirement. Add onto that the addition 4 hours that I run at my high speed of 45 GPM (.72 turnovers) and I get a little more than three turnovers per day. This keeps my pool looking amazing year round. Here are the calculations for your pool using the same timer settings I have on my pool; Slow speed: (25,000 gallons / 30 GPM) / 60 minutes = 13.88 hours for one turnover High speed: (25,000 gallons / 45 GPM) / 60 minutes = 9.25 hours for one turnover Running the low speed 20 hours a day would account for 1.44 turnovers per day, and running the high speed 4 hours a day would account for .43 turnovers per day. So at these settings you would achieve slightly under two turnovers of water per day. Depending on the weather climate where you live this may or may not be enough to suit your needs. If you wanted higher turnover you could simply up the GPMs for either program, or run the high speed for a longer time. I hope this helps you dial in your pump! :)
I followed the steps and setup a 30 GPM for 7:05 AM - 11:10 AM and a 20 GPM from 110:05 AM - 7:10 AM. It is running now and I find that even at 20 GPM my pump is running at like 2500 RPM...That seems high? Does that mean my filter needs cleaned(I spray it weekly) or even replaced? Previously I ran at 1800-2100 RPMs and did find the flow was less than ideal...and now that I know I can find out what GPM those RPMS run at they were like 16 GPM
That does seem really high for such a low GPM setting. It would be a little difficult to diagnose through this thread, but here are a couple things to look at. 1. If the psi on your filter is higher than normal, then you either have a dirty filter or some type of blockage in the plumbing after the filter. 2. If the psi is lower than normal then you may have an air leak or blockage in front of the pump. Let me know what you find!
Thanks for your time put thing together show me to understanding how to set it up and for me first time own the pool. But I not quite to know how can I set my pool size around 7500 gallons spas and pool I living in California you think I set up like you or you think set differently of your so please. Thanks👍✌️
Hi Hung, I think that you would be just fine setting it up the same as I have set mine up. You may need to adjust your high speed setting to properly dial in the GPM flow for the cleaning system. Besides that, you should be good to go!
You can either press the Start/Stop butting to stop the pump (the screen will read "Stopped"), then by starting it again you will automatically go back to the schedules that are programmed (the screen will now display "Running Program"). :)
Hi. Could you please recommend a flow rate for a 30000 gallon pool with a Pentair FNS Plus 60 square feet filter and have a bottom skimmer. We've had this new pump it's been at schedule 1 2200 RPM. I'm just learning the features now and this pump it's very complex. Its very hot during summer and we have solar panels. The Pump has been running 12 hours a day. Could you recommend a schedule for fall/winter I know now from your video that a flow rate is the way to go. Thx for the video I've just learned alot.
Hi Mark, I am glad that you found the video helpful. What type of cleaning system do you have? In-floor heads (pop-ups), or a suction side cleaner (vacuum)? This will help me in the recommendations of flow rate and with the two different programs I will suggest.
Hi Joylenne, I have not ran into that issue before. I would suggest calling Pentair tech support at 1-800-831-7133 and they should be able to help you out.
Hi, great video. My question is how do you get it to run the program or programs you want. IE program 5 & 6, or just one program IE program 5. Do you need to make sure all other programs are deleted ( disabled ). Thanks, again, great video.
Hi Michael, the four hidden programs (5-8) will only run when the program is set to "Scheduled" and has a start and stop time added in. Programs 1-4 can be manually turned on by pressing the 1, 2, 3, or 4 button. The 1-4 button will can be scheduled, or set as and "Egg Timer" or "Manual" program. I hope this answers your question!
Hi, can you help me calculate my pool 12•16•5 and have spa I live in California, my pool from 5ft slightly up to 2ft deep. So how many hour my pentair pump run fir my pool, filter is sand. Thanks
My apologies, I am not completely clear on the dimensions of the pool. You can get the Orinda app on your phone and it has a very handy pool volume estimator on it. If your pool is under 15k gallons you should be fine running your low speed of 25 GPM 10 hours a day and your high speed for cleaning (45-55 GPM is typical for a vacuum depending on valve settings) for an additional 4 hours a day. Although you can adjust your high speed times depending on how long it takes your cleaner to clean the pool. If your pool is over 15k gallons then you may want to potentially adjust your GPM on the low speed setting to a higher GPM for greater turnover if you are having difficulty keeping the water clear.
There are eight scheduled settings. How many do you use. I have a Pentair solar control unit and I heard it uses Schedule two. How do I setup my list of schedules. Your presentation is the best I have viewed.
Thank you! For my everyday filtration and cleaning I personally use two different scheduled settings. One lower speed setting for filtration and one higher speed setting for cleaning. These two speeds will vary depending one pool size and style of pool cleaner (suction cleaner Vs in-floor "pop up" cleaners). Unfortunately I am not very familiar with the solar control unit, however after referencing the SolarTouch quick reference guide on the Pentair website it shows that it requires you to set the appropriate "Solar Speed" in the Ext Control Speed menu. This is a different menu than the Program menu. Also, all speeds referenced in this guide were on the RPM setting. So the control unit may not be compatible with the GPM more on the VSF pump. I hope this helps!
Thank you for this awesome tutorial. I've been running it manually for weeks. It took me a few minutes after watching this. I have question. How do you calculate the gallons per minute speed for the size of the pool?
The standard recommendation for pool turnover is that the water in your pool must run through the filter at least one time a day. This is called the turnover rate. However, depending on where you live it might be better to have a higher turnover rate. For example, I live in Arizona which has a very hot climate. If I turn over my pool water only once a day then I may still see algae form on the pool walls. Keep this in mind as I give you the calculation for water turnover as well as an example of how it relates to my 15,000 gallon pool. Here is the calculation to use to figure out the gallons in your pool and the turnover using gallons per minute. Equation 1 (gallons of water in the pool): POOL LENGTH x POOL WIDTH x AVG DEPTH x 7.48 = GALLONS OF WATER IN THE POOL Equation 2 (turnover rate): (GALLONS / GPM) / 60 = HOURS FOR ONE FULL TURNOVER Step 1 (finding gallons in my pool): 33' x 15' x 4' x 7.48 = 14,810.4 gallons (I will round up to 15,000 gallons) Step 2 (calculation of turnover on slow speed): (15,000 gallons / 30 GPM) / 60 minutes = 8.33 hours for one turnover So with my current low speed setting I will achieved one full turnover of water every 8.33 hours. Since I run my low speed for 20 hours a day due to the energy usage being so minimal I will get 2.4 turnovers a day (20 hours run time / 8.33 hours turnover rate). This alone satisfies the recommended requirement. Add onto that the additional 4 hours that I run at my high speed for cleaning of 45 GPM (.72 turnovers) and I get a little more than three turnovers per day. This keeps my pool looking amazing year round. I hope this helps answer your question. You can also download the Orenda phone app. They have a lot of great tools on there, including a Pool Volume Estimator that will help you calculate the gallons of water in the pool.
What is the model of the 2hp pump you have? The model # for the speed/flow pump is 011056. There is a sticker on the pump housing that will have the model number on it for your reference.
If you have a suction side cleaner I think the setting described above should work pretty well for you. You may find that the "high speed" for cleaning may need to be adjusted to 5 or 6 hours if you feel like the pool is not getting completely cleaned. You will get to know your pool fairly quickly so you can easily change the run times and the GPM's to dial the pump in to make the water sparkle year round!
Depends on the error code. If it is a priming issue then you need to make sure that there are no air leaks and you may even need to manually prime the pump by adding water to the pump prior to starting it.
@@dandavidson5050 Hi Dan, that is pretty strange. If your programs are set to run between certain times and the pump still shuts off you may want to call Pentair's tech support line and have them walk you through the programming to make sure that all settings are correct. If you had the pump installed by a licensed pool professional then a 3-year warranty is standard through Pentair and the tech support line should be able to help you set up a warranty ticket if they cannot figure out the issue over the phone. The tech support number is 1 (800) 831-7133. I hope this helps!
This is great and best video since I been searching, explaining very detailing clear to help people out there to first time ever have a pool like me first time move in home with pool know nothing about it, oh Do you think this set up good for all size the pool small 1000 to 20000 gallon. Thanks for great video👏👍👍
Sorry for the late response. What type chlorinator is installed? Salt, liquid, or one for tabs? I always suggest running the VSF 24 hours a day, however this can change depending on the chlorinator and what settings you prefer to have that at.
If you change from flow (RPM) setting to GPM setting, the pump will automatically adjust the RPM's to meet the desired GPM. For example, if you set you GPM at 30 with a newly cleaned filter, it may take 1200 RPM to achieve the 30 GPM setting. But as your filter gets dirty and creates more back pressure, it will take a higher RPM to achieve the same 30 GPM. So the pump will automatically adjust to make sure that you are still achieving the same flow. I hope this answers your question. :)
Great video!! On my same exact pump, at 750RPM it only shows 0-1 GPM? Is that really all that it is pumping? Pentair Tech Support told me at 600RPM it was 11-18GPM. Any way to accurately read the GPM # at these lower RPM settings especially since you can't program anything lower than 20GPM or can you?
Hi Billy, thank you for the great question. I have found that once you get below 1000 or so RPMs, the gallon per minute readout is not very accurate. I have talked with Pentair about these readings in the past and and they have confirmed that this is the case at low RPMs. You can always install a flow meter on either the intake or outtake plumbing to get a more accurate GPM reading if that is what is truly needed.
At the time of this video my pool was ~15,000 gallons. I have since remodeled the pool and added a large Baja step, so the pool is now around 12,500 gallons. I plan on keeping the programming the same.
Hi @poolmonkey7479! While I agree that the old single speed pump are easier to operate (who doesn't love a simple "on/off" switch), they have been illegal in the state of AZ since 2012 for installation on a pool filtration system. Not to mention, the energy usage is through the roof on them. Hopefully this video helps pool owners better understand their pump and makes it easier for them to program since they are the current, and future of the pool industry.
