Peristaltic pump information moved from Chlorine forum

[Pool in Carolina Blue]

Thanks Richard ----- WOW!!

Since I am injecting continuously with the peristaltic pump I can expect a higher burn off and I am willing to sacrifice the extra to avoid the yoyo and daily carry and dump routine. My system has a 15 Gallon tank which will last about 26 hours at maximum pumping rate (which I should never have to do) and about a week at a normal injection rate. I'm also sure the burn rate will increase as the days get warmer and the rug rats invade.

Either way the experiment is going well. With an outlay of <$400 for everything and not having to worry about CYA and lugging the jugs, I think I have a winner.

Here's some images of my system:
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...y/DSC_3928.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...y/DSC_3929.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...y/DSC_3932.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...y/DSC_3935.jpg
http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p...y/DSC_3934.jpg

FC:

How difficult was it too install the necessary equipment?

[fcfrey]

Keep in mind I have been in maintenance and construction for 40 years and have a masters electricians license, so for me it was really simple.

The hardest part was tapping into the switch circuit so that I could energize the power to the peristaltic pump. Beyond that -- drilling and tapping the return line for the injection port was required.

If you have the proper tools, are mechanically inclined, and have knowledge of electricity, self installation is not a problem. All parts were purchased from WW Grainger.

Pump --- 2p304 (includes injection port, tubing and suction line strainer)
Tank --- 2p307
Weather proof plug
Wire
other misc stuff depends on your installation.

I took a lot of time calibrating the pump to create a flow chart etc.

[Pool in Carolina Blue]

FC:

Probably a bit much for me to undertake!

[Steve #1]

fcfrey,
What would it take to get you to do a full "how to" on your setup?

I'm wanting to do something similar. I'm pretty handy, but this is a little out of my realm. The only "how to" I've been able to find is this one. While it is very detailed, I'd still like some other ideas for a good setup.

I'm planing on doing this next spring, so I have a little time to work things out. I first have to install the ELK M1G alarm/automation system that will eventually control the pool pumps and chlorine injection etc......

(sorry for hijacking the thread, just wanted to be sure this was seen)

[fcfrey]

I have read, printed, and even called Mr. Kinch about his system. He uses ORP sensors, and a computer running Linux to control his system. Mine is not nearly that sophisticated. My pool manager (Wife) tests daily and adjusts the speed of the pump just like she did when we used an erosion feeder and pucks (before we got educated (here)).

I considered probes and controller but the technology is not what I think it should be and the equipment is not cheap. I tried a bunch of different probes (see my old posts) and had poor results.

I'm more than willing to do a "how to", but it will have to be somewhere else (not in this thread or forum) --- Possibly in the Chlorine Feeder, Off Topic or China Shop. I'll leave that up to the moderators. It may be better to do it privately.

Another consideration is the multitude of different arrangements in plumbing and systems. I know how mine works down to the pump curves and insulation on the pipes. Having someone follow my directions and mess the whole system up could be disastrous and obviously I am not willing to accept any liability.

AL, Janet, Carl, Watermom ----- your decision. Perhaps you would want to move the last couple posts too ---- I don't care.

[Steve #1]

I'm not planing on going all out with sensors and such.

Using the ELK to control the injection, I can find a good ball park for an average day and either manually adjust it (by computer) from there as needed, or, if i do decide to go all out, make some complex rules to automatically compensate for amount of sunlight etc., but I still think this would just help with keeping me in the ball park.

I'm curious as to what to look for in a pump, and how to plumb it to avoid back flow and such. Suggestions on storage tanks would be nice too.

Don't worry about me holding you liable if something you say doesn't work for me, I know I'm perfectly capable of screwing things up on my own. I'm just looking for ideas for my setup.

[fcfrey]

I'll take this a bite at a time so those who are interested can follow. First let me say I am still in the experimental stage. I am still learning so take those things under advisement (this could end up a total flop).

Here goes----

Several things must be determined before you go shopping for the parts and pieces you will need.

First you must know how much liquid chlorine your pool uses during peak periods. You will also need to know the minimum flow needed to maintain a given PPM in your pool.

Your purchase of a pump hinges on these two values, assuming you intend to run the injection system while your circulating pump is running. I circulate mainly during the day and try to keep up with solar burn off. A lot of pool owners use a different philosophy but........ Since there is no burn off and I don't have algae eating the chlorine --- I give the system a rest at night. Choose a pump that gives you what you need in terms of Gallons per DAY minimum and maximum.

Of course you need to be able to test the pool accurately and since I do not believe the labels on the bleach containers, I test each batch I buy. I use the FAS-DPD method using the 25ml sample size when sampling the pool and the bleach batches.

Sampling the bleach is an extra, but until you know how much of what concentration you are feeding it becomes a guessing game if you don't.

My method for sampling my injection solution is as follows:
Using a 1000ml volumetric flask -- fill to 1000 ml with well water or distilled water. Then add .10 ml of the solution mix and test using the FAS-DPD method (the result in ppm equals the percentage in the concentrated solution). I use a syringe from the drug store that is used for the TB mantoux test. It is graduated in .01 ml to 1 ml max -- but any syringe you can get that allows you to accurately measure .1 ml accurately will work.

As mentioned above I used a pump that I purchased from W.W. Grainger. The pump is a Mec-O-Matic VSP-20. It fit my needs, included the injection fitting with check valve , tubing and suction line strainer plus it was not very expensive (< $200). I must say there are better pumps out there (look at Stenner pumps) which are weather proof (Mine is NOT so I had to build a weather resistant box to put it in).

The tank was separate and is also available from Grainger in 7 or 15 gallon size. You need a tank that will hold at least a couple days of solution, is opaque, chemical resistant, and has a large fill cap. It needs to hold enough solution so you don't have to be messing with it all the time, which brings me back to determining what your needs are and what concentration you want to feed. Obviously feeding 12.5% bleach takes a lower flow to do the job but also breaks down faster in the tank if it lingers there too long. I am current using 3% (diluting what I buy as appropriate).

I have been testing the solution when I fill and then again when the tank is just about empty. I do this to see how well it is holding up under the conditions that are present (not in the shade or a cool place) --- so far I have not experienced any significant degradation of my solution which is mixed with pool water (but it isn't summer yet!!). There is a bit of CYA (25ppm) in the pool water but I doubt if it has any effect on the stabilization of the solution. At a feed rate of ~60 oz/hour [3%] running 10 hour per day, you find that to be about a 3 and a half days per tank full (I expect this to change and may have to go to 6% bleach as the demands rise).

That about sums up the prerequisites. If you haven't downloaded the Bleach Calculator DO SO NOW --- You're going to need it!!. Also, search on my old posts and also those from "Hamop78" (I used a lot of his ideas)--You will see a lot of information from Richard (Chem Geek) and others on the subject. --- I'll get into installation next time.