Electric cord and wiring questions...

[RBM]

Any double pole time clock will work. Just needs to have a 240 volt clock

[trader4]

glegroups.com...

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It's probably regular Romex which is black, white and bare.

[trader4]

Assuming that is true, how clean does it have to be? I've seen a lot of residential pools and they all had nice sparkling clean water and none were running anywhere close to 24/7.

I have a pool that is 45 x 20, plus an extra shallow section, 48,000 gallons, with a DE filter and it stays clean with 6 hours of circulation. The rule of thumb is that it should turn over the water about once a day. Running it

6 hours probably does about half that, but it works with no problems for me.

It is desirable to run it more when it's heavily used, but I've seen plenty of pools with families with kinds and again, none were running close to

24/7. As for the algae, might be cheaper to use an algaecide than pay for $120 a month in extra electricity, no?

Installed or for the box? You can get an Intermatic on the internet for $100. And quickly paid for if you cut the running time in half. After that, you're way ahead. Running that pump full time costs about $200 a month assuming your electric is about .15 cents per kwh.

Maybe others with pools would care to comment.

I agree it should have a switch. And as I said, I'd be suspicous of the hack who installed it without one. I'd check the wiring, particularly the grounding and bonding.

[trader4]

Like this one:

[The Henchman]

Installed or for the box? You can get an Intermatic on the internet for $100. And quickly paid for if you cut the running time in half. After that, you're way ahead. Running that pump full time costs about $200 a month assuming your electric is about .15 cents per kwh.

Maybe others with pools would care to comment.

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I really appreciate your comments.

The timer and box is $292 at the big box stores in the big city near me where I work. Add the 13% sales tax to that. Yes it's cheaper to order from the USA over the internet.

First is it's my second year of owning a pool. I still need to learn how to balance the chemicals. this year I'm doing far better with chemical maintence than last year because I switched pool supply companies.

Second I have a pool that is surround on 3 sides by forest and gardens. The sheer amount of pollen dust alone requires filtering in June. I have

40 foot maples on side of the pool fence. Also because it's Canada the temperature cools at night so I find circulating the pool keeps the heat in the water. My water in American temperatures is only 76 or 77 F. And yes I do indeed use solar blankets.

Electricity for me is 5.9 cents a kwhr between 7 pm and 7 am, 8.9 cents a kwhr between 5 pm and 7 pm and 10.7 cents kwhr during 7 am to 5 pm. On weekends it's one rate at 5.9 kwhr. I only run the motor between 6 pm and 6 am as those are the times I am home.

Let's just remember that I'm still learning how to maintain a pool. I made great leaps forward in the shocking and algaecide use this year.

live and learn.

[RBM]

I had a large in ground pool and I needed to run the filter pump 24-7 to keep it clean. Originally it had a sand filter, then I converted to a large cartridge filter. Neither one would keep it clean if it wasn't running constantly

[clare]

Understood about the premise wiring - but 16G Flexible cable (extention cord, appliance cord, etc) is VERY common - and as I said - adequate for the job at hand on 240 volts.

[clare]

Less than 6.5 amps current draw - no problem. That's a roughly 50% load on a 14g wire - and for a 3 foot long cord it is not a problem.

[clare]

There is no PROBLEM doing it with a plug - it meets the technical requirement for a "disconnect". I said he "cheaped out" because he did NOT install the switch you said it was stupid to install without. The switch is the intended implementation of the "disconnect" - but

220 volt (2 pole) switches are NOT cheap like 115 volt single pole switches - hense my "cheaped out" comment.

Again - NOTHING wrong with the way it was done - does not raise any red flags to me.

Nobody said it was an "issue" - I just said the "older" disconnects had fuses and a knife switch - while most "newer" ones use a breaker - and in fact, as pointed out by another poster you can buy a "non-protection" replacement unit that fits in place of, and looks like, a breaker in a "disconnect" box.

And the code STILL requires a disconnect - which could STILL be the plug

[clare]

What part od Canada are you in??

[clare]

snip

MOST residential pools around here DO run 24/7

As I said, here in Southern Ontario the "majority" of pool pumps run

24/7, particularly if they are heated (solar loops), or have trees close by, or are close to open fields, roads, or other sources of dust

- which "pretty much" covers the "majority" (defined as 50%+1)

[trader4]

Don't know what your definition of not cheap is, but a suitable double pole switch can be had for about $7.

Having a pool eqpt pad with no switch to turn the pump off meets my definition of raising red flags. It's an environment that's often wet and you leave the pool boy or homeowner having to plug and unplug a cord to turn the pump on and off. I've never seen a professionally installed one without a simple switch. Have you? Must be great to explain to the customer that just spent $30K on a pool that they have to plug and unplug a cord to work the pump. How about installing a garbage disposal that way too?

A simple 220V double pole switch located at the pool pump meets the requirements of a disconnect, unless you have a citation that says otherwise.

You claimed older disconnects did not have a switch, while most newer ones use a breaker. The issue is that isn't true. For example I can show you AC installs going on here all over the place that use a simple pull-out style disconnect on the outside unit. The breaker is back at the panel. It's done that way because these disconnects are cheap, simple and there is no need for second breaker or fuse.

[The Henchman]

What part od Canada are you in??

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Georgetown Ontario. But we have no box box stores. I checked Rona, Home Depot and Lowes in Vaughan where I work. I checked with pool supply companies in Georgetown and Milton. One pool store have one in Milton for $292. Seems only specialty electrical stores sell the timers where I am. Most pool companies don't here.

Most hardware stores that sell panel box equipment will have a selection of subpanels for pool, spas and hot tubes. They are usually 40 amp, 60 or 100 amp and I even saw one at Home depot that was 125 amp. That must be the Cadillac of Hot tubs to require 125 amps sub panel.

I decided how I'm gonna were this motor and I will post a follow-up for the group tomorrow.

[The Daring Dufas]

A motor like that, I would use #16 SO cord and a cord grip to keep it somewhat water tight.

TDD