Hi -
Purchased a home 2.5ysrs ago with the filter setup indicated in my signature. The main pump is 15+yrs old and the bearing are getting steadily louder - so I am going to start scouring CL and other postings for a VSP pump. Lots of folks in my area are getting rid of their pools, so saving lots of money on 1-3 y/o variable pumps is not impossible.
The pool works fine - not great, but seems to be doing OK with its current anemic pump running a min of 8hrs/day. Sometimes I bump it an extra couple of hours on usage & storms. Eventually, I'd like to update the system with 2" lines - add a 2nd skimmer (to deal with prevailing winds), add some more returns, retrofit with a 2nd drain (single drain now). I will also add solar heating too - that will likely happen before I tear up the decking for skimmers etc.
My question is this : since I have 1.5" copper intake/return lines (single skimmer, 2 returns on a single 1.5" line Tee'd somewhere in the dirt) do I need to be careful about which pumps I can use? I've gotten many different answers from local pool stores & pro's - some clearly want to sell me a whole new system and others think I will be just fine. My swag calcs suggest a 1.5hp pump is more than enough for my pool - but welcome advise/discussion.
Purchased a home 2.5ysrs ago with the filter setup indicated in my signature. The main pump is 15+yrs old and the bearing are getting steadily louder - so I am going to start scouring CL and other postings for a VSP pump. Lots of folks in my area are getting rid of their pools, so saving lots of money on 1-3 y/o variable pumps is not impossible.
The pool works fine - not great, but seems to be doing OK with its current anemic pump running a min of 8hrs/day. Sometimes I bump it an extra couple of hours on usage & storms. Eventually, I'd like to update the system with 2" lines - add a 2nd skimmer (to deal with prevailing winds), add some more returns, retrofit with a 2nd drain (single drain now). I will also add solar heating too - that will likely happen before I tear up the decking for skimmers etc.
My question is this : since I have 1.5" copper intake/return lines (single skimmer, 2 returns on a single 1.5" line Tee'd somewhere in the dirt) do I need to be careful about which pumps I can use? I've gotten many different answers from local pool stores & pro's - some clearly want to sell me a whole new system and others think I will be just fine. My swag calcs suggest a 1.5hp pump is more than enough for my pool - but welcome advise/discussion.