New Pump / Motor?

[regularAZguy]

Hello All -

I've been lurking and following the TFP method for about a year - thanks for all the great info - my pool has never looked better and I solved a major algae problem with a SLAM about a year ago thanks to all of you..

Anyway, my motor has been shutting itself off before the scheduled time then after 15 or 30 minutes turns itself back on and finishes the schedule. No unusual noise or anything, but I believe the motor is going bad. It's a Hayward Super II pump that's about 6-8 years old. I've done a little searching here and other places and believe that I could just replace the motor for a couple hundred bucks but kinda want to upgrade to a variable speed pump.

Can I just buy a VS motor and controller or do I need the whole unit ( motor, controller, basket etc.)?

What, in your experience, is the best value currently in VS or other pumps?

Best place to buy?

Will I need to do much if any electrical work?

I should also mention that I have in floor popups but no 'shark' or vac that swims around - I assume that I can utilize lower RPM's and take advantage of some savings?

 

[chiefwej]

I switched from a Hayward Super II 2hp pump to a Pentair Inteliflow VS 3hp pump 011018. The pump cost about $850 online plus $25 for Union fittings to speed the install. At the time I bought it there was a $150 rebate which covered the install.

I don't know what brand in floor system you have, mines an A&A. My old pump used 2,850 watts anytime it was running. Most of the time the new pump is running its drawing less than 150 watts. I only speed it up to 2,800 (1,300 watts) for three hours to clean the pool.

I love the programmability and flexibility of the onboard timer/controller. The pump is so much quieter than the old one. All in all, I would buy this pump even if there were no energy savings , just for the other features. I'm sold on VS pumps, at least on this one.

 

[poolboy10001]

I did the same thing a few years ago. I had a single speed Pentair pump. I replaced the motor with the same basic electric motor but in the 2 speed, high efficiency version. I just took the electric motor to a local shop where they specialize in electric motors and they fixed me up. You will need a controller of some sort to switch speeds, whether it be a switch on the pump or something else. My system is hooked up to a Blueline system that controls everything, so I already had that covered when I made the switch.

It uses a lot less power on low than high. Don't go to the pool store for the electric motor for your pump. Mine quoted me $900 for the motor. I got it for $350, same exact motor. It has been working great for 5 years.

 

[EVChargeGuy]

As you dont have your location listed I cant look it up, so check with your power company to see if they offer any rebate for you to install a new VS Pump.
Right now my Power company is giving a $350 rebate, thay gave $450 last year!

 

[Agent99]

Can I just buy a VS motor and controller or do I need the whole unit ( motor, controller, basket etc.)? not sure but replacing the whole she-bang at once is probably easier and cleaner

What, in your experience, is the best value currently in VS or other pumps? don't forget to see if your local utilities have any rebates but i really like my pentair intellifo and i have no idea if it was the best value. I think I spent 900 on mine and recently got a 100 rebate from local utility.

Best place to buy? amazon or general online searching will yield those results (mine was from amazon)

Will I need to do much if any electrical work? assuming the new stuff fits where he old stuff was, probably just a matter of moving over the electrical cable.

....

 

[chiefwej]

Re. Electrical work, if you use a two speed pump you will need some kind of timer/switch/controller to change speeds. With most VS pumps the timer/speed control is built right into the pump, so you just connect the pump to a hot lead and you're done. All your programming can be done right on the pump. However if you have an automation system, it's a different situation.