Hi all, Just want to say thank you to this forum. I've lurked for a long time and have learned enough to take care of my pool all by myself (and it is a WHOLE lot nicer, since it is no longer locked up with stabilizer). That alone has saved me $50/month in idiot pool-guy fees, and my pool is no longer stabilizer locked requiring massive amounts of chlorine to boot 
I've done a bit with my plumbing so far, the idiots at the local pool store also installed a new pool pump (the last one died a heinous and sudden death, which was probably just the motor but I wanted an "energy efficient" pool pump so I sprang for the big $$$). But the new (~2 years old) pump is WAY too powerful for my pool and still sucks up obscene amounts of electricity. It is a Super II 1.5HP energy efficient (SP3015EEAZ so effectively 2hp). I want to change the pump since this thing costs me $100/month to run it a reasonable amount; and even more in the summer when we are actually using the darn thing (and electricity rates are up)!!! I do have a spa which we rarely use and actually the jets are too powerful already, and certainly doesn't justify the insane cost of running 2HP almost all the time. I also have too much head because the pool pipes although 2" are a tangled mess and there is no good way to correct the situation short of digging up all the concrete in the pool area. So it all seems perfect for a 2-speed pump. Yes, a Variable-speed would be even better but I'm trying to do this on the cheap, and would like to re-use the wet end of my still-very-new pump.
So I believe I want to get a new 2-speed motor and also downsize at the same time. According to the SP3000X pump users manual at http://www.pool-pumps.com/pdf/Hayward-S ... Manual.pdf , the housing and everything is the same and I can change to a SP3010x152AZ motor (max-rated 1.5HP) if I also change the impeller, diffuser and wear ring. The AO Smith STS1152R is a compatible 56J 2-speed 1.5hp motor alternative that is cheaper. I think that all looked great except...
I only have 115V feeding the pool equipment. Other outlets and equipment are also on this circuit, so I can't just convert it to 230V, which is what the SP3010x152AZ and STS1152R require. On the AO Smith website, it appears that the AO Smith B969 is an equivalent 115V 2-speed 56J 1.5HP motor to the STS1152R and thus the SP3010x152AZ. It sounds like it should work, if I match the impeller/diffuser/wear ring.
Or am I completely confused and clueless???
My other question is regarding whether I really need a fancy controller if I actually manage to get this new motor installed, or can I just leave it on low speed all the time unless I want to use the spa or vacuum (all which I'm happy to change over manually). Will this pump motor be able to successfully start up in low speed or do I need to pay out $$$$$ for a fancy controller?
Oh, and one more question... do I even need 1.5HP for this set-up and how do I tell? The current pump/motor combo maxes out pressure when run through the spa with a brand new clean filter, which I think means the pump is too powerful for the restrictive spa. Is there any way to know if 1.5HP is still going to be too much? There isn't a 1hp 115V 2-speed pump, the next smaller size is 3/4HP, which is a lot less than we have now. Or could I just downsize the impeller instead? Or should I even get into that much complication??
Thanks very much for any input anyone is willing to give!!!
Kate
I've done a bit with my plumbing so far, the idiots at the local pool store also installed a new pool pump (the last one died a heinous and sudden death, which was probably just the motor but I wanted an "energy efficient" pool pump so I sprang for the big $$$). But the new (~2 years old) pump is WAY too powerful for my pool and still sucks up obscene amounts of electricity. It is a Super II 1.5HP energy efficient (SP3015EEAZ so effectively 2hp). I want to change the pump since this thing costs me $100/month to run it a reasonable amount; and even more in the summer when we are actually using the darn thing (and electricity rates are up)!!! I do have a spa which we rarely use and actually the jets are too powerful already, and certainly doesn't justify the insane cost of running 2HP almost all the time. I also have too much head because the pool pipes although 2" are a tangled mess and there is no good way to correct the situation short of digging up all the concrete in the pool area. So it all seems perfect for a 2-speed pump. Yes, a Variable-speed would be even better but I'm trying to do this on the cheap, and would like to re-use the wet end of my still-very-new pump.
So I believe I want to get a new 2-speed motor and also downsize at the same time. According to the SP3000X pump users manual at http://www.pool-pumps.com/pdf/Hayward-S ... Manual.pdf , the housing and everything is the same and I can change to a SP3010x152AZ motor (max-rated 1.5HP) if I also change the impeller, diffuser and wear ring. The AO Smith STS1152R is a compatible 56J 2-speed 1.5hp motor alternative that is cheaper. I think that all looked great except...
I only have 115V feeding the pool equipment. Other outlets and equipment are also on this circuit, so I can't just convert it to 230V, which is what the SP3010x152AZ and STS1152R require. On the AO Smith website, it appears that the AO Smith B969 is an equivalent 115V 2-speed 56J 1.5HP motor to the STS1152R and thus the SP3010x152AZ. It sounds like it should work, if I match the impeller/diffuser/wear ring.
Or am I completely confused and clueless???
My other question is regarding whether I really need a fancy controller if I actually manage to get this new motor installed, or can I just leave it on low speed all the time unless I want to use the spa or vacuum (all which I'm happy to change over manually). Will this pump motor be able to successfully start up in low speed or do I need to pay out $$$$$ for a fancy controller?
Oh, and one more question... do I even need 1.5HP for this set-up and how do I tell? The current pump/motor combo maxes out pressure when run through the spa with a brand new clean filter, which I think means the pump is too powerful for the restrictive spa. Is there any way to know if 1.5HP is still going to be too much? There isn't a 1hp 115V 2-speed pump, the next smaller size is 3/4HP, which is a lot less than we have now. Or could I just downsize the impeller instead? Or should I even get into that much complication??
Thanks very much for any input anyone is willing to give!!!
Kate
