Replacing Pool Pump - Most Energy Efficient

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kwblue

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May 5, 2012
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Hey all,

I currently have a Pentair 1HP Pool pump (Centurion) and a 15,000 gallon pool. From everything I read, 1HP is overkill.. however, I have a timer running from 7am - 7pm to keep the energy cost down. The current pump is loud as heck the last 2 years, but the impeller is fine and I just want to replace it with a more efficient model anyway as it costs quite a bit to run even at 1/2 time (about $75/month).

Questions are a couple:

1. Can I get away with a 1/2 HP pump to cut costs more? It seems like I can based upon water turnover ratio..
2. Are pumps like the Whisperflow going to save costs (they say they are energy efficient)?

What are my best options here? I can run the pump full-time, no problem, if that is what it takes for a smaller pump and less energy costs. I really just want the most efficient pump I can get (sized correctly for my pool). BTW - very standard home, inground swimming pool - 2 jets, main drain, return. Nothing fancy.

Hope I explained it well :)

Thanks in advance!!!!

Andy
 
I would go with a Whisperflo myself and you could go with a 2 speed. 3/4 hp. might be ok. Why are you running it for 12 hours though? Cutting the run time down from 12 hours will save you money alone.
 
No reason to run it that long. I would run it 10 for a few days and if it still looks good drop it to 9 then look to see what it looks like. If at 9 it still looks good drop to 8, just repeat until it doesn't look good anymore then go up in 1/2 hour increments. That right there is going to save some every month.
 
What you paying for energy? Do you need the whole pump changed or could you just swap out the motor for a new energy efficient one? If your rates are under .20 then 2 speed is the way to go. Not sure about dropping down in size? One of the pump guys will chime in soon.
 
Wow, you guys run your pumps a lot. I run my pump once a day for about 2-3 hours after I get home from work.

If it needs to be cleaned, I drop the suction cleaner in and let it go for 6 hours.

Never had a problem... If it's a swimming day, I might keep it running more.
 
Some guys run less. You want to turn over the water 1 time a day or run it as long as it still looks good. I run 4 hours a day as the swimming season starts I bump it up to 8 by the end of swim season. I have 29K so I have more water to turn, but still it looks the best at these setting for me.
 
The SuperFlo is another good choice. They are about one full step smaller than a WhisperFlo with the same listed HP and cost less as well.

The SuperFlo is available in both regular and energy efficient models. The energy efficient models always cost a bit more than the baseline models. They have more copper in them, which adds up. In the long run the energy efficient version will more than pay for it's self.
 

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I'm using one of the above Energy Effiecient SuperFlo (1.5 HP) . It's certainly cheaper to run than my old Hayward SuperPump of the same size. I'd use one of these at the least, and maybe even the 2 speed version. It would be hard to make up the cost differential for the Intelliflo's, however, with your relatively cheap electric rate.
 
What size are your suction and return lines? The Superflo is good for smaller 1.5" plumbing (although not required) while the Whisperflo is a little larger for 2+" plumbing with high glow rates.

The 2-speed Superflo are also the energy efficient version.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone :)
 
Piping is 1 1/2" on supply side and return side of the pump.

Secondary question... Looking at SuperFlo based upon recommendations (hopefully going down the right path here). I could get 2-speed or single speed. The purpose of 2 speed would be to have the pool running full-time, I would think, and save energy by running flow at a lower rate. What automation is involved with this? Would my Intermetic timer help? Is it worth the extra $$ or should I just continue to use my timer and a single-speed Superflow?

Or... go back to Whisperflow and then downsize piping to 1 1/2?
 
The big advantage of using the low speed on a 2 speed is that you're getting half the flow rate at 25% of the electricity of the high speed.

So let's say you have determined the high speed (only on a single speed of same SFHP) run time is about 9 hours - what you would want to do is power up the pump on high speed and run for say an hour or 2 (for the skimmer to work most efficiently), then switch to low speed for 14-16 hours for the equivalent turnover. You would also have high speed available for cleaning the pool. This does require upgrading your timer setup to be able to do this, however.
 
Or with your existing timer you just use a manual switch to select speeds. Once primed you could leave it on low speed for the required run time ... skimming should still be ok. Then just switch to high speed when you need it.

Even doubling the run time on low speed you should save about 50% electrical power.

Posted with Tapatalk ... sorry if I sound short ... hate typing on phone :)
 
ok, I eventually got the Pentair Superflow Energy Efficient Single Speed 3/4 Pump. After mulling it over for way too long, I decided that 2-speed wasn't worth it for the simple fact that i would have to do a little bit of re-wiring (which wouldn't pay off since I am selling the house anyway). I didn't want to 'step down' the piping for a Whisperflow and teh SuperFlow's seem to get good credit here.

Thanks for everyone's help!
 
For what it's worth I have a Whisperflo 1- HP and I had to replace the motor last year. When on full speed (3450 rpm) the pump pulls about ~7 amps and moves, by my estimation, ~60+ GPM of water. On low speed, 1725 rpm, the pump pulls ~1 amp and moves about 20-30 GPM. I did have to re-do my timer and some of the wiring. I went with a new timer that will allow the pump to start on high-speed and switch to low but in hind-sight I wish I had just installed a switch because the pump seems to have no problem starting on low speed. I only need high speed to vacuum etc. So even though I should have to run my pump twice as long to achieve the same filtration I'm using 50% of the electricity.

Hope this helps in the future.
 
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