need a new pump

[turbo v6 camaro]

hello

I just bought this house in June and the pump has spring a leak and got really loud. it seems i can buy the part but this is an indoor pool and that pump pulls 11amps @ 115v

i was thinking of getting the ecostar, and since i have pool heater with a 100amp sub panel in the equipment room, I can easily add a 220V gfci breaker for the pump. I will have to check the heater amp draw first i guess as to not overload the wiring in the attic for that sub panel.


anything else i need? the pool is 10,000 gallon and i keep it about 88.

also in the future i would like to add solar heating via evacuated tubes for the 365 pool heating and use the current electric heater as back up heat, want to make sure the pump will support this

 

[jblizzle]

What is the HP and SF of your current pump? How much do you pay for electricity?

The VS Ecostar can handle just about anything you throw at it. Allowing you to dial in the speed you need.

That said, for less upfront cost and most of the electrical savings, you could just get a 2-speed pump and run on low speed most of the time. Switching to high speed when you add solar or to backwash the filter or vacuum.

The only concern I can think of would be whether the low speed would more enough water to trigger the heater ... it should, but kind of depends on the efficiency of your plumbing setup.

 

[turbo v6 camaro]

What is the HP and SF of your current pump? How much do you pay for electricity?

The VS Ecostar can handle just about anything you throw at it. Allowing you to dial in the speed you need.

That said, for less upfront cost and most of the electrical savings, you could just get a 2-speed pump and run on low speed most of the time. Switching to high speed when you add solar or to backwash the filter or vacuum.

The only concern I can think of would be whether the low speed would more enough water to trigger the heater ... it should, but kind of depends on the efficiency of your plumbing setup.

the heater does not need to run much, I keep the cover on the pool, so i can program a few peroids of high speed for the heater.

i think its a 3HP pump, but it been there so long (since 1987) most of the stuff has wore off, I'll take a closer look tonight at it.

 

[jblizzle]

Wow ... 3HP would be WAY oversized given you pool description.
Do you have any high-flow needs? like water features, spa, etc?
If not, you likely can use just about the smallest 2-speed pump you can get to maintain circulation. That would even save you $ on electricity on high speed over what you currently have.

To be sure, answer these questions:
How high would the solar eventually be?
What is your piping size?
How far from the pool to the pad?
How many suction lines?
How many return lines?
How many eyeballs (what size)?

 

[turbo v6 camaro]

Wow ... 3HP would be WAY oversized given you pool description.
Do you have any high-flow needs? like water features, spa, etc?
If not, you likely can use just about the smallest 2-speed pump you can get to maintain circulation. That would even save you $ on electricity on high speed over what you currently have.

nothing like that, just a filter and heater and clorinator.

To be sure, answer these questions:
How high would the solar eventually be? like 40 feet (roof is very high)
What is your piping size? I think its 2.5
How far from the pool to the pad? about 8 feet maybe less
How many suction lines? 1
How many return lines? 1 that i think Y's out
How many eyeballs (what size)? 2 the opening is about 3/4 inch or so.

i could be wrong on the pump size, like i said i know it draws about 11 amps on 115 (measured with kilowatt thing witch show 1000W draw)

our electric works out to about $0.11 or so

 

[jblizzle]

Actually 11 amps & 115V is pretty low power ... that seems more like a 1HP pump. Is there anything you can read on the motor?

Ignoring the solar. A small 2-speed would be fine. BUT ... pushing water 40 feet up is no small task and likely requires a bigger pump than you would need without the solar. I could see if Mark (hydraulics expert) could come and estimate what pump size you would need for that.

But, when would you realistically be adding solar?

If it is many years down the road, might make sense to get a small 2-speed now and possibly have to upgrade the motor/impeller in the future (likely could use the same pump).
OR
You could spend the money upfront and get the VS. You can run it at lower speed than a 2-speed pump for less electrical use and then when you add solar, be able to dial in the speed required to run the solar.

 

[turbo v6 camaro]

Actually 11 amps & 115V is pretty low power ... that seems more like a 1HP pump. Is there anything you can read on the motor?

Ignoring the solar. A small 2-speed would be fine. BUT ... pushing water 40 feet up is no small task and likely requires a bigger pump than you would need without the solar. I could see if Mark (hydraulics expert) could come and estimate what pump size you would need for that.

But, when would you realistically be adding solar?

If it is many years down the road, might make sense to get a small 2-speed now and possibly have to upgrade the motor/impeller in the future (likely could use the same pump).
OR
You could spend the money upfront and get the VS. You can run it at lower speed than a 2-speed pump for less electrical use and then when you add solar, be able to dial in the speed required to run the solar.

i think your are right it must be a 3/4 HP pump I will check for sure when i get home

Solar will come in 1-3 years, unless plans change......

 

[turbo v6 camaro]

I think its a 3/4 HP pump