Changing from 1 HP pump to .5 HP,is it worth it?

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Apr 25, 2014
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NY
Hello,

I have a 12x24x52" above ground oval pool. I plumbed in 1.5" PVC pipe for the intake and outtake. I figured out the pool has about 8000 gallons

The pump and sand filter is only about 4 feet away from the pool, and there is not much "lift" here. Think of your standard backyard pool with the flex hoses and pump/filter setup right next to the pool wall..In my case I just got rid of the hoses and buried the PVC pipes and moved the filter system a little out of the way

Ive been doing research on this and apparently my pump is over sized for the pool.

Its a hayward power flo lx, 1HP rated at 60 GPM), with a hayward ST166 sand filter.

I know that my 1.5 PVC piping is rated at 45?? GPM max

I was thinking of going to the Power Flo .5 HP (40 GPM) this year.

Question is , is it really worth it? Will I actually save enough money to justify buying the new pump?

I usually run the pump about 8 hours a day, in addition I have a Solar Savior Filter system (floating solar filter with a pump that circulates water) and a pool robot that I also run 2 to 4 hours a day to clean bottom of pool)

I open the pool usually at the end of May and close it in early September.
 
Welcome to TFP!

First there is no flow limit in your pipes.

If your pump is fine, then not likely worth it. When the pump dies, then consider a 1 HP 2 speed motor to put on your existing pump ... likely cheaper than buying an entire new smaller pumps.
 
Welcome to TFP!

Unless your electrical rates are fairly high, you won't see enough savings to replace a working pump. If you say what your electrical rates are we can give you a better estimate.

A 1 HP two speed might be a better choice, low speed on a two speed would be 1/4 HP, which is even more efficient and that leaves you the full 1HP for vacuuming, which is sometimes nice to have as an option.

There isn't really any such thing as flow rate limits on PVC pipe. Those are just rules of thumb that help you guess at what flow rates are efficient. Higher flow rates will work, they just waste a little electricity.

I very much doubt that you need to run your pump for as long as you have been running it. Four hours a day is usually plenty of filtering/circulation. Given the Solar Savior, you could probably go with even shorter run times.
 
JasonLion said:
Welcome to TFP!

Unless your electrical rates are fairly high, you won't see enough savings to replace a working pump. If you say what your electrical rates are we can give you a better estimate.
Click to expand...

Rough Estimate right now the rates are about 13.34 cents per kWh

I believe they go to about 17 cents per kWh in the summer time when I use the pool.

That does not include the "delivery" charge..

From the WSJ:

"Federal government data covering 2012 shows that ConEd's average combined delivery and supply charge of 25.65 cents per kilowatt-hour was the highest of any major U.S. electric utility."

So to be safe, lets assume 25.65 cents per kWh for me
 
With electricity at over $0.25/kWh you can get a three year payback for spending about $400, so it is worth looking into a new pump, or perhaps just a new motor.

One good option requiring a little extra work on your part would be replacing the motor on your existing pump with a variable speed motor. If replacing just the motor isn't your thing, then then a two speed 1 HP pump would be a good choice.
 
Hmmmm...I dont know if that would justify getting rid of my existing 1HP pump and spending a lot of money on a quality 2 speed pump.. I can run my existing 1HP pump less or spend about $175 for a new .5 HP pump
 

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Ok, got any recommendations? my pump uses 110v and its a hayward power flo, i have it plumbed in with unions on a deck , and Id like to use the same style of pump dimensions (height of intake and discharge) i really dont feel like cutting and repiping..
 
Thats true, I also run a aquabot s2 rover 2 to 4 hours a day ,in addition to a solar savior pool filter system which also circulates the water for maybe 5 to 6 hours depending on the sun
 
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