Looking to buy a new pump, need some advice please

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mikk

My current pump, a Hayward Super II, has been leaking for the past year & it's gotten to the point where I need to add water to pool on a weekly basis. Between that, the noise, & my electrical bill I am thinking it is time to upgrade to a variable speed pump but I have some questions that I am hoping you guys can answer for me or at least point me the right direction. But first my info:

I have a 11600 gallon in ground fiberglass pool with an attached hot tub. As I said I currently using a 2 HP Hayward Super II with a Hayward C1750 cartridge filter. I have Laars ES 400 heater for the hot tub & 4 Fafco Sunsaver ST panels on my 1 story roof for the pool. I also have a Polaris system as well. I live in Campbell, CA & run my pool year round, though I obviously run it less in the winter.

My first question is about the max speed I need for my pump. A while back I found a formula for calculating the minimum flow rate you would need to turn over your pool twice in one day. (Unfortunately I didn't save the URL & I can't find it again) And for my pool I calculated 16 gallons/min. Based on this I don't think I need a very powerful pump, say a 1/2 HP, to just turn over the water. However I don't know how to determine how much I need when you factor in the hot tub or pushing the water to the solar panels on the roof or running the Polaris or any combination? I don't want to pay for a high powered pump that I am not going to use but I also don't want to buy an under powered pump either. So how do I figure out the max pump speed I need? Do these other factors (ie, hot tub, polaris, etc) even matter?

My second question is related to the 1st in that as I understand it in some situations a dual speed pump makes more sense than a variable speed pump. What are these cases? Do I have one of them? It seems like between the pool itself, the hot tub, & the polaris I would need the variable speeds but maybe I am wrong.

And finally I have been going back & forth between a Hayward EcoStar & a Pentair IntelliFlo. Based on some of the older threads here it seems people are split 50/50 on which is better. Has there been any change since the last thread about this? Does the fact I run the pool year round make a difference either way? I assume having a Hayward filter doesn't really matter, as opposed to having say a Hayward electronic timer.

Any info or advice you would give would be most appreciated. Thank you in advance.
 
Where is it leaking from? Shaft seals are easy to replace. You can also get a seal kit for pretty cheap online. Depending on your energy cost, if more than $0.40 KWH a variable speed motor is the way to go, less than $.30 KWH than two-speed is the way to go. Those are general guidelines.

With the two-speed you'll run on high during heating/cleaning, otherwise run on low (filtration).

You can just replace the motor and not the whole pump and save some funds there.

Others will weight in with more info/guidance.
 
Welcome to TFP!

Research if there are any rebates for pumps that your electric company is offering. I think right now SCE in my area is offering a $200 rebate for a VS pump and zero for 2-speed pumps.

Since you have solar and spa I would look into a VS pump to have more control over flow rates.

Compared to running a 2 horsepower pump all the time and running a VS pump on low speed for general filtration you should see significant savings.
 
I got the Sta-Rite Intellipro (identical to the Pentair Intelliflo) and really like it. Easy to install and setup and the programming is really straightforward. Also, it is ULTRA quiet. At sub-1500 RPM speeds it is near silent. At sub-2000 rpm speeds it is still pretty quiet, just a light water movement sound.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007E4WG1Q/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, if in CA and getting a lot of direct sunlight I'd suggest a cover so the plastic on the top doesn't wear down and crack over a few years:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CTED5GQ/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Here is my thread from when I bought mine:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/thre...in-search-for-new-VS-pump?p=640701#post640701

And here is the post for my initial set up for the pump:
http://www.troublefreepool.com/thre...r-new-variable-speed-pump?p=641088#post641088

I am running a Polaris cleaner, but no solar or hot tub. I second the idea of checking for local rebates, I got $200 back on mine from local utility provider.

Lastly (my 5th edit...) you'll hear all kinds of talk about warranties and "qualified installers" but I frankly am not a big believer in the "cost" of warranties in this case. I got my pump for $880 (-$200 rebate from utility provider) and spent about $40 on parts to install it myself. If you have basic handyman/plumbing/electrical skills you can hopefully DIY. A friend and I did it in about 4 hours which included a trip to the store to get some concrete anchors. The local pool company wanted $1,500 (with tax) to do the job, which doesn't seem too crazy as it does require some labor hours. My point here is that if I don't count 4 hours of my own labor, my out the door cost was $920 (I would have gotten the rebate with the "qualified installer too"). The difference in price for a "qualified installer" to put it in would be roughly $600, close to the cost of just buying a new pump beyond the standard warranty period.
 
Thanks for all the replies they really help & give me some info to look at.

bobodaclown:

I am not sure where the leak(s) are as the water is just coming from underneath. It does appear to be underneath the motor part & not the trap(?). More than likely it is the seals. But as I said moving to a VS might make more sense in the long run. I called my local power company (PG&E) & I am currently be changed $0.35955 kWh. So I am right in the middle.

ping:

I know that both Hayward & Pentair have rebates available. I would need to check on the specific models but I bet they are part of it.

delirium330:

I will take a look at the Sta-Rite Intellipro, thanks. Re: the cover, if you are referring to the new pump then no worries there as it is in a pool shed & out of direct sunlight. I am generally handy but am a bit skittish when it comes to major electrical which I consider this. Plus I always feel that in certain cases getting it installed by a profession, rather than how I would do it, is better & definitely faster. Especially if self-install voids a warranty. However I have not gotten any recent quotes & the cost of a "professional" vs DIY might make the decision for me.

jblizzle:

I will take look at the your link.

Thanks everyone.
 
mikk said:
Thanks for all the replies they really help & give me some info to look at.

delirium330:

I will take a look at the Sta-Rite Intellipro, thanks. Re: the cover, if you are referring to the new pump then no worries there as it is in a pool shed & out of direct sunlight. I am generally handy but am a bit skittish when it comes to major electrical which I consider this. Plus I always feel that in certain cases getting it installed by a profession, rather than how I would do it, is better & definitely faster. Especially if self-install voids a warranty. However I have not gotten any recent quotes & the cost of a "professional" vs DIY might make the decision for me.
Click to expand...

Sounds good, definitely a peace of mind in having it done right and that is part of the cost if you don't feel comfortable DIY. Either way the Intelliflo or Intellipro (same pump) will be a great upgrade!
 
So I was looking around online & I noticed that the IntelliFlo is listed for in ground pools while the Sta-Rite is listed for above ground pools. Are they really interchangeable? I would think using an above ground pump to run an in ground one would be bad or at least void the warranty.
 
mikk said:
So I was looking around online & I noticed that the IntelliFlo is listed for in ground pools while the Sta-Rite is listed for above ground pools. Are they really interchangeable? I would think using an above ground pump to run an in ground one would be bad or at least void the warranty.
Click to expand...

That isn't correct, the Pentair IntelliFlo and the Sta-Rite IntelliPro are virtually identical pumps (I think the color of the pump is the only difference) and are both suitable for in-ground pools. Be careful when looking around because there are various "versions" of each of these pumps:

Pentair INP-VS
Pentair INT-VS
Pentair IntelliFlo i1
Pentair IntelliFlo Variable Speed
Pentair IntelliFlo VF
Pentair IntelliFlo VS 3050
Pentair IntelliFlo VS+SVRS

See that link to my buying thread I posted above where Jason details some of the differences between each of the pumps.
 
Just wanted to drop by & let everyone know that I ended up going with a Pentair IntelliFlo VS pump installed by my local pool store. It was more than if I bought it myself but now not only do I get the manufacturers warranty but I know it's installed correctly. They even replaced a 3-way valve that was installed incorrectly. Not only is it obviously much quieter but I am already seeing a severe reduction in water loss. Gonna have to wait a while to see what it does for my electrical bill.

Thanks to everyone who posted all the info, it was extremely helpful having a place to post questions & get answers &/or info.
 

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I bought the Pentair Intelliflo VS 011018 pump for $835 w/ free shipping, no tax. You can also get a $100 pre paid Visa card as a rebate from Pentair and an extended 3 yr warranty if you have the pump professionally installed. That is in addition to any rebate from your power company.


Bought pump here


Rebate form here
 
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