Pump going bad, recommendations for use with pop-up system

[RC121]

First post but I've reviewed a lot of the great information on this site and my pool has been pretty much trouble free since we moved in 4 years ago.

So my pump has started to get louder and seems to be making an inconsistent vibrating noise from the motor. It's an older single speed pump that was hooked up when we bought the house and the seals were replaced at that time. I'm thinking it's going bad, but even if it isn't, I'd like to look at more efficient options and something quieter since it's next to our bedroom. I've seen a few posts on dual speed pumps vs. vs but haven't seen recommendations for use with in-floor pop-up systems. We have a good friend that has his own pool maintenance company and he was recommending either the ecostar or intelliflo but I'm wondering whether that is overkill for our set up when we could go for a dual speed pump (high for the pop-ups and spa and low majority of the time for turnover).

We don't have any sort of automation and haven't planned on it for this house since its our first home and will likely be here for a maximum of 5 more years. Please let me know if you need any other info or what my best pump options would be,

Thanks!

 

[Hartworx]

What manufacturer floor system do you have?

 

[RC121]

I'm honestly not sure how to tell since there are no markings on it and the stickers have since been removed by the sun/weather. I know it uses what I thought was Jandy but i see that those only come in 5 port and 8 port. Mine appears to be a 6 port but has no pressure gauge on it.

 

[JasonLion]

Do you ever run the pump with the in-floor cleaning turned off? If so, the lowest lifetime cost would probably be a two speed pump. The in-floor system needs a fair amount of power, so if you are using it all the time a lower pump speed isn't going to work correctly.

 

[RC121]

Do you ever run the pump with the in-floor cleaning turned off? If so, the lowest lifetime cost would probably be a two speed pump. The in-floor system needs a fair amount of power, so if you are using it all the time a lower pump speed isn't going to work correctly.

The only way to bypass the in floor system would be to either switch the return to the spa or to the aerator on the pool. I get that lowering the pump speed will cause issues with getting enough pressure to get the popups up and be able to push debris around, but even the low speed should return water to the pool through them right?

 

[Melt In The Sun]

Yes, it will. I have a 2 speed and no way to bypass the infloor system. I run it on high for a couple hours a day for cleaning then on low another couple for circulation...works well for me. You may want to upgrade your timer so it can control hi/lo as well as on/off.

 

[RC121]

You may want to upgrade your timer so it can control hi/lo as well as on/off.

I'm assuming this might be the reason my pool guy recommended an ecostar or intelliflo since my current setup has a mechanical timer. I know those two have the ability to control the settings with the pump interface, which ds have this ability?

Another thing to mention is that there's currently $150 rebate for energy star qualified vsp's, not for dual speed. Just in case that makes a difference in recommending a vs or ds to bring the prices closer together

 

[Melt In The Sun]

No, the two-speeds aren't smart at all. To switch speeds, you need to either flip a switch or have a timer do it for you. I added another intermatic to my setup (already had a double size enclosure) for about $40.

 

[PigIron]

Mine appears to be a 6 port but has no pressure gauge on it.

A&A Manufacturing makes a 6 port water actuated valve. I also run mine on a low speed most of the time which does just fine at circulating the water, and then on a higher speed for cleaning. An A&A rep re plumbed my system, and installed a pressure gauge right before the actuated value. He stated that at least 10 psi was required to get the in-floor cleaning working well.

 

[RC121]

A&A Manufacturing makes a 6 port water actuated valve. I also run mine on a low speed most of the time which does just fine at circulating the water, and then on a higher speed for cleaning. An A&A rep re plumbed my system, and installed a pressure gauge right before the actuated value. He stated that at least 10 psi was required to get the in-floor cleaning working well.

You are correct, it is an A&A system. So what pump are you using? I would guess the most efficient way would be a variable speed pump at the lowest speed that can work the pop-ups and still keep the floor clean. I've been able to find vs pumps for around $900 plus the additional $150 rebate from my electric company. What would an appropriate 2 speed pump run plus the additional timer? Would it be worth the ease of setup and use and functionality to just go with the vs?

 

[PigIron]

So what pump are you using?

I am using a VS pump. The A&A rep plumbed 3 returns (2 for Venturi skimmers) that are split prior to the water actuated valve. He then set my VS at 3000 rpm for cleaning, which gives me about 11 psi at the valve. Then I run my pump at 1000 rpm for regular filtering. The pop up heads should allow water to flow through them even if they do not have enough pressure to fully pop up.

 

[racket]

You are correct, it is an A&A system. So what pump are you using? I would guess the most efficient way would be a variable speed pump at the lowest speed that can work the pop-ups and still keep the floor clean. I've been able to find vs pumps for around $900 plus the additional $150 rebate from my electric company. What would an appropriate 2 speed pump run plus the additional timer? Would it be worth the ease of setup and use and functionality to just go with the vs?

Vs pumps are best for an infloor system. They allow you to dial the pressure in to exactly where you want it.

If you have a spa it also allows you some flexibility on the jet strength.