OK, how do I read these charts and figure if I can save with a new pump or motor?

[tturkstr]

I currently have a 1.5 HP superpump driving my filter. When I opened this year, it seemed a bit noisy starting but it calmed down. The housing fairly hot to the touch though.
I calculated my monthly electricity cost at ~$200, which is about how much I see bill rise when I open my pool.
Question: I suspect the electricity savings would pay for a new pump in a year or 2, especially if I went to a 1 HP 2 speed pump running full speed only 4 h/day.
20,000 gal pool. I have a main drain and skimmer, 25' from the pump, plumbed with 1 1/2. 1.5 return line supplying two return jets and another 1.5 line supplying 2 jets in the steps.
The pump also goes through a sand filter, a NG heater, and a SWG.
The sand filter usually reads 13-15 PSI; I backwash when the filter goes over 17.
I tried a timer running about 40% of the time last year but I had some algae outbreaks.
So...
1. Can I go down to a 1 HP , 2 speed motor?
2. 4 hours/day enough?
3. Should I just buy a new 2-speed motor, or is the SUPER II much more efficient to make it worth while to replace the entire pump?
4. I've seen a neighbour with a 3/4 HP pump on a pool of similar size. Could this be appropriate?
5. I've also been thinking of a supply side robot like the MX6? Do I need more power to drive this?
Thanks, Tim

 

[Isaac-1]

I would suggest getting a 2 speed motor for the pump you have now if the wet end is ok, also you will want to get a new pump seal kit at the same time. Cost will be under $400 mailorder. Run the pump on low speed 50% of the water flow for 1/4 the electricity, this will likely be enough to keep the SWG and heater happy about minimum flow. Every pool is different as to the amount of filtering they need, but most people here find between 4-8 hours on low with a 2 speed pump is enough.

 

[tturkstr]

I would suggest getting a 2 speed motor for the pump you have now if the wet end is ok, also you will want to get a new pump seal kit at the same time. Cost will be under $400 mailorder. Run the pump on low speed 50% of the water flow for 1/4 the electricity, this will likely be enough to keep the SWG and heater happy about minimum flow. Every pool is different as to the amount of filtering they need, but most people here find between 4-8 hours on low with a 2 speed pump is enough.

Just 4-8 hours on low speed hardly seems worth it, that would drop my total power use by 12.5% and 25% respectively, only saving me $50/month, or am I calculating wrong?

Recommendations for reputable vendors for a mail order pump?
Thanks

 

[JasonLion]

A 1 HP two speed motor run on low will save about 80% of your electrical usage compared to what you have now when run for the same amount of time each day, and you can probably cut the total run time way way down from what you have been doing.

Getting algae has little to do with pump runtime. Algae almost 100% depends on maintaining the chemistry correctly, which can be done with very little circulation. The exception is that the SWG will require a certain minimum runtime. In many cases the SWG will be happy with 4 hours, but sometimes it requires more time to generate enough chlorine.

Robotic pool cleaners are by far the most energy efficient. Cleaners powered by the main pool pump come in second (supply or return driven), while cleaners that require a booster pump use the most electricity.

 

[Isaac-1]

You don't say how long you are running your pump now, assuming it is 8 hours per day costing $200 per month, and if you replace it with the same size pump motor, but a 2 speed, running on low for those 8 hours, your electrical cost for the pump operation would be about 1/4 of the current cost and you would move 50% as much water in the same amount of time, which would equal your single speed pump running for 4 hours per day. So 50% savings on the same gallons per day of water, or 75% savings on hours per day run time. Real world run time may be limited by filtration, or hours needed by your SWG to get to your needed FC level.

 

[tturkstr]

You don't say how long you are running your pump now, assuming it is 8 hours per day costing $200 per month, and if you replace it with the same size pump motor, but a 2 speed, running on low for those 8 hours, your electrical cost for the pump operation would be about 1/4 of the current cost and you would move 50% as much water in the same amount of time, which would equal your single speed pump running for 4 hours per day. So 50% savings on the same gallons per day of water, or 75% savings on hours per day run time. Real world run time may be limited by filtration, or hours needed by your SWG to get to your needed FC level.

Many thanks for all your help!

Sorry, I wasn't clear. $200/month is running 24/7. After the algae issues, I went back to 24/7, sounds like I didn't need to but...
Based on the above, I guess I should check out a 1.5 HP 2 speed pump running low except for vacuuming, using the timer to switch. The question I was wondering was if I should go with a 1 HP 2 speed pump since the Super II or perhaps an Eco-pump are so much more efficient that I'd only need a 1 HP.

But I guess then I have another question, for $400, why not go to a variable speed pump?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Super-II-Nor...149?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2edf8922e5
Or do these things have reliability issues?
Many thanks, Tim

 

[tturkstr]

Decision on a new pump - 2-speed?

First off, Apologies for my previous post. I misread my pump as 1.5 HP. It's actually a 0.75 HP single speed Hayward Superpump. When I was checking out new pumps, I noticed that the new 1.5 HP units seemed to use a lot more current (Duh) than my current pump, so I went home and looked again and I only have a 3/4 HP pump. Doh!

Anyway, my pump is making grinding noises when it starts, so I'm wondering if it is going, and I had decided to replace it with a 2 speed 1.5 HP pump, running at low speed most of the time.

Now that I see I only have a 3/4 HP pump that draws 5.5 A (240 V), is it still worth it to change it for a 1 HP 2-speed pump? Looking at the Hayward manual, I can't tell how much current the 1 HP 2-speed draws at either low or high, but I looked at a couple Hayward 1.5 HP pumps at the store and they draw 7.5 and 9 A (240 V), (I was surprised by the difference between them) I guess a 1.5 HP 2-speed would draw about 2 A on low? 1HP unit on low speed only about 1.3 A? I must be doing the math wrong. So I'm leaning towards a 1HP 2-speed at this point.

The other issue I have is that my ball valves are getting so hard to turn that my wife can't turn them and they're rounding off the handles. Add that to the fact that my plumbing is spaghetti from previous different chlorinators, power vacuums, etc so I'm replacing (simplifying) the pool house plumbing and valves and getting rid of the broken booster pump when I do the motor. Two 1.5" lines (skimmer and main drain, 20' long) mate into a 1.5" line through the (3/4!) HP pump, sand filter and heater, then split into 2 1.5" returns to the pool. It would make sense to me that I make the single line part of it 2", or is that a bad idea?

Many thanks, Tim

 

[jblizzle]

Is your current pump wired for 115V or 230V?
If the flow is fine, there is no reason to go larger than your existing pump and can likely still just replace the motor with a 2-speed version.

I would recommend you consider replacing the valves with Neverlube type valves (just a 3-way on the suction side) and certainly no problem going with larger pipe after they combine.

BTW, I merged the related threads. Please keep things together.

 

[tturkstr]

Will do then.Pump is 230, but I can wire it however I need to. Planning to stay 230.
Definitely going with the NeverLube valve, probably going to do the outlets too.
I'd go with the new motor idea to save some $, but I can't find a 2-speed motor for less than $400 and I'll need a seal kit as well. ($50?) I can get a new pump for $600. For $150, I'll save the work of changing the motor and have the old pump for spares, + warranty on the pump.
Thanks for your help bigtime. Much appreciated.