Hello fellow forum viewers. New to the forum and see that it has a wealth of information. I'm hoping I can get some constructive feedback regarding the reliability of the Hayword EcoStar variable speed pump.
My wife and I finally took the plunge (or hope to in a few weeks...) to build a new pool for our young family. The pool is currently under construction. It is a steel-vinyl, 32,000 gallon true L with Hayword components including sand filter and salt water system.
When going through options with the pool contractor the option of a variable speed pump was not discussed. Doing my own research it seems that a variable speed pump may be a worthwhile upgrade. The pump included in contract price of the pool is 1.5 HP MaxFlo XL. Doing the math from the voltage/amperage on the pump motor this pump consumes roughly 1,900 watts when running.
From what I understand the longer the pump runs over the course of the day the better it would be for the pool clarity and chemistry, particularly with the saltwater system. Add to that the demand required for a sit-n-spa, which is part of our pool package, and perhaps one day the addition of solar heat and maybe a water feature of some sort, and I'm concluding that a standard one speed pump may not cut it. My knowing a little bit about pumps, all things are pointing to an upgrade to a variable speed pump. Doing so would allow for continuous low speed pump operation while also reserving the ability to add some juice when running through a solar water heater, the sit-n-spa, a water feature, or all of the above.
Looking at variable speed pumps it seems that since all of the other components in our pool will be Hayword components, it would make sense to stick with a Hayward pump. That leads to the EcoStar. The pool contractor offered to upgrade from the MaxFlo XL to the EcoStar for $700. From what I can find pricing it on the internet they may be making a few hundred on the deal, but that's business.
So, all things considered, I am inclined to upgrade to the Ecostar... except for one blaring red flag... reliability. The pool company I'm dealing with has said they have only installed around a half dozen of these pumps over the last few years and they have had some trouble with them. They have one pump in particular that they have replaced multiple times. Then I go to check out reviews on Amazon and virtually everyone who has installed one within the past year loves them, but there is a substantial cohort of reviewers who have had these pumps for two to three years that are now experiencing pump failures.
So, can any of you experts out there offer you experience with the reliability of these pumps? Thanks. Look forward to getting many of the questions I'm sure I will have answered through this forum.
My wife and I finally took the plunge (or hope to in a few weeks...) to build a new pool for our young family. The pool is currently under construction. It is a steel-vinyl, 32,000 gallon true L with Hayword components including sand filter and salt water system.
When going through options with the pool contractor the option of a variable speed pump was not discussed. Doing my own research it seems that a variable speed pump may be a worthwhile upgrade. The pump included in contract price of the pool is 1.5 HP MaxFlo XL. Doing the math from the voltage/amperage on the pump motor this pump consumes roughly 1,900 watts when running.
From what I understand the longer the pump runs over the course of the day the better it would be for the pool clarity and chemistry, particularly with the saltwater system. Add to that the demand required for a sit-n-spa, which is part of our pool package, and perhaps one day the addition of solar heat and maybe a water feature of some sort, and I'm concluding that a standard one speed pump may not cut it. My knowing a little bit about pumps, all things are pointing to an upgrade to a variable speed pump. Doing so would allow for continuous low speed pump operation while also reserving the ability to add some juice when running through a solar water heater, the sit-n-spa, a water feature, or all of the above.
Looking at variable speed pumps it seems that since all of the other components in our pool will be Hayword components, it would make sense to stick with a Hayward pump. That leads to the EcoStar. The pool contractor offered to upgrade from the MaxFlo XL to the EcoStar for $700. From what I can find pricing it on the internet they may be making a few hundred on the deal, but that's business.
So, all things considered, I am inclined to upgrade to the Ecostar... except for one blaring red flag... reliability. The pool company I'm dealing with has said they have only installed around a half dozen of these pumps over the last few years and they have had some trouble with them. They have one pump in particular that they have replaced multiple times. Then I go to check out reviews on Amazon and virtually everyone who has installed one within the past year loves them, but there is a substantial cohort of reviewers who have had these pumps for two to three years that are now experiencing pump failures.
So, can any of you experts out there offer you experience with the reliability of these pumps? Thanks. Look forward to getting many of the questions I'm sure I will have answered through this forum.
