Anybody have a bad experience with Hayword EcoStar Pump? I'm getting mixed reviews.

[Ztwent8]

Looking to upgrade to Hayword EcoStar pump for my pool. Seems like it would be a good fit for my needs while saving electric.

Hearing mixed reviews about the long term reliability of these pumps though. Anyone have a bad experience with the EcoStar pump? Or, on the flip side, has anyone had one running trouble free for several years? Seems like failures occur after two or three years of use.

 

[mikespoolfl]

I've had mine 3 or 4 years not a single problem.

 

[Ztwent8]

Thanks for reply...

 

[Ztwent8]

Do you mind me asking if you have the model with the Safety Vacuum Release System (SVRS) or without?

Also, around how many hours a day does your pump run? I'm thinking of letting it run on low speed 24x7 during our pool season, which is four or five months out of the year, and then having it ramp up for solar heater and spa as needed. Any thoughts on this?

 

[mikespoolfl]

It's the one without SVRS

 

[mas985]

The biggest issue with any VS pump is power surges and lightning so a surge protector can be a worthwhile investment.

I'm thinking of letting it run on low speed 24x7 during our pool season, which is four or five months out of the year, and then having it ramp up for solar heater and spa as needed. Any thoughts on this?

A waste of energy. There is no reason to run any pool pump that long. Read this: Pool School - Determine Pump Run Time

 

[sbcpool]

The biggest issue with any VS pump is power surges and lightning so a surge protector can be a worthwhile investment.

A waste of energy. There is no reason to run any pool pump that long. Read this: Pool School - Determine Pump Run Time

I've not had any issues with a 2-hour run time each day (single-speed), but the water's only at 65° - 75° depending on the day and not a lot of swimming going on. Just keeping the recommended FC levels and those 2 hours have been steering me right for over a month so far.

 

[Ztwent8]

Thanks for your advice Mark. While lurking I noticed that you seem to be one of the gurus on pool science. So I'm going to pick your brain as long as you'll listen.

I'm familiar with pump curves, head loss, efficiency, etc. and I think I've reached the conclusion that I'm going to upgrade from the MaxFlo XL pump to the Hayward EcoStar pump. There seems to be a fair amount of negative press about the EcoStar pump though, hence the reason for this post. I'll take your advice and install a surge protector as cheap insurance and cross my fingers that we'll get many years of trouble free service out of this rather pricy pump.

Where I'm a novice is how the pump operation relates to pool chemistry, particularly with regard to the salt water system.

Speaking with the pool company about pumps, they made a remark that in the ideal situation the pump would run all the time. I guess this theoretically makes sense since the water needs to be flowing for the SWG system to make chlorine. But it isn't realistic. I read the Pool School article about run time. Does the 8 hour recommended run time for variable speed pump use apply to salt water systems? Should this 8 hours be broken down to smaller segments at various speeds? I notice from reading other posts on TFP that users will run their pumps at different speeds over the course of the day to to accommodate vacuums, solar heaters, SWG's, varying electric rates, and the like; and it seems like a lot of it is based on trial and error?

Your feedback, and those of the others that replied, is much appreciated.

 

[mas985]

8 hours is a very conservative starting point. You should be able to run much shorter than that if desired although the SWG needs a minimum run time depending on it's output. Other than that, and perhaps heating the pool, run time is mainly just for cleaning debris off the surface and floor of the pool but that is purely optional. Currently, I run my own 2 speed for 15 min on high for the spa, and 3:45 on low speed for the SWG, suction cleaner and solar. I use a solar bubble cover so skimming is not really necessary. Every pool is a little different and can get away with more or less run time so a a little trial and error is usually your best option.

 

[Ztwent8]

Thanks for info. I need to educate myself more on the salt water generator and then go from there.

One remark I have is if you are able to maintain your pool chemistry with four hours per day of pump operation, it is even worth spending the extra money on the variable speed pump? The dollar amount is significant. And the main purpose, after all, is to save money in electric operation costs. Seems like if the pump demand could be as low as four hours per day, and we only have a four month swimming season, my return on investment will be a long ways out based on electric savings alone. Starting to question whether the pump upgrade is even worth it?

 

[mas985]

Again, chemistry and run time are not really correlated. If you can add and distribute chlorine in 30 min, you only need 30 min of run time. Any longer is optional.

Even though we have pretty high electrical charges (>$.30/kwh), a VS still wasn't worth it for me. I found a two speed motor on Craig's list and the upgrade cost me less than $130. At the time VS pumps were much more than they are now but still, you have to look at the economics to see if it worth it to you.

I have some spreadsheets in my sig so you can do that yourself but in general if your electricity cost less than (< $0.15/kwh) and you don't have any water features that require multiple flow rates and you are only open for 4 months out of the year, it will be hard to make the economic case for the EcoStar. The MaxFlo VS has a little bit better economics and could pay for itself but given the chance of frying the drive, to me, a two speed is a safer choice, especially when your electric rates are low.

 

[Hayward Pool]

There is an energy calculator on Welcome to Hayward Residential and Commercial Pool Products if you need more help.

 

[mas985]

Forgive me but IMHO manufactures' "energy calculators" tend to be overly optimistic when calculating energy savings of VS pumps. To me, these "tools" appear to be more of a marketing tool rather than a realistic estimate.

 

[mrd5]

Kirk,

For what it's worth, I upgraded to the non SVRS Ecostar last year and have been happy. I have yet to install a surge protector but plan to do so at some point. While it's definitely more expensive I like the VS feature. You don't always need to ramp up to full speed but there are times when it's nice to have that capability.

BTW, I grew up in the Hudson Valley (specifically Hyde Park).

-Mike

 

[pooldv]

Also, around how many hours a day does your pump run? I'm thinking of letting it run on low speed 24x7 during our pool season, which is four or five months out of the year, and then having it ramp up for solar heater and spa as needed. Any thoughts on this?

Our normal low speed run is 1100 rpm which draws 150 watts and provides good skimming and flow for the SWG. We have lots of trees that drop lots of stuff spring and fall. I often run my VS pump 24x7 during busy tree time to keep material skimmed and off the bottom. I also run my pump all day when trying to get maximum solar heating. The Solartouch ramps pump speed to 1950 rpm, 550 watts, and opens the solar valve when heat is available and puts it back to 1100 rpm when it is not. I go back and forth with when to go from 24hr to 12hr since it costs me less than 40c/day to run my pump 24 hours. My SWG is on its own timer and is running about 7 hrs during the day right now.