First off, thank you all for your help! I've been using this board for the last year and the information on it has been very helpful.
I purchased an in ground vinyl liner pool (used off craigslist, but that's another story) and installed it August of last year.
The equipment came with the package - a Pentair Challenger 1.65 THP pump and 2 Pentair Tagelus 50GPM Filters.
I want to replace the pump for 2 reasons:
1. Electricity is expensive! $.40 per KWH. California does one thing better than any other state - high energy costs.
2. I need a pump for something else that doesn't get used often.
I love the idea of a variable speed pump, and know in the long run it may save more money, but that's if there isn't a problem with the electronics after the warranty runs out. I don't like the idea of not being able to 'just' replace the motor if there is a problem. Plus there is only a 1 year warranty which seems crazy for such an expensive pump.
So i was thinking of a 2 speed pump.
Currently i have a 1.67 THP pump running at 8Amps that pushes 90GPM at 40' of head. It did a great job all last year keeping my pool clean, and i ran it far less than is recommended (no full turnover per day.)
So, with energy efficiency in mind, I was thinking about the WhisperFlo 2 speed pump series. It will pump 100GPM at 40' of head at 7.8A. That's more water and less electricity. Plus there's a low speed, which i will use often.
The Superflo series doesn't seem to give me a benefit. It uses less electricity than what i am replacing, but only has 80 GPM at 40' of head.
BUT - I now realize my filters are rated for 100GPM combined. From all I've read, filters are better if oversized, and I'm pushing it here.
Although i haven't calculated my head, my guess is it's pretty low. I have 2 skimmers with 2" pipe, and a main drain with 1 1/2" pipe. I use 3-4 returns with 1 1/2" pipe. The filters run at 10PSI.
So here are my questions:
Am I crazy to not want a VS pump?
Should i upgrade my filter (or buy a third?) How oversized should it be?
And most importantly - Are there recommendations on an energy efficient 2 speed pump besides the Whisperflo pump series? Should i be looking at Hayward or another manufacturer?
Hopefully this makes sense. Thank You in advance for your help! This is a great forum and i hope to be able to contribute here and give back once i figure out what I'm doing!
Matt
I purchased an in ground vinyl liner pool (used off craigslist, but that's another story) and installed it August of last year.
The equipment came with the package - a Pentair Challenger 1.65 THP pump and 2 Pentair Tagelus 50GPM Filters.
I want to replace the pump for 2 reasons:
1. Electricity is expensive! $.40 per KWH. California does one thing better than any other state - high energy costs.
2. I need a pump for something else that doesn't get used often.
I love the idea of a variable speed pump, and know in the long run it may save more money, but that's if there isn't a problem with the electronics after the warranty runs out. I don't like the idea of not being able to 'just' replace the motor if there is a problem. Plus there is only a 1 year warranty which seems crazy for such an expensive pump.
So i was thinking of a 2 speed pump.
Currently i have a 1.67 THP pump running at 8Amps that pushes 90GPM at 40' of head. It did a great job all last year keeping my pool clean, and i ran it far less than is recommended (no full turnover per day.)
So, with energy efficiency in mind, I was thinking about the WhisperFlo 2 speed pump series. It will pump 100GPM at 40' of head at 7.8A. That's more water and less electricity. Plus there's a low speed, which i will use often.
The Superflo series doesn't seem to give me a benefit. It uses less electricity than what i am replacing, but only has 80 GPM at 40' of head.
BUT - I now realize my filters are rated for 100GPM combined. From all I've read, filters are better if oversized, and I'm pushing it here.
Although i haven't calculated my head, my guess is it's pretty low. I have 2 skimmers with 2" pipe, and a main drain with 1 1/2" pipe. I use 3-4 returns with 1 1/2" pipe. The filters run at 10PSI.
So here are my questions:
Am I crazy to not want a VS pump?
Should i upgrade my filter (or buy a third?) How oversized should it be?
And most importantly - Are there recommendations on an energy efficient 2 speed pump besides the Whisperflo pump series? Should i be looking at Hayward or another manufacturer?
Hopefully this makes sense. Thank You in advance for your help! This is a great forum and i hope to be able to contribute here and give back once i figure out what I'm doing!
Matt