Help me pick a new pump and other upgrades

[JimMarshall]

I'm about 99% sure that I want to get a new pump as a Christmas/Birthday gift over the offseason ( ask for gift cards from everybody and then have at it....) Reasons I am looking at a new pump are as follows:

1) My single speed Hayward pump I have currently is LOUD
2) Its also energy inefficient.

Wish lists for new equipment:

1) Quiet
2) I am already dead set on a VSP. Guy at the pool store tried to talk me out of it because it was "way more pump than I need" - well, yeah. I could swim in the river too. I don't NEED a pool at all, I WANT one. Just like I WANT a VSP
3) Eventually as my 3 year old gets a little older I have plans to add a small slide to the pool, and over the winter I would like to build a fountain that would/could sit on the deck and spill over into the pool. Also considering a solar heating install. Would want enough capacity to run both of these as well as my return(s)
4) I'd also like in the future, as part of the pool upgrades, to install automation in order to control the pump flow for these features, and actuate the necessary valves to run all of these features "hands off" as well as controlling a SWG.

On that note, I'm not sure if I would be further ahead to replace my pump first, and then add automation and SWG, or add an automation board and SWG that won't control my current pump and then replace my pump at a later date?

I'm incredibly open to suggestions for any and all of this.

 

[jblizzle]

Any automation system will control a single speed pump (which really just means it has a timer).

You really should not need one of the large VSP pumps, but most (all?) of the smaller 1.5HP VSP pumps do not seem to integrate will into automation systems. Although I seem to recall that perhaps some of them are now able to work with the communication cables. I can't keep up

 

[Spa Owner]

I'm about 99% sure that I want to get a new pump as a Christmas/Birthday gift over the offseason ( ask for gift cards from everybody and then have at it....) Reasons I am looking at a new pump are as follows:

1) My single speed Hayward pump I have currently is LOUD
2) Its also energy inefficient.

Wish lists for new equipment:

1) Quiet
2) I am already dead set on a VSP. Guy at the pool store tried to talk me out of it because it was "way more pump than I need" - well, yeah. I could swim in the river too. I don't NEED a pool at all, I WANT one. Just like I WANT a VSP
3) Eventually as my 3 year old gets a little older I have plans to add a small slide to the pool, and over the winter I would like to build a fountain that would/could sit on the deck and spill over into the pool. Also considering a solar heating install. Would want enough capacity to run both of these as well as my return(s)
4) I'd also like in the future, as part of the pool upgrades, to install automation in order to control the pump flow for these features, and actuate the necessary valves to run all of these features "hands off" as well as controlling a SWG.

On that note, I'm not sure if I would be further ahead to replace my pump first, and then add automation and SWG, or add an automation board and SWG that won't control my current pump and then replace my pump at a later date?

I'm incredibly open to suggestions for any and all of this.

Why are the set on VSD thinking?

I sell VSD in other applications and do so to save energy. The VSD I sell have power factor correction built in and we can often achieve 20% or more power use reduction simply by installing them.

The domestic pool pump VSD is not this. Its not even close to this.

I think it would be better from the description to work out the total anticipated flow rate, get a pump and filter set up that can handle the total anticipated flow rate and then use that adding the valves and features after the filter as finances and time allows.

To reduce energy cost run the larger pump filter for less time. Hope that makes sense.

 

[JimMarshall]

I'm looking at the VSP because I can run my pump at a lower speed, say 2,000 RPM, and even with a 3 HP Intelliflo, be using less power running my pump 24 hours a day than I use running my single speed for 8 hours a day now.

 

[Spa Owner]

I'm looking at the VSP because I can run my pump at a lower speed, say 2,000 RPM, and even with a 3 HP Intelliflo, be using less power running my pump 24 hours a day than I use running my single speed for 8 hours a day now.

Not sure about prices in USA could consider buying a small single speed pump to run 24 hours a day and a larger pump to run when pool in use. May find this as cost effective.

 

[jblizzle]

That is not logical. Even a "small single speed" is going to use WAY more power than a VS or 2-speed pump on low. I am not aware of any tiny pumps that would be required to start to compete on an electrical cost comparison.

 

[Spa Owner]

That is not logical. Even a "small single speed" is going to use WAY more power than a VS or 2-speed pump on low. I am not aware of any tiny pumps that would be required to start to compete on an electrical cost comparison.

Oh we have them here. 1/3 hp and so on. Assumed the same applied sorry