Questions about upgrading pump and solar controller

Apr 28, 2017
67
Murrieta, CA
Hey all, looking at upgrading my system before the season. I was hoping for some advice.

I have a single speed 1.5 hp pump that's probably a decade old. It gets ther job done, but it's loud and uses about $150 a month in electricity to run 6 hrs a day. I am considering upgrading to a pentair intelliflo vs pump. Looks like I can pick one up on Amazon under 900.

Also, my solar controller hasn't worked since ive owned the home. I can manually switch it on and off, but always end up with a pool that is too hot or too cold. Looking at putting in a pentair solar touch, with the hope I can have the controller switch the pump to high speed, when necessary. I believe these two work together in that manner?

While im in there, I'm also planning on putting a flowvis in there to help dial in the pump for maximum efficiency.

Few questions: does this setup sound like it will achieve what im looking for? Am I missing anything?

Also, how hard is this to do myself? I have a hard time trusting pool guys as ive only had bad experiences. Since then, I've done all my pool care since owning the pool 2 years ago with the help of this forum. My DIY skills are good and I own most of the tools. But I get a bit intimidated with plumbing and electrical. I can do basics like change a receptacle or change a sprinkler controller, but won't do stuff like add a fixture.

Looks to me like the physical pump orientation is the same as my current pump, so seems like no big deal? Like flip breaker, swap pumps, maybe put in new pipe if not an exact match? Is it that easy?

The controller looks a little tougher. Swap the unit, run one sensor to the roof of the shed right next to the pump, run a sensor to the return line, and run a wire to the pump. Anything else?

The last time I had my pool serviced, I ended up with a busted pipe, a stolen vacuum, and found a pair of underwear that didn't belong to us in the pump basket, so I'm really leaning toward doing this myself unless it's really harder than it seems.

Thanks in advance for any advice!
 
D,

The 3 HP IntelliFlo is a great pump. I really doubt that you can just swap out pumps unless your current pump has unions and they just happen to be in the same position as the IntelliFlo. Show us a pic of your current pump plumbing... If your current pump is 220 volts, then the wiring should not be an issue, but keep in mind the IntelliFlo should be connected to constant AC power.

Use pump unions to install your new pump.. You can't buy them at home depot and have an O-Ring on the threaded end to prevent the leaks you often see at the input and outputs of the pump. They look like this... https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...hUKEwjf0-OR1pPhAhVuja0KHeaGB88Q9aACCDU&adurl=

Installing the Solar Touch is also easy, except the manual is written in "Pentair" which is pretty hard to understand... :)

There is almost never a need to have a flow meter.. If you want one great, but don't install one thinking that you will need it.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
D,

The 3 HP IntelliFlo is a great pump. I really doubt that you can just swap out pumps unless your current pump has unions and they just happen to be in the same position as the IntelliFlo. Show us a pic of your current pump plumbing... If your current pump is 220 volts, then the wiring should not be an issue, but keep in mind the IntelliFlo should be connected to constant AC power.

Use pump unions to install your new pump.. You can't buy them at home depot and have an O-Ring on the threaded end to prevent the leaks you often see at the input and outputs of the pump. They look like this... https://www.google.com/aclk?sa=L&ai...hUKEwjf0-OR1pPhAhVuja0KHeaGB88Q9aACCDU&adurl=

Installing the Solar Touch is also easy, except the manual is written in "Pentair" which is pretty hard to understand... :)

There is almost never a need to have a flow meter.. If you want one great, but don't install one thinking that you will need it.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Thanks! Very helpful advice! I anticipate having to move the pipes a bit. Would I use regular PVC glue?
 
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