no name VS pumps?

[mercurial]

Hey everyone,

what are your thoughts on the various no-name VS pumps on the internet these days? I assume these are just white-label pentair/hayward models, and they are substantially cheaper - often in the $500-$600 range. This one, for instance, has pentair references in the manual.

$1000+ for what is now pretty old tech seems exorbitant.

 

[PoolGate]

Most of those are cheap Chinese copies. Poor to no quality control. Safety is not a priority. Feel free to try them just make sure your homeowners policy is up to date.

 

[mas985]

I believe they are off patent clones. No relation to the originals other than the copy of the wet end. Motors and drives, however, are not copies so reliability could be an issue.

 

[mercurial]

I get the stereotypes - but I guess I am looking for people who have bought them and have some experience with them. Not everything out of China is garbage, and this is not new technology, its all pretty basic stuff that's been around for many years. I would expect pretty decent chinese clones by now.

 

[Newdude]

. I would expect pretty decent chinese clones by now.

So I just bought a pump that pre Covid was $1000, for $1500. If the $500 pump lasted 2-3 years the prices would probably be down considerably on the 'real' pumps. If the dang thing lasted longer, then that would all be gravy in the bank. You really don't have much to lose.

Figure out which credit card still doubles the manufacturer warranty and use that. (My Discover stopped, found out *after* buying a fridge). If it dies in 3 years, ok fine, it was crud, but you still got your money's worth.

 

[HermanTX]

I think if you do your homework and evaluate the risks vs. reward of saving $$ upfront.
I did notice that it cannot connect to an automation system (there was no reference to a RS485 cable). Also, there are only 4 speeds that you can program whereas a Pentair VS has 8 on the built in control board.
So if you understand what you are buying and it fits your needs then all the best and keep us updated on its performance.

 

[PoolGate]

I get the stereotypes - but I guess I am looking for people who have bought them and have some experience with them. Not everything out of China is garbage, and this is not new technology, its all pretty basic stuff that's been around for many years. I would expect pretty decent chinese clones by now.

Well, this is the point. They are hit and miss. I seem to remember a thread on this a few years ago. The general flow for these pumps is they are listed, sell, get mostly poor reviews if you look past the fake reviews. And when they get enough poor reviews, the items are delisted and listed again under a new name to start the process over again. Yes, you might get a good one. I suggest you look at the pumps and especially the bad reviews. Also read the good reviews and look for improper English as needless to say, that is a good sign it is a fake review.

 

[laprjns]

Looks to me like its the same pump as Cirupool/Discount Salt Pool Smartflo VS Pump. Compare the two manuals, they are basicly that same except Cirupool did a better editing job. Try searching the forum on "Smartflo" and you will see several theads that may help you.

 

[mercurial]

So I finally got around to buying the 3 HP variable speed version of this pump, and I was very pleasantly surprised by overall quality/capability. The pump is quiet and appears quite efficient, even at higher motor speeds, compared to my (almost new) single speed 2 HP hayward. It did arrive without a pump basket gasket, so I had to make a warranty claim (they sent me 25 gaskets.) I also went ahead and bought an additional basket cover, diffuser and main body gaskets (again got sent 25 of each lol), and main shaft seal, I probably should've also ordered an extra impeller but Heck it. Total out of pocket is about $600.

I wired it behind my old tightwatt2 controller which is set to be on for whole day; the tightwatt2 actually does dynamic seasonal adjustment, so if I wanted to be really clever I could configure that as part of things. I'm keeping the hayward single speed around so if the new pump takes a Crud in the middle of summer, I can temporarily shove the hayward back in.

One drawback is the lack of automation. But my issue with automation is the extreme vendor lock-in, not only would initial cost be 10X, but now I'm stuck with only that vendor (at least so I've been told?) This seems totally unacceptable, IMO!

The lack of automation is a real hit on the WIF (wife acceptance factor), but I'm wiring things up so when you want the hot tub, you flip 3 switches to the right ("when its the right time to use the hot tub switches go right!") and then you hit the "quick clean" button on the pump controller which I will cover with a sticker that says "hot tub". Then to turn it off, flip 3 switches to the left (you've left the hot tub!) and that's it, the pump eventually reverts to its schedule on it's own. Those instructions go on a laminate card attached to the controller box. Fingers crossed nothing gets blown up!