Replacing and upgrading to variable speed pump

Jimrahbe said:

Steve,

You are in between a rock and a hard place...

My comment about pump unions was assuming that you were going to have to replumb anyway, as in a lot of cases the new pump's inputs and outputs almost never align up with the old pump's inputs and outputs.

In your case, if the two pumps are identical, then it would make the most sense to abandon the union idea and just use what you have.

Do the ports from your old pump line up with the new pump?

Thanks,

Jim R.

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Yes they do match up. I stayed in the Hayward super pump family for that reason to try and make this easier.

It came with a 2” to 1.5” bushing reducer.

I’m just a bit confused with this setup on the best route for where to cut, where to add couplings/unions/pipe.

Relieving the pressure and disconnecting the piping from the filter was the key point I needed. Managed to use all existing plumbing.

We’re rocking and rolling.

Thank you all, this is my first post in this community and you guys have been awesome.

I hope to help some future newbies like myself.

Time to make sure my chemistry is in check. I’m assuming I’ve got some copper from wire sitting stagnant in my heater?

Cheers all.

red-beard said:

Now is the time to program the unit.

I use to run mine at minimal speed for 20 hours a day (850 RPM) and then ~2400 RPM for two 2 hours sessions morning and evening (better skimming)

What I'm doing now is 1250 RPM (minimum speed to make my SWG work) for evening/night and 1800 RPM for daytime (6AM-6PM).

Click to expand...

Very true.

I’ve started trying to understand rotating my water in an 8 hour period, but the tape measure for head room will need to wait until tomorrow to validate these settings.

Optimization tomorrow! That might warrant a new post…

In the mean time, here are my takeaways from anyone who might end up in my situation.

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My key points from upgrading to a single speed Hayward Superpump to a VS super pump:

W3SP2603VSP is advertised as 1.5” port holes; that’s true if you use their reducing bushings from 2”. That’s an extra piece and a little more work wrapping thread seal around another piece.

Existing plumbing can be used, but need to make sure you tighten your plumbing to similar configurations in the existing setup.

Start by releasing any air from filter, and disconnect from filter first. From there, disconnect filter side first, then suction side. When I searched videos online, I saw many cutting plumbing and it was intimidating to torque my fittings at first. Disconnecting at the filter makes everything a lot easier.

If using a mechanical timer switch with old pump, remove pegs for timer since pump will handle timer now.

This is a great time to check o-rings on pump seal, heater seals. I noticed some deterioration and an ordering some parts tomorrow.

Make sure conduit into pump is sealed tightly and electrical fits tightly. On my old pump, between this and the o-ring, I suspect this helped accelerate the failure. My unit was in a tight corner and I think over time some normal traffic in the area caused the opportunity for Mother Nature to invade.

Make sure to apply thread seal clockwise. This helps keep the seal when you tighten your hardware.

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Ok another front, for trying to keep my old system alive:

I tried replacing my capacitor on my old pump, but it was all for nothing. This is probably a good thing to try as this is a $15 fix, but in hindsight I heard no noise or humming, and I smelled a burnt motor when I fully removed my pump.

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Again, thank you all. My expectations of posting here were far exceeded. Great community!