I think lightning fried my Intelliflo pump

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brg88tx

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May 17, 2011
175
Montgomery, TX
I have a Pentair Intelliflo variable speed pump. It is 3 hp (I think) and has 4 speeds. I think lightning may have fried it the other night during a bad thunderstorm, I have an electrician checking it out today. If it is fried, I was thinking of going with a cheaper 2 speed pump and possibly lower hp. All we ever use is speed #2 (1800 rpm) and speed #3 (2300 rpm). If I bought a 1 1/2 hp pump with 2 speeds would the low speed be close to speed #2 on my Intelliflo? My pool is approx 22,000 gallons. Thanks
 
If you have to replace the pump of not, add surge protectors. I have two, a larger Eaton Ultra ($110) at my main panel and a smaller Square D SDSA1175 ($25) at my pool sub panel.
 
1800 RPM is not half of 2300 RPM so it wouldn't be possible to match flow rates exactly if that is what you are trying to do. You could come close to matching one speed or the other depending on what is more important. To match 2300 RPM at full speed, the Whisperflo 1/2 HP comes close. But then low speed would be about 40% lower than what 1800 RPM is now. However, you couldn't match the flow rate at 1800 RPM with a low speed of any pump except the one you have now (3 HP). But then at full speed it would be overkill.

What are the two speeds used for?
 
mas985 said:
1800 RPM is not half of 2300 RPM so it wouldn't be possible to match flow rates exactly if that is what you are trying to do. You could come close to matching one speed or the other depending on what is more important. To match 2300 RPM at full speed, the Whisperflo 1/2 HP comes close. But then low speed would be about 40% lower than what 1800 RPM is now. However, you couldn't match the flow rate at 1800 RPM with a low speed of any pump except the one you have now (3 HP). But then at full speed it would be overkill.

What are the two speeds used for?
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RPM comparison between a VS 3HP pump and a 1.5hp speed pump is an irrelevant comparison. @ 2300 RPM a 3PH VS pump will move more water at an equivalent head than a 1.5hp operating at 2300 RPM. If you are trying to match a VS pump to a 2 spd you need to compare the pump performance curve for your existing pump to a possible replacement.
 
BTW: a 3 hp Intelliflo has 8 available preset speeds. In addition there are the external control speeds and quick-clean speeds that can be set. It is basically infinitely variable in 5rpm increments. You may be only using 2 speeds, but you have a lot more programmability available to you.
 
bradj said:
RPM comparison between a VS 3HP pump and a 1.5hp speed pump is an irrelevant comparison. @ 2300 RPM a 3PH VS pump will move more water at an equivalent head than a 1.5hp operating at 2300 RPM. If you are trying to match a VS pump to a 2 spd you need to compare the pump performance curve for your existing pump to a possible replacement.
Click to expand...
First I wasn't just comparing the Intelliflo to any 1.5 HP pump, I was comparing the Intelliflo to ALL the Whisperflo pumps because they use the same housing as the Intelliflo and the Intellfilo wet end can use any of the Whisperflo diffusers and impellers to replicate the same Whisperflo head curve. Second, I did use ALL the pump head curves AND a series of plumbing curves. So my comments are very relevant and very accurate. But if you need further proof, here was the analysis that I did:

Plumbing Curve-C

Intelliflo @ 3450 RPM -> 100 GPM
Intelliflo @ 2300 RPM -> 67 GPM
Intelliflo @ 1800 RPM -> 52 GPM
Whisperflo 1/2 HP @ 3450 RPM -> 68 GPM
Whisperflo 1/2 HP @ 1725 RPM -> 34 GPM

So the Whisperflo 1/2 HP produces comparable flow rates as the Intelliflo at 2300 RPM. However, there is no Whisperflo pump that produces the same flow rate as the Intelliflo ON THE SAME PLUMBING at 1800 RPM. The flow rate is too low. However, the only Whsiperflo that will produce about 52 GPM at half speed (1725 RPM) would be the same wet as as the Intelliflo has now (3 HP) because the RPMs are about same (1800 RPM vs 1725 RPM). Capiche?

The same holds true for the plumbing curve-A (albeit with lower flow rates across all pumps) and is fairly independent of plumbing curve so you don't really need to know anything about the OPs plumbing to make the comments that I did.
 
Sorry mas, clicked the wrong reply to. Basically your comments echo my concerns. Don't go out and just buy a pump that has 2 RPm settings that come close to what you were using in a VS pump for a large HP size.
 
Thanks for the info....If it's fried, I may just buy a small single speed 1/2 hp pump. They're cheap. The tech is coming out tomorrow to break the news. I'll keep yall updated.

Question, about how many watts will a single speed 1/2 hp pump pull?
 
You don't really need to replace the entire pump. You can get the 1/2 HP Impeller and diffuser for a Whisperflo and put in the existing housing with a new motor. But it may end up costing about the same.

A 1/2 HP Whisperflo will draw about 1200 watts. Low speed, if you choose to go that route, would be about 300 watts.
 
i have done a lot of research in the last few hours and the pump i've decided to go with (if i have to buy a new one) is the Pentair Superflo 1hp 2 speed. Pentair 340042. Can I just buy the motor and bolt it to my intelliflo housing?

How many watts will this pump pull on high and low speeds? Thanks
 

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You cannot mix SuperFlo and Intelliflo parts. The Intellifo is built from the Whisperflo wet end so it only uses the parts from the Whisperflo. If you want, you can just add a new motor to your existing Intelliflo wet end and also change the diffuser and impeller to effectively downsize the pump.

Otherwise, you will need to replace the entire pump if you want to use the Superflo. If so, I would not go down below the Superflo 1 HP 2 speed. Otherwise, you may not have enough flow rate at high speed to match 2300 RPM of the Intelliflo (67 GPM).
 
brg88tx said:
quick question....while my main pump is down can i run my booster pump and cleaner by itself to stir up the water a little. i think i remember the pool builder saying not to do that but don't understand why? thanks
Click to expand...
If you run the booster without the main pump running, the pump will likely cavitate and damage the impeller because the water has to pass through the pump that is off causing a lot of head loss.
 
The same flow as the Intelliflo at 2300 rpm.

That is the equivalent of about a 0.8 THP pump using the affinity laws. The 1/2 hp Whisperflo has a THP of about 0.8 as well.
 
You shouldn't run the Polaris without the main pump on. It's not a self priming pump. If there's any air in the line, it will run dry and get damaged. It can also suck water from the returns, which can introduce debris into the pump.
 
ok, thanks for the input about the booster pump. i'm just worried about a green swamp while i wait for my pump. maybe i'll just walk around the pool and slowly pour in some bleach. btw, what's the going rate for a pump install? is there a problem with the wiring from an intelliflo to a single speed whisperflo?
 

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