Time for a new pump? But which one?

[chrysrobyn]

I've got a 1HP Hayward A.O.Smith pump model c48k2n143b1 sp1607z1m which is now cycling on and off (I think it started last week -- that's when I noticed it), maybe it's hitting thermal shutoff? It never did before, but now the label looks like labels do when the metal they're on gets too hot. All brown and crispy on the edges. I don't know how old it is, I don't see a year of manufacture on it, but it came with the house which I've now had for 5 years. I'm betting it's getting old and something like a bearing is giving out leading to thermal shutoff. Is it time for a new pump? I think I could get a variable speed and save a load of energy costs. I've been running it 24 hours a day and the water had been looking even nicer than previous years, but now that the pump is cycling, it's starting to cloud up.

If I stick with the Hayward line, I think their energy calculator says that pretty much any variable speed would pay for itself in a couple of years. Is there a practical difference between them? A reason to get the EcoStar or TriStar VS or MaxFlow VS or Superpump VS (aside from purchase price)? What should I be considering when looking at the different models?

 

[pyrotiger]

You could find comparisons between these pumps. Here is a link to one, Variable Speed Pool Pump Buying Guide

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[chrysrobyn]

You could find comparisons between these pumps. Here is a link to one, Variable Speed Pool Pump Buying Guide

I have found some comparisons, but like that one, they all read like simple advertisements. I was really hoping to hear from someone with personal experience, maybe someone who found a compelling reason to favor one vs another. The price disparity I see on Amazon is enough that I expected some bigger feature differences. Since I don't have a fancy controller and don't want to do more than leave it there and run it, I wasn't looking so much at features anyway. Really, the personal experiences is my question. All else being equal, I can multiply the price per kWh by 5.5 months per year by 5 years and then sub in the power I see from the product descriptions and find the lowest total cost of ownership.

 

[pyrotiger]

The prices are fairly similar across the board, and is based largely on what festures are built in. The unique differences are in the features each pump provides. The comparison charts are fairly self explanatory in what each pump provides. A TriStar VS pump would be the ideal choice to suit your needs though. I personally prefer Pentair intelliflo VS and Superflo VS pumps.

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[tim5055]

Just like a home refinance, remember to amortize the cost over your anticipated time in the house. I'm probably not going to be in this house much more than a year so no upgrade would be worth it. If you plan on being in the house for several years and have high power costs then look at the VS pumps.

 

[CJadamec]

The eco and tristar have a much more robust user interface and work best if you have automation or are integrating with the SWG. These are also the larger and more powerful pumps.

The maxflo and super pump are more of a stand alone electronics package with limited automation interface.

Either pump will suit you fine it's a matter of cost. Although counter to regular logic an oversized VS pump will save you more money than a smaller VS pump. This is because you can spin the larger pumps at lower rpm to get the same flow rate. Being in NY you probably have high enough electric rates for a VS pump to make sense along with needing to run long enough to use the SWG.

As for which one to pick I strongly considered the Tristar pump but ended up choosing the Pentair superflo pump to save 200 dollars. You will be happy with any of those pumps and since you already have haywood no reason to change.

Be sure to get a surge protector for your pool sub panel to protect the electronics on the pump. A new motor for a VS pumps costs almost as much as the complete pump.

 

[barnnns1]

You won't be sorry with the pentair vs. One thing to make sure of is your plumbing. The 3 hp kicks up pretty high when priming and could be a problem with inadequate plumbing.

 

[pyrotiger]

You won't be sorry with the pentair vs. One thing to make sure of is your plumbing. The 3 hp kicks up pretty high when priming and could be a problem with inadequate plumbing.

Yes that's why I mention superflo vs along with the intelliflo vs for plumbing considerations

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[CJadamec]

Priming speed is adjustable on these pumps. My superflo has only spun up to about 2500rpm any faster than that and it sucks air from my skimmer. That's with the skimmer full almost to the top.

 

[GaryT58]

I have found some comparisons, but like that one, they all read like simple advertisements. I was really hoping to hear from someone with personal experience, maybe someone who found a compelling reason to favor one vs another. The price disparity I see on Amazon is enough that I expected some bigger feature differences. Since I don't have a fancy controller and don't want to do more than leave it there and run it, I wasn't looking so much at features anyway. Really, the personal experiences is my question. All else being equal, I can multiply the price per kWh by 5.5 months per year by 5 years and then sub in the power I see from the product descriptions and find the lowest total cost of ownership.

You're in the same boat I was/am in. I want to replace my 1hp single speed pump. Here is link to thread (see 2nd post) that shows a great table that compares cost of ownership for various pumps. You can download the excel spreadsheet from the 3rd posting, with link next to "Pool Pump Tools*". You can edit this worksheet (must enable macros) to change the various things to your case, like electric power cost, run times, product cost, run speeds, ....

There are other spreadsheets included which can provide some great info.

I used the "Energy Cost" sheer to verify in my case that the 5-year cost of ownership of the Pentair SuperFlo VS was much better than a 2-speed pump for how I plan to run (low speed 24/7). Also, with the "Energy Cost" worksheet, you can select the pumps you want to compare by entering the "Pump Model" value for the column and it will fill in the data for the pump from the "PumpData" sheet (where you can get the Pump Model values. I edited sheet with my local power $, run times, rates, current pump costs, and compared the couple models I was looking at (couple VS, one 2-speed) and compared to my original pump. Very helpful in selecting my new pump.