Amazon extra warranty coverage on a Pentair Intellifo

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Protlost

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Mar 12, 2017
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Orange County, CA
Pool Size
35000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I currently have a Century 1.5hp single speed pump. With the roof top solar I have significant feet of head in the system using 2" pipes. I'm going to upgrade to a VS pump and have been looking at the Intelliflo 011018 3hp pump. Buying it on Amazon will cost $900 and they offer an additional 4 years of warranty coverage for $130 through SquareTrade.

Has anyone used the extra warranty? I realize DIY install negates the Pentair warranty. Paying someone to install means I can get a $200 rebate from the utility but I imagine it'll be at least $200 to install the pump anyway. I also have to keep their programming in order for it to be a qualified install.

What kind of lifespan should I expect out of the Intelliflo?


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P,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all your pool and pump questions.. :shark:

I have no idea what kind of warranty Square Trade provides, but if they will repair or replace the pump for 4 years, than $130 bucks sounds like a pretty good deal to me, and I never buy extended warranties...

Over the years, I have run several different Repair Shops for the original manufacturer.. While it is true that anything can break at any time, about 90% of all failures are infantile failures and happen within the first 60 to 90 days. This is the main reason I don't normally buy extended warranties. They don't sell them because they expect to lose money. :cool:

If I don't get 20 years out of my Intelliflo pumps, I'll be disappointed, but there will be another one in place the next day if one ever fails.

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
I have an Intelliflo vs that has been in service for 11 years. Bear in mind we are shut down usually mid Oct or so and start back up in mid April or so usually. It has not had any drive problems, the only issue was a shaft seal last spring at opening. It is exposed 12 months of the year and sits against a 3' tall brick wall being on its North side.
 
If you are an SCE customer (as I am) you can self install and claim the $200 rebate from them. SCE doesn't ask for an installer invoice, just the store invoice. I had mine installed so I could get the Pentair warranty and it cost nearly $200. If you can, do a self install, get the SCE rebate and purchase the SquareTrade 4-year extension. You'll be money ahead.
 
Jimrahbe said:
P,

Welcome to TFP... A Great resource for all your pool and pump questions.. :shark:


Jim R.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the welcome Jim. I suppose I should have introduced myself somewhere. I'm using the Tapatalk app so everything looks different than the desktop site. I am closing on a house next week with a 45x20 pool. The equipment is in working condition but could use a few updates. I'm excited to contribute to and gain from the knowledge around here.

SquareTrade says they cover any mechanical or electrical failure from normal use. No deductible. I'm going to talk with Amazon to see if I can get more details. I never buy extended warranties either but I certainly don't want to install a $1000 pump that has no backup against the occasional infant stage failure.

The reviews on Amazon are not all complimentary of the Pentair but one has to consider some of those are people who probably shouldn't be near tools. Industry pros all recommend the Pentair product which is why I'm interested in it.


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CA92807 said:
If you are an SCE customer (as I am) you can self install and claim the $200 rebate from them. SCE doesn't ask for an installer invoice, just the store invoice. I had mine installed so I could get the Pentair warranty and it cost nearly $200. If you can, do a self install, get the SCE rebate and purchase the SquareTrade 4-year extension. You'll be money ahead.
Click to expand...

That's great to know! I will definitely try for the rebate and see if they'll issue the refund. I may get quotes for an install. According to the SCE rebate site now a certified installer has to put the pump in and send proof that it has been programmed according to their guidelines. I have solar so it is cheapest if I run the pump during the day to take advantage of the generation of PV electricity. I think that programming is contrary to the SCE guidelines.


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I don't think so and now that I read it again it appears there is a $200 rebate to the owner for putting in a VS pump and a $100 rebate to a contractor for installing one. It reads like those are exclusive of each other so as CA92807 said I can probably still get the rebate.

For the contractor to get their $100 kickback they need to show it was programmed for off peak operation only. I can't imagine they go around and audit the programming of the pump after the fact.

Here are the details for owners and for contractors.

83d9cedaeb45109fa16715054fdbdbeb.jpg



62a2100f7723c1232eadfb18b8a28748.jpg



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I'm not seeing that it needs to be installed by anyone in particular only that a licensed installer can get an additional $100 rebate. It may just be me but I'd be asking anyone I highered to split that with me!

I know for a fact that RPU where I live does do spot checks on rebate applications. They came out to ensure I had the TV I said I had when applying for a $150 rebate for an EnergyStar TV over 39". RPU also gives a $5 billing credit for programing your pool pumps to run off-peak (not between noon and 8pm). They came out and checked on that too. It is unlikely but plausible that SCE will pick yours to spot check for run times too.

I'm getting my SuperFlo installed next Friday. It is $220 labor and an estimated $40 in pipe and fittings. Whoever did the initial install did a crappy job and a few pipes need to be re-routed to install the new pump, including the suction side inlet pipe because it doesn't meet the required 2.5 pipe diameters before the first elbow or T and another line from the filter to the heater that goes directly over the top of the pump to be replaced and the spa booster pump. I'm figuring that I'd have to run to Home Depot, grab a bunch of pipe and fittings before I even got started so it is worth it to me to just have it installed and be done with it. With the run to Home Depot and the 2 or 3 hours to install it I'd burn up a good portion of my day off which I can be doing something else.
 

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That's logical thinking Sammy. I found out I'm actually on the border of SDGE and SCE so I'm an SDGE customer. It looks like SDGE just has the customer submit the receipt online and they'll send the rebate. The two models I'm looking at are the 3HP Intelliflo 11018 or the 1.5hp Superflo 342001. My current pump is a single speed 1.95hp but with the rooftop solar I have 200' of head in the system.
 
Clearly I was not calculating the head correctly, thank you for pointing that out. The distance from the pump to the solar panel intake is 60'. From the outlet to the return line for the pool is 70'. Return to the returns in the pool itself is 45'. The intake lines to the pump is 25'. There is also the pool filter, one three way valve, and two check valves. Here are my calculations.

70 gpm

130' of 2" pipe = 10' of head
45' of 1.5" pipe = 12.87' of head
20x 90 degree bends = 4.81' of head
6x 45 degree bends = 1' of head
1 3 way valve = 2.3' of head
1 DE filter = 7' of head
2 check valves = 6.6' of head

=44.58' of head with the solar running

Without the solar running
20' of 2" pipe = 1.6'
45' of 1.5" pipe = 12.87'
9x 90 degree bends = 2.2'
6x 45 degree bends = 1'
1 3 way valve = 2.3'
1 DE filter = 7'
1 check valve = 3.3'
= 30.27' of head

I apologize my original calculation was based on a website that was presenting the calculation for the 90 degree bends incorrectly.


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I've strategically purchased SquareTrade coverage, I have filed a claim on three occasions. Something to keep in mind is they will only pay for repairs up to the amount of the coverage/price paid for the item. If pump cost $900 and you file a repair claim for $500 in year one, you only have $400 of repairs left in year subsequent years. So if second repair cost you $500 they would only pay $400 and they have no further obligation.

As FYI, if you have a Citi credit card (which includes the Costco credit card), many of their cards (all?) now offer a really nice extended warranty, better than any other credit card I know of. You get an extra 24 months added to your warranty (up to 7 years total coverage) when you purchase items at least in part with your Citi card. Coverage begins when the manufacturer’s warranty, or an extended warranty you bought, expires. So if you buy 4 year SquareTrade plan you would get 6 years of coverage. Citi will reimburse up to the amount charged to your Citi credit card. I'm using my Citi credit card strategically for purchases now to take advantage of longer protection. Even without the SquareTrade plan you would be covered for 3 years (1 year manufacturer + 2 year Citi) if you purchased with Citi credit card.
 
To protect any VS pump the most important thing you can do is install good surge protectors. I have two "whole house" type surge protectors. One on my main service panel and one on the pool sub panel.
 
So I've been running some more numbers and looking at the Intelliflo vs a Superflo.

My DE4820 filter has a design flow rate of 96 GPM.

With the solar on let's say I have 50 feet of head and with the solar off I have 30 feet of head.

I have solar power which probably provides 6 hours of electricity on average per day. Obviously it would be cheapest for me to try and cycle all 37,000 gallons in that time but that's not going to happen without blowing something up.

37,000 gallons / 8 hours is 4,625 gallons per hour
4,625 / 60 minutes is 77 gallons per minute.

Looking at the Intelliflo graph first

eb4cf0fb1c03f981cfe27406dce2bab9.jpg


To run 77gpm I need to be at 1500W or roughly 50% power. I actually can't run that pump over 1800W (96gpm with 50' of head) or I'll risk blasting my filter to the moon right?

Looking at the Superflo graph

acaf418f72dc2684dcb7f913d41b09db.jpg


I can only hit 80gpm on the quick clean setting which I'm guessing by the name isn't intended to be run for 8 hours. At speed 1 or 3000rpm I'd be at 55 gpm, it would take 11 hours at 3000rpm to filter all 37,000 gallons.

The Superflo graph doesn't show how many watts the pump is using at 3000rpm. I've seen numbers saying a 1.5hp pump uses 2000 watts at 3450rpm. Is that true for a Superflo?

Maybe what I really need is something halfway between a Superflo and an Intelliflo in terms of power. This pool has been pretty clean over the last month that I've seen it but that's winter operations. The single speed pump was set to run 6 hours a day at full speed with the solar off. With 30' of head maybe it was pushing 90gpm? I don't know the curves for an old Century pump.

I'd like to increase electrical and filtering efficiency. I'm not against running the pump over night during super off peak hours if that keeps the pool clear. Maybe 5 hours during the day and 5 hours at night?



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It looks to me you'll get 50 Feet of head at 3000 RPM but only 55gpm and at 3450 RPM at 85gpm. Why is it that you need to cycle the entire pool? If the flow is slower won't that allow more time for heat transfer to occur in the solar heat system and deliver hotter water to the pool? For the IntelliFlo that's at maybe 1000 watts which is around 2400 RPM. The SuperFlo will need to run at a slightly higher speed of 3000 RPM, which is around 1400 Watts. You need to figure the cost difference and having solar power skews things but it probably keeps you out of the higher billing tiers. The SuperFlo has less up-front cost too. Have you played with the pump sizing spreadsheets?

All that said, I think the mods should move your question and my repsonse to it into it's own thread as it is OT.
 
Protlost said:
With the solar on let's say I have 50 feet of head and with the solar off I have 30 feet of head.
Click to expand...
You do understand that head loss is dependent not only the plumbing but the pump that you attach to it. You cannot calculate head loss without taking the pump's head curve into account which also changes with pump speed. You have to solve simultaneous equations for the intersection of the pump's head curve with your plumbing curve.

You calculated the head loss with solar and without solar at the same flow rate but because they have different head loss, they will have different flow rates too. Their operating points will be at different locations on the pump's head curve but not at the same flow rates.

But I really don't understand why you are bothering with head loss when you are considering VS pumps. It just doesn't matter except maybe for performance predictions. Either pump is going to work fine.
 

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