New Pool Pump

[magnetar68]

Hi,

I am new. I recently bought a house with a pool. Lot's to learn.

I have a plaster in ground pool in Orinda, CA (SF Bay Area); somewhere between 16,000-18,000 gallons. (The previous owner said it was 11,000, but the math did not work out and I had a pool guy look at it an he gave me the numbers above. Also, the math works out to ~18,000, but not sure about the slope to the deep end.)

Anyway, I have 1.5hp primary and a 3/4hp booster. Thanks to the PG&E SmartMeter, I know that both pumps draw 1.5KW each of power when operating (total of 3.0KW). I pay an average rate of $0.27 an hour for electricity. When summer comes, and I think I will need to run the primary for ~10 hours and the boost for ~2, then this will be 15KWh+3KWh=18KWh or $4.86 a day, ~$150/month.

The pipe coming into the pump is 2" PVC.
The pipe going back to pool from the primary (through the heater) is 1.5" copper.
The pipe from the boost pump is 1.25" copper.
There are two 1" returns in the pool.
There is one 1.5" PVC in the pool that the pool sweep is connected to, but the pool sweep is 3/4" tubing.

I got a quote for an Inelliflo 4 speed + control panel for $2250 installed. This seemed high and I still have a 1.5KW boost pump in the system.

I am thinking about removing both pumps and putting in the IntelliFlo 4 speed 3050 (I found a place (Leslie's) that has it on sale for $899) and buying a Dolphin Deluxe 4 (also on sale for $899) They quoted ~$250 install for the 3050.

I figure this investment pays itself back in roughly 2.5 years (assumes running the new pump 2x as long but using 1/3 the energy and running the dolphin 9 hours per week and other changes in average monthly hours I need to run the primary pump etc). This is a very conservative estimate, but I would rather be surprised on the up-side.

Any flaws in my thinking? I realize the downsize of the Dolphin is that I need to proactively put it in and take it out, a few times a week.

Thanks,

-Ray

 

[Guest]

No reason to run the pump more than 6 hours (I personally don't like to run a pump less than 6 hours a day. 18 hours of stagnant water just sounds gross to me!). You could also split it up and run it some at night, when rates are typically lower. Where did you come up with the 10 hour run time?

The IntelliFlo 4X160 is a good pump, and it runs about $850.00 (pool guy cost) and does require a controller, so $2,250.00 sounds like a good price to me. A 2 speed WhisperFlo pump runs a bit less and does not require a controller. It should be on the "approved" list for PG&E also. What is your reason for looking at the 4X160?

I like the same size plumbing coming and going, but you do not have that option at this point! How far is the equipment from the pool? That will have as much, if not more, impact on the size of plumbing you have.

Congrats on the new pool, and welcome to the page!

 

[magnetar68]

No reason to run the pump more than 6 hours (I personally don't like to run a pump less than 6 hours a day. 18 hours of stagnant water just sounds gross to me!). You could also split it up and run it some at night, when rates are typically lower. Where did you come up with the 10 hour run time?

Both pool shops I have been to have said I will need to run the pool pump 10 hours a day in the summer. But I have no idea if this is accurate.

The IntelliFlo 4X160 is a good pump, and it runs about $850.00 (pool guy cost) and does require a controller, so $2,250.00 sounds like a good price to me. A 2 speed WhisperFlo pump runs a bit less and does not require a controller. It should be on the "approved" list for PG&E also. What is your reason for looking at the 4X160?

Both shops have pointed me to that pump when I said my primary reason for wanting a new pump is to reduce my electricity bill. I also have a coworker that installed this pump and validated that it saved him more than 50% on his electricity bill. I am certainly open to comparable alternatives.

I like the same size plumbing coming and going, but you do not have that option at this point! How far is the equipment from the pool? That will have as much, if not more, impact on the size of plumbing you have.

It's about 15 feet from the skimmer box and 45 feet from the farthest returns.

Congrats on the new pool, and welcome to the page!

Thanks!

 

[polyvue]

Both pool shops I have been to have said I will need to run the pool pump 10 hours a day in the summer. But I have no idea if this is accurate.

I don't think the shops steered you wrong but 8-10 hours is still just a rule of thumb... as is the notion that one should have a minimum of 1 turnover (of the pool's volume) in a 24-hour period. I run my pump/filter 3 hours a day but my single-speed pump, pipe sizes and close distances to the pool comport to a rather excessive 80 GPM+ -- resulting in about 1 turn in that short time period. In the event that I switch to a variable speed main pump (as I'm sure I will one day to conserve energy) I'll be able to run the pump at a much slower speed, but with an increase of run-time to 6 hours or so to achieve my 1 turnover; this will save me half or more in electrical costs.

If you can determine GPM for your 16-18K pool with your present equipment, you'll have a better grasp of how long you need to run the pump for 1 turnover and (assuming 1 turn provides acceptable water quality for your pool) how many months/years needed to recover your investment with the VS pump.

 

[Guest]

Remember that pool shops are there to sell you something !! They are not really looking out for you.....

I would suggest that you stop by Pentair's site (http://www.pentairpool.com) and do a little digging on your own. You will learn quite a bit there, and they have an "energy calculator" that you can input your needs and energy rates to make an educated decision on which pump is best for your needs.

I've been building, designing and involved in the pool industry for nearly 15 years now, and even commercial projects work off of a six hour turnover rate! I think somebody must have stock in PG&E if they are telling you to run the pump for 10 hours, at any time of the year As you will learn on this page, maintaining your pool is really pretty simple, and you don't have to go broke doing it!

Keep reading (Pool School is a great place to start, if you haven't read it already!), and there are lots of great, helpful folks more than willing to offer good advice! With a little time you will be up and running and ready to have a great summer