Please help me pick a replacement pump

[elgenyo]

Existing pump is dead. The pump house is no more than 15' away from the pool so I think the approx of 50' head works in this situation.

I'm entertaining the idea of a 2 speed pump...particularly the Pentair Whisperflo.

1. Would you guys recommend upgrading to the 2 speed pump or just swap out the 1 speed for an easy replacement?

2. Say I do upgrade to the Whisperflo, would I be better to downgrade the HP since I have a smaller pool? On high speed the only thing I would be running is the vacuum and the water features. In case any of you are wondering, in the piping picture the plumbing goes up to the fence line to a makeshift solar heater that hasn't ever worked and I live in Florida so what's the point anyways. I'm not concerned about using it.

3. From your experience does the Whisperflo have a toggle switch for hi/lo speed or would I need to install a timer?



Thanks so much guys!

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

Getting a two speed pump is a great idea. Depending on what is wrong with your current pump, you can probably replace the motor with a two speed motor and keep the wet end. Assuming it is the motor that has failed ,and the pump is intact, this is going to be the simplest approach.

The WhisperFlo does not have a toggle switch to select the speed. In-ground pumps don't generally have a switch, while above ground pumps often do. You can either get a timer that supports two speed pumps, or you can wire in a switch to allow you to manually selects the speed. (I believe that an appropriate timer is required to get the rebate in California.)

 

[elgenyo]

Thank you for your response! I believe the wet-end is operational however I would feel better to replace the whole shibang since I'm sure the rig is more than 10 years old. I'm confident enough to wire in a switch so that is no problem. I see in your signature you have a larger pool and a lower horsepower pump than I do. Do you think I would be good to go with the 3/4 hp Whisperflo 2 speed for my setup?

Thanks again!

 

[JasonLion]

Yes, the Pentair WhisperFlo WFDS-3 would be just fine in that application.