Switched my whisperflo motor to a 2 speed in April

[no-mas]

To recap, I replaced my 1.5 hp single speed whisperflo motor with a two speed in April. I'm attaching a comparison of my electric consumption and billed amounts of last year compared to this year. This is by no means a best case scenario because I run my pump substantially longer than I need to - I want the water moving anytime someone is home. It probably only needs to run 5 or 6 hours a day; I used to run it about 9 hrs a day in summer, and around 5 hours in the winter. With the 2 speed, I now run it 13 hrs a day - 12 hrs on low and 1 hr on high. Here's the result - differences since April I attribute to the pump motor since not much else has changed:

This summer has been pretty hot, so the a/c has probably run a bit more than last. I was also on vacation June of last year, which is why I imagine my consumption was slightly higher this year.

Since April, we've consumed 1659 fewer kWh; at $.12 per, the new pump has saved me at least $200, or around $40 / month... Probably it is a little more, since my sense is that we're using more air conditioning this summer, but since I can't measure how much more it's running, it would be pointless to guess.

When school starts in a couple of weeks, I'll likely start cutting back on run time since the kids won't be home all day to use the pool. The new motor, timer and gasket/seal kit should be paid for in the next 2 months with the savings; beyond that, it is gravy for me Any of you questioning whether it pays to switch to a two speed can see the graphs and judge for yourselves.

 

[257WbyMag]

Which pump did you get?

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ETA: Never mind...just saw your sig line. :-D

 

[Durk]

I'd like to know where did you get your motor and what was the make/model? Who did the swap? I have the exact same pump and I am considering the same upgrade. Thanks.

 

[no-mas]

Durk:
I got my pump motor (ao smith uqs1202r) and a pump seal/gasket set ("go kit")from a pool store that was closing it's business in Tampa for $200. I bought the timer (intermatic p1353me) on ebay for $90. I swapped the motor myself; it wasn't too hard. See this excellent thread for more info on how to swap the motor... Just a heads up: step 8 is easily the most frustrating part of the process. It is really a pretty easy job. Took me a few of hours working deliberately because I've never done it before.

Now, the proper motor for my pump is actually an ao smith b983, which is a larger frame (56y). The uqs1202r is a smaller 56j frame, but includes a perfectly sized rubber shim to rest between the motor and the bracket that the motor sits on - it is made for that exact purpose. Despite the difference in the physical size of the motor housing, the two motors are electrically identical.

I never thought my old pump was loud - I could hear it at my pad, but didn't really notice it at the pool. The new pump at low speed is remarkably quiet - for the next few weeks, if I was walking by the pad, I would always stop and check it because it sounded like it wasn't running. It always was; I had just become very used to the loud drone of the original. Easily the best change I've made to the pool so far! Feel free to ask any other questions...

 

[anonapersona]

Do the savings seem as big when you compare Kw instead of $. I have noticed my electric bill is lower this year in large part due to change in pricing from natural gas costs.

 

[Durk]

Durk:..... Feel free to ask any other questions...

no-mas: Thanks very much. If I could find one for $200 I'd do it tomorrow! I think I'll see how good a price I can find before next Spring.

 

[no-mas]

Anonapersona - quite the opposite. I posted graphs of both consumption and billed amounts, and the actual billed amounts resulted in more savings rather than less. Looking at actual billed amounts instead of consumption, we actually spent $278 less this year than last for electricity.

 

[Sportsman]

Just installed an AGP that was a display model. It came with a 1.5HP Hayward Power Pro Matrix. I was already leaning to switching to a dual speed. In CA, I'm at $.40 marginal rate so I can pay for a new pump in a heartbeat.