2 speed pump for in floor cleaning?

[gvc]

I too am considering a 2 speed pump. I have a 36K gal pool with solar heating (one story) and in floor popups using 8 head valve and leafcatcher system. currently using original stealth Jandy 2hp with 520 sf pentair cartrige filter running off of Aqualink automation. If I do decide to go the 2 speed route, am I better off staying with the same brand as originally installed? I would want to retain current automation panel programming. and would running at the low speed be adequate pressure for the popup system so I could only use high speed for solar heating?

 

[JasonLion]

Re: I too am considering a 2 speed pump

Replacing the motor on your existing pump is usually the simplest approach, since there isn't any plumbing required that way. Otherwise, staying with the same brand can help keep the pipe aligned, but you frequently have to do noticeable cutting and patching of the pipes anyway, so that isn't always all that much of a help.

A two speed pump on low is not usually enough for use with an in-floor cleaning system. In-floor cleaners need lots of pressure, but low speed cuts the pressure dramatically.

The automation system should be compatible with any brand of pump as long as it has a relay available for controlling two speed mode. If there isn't a free relay, you can control the speed manually, but that isn't as much fun

 

[gvc]

Re: I too am considering a 2 speed pump

so then , a two speed pump isnt going be that much of a money saver for me because of the in-floor system needing the pump to run at the higher speed setting to operate efficiently? all things considered, is there that much of a difference in single speed pumps ,brand wise, as far as efficiency goes?

 

[JasonLion]

Pump efficiency doesn't vary by brand so much as it varies by model line. For example the Pentair WhisperFlo line is their most efficient single/dual speed line. For Hayward it would be the TriStar line. Both brands also have several model lines that are less efficient. Most other brands have similar differences between their model lines, though several of the low end brands don't have anything that is especially efficient.

One thing you want to think about is how long do you really need to run the in-floor cleaning system each day? For a typical pool perhaps two hours of in-floor cleaning will be enough, while the total pump run time needs to be significantly longer than that. Of course that varies quite a bit depending on details of your pool. At low speed the in-floor system won't clean, but it will let water through. It might be enough to run on high only part of the time, saving you electricity.

 

[gvc]

unfortunately , there is no way for me to easily turn off the in-floor cleaning. I can pause it but it cant be shut off completely. there is a two way valve setup that runs both the infloor and the leaf catcher so I can shut one down leaving the other open or vice versa. I also can pause the popups but that just keeps them from rotating stations and the water flow remains on one station indefinetly.

so, when the time comes, I think its best that I stick with single speed but mabey go with a pentair wisperflo if I can downsize a bit on the HP due to its better efficiency than the 2hp Jandy stealth.

thanks for your input !