VS pump

[domingos38]

buying a new Variable speed pump next week
heres what my pool looks like

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/do ... res005.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y21/do ... ool015.jpg

simple no spa

what do u recommend?

thanks

 

[maxepr1]

Pump looks pretty good, whats wrong with it? What are paying for electric rates per kilowatt hour?

 

[domingos38]

nothing wrong with it.
i am just tired of paying high electric bills
not sure what i am paying per Kwh

heres what my bill says

Meter reading - meter 5C37744
Current reading 42449
Previous reading -40692
------
kWh used 1757

Energy usage
Last This
year year
kWh this month 1816 1757
Service days 30 30
kWh/day 61 59

**The electric service amount
includes the following charges:
Customer charge: $5.90 per month
Fuel: $74.34
(First 1000 kWh at $0.038000)
(Over 1000 kWh at $0.048000)
Non-fuel: $93.91
(First 1000 kWh at $0.049140)
(Over 1000 kWh at $0.059140)

 

[JasonLion]

You are paying just under 10 cents per kwh. With electric rates in that range it is rarely cost effective to replace a working pump, and when you do need to replace a pump it is usually most cost effective to go with a two speed pump.

 

[Brentr]

Domingos, I agree with Jason. Lots of variables to consider, How many gals in your pool? How big is your pump? How many amps does your pump draw? How long do you run your pump for? A variable speed pump is very expensive. I would love to get a variable pump by in my situation it would take close to 20 yrs to break even We here in Florida are experiencing very hot days and I think that your increase in your electric bill is from your air conditioner.
Have you considered replacing your motor with a 2 speed motor? This is a lot cheaper and you don't have to mess with the plumbing

 

[domingos38]

My pool is around 17000 gallons
i run it 8 hours/day
currently i have a 1.5 HP super II
not sure how many amps it draws
the pump costs $900 .how do u figure it takes close to 20 years to pay for itself?
heres a cold one to

 

[JasonLion]

There are two versions with that name, the full rated and the max rated versions. They draw about 1.5 and 1.0 kw respectively. That is either $37 or $25 a month.

 

[domingos38]

There are two versions with that name, the full rated and the max rated versions. They draw about 1.5 and 1.0 kw respectively. That is either $37 or $25 a month.

actually i think its a 2 HP uprated super II
it was a 1.5 HP full rated originally but i had the motor replaced years ago

 

[JasonLion]

Alright, then $37/month. In an ideal world you can save 50% of that by switching to a two speed.

 

[domingos38]

Alright, then $37/month. In an ideal world you can save 50% of that by switching to a two speed.

so in my case a VS pump makes no economical sense at all ?

 

[JasonLion]

Correct.

 

[Brentr]

My pool is around 17000 gallons
i run it 8 hours/day
currently i have a 1.5 HP super II
not sure how many amps it draws
the pump costs $900 .how do u figure it takes close to 20 years to pay for itself?
heres a cold one to

You may be able to to cut you run time by as much as 4 hrs. I usually run my pump to get a little over one turn of water. Jason should be able to figure approximate flow rate for your pump and then you can calculate how long to run your pump to equal one full turnover. What size plumbing do you have?

 

[domingos38]

My pool is around 17000 gallons
i run it 8 hours/day
currently i have a 1.5 HP super II
not sure how many amps it draws
the pump costs $900 .how do u figure it takes close to 20 years to pay for itself?
heres a cold one to

You may be able to to cut you run time by as much as 4 hrs. I usually run my pump to get a little over one turn of water. Jason should be able to figure approximate flow rate for your pump and then you can calculate how long to run your pump to equal one full turnover. What size plumbing do you have?

2" suction
1.5" returns

 

[susa]

>> would love to get a variable pump by in my situation it would take close to 20 yrs to break even

another issue to consider is noise abatement. all of our extended family (siblings, parents, in-laws) pools in florida have been replaced over the last 12 months with Pentair variable speed pumps, mostly IntelliFlow VF's but a few other IntelliFlow models thrown in for good measure. did you know that by careful shopping and by buying more than one item at one time, one can reduce the cost of an IntelliFlow VF to about 750.00 ?

I bought primarily to eliminate equipment sound as the VF runs totally silent.

 

[JasonLion]

A two speed pump run on low is also nearly silent.

 

[domingos38]

whats recommended as far as 2 speed pumps?

 

[JasonLion]

If you were starting from scratch I would recommend a Pentair WhisperFlo WFDS-3 3/4 HP 115 volt dual speed, or a Pentair WhisperFlo WFDS-4 1 HP 230 volt dual speed. Neither would be cost effective in this situation.

The closest you can come to being cost effective would be to replace the motor on your existing pump with a dual speed motor.

 

[mas985]

I just wanted to add a few things to the discussion.

1. This was probably mentioned but you are currently running your pump for about two turns a day. You could probably run half that amount at least part of the season.

2. Without additional information, I estimate your current pump is producing about 80 GPM @ 2200 watts. Give me your current filter pressure, distance between pool and pad, number of suction runs and height of the pad relative to the water and I can get a better estimate.

3. But even with two turns per day, the most you could be spending per month is around $30 which isn't high to begin with.

4. As Jason mentioned, a much cheaper option is to just replace your current motor with a two speed motor. You can save close to half the energy with just that. Payback is much sooner as well.

 

[susa]

Domingos, you asked where I made purchase(s), its not a secret topic to discuss openly so will post reply here. Multiple online stores, did a search from google and sent emails to various vendors and compared to ebay and craigslist. Bought several brand new pumps and SWCG units from craigslist and they all came with full warranties from Pentair (verified via phone call to Pentair). The key lesson here is that you have to be willing to shop and compare, every vendor wants your business and you increase negotiating capability if you can harness family friends and neighbors into a group deal but even one-off items exist constantly online.

 

[Brentr]

Domingos, you asked where I made purchase(s), its not a secret topic to discuss openly so will post reply here. Multiple online stores, did a search from google and sent emails to various vendors and compared to ebay and craigslist. Bought several brand new pumps and SWCG units from craigslist and they all came with full warranties from Pentair (verified via phone call to Pentair). The key lesson here is that you have to be willing to shop and compare, every vendor wants your business and you increase negotiating capability if you can harness family friends and neighbors into a group deal but even one-off items exist constantly online.

Totally agree with susa. I bought my intellibrite from ebay for $175 and it came with a full warranty from Pentair