Electricity costs for my pool pump

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Attached is from a PDF, from the LA DWP website, for variable speed pumps.

EDIT 4/30
I think I misread the LA DWP list.
I have added my updated list below.
The VS pump is above the note, the VF is below, and it does not say what section the note is for. I thought it was for the section below it, but I saw on another forum that the note applies to the VS pumps.
This does make more sense, since the VF has more built in controls, as does the Ikeric pumps. I guess it was wishful thinking.

This prices the VF and VS pumps out of my range, looks like I will end up with a two speed whisperflo, or something like it instead.

END EDIT



The part number listed for the intelliflo is for the VF model.

The VS was in another section, that did not require a controller
 

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whoozer said:
So with water features should I have a vf or will a vs be ok. Will I save in electricity over the 3/4 horse because of the compensation in speed? My pool is pretty basic other then the 4 water sprays/slide/swg. Is that enough to justify variable speed? As a woman knowing little about rpms etc and having a hubby that could care less I need guidance :lol: :lol:
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The VF would definitely be easier, especially if you just want to set and forget it. With the VF, you can do things like program it for one turnover per day, and it will automatically go at the right speed (RPM) to give you one turnover. You could set up a different mode, to support the water features, at some point during the day, and it would account for that higher speed for calculating the one turnover.

You will save money, it's a question of how much, and if it's worth it. Lower speed means you lose less energy due to friction of the water against the pipes.

I don't know if 3/4 hp will be one half the power of my 1.5 hp pump, maybe the resident experts can chime in on that one.
I also run my pump less in winter, because my pool is covered. Not sure how much I would need to run if it was open.

What kind of controls are you getting? The higher end Pentair controls will connect to the VF/VS, to control it. BTW, I just added a wireless remote control to my pool, and it is pretty nice to be able to turn on the pump, and check the water temp from inside your house, but this is all more money too.

Randy
 
This is where I really :shock: get scared. Ok I have a pentair cartridge filter clean and clear plus/ and a swg pool pilot dig 60cell. Define controls???? I'm sorry surely sometimes it seems like your talking to a monkey but when it comes to this stuff... I know the swg has a timer on it..is that what you mean? My last pool had pump/filter/auto chlorinator/timer/fiberoptic light but I had to go to the pool and turn everything on myself unless it was set to the auto timer. I usually ran my pump during the night on the timer. This new one is altogether different cause its bigger with moe "features" than my last one.
 
whoozer said:
This is where I really :shock: get scared. Ok I have a pentair cartridge filter clean and clear plus/ and a swg pool pilot dig 60cell. Define controls???? I'm sorry surely sometimes it seems like your talking to a monkey but when it comes to this stuff... I know the swg has a timer on it..is that what you mean? My last pool had pump/filter/auto chlorinator/timer/fiberoptic light but I had to go to the pool and turn everything on myself unless it was set to the auto timer. I usually ran my pump during the night on the timer. This new one is altogether different cause its bigger with moe "features" than my last one.
Click to expand...

For controls, I meant what was turning things on and off, especially the pump. The pool pilot has a timer, and can control a pump (as long as the pump is not too large, but 3/4 hp is pretty small). I would think your pb is planning to use the pool pilot to control things.

The pool pilot can control a two speed pump, I have seen posts here talking about it. But, the pump is always on, either at low or high speed.

Or, if you get the intelliflo vs or vf pumps, you can control the pumps by a display/keypad on the pumps.

Randy
 
If you want to use the timer on the IntelliFlo VF with an AutoPilot unit you are forced to use the flow switch in the AutoPilot to determine when the pump is running, and thus when chlorine can be generated. It is better to have some redundancy, ie have the AutoPilot powered off when the pump is off to be doubly sure that you don't produce chlorine when the pump is off. But you can run with just the flow switch.

If you are getting an IntelliFlo VS, then you can use the AutoPilot unit to turn the pump on and off, or with an IntelliComm you can use the AutoPilot to switch between two speeds on the pump.
 
Pentair makes a unit called the IntelliComm that allows you to select any of the four user programable speeds or off using simply connections to a relay, such as would appear in another manufacturers automation system. You can see the manual here. Since the IntelliComm is fairly expensive, it would have been really really nice if they had included something that allowed remote selection of more than one speed directly on the pump.

If you have an IntelliTouch, EasyTouch, or SunTouch you don't need the IntelliComm since the Pentair controllers talk Pentair control language. And if you only need to be able to turn a single speed on and off you also don't need the IntelliComm. But if you want a non-Pentair control system to be able to select more than one speed you need an IntelliComm.

The IntelliFlo pumps can be controlled in two ways. Either you simply turn the power on and off or you connect to them with a Pentair communication cable and send them commands. The Pentair communication cable is not something you can easily connect to unless you have a device specifically designed to work with it. So if you want to do anything beyond turning the unit on and off, for example if you want to change speeds, you need something that will convert something more commonly available (like a relay) to Pentair control language.
 
Ok help me out here. I finally had time to do some research on the prices of these pumps. I found 2 intelliflo pumps. One was the 4x160 is this the vs we discussed? The other was the 3.2kw programmable. So if I went with either of these it says it would cut energy costs. But you said I would also need a control to "talk" to these if I want to program speed change. What is the technical term for the intellicom like system? I think I'm in over my head but I really want to figure this stuff out so I can make my purchase and be done with it for my pool build. With my below specs does it seem reasonable to say I only need the first 4x160 pump to save energy and do what I need to do?
 
whoozer said:
Ok help me out here. I finally had time to do some research on the prices of these pumps. I found 2 intelliflo pumps. One was the 4x160 is this the vs we discussed? The other was the 3.2kw programmable. So if I went with either of these it says it would cut energy costs. But you said I would also need a control to "talk" to these if I want to program speed change. What is the technical term for the intellicom like system? I think I'm in over my head but I really want to figure this stuff out so I can make my purchase and be done with it for my pool build. With my below specs does it seem reasonable to say I only need the first 4x160 pump to save energy and do what I need to do?
Click to expand...

The 4X160 is the same as the VS, Pentair changed the name this year. Model number is the same.

You can check out the owner's manual here
http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/Intelli ... x100OM.pdf

Looks like there are four buttons, to set the different speeds. So, you can control the speeds at the pump, without a control system.

Randy
 

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To get the most out of a 4x160 though I'd really recommend an automation system like the EasyTouch. It talks digitally to the 4x160 and you can change speeds, make programs, and schedules, etc, all from the wireless remote.
 

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Ok one last pump question before I take the plunge and buy. If I go with the 4x160 intelliflo and use an easytouch that can help with the automation of my water features right? Basically I could set it to turn on the water slide or the water features. I like the auto change of the vf model but I can't afford an easy touch if I buy that pump. So will the 4x160 and the easy touch work for what I need? Thanks guys, I'm gonna stop procrastinating tonight!
 
Yes, an IntelliFlo VS and an EasyTouch system should do what you need as long as you don't need too many relays or automated valves. One touch of the remote can turn a valve and change motor speeds so that your water feature turns on and everything adjusts properly. You will need to manually figure out what the right speed is for each mode and then you can program that in and forget about it.
 
randytsuch said:
With the VF, you can do things like program it for one turnover per day, and it will automatically go at the right speed (RPM) to give you one turnover. You could set up a different mode, to support the water features, at some point during the day, and it would account for that higher speed for calculating the one turnover.
Click to expand...
Though the above is what they originally claim in their marketing, at least when I bought my IntelliFlo variable flow pump last June (2007), I noticed that it did NOT account for cumulative volume to shorten the time when it got to one turnover. Instead, the U.I. seemed to only be used to calculate the total time for one turnover in filter mode without any compensation for "special" higher flow features such as solar.

When I asked about that, Pentair told me that they changed the programming due to customer complaints so that filtering mode will always go for the same period of time. I think that was for those who split their time into two pieces where the second piece sometimes wouldn't get run at all if the full turnover was already achieved. I suggested that they make this a U.I. option so customers can choose which method they would prefer to use. At any rate, my complaining about this and some other things (I couldn't program it to prevent too high a flow to a dedicated cleaner line) got me a free upgrade to an i9s that allows me to have macros that help me prevent nasty interactions.

Richard
 
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