Help me pick a pump!

[AVR]

Hey all, new to the forum, but seems like a great resource and good place to talk to people that know their pools.

I just bought a home and it has a fiberglass in-ground pool put in the 1980s. It has NO spa, NO solar heating. a few skimmers. very basic setup.


Size: Pool is 33' x 12' x 4.5' average. my calculations put it at about 14,000 gallons.
Filter: STA-RITE PTM70 Posi-flo II cartridge filter. NO pump and an inline chlorinator by sta-rite. Looks like there is a timer box that the electrical conduit is running from to the pump, so has a timer.

I have been doing a ton of research on pumps and wanted to get some opinions.

my electricity rate is 11cents / kwh in Tampa area.

I was looking at a 2 speed pump / motor or a variable speed motor. I want to get a decent build quality pump. Have been focused on the Pentair / Sta-rite pumps.

I found a 2 year old Max-e-pro 1.5 HP pump on craigslist for cheap $75.. wondering if I can just get that, and buy a new 2 speed motor 1HP?? is it pretty easy to add a motor to the pump? total cost would be $300 or so for a 2 speed max-e-pro setup? or am i missing something?

I have heard Max-e-pro and whisperflo are great choices for good quality / reliability.

I also have considered the intelliflo VS, i can get the Intelliflo for $850 online...

Basically just would like someone knowledgeable to point me in the right direction..

1. NEW 2 speed
2. NEW Variable Speed
3. Try to get thrifty and get good quality pump and replace motor with a new one...

Any help you can give me would be very helpful.

 

[Melt In The Sun]

Welcome to TFP!
Any of those options would probably be OK...buying a used pump can be a bit iffy since you don't know if it was run dry or had something else bad happen. You don't pay enough for power to justify a variable speed, but they can be fun. With a simple pool like yours there isn't really a point.

Something to check...I assume most of the plumbing is still intact, but with no pump? If that's indeed the case, take a few measurements (height of intake pipe off the ground, depth you have available, etc) and check the manuals to make sure what you buy will fit well. I know some pumps differ in height by a couple inches or more, and that can make plumbing a major pain.

If it were me, I would look at a new 2-speed. Don't discount Hayward or Jandy either...all make fine pumps and prices may vary widely for no obvious reason.

 

[jblizzle]

Can you verify the voltage that the pump has available to it? Might be able to tell based on the circuit breaker or wires running to the timer / motor.

I would recommend a 1HP 2-speed at the largest. The smaller pump will use less power and you have no need for high flow rates.

The 1HP 2-speed Superflo is a great pump if you have 230V ... usually comes with a speed selection switch built on to the motor.
If you have 115V, then either the 3/4 HP Superflo or 3/4HP Whisperflo are good.

As MITS said, Hayward and Jandy have pumps that are comparable as well.

 

[AVR]

i checked and there are 2 breakers labeled for pool pump, so i have been told that means i have 230volt??

does the whisperflo or max-e-pro 2 speed pumps have a switch on motor?

i have a mechanical timer on the power to the pool pump, i want to have this set-up so that i can switch the pump into the low speed setting, and have the power kick on and run it for 10 hours on low, then kick off. then when i need extra power to vacuum, ill manually go over and switch it up to HIGH power on the motor...

do they work like that?

Adam

 

[jblizzle]

What you describe is how mine is setup with the mechanical tuner and then I pick the speed ... high speed when I am running solar or cleaning and low speed at other times.

The Whisperflo does not come with a switch. If you have 230v, then the 1hp Superflo is a good choice.

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short