What can you tell me about pool pumps?

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Notri4MeBikeSwim

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Apr 14, 2013
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Our pool pump is noise. It's a 1 hp and runs at about 3400 rpm.

Questions:

1- there are high effeciency furnances, is there such a thing as a high efficiency pump
2- Looked at the maker's site and they have about 50 different pumps, how do you start narrowing down the selection process?
3- 1 hp seems small to me. How do you determine how much hp is needed? I presume there's a formula somewhere. I'm not assuming the previous owners and contractor put in the right option
4- a local pool store has a sign the 1 hp+ single speed motors are now illegal. So now people are using variable speed motors? why?
5- are there certain rpm's that are noiser than others?
6- is there such a thing as an efficient quiet pool pump?

What didn't I ask, i should have asked?
 
Notri4MeBikeSwim said:
Our pool pump is noise. It's a 1 hp and runs at about 3400 rpm.

Questions:

1- there are high effeciency furnances, is there such a thing as a high efficiency pump

Yes there are, but few companies offer them, I know a few members here have used them when replacing motors, although they do tend to cost about 50% more than a standard motor, and only gain 10-15% power saving

2- Looked at the maker's site and they have about 50 different pumps, how do you start narrowing down the selection process?

First I would separate the ones for above ground pools from in ground, then start looking at special needs for the pool in question, like do you have water features that need a medium or high head pump, etc. Then there is the question of single, 2 speed, variable speed, and recently you have basic variable speed units and ones that interface with pool control systems


3- 1 hp seems small to me. How do you determine how much hp is needed? I presume there's a formula somewhere. I'm not assuming the previous owners and contractor put in the right option

a 1hp motor can be enough for most residential pools up to about 36000 gallons if they have no special needs, water features, pressure side cleaner, in floor cleaner, spa jets, etc.

4- a local pool store has a sign the 1 hp+ single speed motors are now illegal. So now people are using variable speed motors? why?

I assume your in California, why does California make any of their laws where they tell people how they can live, what they can do, etc. They had some study a few years ago when all the rolling blackouts were going on that the average residential pool pump was massively oversized and wasted X percent of a typical homes electricity.

5- are there certain rpm's that are noiser than others?

Generally the faster a pump runs the louder, I have a 2 speed so can't comment on the variables, I also live where electricity is relatively cheap so no real point in getting a variable speed around here.

6- is there such a thing as an efficient quiet pool pump?

Some are quieter than others, the slower the speed the less noise in general though

What didn't I ask, i should have asked?
Click to expand...

Mostly you did not tell us anything about your pool
 
One thing to tell us is the pump make/model you have.

Also, I noticed your sig showing the Sta-rite S7M120, which is a 300 sq.ft. cartridge filter. Since you mentioned that you are not sure the previous owner and contractor picked right...if you were buying a new filter, we would recommend a minimum 534 sq. ft. cartridge filter.

Isaac-1 did a great job with your questions...I would just add a couple of generalities:
  • 1. Most often pumps get sized too large by the industry.
    2. Most often cartridges get sized too little by the industry.
    3. Most pool owners run their pump longer than necessary.
    4. Running at lower speeds (whether 2-speed or variable speed) will save electricity/money.
    5. Running at lower speeds (whether 2-speed or variable speed) will be more quiet.
 
Thank you. I thought the pool was in the sig. Been tied up in a living room remodel and new flooring goes in thursday.

I had only considered replacing the pump, and with the current filter the max is 100GPM, but since I probably need new filter elements also, it can't be that much more for a new filter. Humm, again noise and electricity costs are important. Yes it is in CA and so everything costs more especially elect to pay for carbon. Don't want do the dumbness of thinking carbon based life is poisoned by carbon and trees/plants are killed by co2.

Good to know that lower speeds are quieter. The previous owners ran the pump 2 to 3 hours a day but in calculated the vol, it looks like it needs to run about 5 hrs a day. That figure matches closer the recommendation of the previous pool service.

The pump runs: 1) filter and skimmer for the pool, and 2) powers a six panel rooftop solar heater.

I presume the advantage of a larger filter is that the pump needs to run for a shorter time. So how do electric pumps work? If double the pumping and filtering ability of the system, and the pump runs half the time: is it a wash and no electric cost difference, or could there be savings?

again thank you for commenting
 
Larger filters mostly buy you longer times between cleaning, but depending on the type can also improve the ability of the filter to capture particles. You seem to be focused on trying to minimize the number of hours you circulate water through use of larger pumps, I don't think this is the right approach for your situation, your solar heat will only work (work best) when it has proper levels of flow during the hours of daylight, so you should instead look at your system as a whole. Most solar panels perform best at around 5 gpm per panel of water flow and a maximum of something around 8 - 10 gpm, working with a 5 gpm flow for 6 panels you end up with a desired 30 GPM flow through the panels (if this is not enough flow for your filtration needs it is easy to set up a partial bypass with a valve to control bypass flow), assuming 12 hours of useful daylight on an average day when you desire solar heating (depends on location, season, etc., but it is a starting point) at 30 gpm, you well get (30x60x12) 21600 gal in 12 hours, and then if you set your variable speed pump to a slow setting of say 20 gpm for the other 12 hours per day you get about another 14,400 gallons of circulation while keeping enough flow to maintain minimal skimmer action and getting somewhere just over one full turn over per day.
 
Interesting. Yes I had been focused on cost. This time of year the filter runs from 11;30 to 4:30. peak temps are 12 to 6 with shade on the pool starting about 6 to 6:30, the roof is usually in sun til 7. Temps are fine from May to Sep, the rest of the year cooler and few swimmng days.

so filter is fine, just need to get a new pump. This is so much different than handling the water chem and temps of an aquarium.
 
Note the above example is just one of many variations you could use, for example if you have tiered electrical rates, then it often makes sense to run your pump on a fairly high setting during those hours and low or off during peak electrical rate hours, of course this often does not fit in well with solar heating requirements, but at least it could be a mid summer strategy, on another note if your water gets too hot in the summer, remember those solar panels can be used to radiate heat at night.

Ike
 
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