Two speed or Variable speed pump. Which is best in my case?

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scoobi72

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Nov 25, 2011
7
As you can see in my sig I purchased a house with a pool that runs a 2 hp single speed pool pump with a Polaris booster pump and my pool is only 20K gallons. I do have a spa with 5 jets but I still think my pump is way overkill and running too high all the time.

Can I get a variable speed pump that would do the job of both and save me a lot of money in the long run or can a two speed do the trick.

$.10 kWh and living in south Texas my pool never closes. Also have a SWG.

Any help on which ones are more reliable and/or more efficient would be appreciated!

Edit: also have a 12 year old challenger pump. Would it be dumb to get a variable motor for the pump instead of the entire thing so I dont have to replumb?
 
Re: Two speed or Variable speed pump. Which is best in my ca

In your case I would suggest just replacing the motor with a 2 speed motor, assuming the pump is otherwise in good shape (you will want to change the shaft seal while you are at it).

Ike
 
Re: Two speed or Variable speed pump. Which is best in my ca

You can not eliminate the booster pump unless you also get a different cleaner. The cleaner you have is designed for high pressure low flow rate from a booster pump. Other cleaners work on lower pressure higher flow rates that a regular pool pump provides.

How is the spa jet strength for you? If it is fine, then I agree with Ike that you could just get an equivalent 2-speed 2HP motor (assuming your current pump is wired for 230V). You would then only need to run on high speed for the spa jets, or while backwashing the filter. The booster pump will work fine with the pool pump on low speed.

Your power is pretty cheap and the extra cost of a full VS pump may not every get paid off.
 
Re: Two speed or Variable speed pump. Which is best in my ca

Thanks! That is exactly what I needed to hear!!

Ok one more question while on the thread. I'm switching to cartridge filters as my de filter has a leak at the inlet pipe and I can't get it stopped. What size cartridge filter would you recommend? The bigger the better, right?
 
Re: Two speed or Variable speed pump. Which is best in my ca

For cartridges, there is no such thing as too big, the bigger they are the less frequent the cleaning. Although at some point you are just wasting money, depending on the length of your season as you may not even need to clean it once a year.

A 300 sqft would be plenty big if not already overkill. Look for a deal on a filter between 150-300 sqft. I know that is a big range, but like I said going large will not hurt anything but your wallet.
 
Re: Two speed or Variable speed pump. Which is best in my ca

I was just doing some reading of the discussions we have had on filter sizing ... it is far from definitive.
One person has a 150 sqft cart on a 19k pool and claims to have to clean monthly
Another has a 150 sqft cart on a 20k pool and claims to only have to clean yearly.

Clearly it greatly depends on your debris load.

Based on the "rules", around 150 sqft is likely the minimum you should get based on the expected flow rates you will have (this may even still be a bit small given your large pump). So, I would again suggest look closer to the 300 side of the range to provide lower head loss, lower flow rate through the filter media (better filtering), and more time between cleanings.
 
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