NEWBIE -- looking to upgrade to VS pump

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T

twills2121

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Jan 8, 2014
10
Hi all, new to the board.

The house I bought (we live in CA) has relatively small pool, no more than 10k gallons. We have Pentair whisperflow WFE-6 (1.5HP). We've always been discouraged with our electric bill, and I'm thinking a VS pump might be the answer to that.

Any advice you can give me if this is the right decision would be helpful....

Also, don't know if this is a factor, but it's a salt water pool and I have the Intellichor salt generator. (not sure if this has an impact on using VS pumps)

I don't know anything about this stuff, that is why I'm here to ask the experts. THANKS
 
The SWG does not really impact getting a VS or 2-speed motor.
How much is your electricity?
Can you get rebates on VS pumps?

Your cheapest initial option would be to just find a 3/4HP 2-speed motor and use your existing pump, you would also need a new shaft seal and 3/4HP impeller. The smaller motor & impeller would be cheaper to run and still move more than enough water for you on high speed, but you would save a lot of power by running in low speed most all the time.

The next option would be to get a new smaller 2-speed pump ... like a 1HP Superflo 2-speed. Which is a smaller pump than what you have and would thus be cheaper to run even on high speed.

If you have high power cost and get a good rebate, then I would suggest as another option the smaller Hayward Max-flo VS or SuperPump VS. They would give you plenty of flow on high, but also can run even lower speeds than the 2-speed on low to save further on electricity. These will cost more than a 2-speed pump, but if you get a rebate it may be worth it.
 
jblizzle said:
The SWG does not really impact getting a VS or 2-speed motor.
How much is your electricity?
Can you get rebates on VS pumps?

Your cheapest initial option would be to just find a 3/4HP 2-speed motor and use your existing pump, you would also need a new shaft seal and 3/4HP impeller. The smaller motor & impeller would be cheaper to run and still move more than enough water for you on high speed, but you would save a lot of power by running in low speed most all the time.

The next option would be to get a new smaller 2-speed pump ... like a 1HP Superflo 2-speed. Which is a smaller pump than what you have and would thus be cheaper to run even on high speed.

If you have high power cost and get a good rebate, then I would suggest as another option the smaller Hayward Max-flo VS or SuperPump VS. They would give you plenty of flow on high, but also can run even lower speeds than the 2-speed on low to save further on electricity. These will cost more than a 2-speed pump, but if you get a rebate it may be worth it.
Click to expand...

I can get a $200 rebate from my electric company.
 
So shop around and see how much the different options cost. $200 would certainly not make the big Intellifo VS pumps ($900+) worth it. But, the smaller Hayward VS pumps are around $650 I think.

A 1HP Superflo 2-speed is around $400 and getting just a motor & impeller for your existing pump is probably a little under $400 (this option you do not have to deal with any plumbing changes as well).
 
jblizzle said:
So shop around and see how much the different options cost. $200 would certainly not make the big Intellifo VS pumps ($900+) worth it. But, the smaller Hayward VS pumps are around $650 I think.

A 1HP Superflo 2-speed is around $400 and getting just a motor & impeller for your existing pump is probably a little under $400 (this option you do not have to deal with any plumbing changes as well).
Click to expand...

So with that option (2-speed pump), would I save just as much on my electric bill as if I was using a VS pump?
 
So with that option (2-speed pump), would I save just as much on my electric bill as if I was using a VS pump?
Click to expand...
Way too many variables to answer that definitively. You'll have to do so homework on run time, kw costs, etc.

Generally, however, the answer is ."Yes."
 
Running a 2-speed pump on low speed (1725 RPM) will move 1/2 the amount of water for 1/4 the electrical cost as on high speed. So if you got a 1.5HP 2-speed motor for your existing pump, if you ran on low speed for twice as long as you are currently running your single speed to move the same amount of water, you would save 50% of the electricity cost.

If you put a smaller motor on your existing pump, you would save some more.
If you bought a smaller pump (the Superflo is smaller than the Whisperflo), it moves less water and you would save more.
If you bought one of the smaller VS pumps, it can run at lower speeds allowing it to save even more on electricity.

The issue is these increment power savings may not be very much and it may take a long time to recoup the higher initial cost.

For example, compare the Superflo 1HP 2-speed ($400) with the Hayward Max-flo VS ($650) ... Assuming you get $200 rebate and can DIY the install (might be shorter warranty ... and you may have to use a professional installer to get the rebate who may charge more for the pump and install), then the VS is $50 more than the 2-speed.
Comparing running the Superflo on low (1725 RPM) and running the Max-flo even lower (1000 RPM) may only save say $5 (arbitrary guess) per month. That means it would take at least 10 months to save on electricity to offset the higher initial cost.

The savings may be more or less per month, but hopefully you get the idea. If you do not get the rebate (some have said it was cheaper to skip the rebate and just buy online and DIY than to pay more for the pump if installation is required), then you can see that it may take years for the VS pump to make sense.

BTW, the best way to save money on electricity is to not be running the pump, although getting a smaller pump will certainly help you. How long are you running your current pump? Have you read this: pool-school/pump_run_time
 
So, per your advice, I'm looking at some of the 2-speed pumps (mostly Pentair because I'd like to make the install as easy as possible). I'm not understanding something though.....I see on the VS pumps, they have an interface on the front where you can adjust the settings....I'm not seeing that on these 2-speed pumps, so how do you switch the speeds on it? (Sorry if this is a dumb question)
 

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Some of the full pumps come with a toggle switch to manually select high or low on the back of the motor. Or you can just wire in a household 3-way light switch to do the same thing.

What makes you think sticking with Pentair will make the install easier? If you switch to the smaller Superflo, the plumbing will have to be redone. If you do not want to do any plumbing, then you would need to just look for a smaller motor and impeller to put on your existing pump.
 
jblizzle said:
Some of the full pumps come with a toggle switch to manually select high or low on the back of the motor. Or you can just wire in a household 3-way light switch to do the same thing.

What makes you think sticking with Pentair will make the install easier? If you switch to the smaller Superflo, the plumbing will have to be redone. If you do not want to do any plumbing, then you would need to just look for a smaller motor and impeller to put on your existing pump.
Click to expand...

So, on your 2-speed Superflow, you have that toggle switch?
 
Yes, it came with the switch on the back of the motor. So for awhile I just manually switched speeds (high to run solar, low when not running solar). Now I have my automation installed and it can automatically change the speeds for me, so the switch is not wired in any more.

Have we confirmed whether you current motor is wired for 115V or 230V yet? Most 2-speeds and all VS pumps are only 230V.
 
jblizzle said:
Yes, it came with the switch on the back of the motor. So for awhile I just manually switched speeds (high to run solar, low when not running solar). Now I have my automation installed and it can automatically change the speeds for me, so the switch is not wired in any more.

Have we confirmed whether you current motor is wired for 115V or 230V yet? Most 2-speeds and all VS pumps are only 230V.
Click to expand...

No, how do I confirm that? Since the pump I have says 230v on it, wouldn't that mean it's wired for 230?
 
Well some pumps say 115/230 which mean that can be wired for either. Maybe yours is only 230V. Easiest way to verify is to look at the breaker that is attached to the motor.
 
The smaller VS pumps from Hayward would be fine for you. Just cost a little more than just a 2-speed motor or 2-speed pump.

Also, unless you stick with just replacing the motor, there will be plumbing involved.

You have no solar or automation plans in the future right? The small Hayward VS pumps are very limited on integration into automation, but have a built in timer and speed selection that will work with your on/off timer.

See this post for more in formation: pool-pump-replacement-questions-from-a-newbie-t72697.html#p604577
 

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