Main Drain/Pump question

[bbeadel]

I have 2 questions. We just bought a house with a pool and I'm trying to figure a few things out about it.

1: The pump pulls air into itself and blows air out the outlets when pulling from the pool (not from the spa). The culprit of the issue is that it looks like someone plugged the main drain. Under the grate all you can see is dirt. The only thing the pool can pull water from is the skimmer (and the vacuum cleaner like once we get a cleaner) so we are at 100% intake from the skimmer. I don't know why the main drain is plugged. My question is, what are the concerns with this (other than wear on the pump? It's something we will want to fix at some point but I would like an idea on how big of a priority it should be.

2: with that still in mind, we are wanting to upgrade to a variable speed pump (preferably pentair). The pool currently had an old single speed 230v 1.5hp Hayward. I've looked at the superflo and intelliflo. Will we have any issues upgrading to one of those pumps?

 

[JohnT]

Welcome to TFP!

Check out this document which shows how main drains are built. The flow goes out the side and bottom tends to accumulate crud that may look like dirt.

Check out http://www.troublefreepool.com/content/151-suction-side-air-leaks and look at your pool for problems.

 

[bbeadel]

Pump Replacement Question

Threads merged. Please keep related posts together for continuity of story. Thanks, jblizzle

Hello! I have one more question. I'm going to replace the old Hayward Super II 1.5 hp pump with a variable speed to save some energy costs. I have looked at the Pentair Intelliflow (3 hp, 7 speed) and the Pentair Superflo (1.5 hp, 3 speed). My concern is the difference in horsepower. Our pool is between 15,000 and 20,000 gallons. It's a 3.5-4 foot deep pool with a spa, waterfall, 1 skimmer, and a dedicated suction line for the vacuum. I'm afraid the 3 hp might be overkill and do damage, but the intelliflow looks like a much superior pump. One advantage with the Superflo is it is a direct drop in replacement for the Hayward we currently have. Which one of these is the best choice?

Thanks!!

 

[jblizzle]

The Superflo is a significantly smaller pump that the Super II that you currently have. As such, it will not provide as much water flow and your spa jets may be weak.

How much is your power? A cheaper, easier install would be to just replace the motor on your existing pump with a 2-speed version and use low most of the time which will save a vast majority of the power savings.

If not, the Intelliflo will be fine and you can limit the speed if you are concerned (although no need to be). The advantage of the VS would be the ability to run at speed lower than the 2-speed on low and save a little bit more money on power {might take years to offset the added cost though} and the ability to dial in the desired speed for your spa jets.

 

[bbeadel]

Thanks so much for the info! My main concern was to make sure the intelliflo wouldn't put too much stress on the system. I will look at putting in a 2 speed motor, that might be the best at this point. Our power is currently about $0.10/kwh. Before we got this house our summer electric bills were around $150. With the pool pump that has jumped to over $300 so I'm thinking there's significant room for savings.

Thanks for putting up with me I'm definitely a newbie to pools but I'm learning fast!

 

[jblizzle]

With power that cheap, the VS may never save more money over a 2-speed to offset the higher initial cost.

How long are you running the pump? $150 for the pool seems ridiculously high.
You should only need to be running 4-6 hours a day.

 

[bbeadel]

It's currently running about 8-12 hours a day so that might be the culprit! That was the setting when we got the house.

 

[jblizzle]

Replacing with a 2-speed motor and running on low for the same 12 hours, would save 75% of your pool electrical cost. The motor would be paid for in 3-4 months by savings. Or likely shorten the run time on low and save even more.

Given the older pump, I would suggest getting a "go-kit" and replacing all the seals ... you MUST replace the shaft seal for the new motor, but may as well replace the o-rings and gaskets as well.

 

[JohnT]

Thanks so much for the info! My main concern was to make sure the intelliflo wouldn't put too much stress on the system. I will look at putting in a 2 speed motor, that might be the best at this point. Our power is currently about $0.10/kwh. Before we got this house our summer electric bills were around $150. With the pool pump that has jumped to over $300 so I'm thinking there's significant room for savings.

Thanks for putting up with me I'm definitely a newbie to pools but I'm learning fast!

At 12 hours a day, you are probably spending about $1.80 a day or about $50 a month to run the pump. Cut pump time down to 8 hours and you are down to $37.50 a month. probably not much savings to be had.