Okay, I was putting this off, but our pump is grinding louder and louder by the day, to the point that it’s uncomfortable to be in the pool area when it’s on, and I’m just waiting for the neighbors to complain. Whether it’s on its last legs or not, I think its time is up, so I’m deciding what to replace it with.
Current pump is single speed 3/4hp, manufactured in 2005 (we bought the place last summer), on a ~22k gallon pool in a climate where we don’t really close (but only swim Apr-Oct, and I cut the pump time back significantly over the winter last year). No solar or SWCG currently, but I’m considering both in the near future. Our marginal electricity rate is about $0.19/kWh, but it’s not all about payback time; I’m willing to pay more for quiet and flexibility for future uses also. Given the age of the equipment, I don’t believe just replacing the motor is a good idea.
The options I’m looking at (with approximate pricing, assuming I buy online and install myself):
1) Pentair IntelliFlo VS 011018 (~$850). Honestly this is what I’m leaning toward, despite the cost.
2) Pentair SuperFlo VS 342001 with built in controller (~$650)
3) Pentair WhisperFlo 2-speed, 3/4hp or 1hp (~$540)
4) Pentair SuperFlo 2-speed, 1hp (~$420)
5) Pentair SuperFlo 3/4hp 1-speed (~$275), as a baseline replacement comparison.
I know conventional wisdom here is that 2-speed is sufficient at lower electric rates, and we’re probably borderline, but I’m really leaning toward a VS pump for a couple reasons: No need to replace the old mechanical timer with something that can control 2 speeds ($200 right there); potential to add solar fairly that will be 40-50 feet horizontally and 8-15 feet vertically away; with the unknowns of our archaic old plumbing (1-1.5” copper piping, single skimmer and 2 closely spaced returns off the same pipe) it seems more likely to be able to tune the sweet spot of filtering, skimming power, noise, etc, if I can try various speeds. Am I thinking about that correctly?
Between the SuperFlo VS and IntelliFlo VS, since I have no need for the extra HP of the IntelliFlo, it seems the main differentiator is the control systems -- the built in controls are similar (3 vs 4 speeds, but both have a timed “quick clean” for putting in chemicals), but connecting to other equipment is very different -- the SuperFlo seems to just be switching wires to trigger the preset speeds, while the IntelliFlo allows an EasyTouch (which I plan to install in the future) to fully control and get feedback.
Am I missing anything? Any other suggestions or recommendations?
Current pump is single speed 3/4hp, manufactured in 2005 (we bought the place last summer), on a ~22k gallon pool in a climate where we don’t really close (but only swim Apr-Oct, and I cut the pump time back significantly over the winter last year). No solar or SWCG currently, but I’m considering both in the near future. Our marginal electricity rate is about $0.19/kWh, but it’s not all about payback time; I’m willing to pay more for quiet and flexibility for future uses also. Given the age of the equipment, I don’t believe just replacing the motor is a good idea.
The options I’m looking at (with approximate pricing, assuming I buy online and install myself):
1) Pentair IntelliFlo VS 011018 (~$850). Honestly this is what I’m leaning toward, despite the cost.
2) Pentair SuperFlo VS 342001 with built in controller (~$650)
3) Pentair WhisperFlo 2-speed, 3/4hp or 1hp (~$540)
4) Pentair SuperFlo 2-speed, 1hp (~$420)
5) Pentair SuperFlo 3/4hp 1-speed (~$275), as a baseline replacement comparison.
I know conventional wisdom here is that 2-speed is sufficient at lower electric rates, and we’re probably borderline, but I’m really leaning toward a VS pump for a couple reasons: No need to replace the old mechanical timer with something that can control 2 speeds ($200 right there); potential to add solar fairly that will be 40-50 feet horizontally and 8-15 feet vertically away; with the unknowns of our archaic old plumbing (1-1.5” copper piping, single skimmer and 2 closely spaced returns off the same pipe) it seems more likely to be able to tune the sweet spot of filtering, skimming power, noise, etc, if I can try various speeds. Am I thinking about that correctly?
Between the SuperFlo VS and IntelliFlo VS, since I have no need for the extra HP of the IntelliFlo, it seems the main differentiator is the control systems -- the built in controls are similar (3 vs 4 speeds, but both have a timed “quick clean” for putting in chemicals), but connecting to other equipment is very different -- the SuperFlo seems to just be switching wires to trigger the preset speeds, while the IntelliFlo allows an EasyTouch (which I plan to install in the future) to fully control and get feedback.
Am I missing anything? Any other suggestions or recommendations?