Calimar pump - where did you buy and would you buy it again?

[ttmatsu]

I know Pool Supply Unlimited has the lowest price but the BBB page for them is horrendous. A little afraid to order from them after reading it so where did you buy your Calimar pump? Maybe a few positive experiences with PSU regarding buying this pump will boost my confidence.

I've only seen one negative review of the pump on this forum. My experience in automotive forums is that people happy with their cars don't post but the people that have problems do so the lack of follow-up posts about the pump seem to indicate people are satisfied.

 

[gkw4815]

Bought mine from PSU October 2022. No issues with the purchase process. Shipping was quick. Pump was fairly easy to install (the biggest challenge for my particular setup was getting the automation integration figured out). Pump is very quiet and energy efficient. Seems well made, no issues so far. I'd buy again.

 

[Newdude]

@SJPoe just bought one too. Hang tight for his thoughts.

Make sure to check your electric Co for rebates. Vermont is $500 so the pump would cost $19 plus sales tax on the $519. Lol. Even $250 would make the pump half free.

 

[SJPoe]

Seems like there are only a couple of dealers for the Calimar pump, and based on some gentle digging, they appear to be the same people anyway

I bought mine from PoolSupplyUnlimited, mostly because they offered the 3-year Extend warranty for $99. Transaction was quick and easy - pump appeared to be drop shipped direct from the manufacturer and arrived in a couple days, and before their original estimate. Tracking information was provided pretty quickly, so overall I had no issue with PSU.

With the current weather, holidays and having the deck/patio redone this last couple weeks, I haven't had a chance to install it yet. I also have the automation panel on order, but seems like that is taking a little while to arrive. Hopefully it'll get installed once I get back from vacation next week

 

[mambler]

I know Pool Supply Unlimited has the lowest price but the BBB page for them is horrendous. A little afraid to order from them after reading it so where did you buy your Calimar pump? Maybe a few positive experiences with PSU regarding buying this pump will boost my confidence.

I've only seen one negative review of the pump on this forum. My experience in automotive forums is that people happy with their cars don't post but the people that have problems do so the lack of follow-up posts about the pump seem to indicate people are satisfied.

@ttmatsu what did you end up doing? I'm looking to purchase one as well, but have found PSU's BBB page and am a bit concerned.

 

[Mdragger88]

My in-laws purchased one a month or so ago from pool supply unlimited and also got the extended warranty, so far so good.
I have personally talked to the reps there on the phone & through email about other products & they were very helpful & attentive - they do have a brick & mortar location.
Calimar on the other hand I have never been able to get into contact with so I very much suggest getting a 3rd party extended warranty for their products if possible.

 

[mambler]

@Mdragger88 thank you for providing your recent exp. with PSU. The price of the unit really makes it compelling.

 

[ttmatsu]

@ttmatsu what did you end up doing? I'm looking to purchase one as well, but have found PSU's BBB page and am a bit concerned.

I bought the Calimar from PSU. It's up and running. It's definitely quieter than my old VS pump. I did contact PSU to ensure they had it in stock before placing the order - that seemed to be where a lot of the complaints stemmed from. They shipped quickly and I haven't found anyone saying negative things about PSU on the forum.

 

[SJPoe]

I did have to cancel my PSU order of the automation panel for my pump - apparently it is "Special Ordered" (i.e. - drop-shipped from the manufacturer), although there is no indication of that until you actually checkout and they inform you afterwards. For whatever reason PSU couldn't seem to get anything shipping in about 5 weeks, and I had to ask for updates, which usually resulted in a standard 'Its special ordered, and we don't have any information' form response.
I finally ordered one for a Black+Decker VSP pump. This was from another vendor (it's the same pump...) and it was shipped the same day (Fedex decided to send it on a multi-state tour...but thats not the vendor's fault). Of course, the B&D version was double the price, despite being the EXACT SAME item., but at least it was actually in stock. Once I get the new board in place, I'll look at the old board and see what the differences are (if any).

Reminds me of when I used to service TVs and VCRs back in the 90s - that super-high-end Bang & Olufsen VCR...which when you opened the shiny case, said HITACHI on the board inside...

 

[Texas Aggie]

I ordered a 3 hp Calimar from PSU on last Wednesday afternoon and it was on my porch Friday morning. I'm in Austin and their warehouse is in San Antonio, so that probably had something to do with the quick delivery. It's only been running for a couple of days, but so far I'm happy with it. I considered the Black and Decker for the better warranty, but for the price difference it wasn't worth it to me. One small difference I didn't realize b/w the B&D and the Calimar is the B&D has male threads molded into the housing for the inlet/outlet coupling where the Calimar has female threads. So the Calimar has one more potential leak point where you thread the coupling in, but hopefully that's not an issue. The B&D also comes with both 2 and 1.5 inch couplings, where the Calimar doesn't. But at about 1/2 the price for the 3 hp version, I'll take Calimar.

 

[Mdragger88]

My in-laws received theirs in a couple days as well here in hernando, ms.
Even after springing for the extra warranty it came out to be a bit less $$ than the other options.

 

[mambler]

I bought the Calimar from PSU. It's up and running. It's definitely quieter than my old VS pump. I did contact PSU to ensure they had it in stock before placing the order - that seemed to be where a lot of the complaints stemmed from. They shipped quickly and I haven't found anyone saying negative things about PSU on the forum.

After reading all the subsequent posts on this thread I took the plunge (bad puns allowed here? . Ordered the Calimar pump and PSU delivered a few days later. I installed it a couple days ago. So quiet I also have to walk out and be next to the pump to hear it. Only issues are probably my fault on the install. Slight leak on the top connector that seems to abate after the pump runs for a bit. I may re-cut and re-install after the summer ...but... I may not since the leak is barely a trickle and runs down the side . Thanks everyone who posted here to help out with the decision making process. So far I'm very happy with the purchase from PSU.

 

[Newdude]

I may not since the leak is barely a trickle and runs down the side

While the pump doesn't *need* to last long at that price, it would sure be nice if it did.

No good will come from leaving a leak.

 

[SJPoe]

After reading all the subsequent posts on this thread I took the plunge (bad puns allowed here? . Ordered the Calimar pump and PSU delivered a few days later. I installed it a couple days ago. So quiet I also have to walk out and be next to the pump to hear it. Only issues are probably my fault on the install. Slight leak on the top connector that seems to abate after the pump runs for a bit. I may re-cut and re-install after the summer ...but... I may not since the leak is barely a trickle and runs down the side . Thanks everyone who posted here to help out with the decision making process. So far I'm very happy with the purchase from PSU.

I have the same leak - its next to nothing, and I suspect its probably more me not wanting to overtighten the joint than anything else.

My plan is to give it a quarter turn more when I get around to it, and see if it cleans it up.