CaliMar Variable Speed Pool Pump

[bwit43]

I installed the 3 HP Calimar VSP pool pump (this pump) this weekend on my small pool. The old single speed pump was pretty loud and started leaking. I mostly installed to save money (the cheap price of the pump was a selling point) and had no desire/need for a full automation system. I just hand dump liquid chlorine and have been able to keep my levels pretty good with this method. I am debating getting a SWG, but just not sure if the cost savings are there, but I guess liquid chlorine prices have gone up and for a while, had trouble sourcing it.

Install was pretty straight-forward, should have went ahead and ordered unions to put on the pump, but ended up just re-using the old piping. I haven't bolted down the pump or filter housing yet, as I may reposition everything.

The pump primed super fast, and I've been running it at 1,000 rpm the overnight, and may just keep it there 24/7, definitely don't need to though. To me, it is a little noisier compared to other VSPs I've heard at this RPM, but its not loud at all, get what you pay for. Will have to see how long it lasts, hopefully get 3+ years (low expectations, hopefully lol).

Reason I posted, is there were some discussions about this pump on the forum, but didn't really see any about how it installed and quality of it. Figure I'll update whenever the pump decides to grenade itself, lol.

 

[Texas Splash]

Welcome to TFP! That brand of VSP has gotten more visibility lately. Unless I have my names crossed, I believe @cowboycasey might have some experience with it as well.

 

[dan0788]

I installed the 3 HP Calimar VSP pool pump (this pump) this weekend on my small pool. The old single speed pump was pretty loud and started leaking. I mostly installed to save money (the cheap price of the pump was a selling point) and had no desire/need for a full automation system. I just hand dump liquid chlorine and have been able to keep my levels pretty good with this method. I am debating getting a SWG, but just not sure if the cost savings are there, but I guess liquid chlorine prices have gone up and for a while, had trouble sourcing it.

Install was pretty straight-forward, should have went ahead and ordered unions to put on the pump, but ended up just re-using the old piping. I haven't bolted down the pump or filter housing yet, as I may reposition everything.

The pump primed super fast, and I've been running it at 1,000 rpm the overnight, and may just keep it there 24/7, definitely don't need to though. To me, it is a little noisier compared to other VSPs I've heard at this RPM, but its not loud at all, get what you pay for. Will have to see how long it lasts, hopefully get 3+ years (low expectations, hopefully lol).

Reason I posted, is there were some discussions about this pump on the forum, but didn't really see any about how it installed and quality of it. Figure I'll update whenever the pump decides to grenade itself, lol.

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Hey @bwit43 how has the pump been holding up over the past month? Been on the fence about ordering one to hold me over for a few seasons. Havent been able to find anything bad about it yet!

 

[jtpipkin]

following - after disappointing results with my last pentair single speed, 1hp pump, I decided to take a shot at a no name and low price. Went with the dual speed Xtreme power 2hp and just run it on low speed. It kicked the bucket last night, but I got two years out of it. Was looking at the 3 hp calimar vs, but the price plus shipping as well as how it would line up with current plumbing steered me back to another Xtreme power. They have actually went down a little in price. And, in all fairness, I ran it dry about a year ago when I forgot to cut the backwash off... Things kind of started going south after that so I figured it may as well have been my fault and not the pumps. Not recommending the pump, but compared to what they're looking to get cost wise these days, I'm biding my time as well....

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Pro-tip #1 : Whatever sub-panel you have there distributing power to the pump, I highly suggest you put a whole-house surge protector on the panel like this one -

Square D 80kA Universal Whole Home Surge Protection Device HEPD80 HEPD80 - The Home Depot

Provide surge suppression for sensitive electronics with the use of this durable Square D Home Electronics Protective Device.

www.homedepot.com

Yup, it's over $100 plus whatever a set of breakers will cost you (you need one for each leg). So it'll probably end up costing you $160 plus your time to wire it up properly.

Why should you spend that kind of money ???

Because VSP's are exquisitely sensitive to lightening strikes, surges and brown outs. If you truly want to get the most life possible out of that pump and protect it as an investment, then put an SPD on the power panel and make sure the wiring to the SPD is in the breaker slot right next to the pump breaker for maximum protection.

 

[cowboycasey]

I bought the 3hp Calimar back when it was 300 last year... It is still sitting in the garage waiting to be installed when the new pool is complete.. The new pool is on the backburner with all the crazzy prices out there... Thankfully I bought the tile before the prices went really crazzzzzzzy...

 

[JoyfulNoise]

following - after disappointing results with my last pentair single speed, 1hp pump, I decided to take a shot at a no name and low price. Went with the dual speed Xtreme power 2hp and just run it on low speed. It kicked the bucket last night, but I got two years out of it. Was looking at the 3 hp calimar vs, but the price plus shipping as well as how it would line up with current plumbing steered me back to another Xtreme power. They have actually went down a little in price. And, in all fairness, I ran it dry about a year ago when I forgot to cut the backwash off... Things kind of started going south after that so I figured it may as well have been my fault and not the pumps. Not recommending the pump, but compared to what they're looking to get cost wise these days, I'm biding my time as well....

Due to federal regulations on pool pumps, you will no longer be able to buy single speed or two speed pumps anymore. In fact, I think most manufacturers have stopped making them and all that's being sold off is what's in inventory. Soon, the only kind of pump that will be available are VSPs.

 

[jtpipkin]

Due to federal regulations on pool pumps, you will no longer be able to buy single speed or two speed pumps anymore. In fact, I think most manufacturers have stopped making them and all that's being sold off is what's in inventory. Soon, the only kind of pump that will be available are VSPs.

I'm good with that, I wanted a VS, just don't like the current state of inventories and prices. Just really disheartened with the pentair I had - lasted a year before it got really noisy and loud. Granted, it was years ago, way before I found this site, and I had to replace the original pump with little knowledge of what I was doing.

 

[cowboycasey]

Pro-tip #1 : Whatever sub-panel you have there distributing power to the pump, I highly suggest you put a whole-house surge protector on the panel like this one -

Square D 80kA Universal Whole Home Surge Protection Device HEPD80 HEPD80 - The Home Depot

Provide surge suppression for sensitive electronics with the use of this durable Square D Home Electronics Protective Device.

www.homedepot.com

Yup, it's over $100 plus whatever a set of breakers will cost you (you need one for each leg). So it'll probably end up costing you $160 plus your time to wire it up properly.

Why should you spend that kind of money ???

Because VSP's are exquisitely sensitive to lightening strikes, surges and brown outs. If you truly want to get the most life possible out of that pump and protect it as an investment, then put an SPD on the power panel and make sure the wiring to the SPD is in the breaker slot right next to the pump breaker for maximum protection.

You can also use the Intermatic https://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-AG3000-Surge-Protector/dp/B008VM6MXI

I have a surge protector on my pump panel, my main panel, every single plug in the house and my Air Conditioner..

 

[JoyfulNoise]

I'm good with that, I wanted a VS, just don't like the current state of inventories and prices. Just really disheartened with the pentair I had - lasted a year before it got really noisy and loud. Granted, it was years ago, way before I found this site, and I had to replace the original pump with little knowledge of what I was doing.

The Pentair IntelliFlo is considered the gold standard of VSPs on the market. My IntelliFlo has been performing flawlessly (knock on wood) for 9 seasons now. Many others have gotten 10+ years. If it died tomorrow I would buy another one no matter the price.

 

[jtpipkin]

The Pentair IntelliFlo is considered the gold standard of VSPs on the market. My IntelliFlo has been performing flawlessly (knock on wood) for 9 seasons now. Many others have gotten 10+ years. If it died tomorrow I would buy another one no matter the price.

Glad it's working out for ya! Everyone has their own experiences and for the price and supposed reputation, mine wasn't good.

 

[robbegginer]

Pro-tip #1 : Whatever sub-panel you have there distributing power to the pump, I highly suggest you put a whole-house surge protector on the panel

Yeah. The prior owner of the house we bought put in a VSP and we lost it in a lightning strike. Didn't know about surge protectors, but we've been going single speed ever since. We now have a surge protector on the entire house. So maybe a VSP is in the cards for us again.

 

[Rev]

I installed the 3 HP Calimar VSP pool pump (this pump) this weekend on my small pool. The old single speed pump was pretty loud and started leaking. I mostly installed to save money (the cheap price of the pump was a selling point) and had no desire/need for a full automation system. I just hand dump liquid chlorine and have been able to keep my levels pretty good with this method. I am debating getting a SWG, but just not sure if the cost savings are there, but I guess liquid chlorine prices have gone up and for a while, had trouble sourcing it.

Install was pretty straight-forward, should have went ahead and ordered unions to put on the pump, but ended up just re-using the old piping. I haven't bolted down the pump or filter housing yet, as I may reposition everything.

The pump primed super fast, and I've been running it at 1,000 rpm the overnight, and may just keep it there 24/7, definitely don't need to though. To me, it is a little noisier compared to other VSPs I've heard at this RPM, but its not loud at all, get what you pay for. Will have to see how long it lasts, hopefully get 3+ years (low expectations, hopefully lol).

Reason I posted, is there were some discussions about this pump on the forum, but didn't really see any about how it installed and quality of it. Figure I'll update whenever the pump decides to grenade itself, lol.

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Installed a month ago. works perfectly. It's almost silent. Running it 18hr, 1500/2500/3000/1500, 30k gallon pool. Amazing deal.

 

[Rev]

following - after disappointing results with my last pentair single speed, 1hp pump, I decided to take a shot at a no name and low price. Went with the dual speed Xtreme power 2hp and just run it on low speed. It kicked the bucket last night, but I got two years out of it. Was looking at the 3 hp calimar vs, but the price plus shipping as well as how it would line up with current plumbing steered me back to another Xtreme power. They have actually went down a little in price. And, in all fairness, I ran it dry about a year ago when I forgot to cut the backwash off... Things kind of started going south after that so I figured it may as well have been my fault and not the pumps. Not recommending the pump, but compared to what they're looking to get cost wise these days, I'm biding my time as well....

Absolutely buy the Calimar. It's the same pump as the black and decker and blue torrent. The only difference is the warranty. Calimar -1Yr, BT - 3yr, B&D - 5yr

 

[Rancho Cost-a-Lotta]

Absolutely buy the Calimar. It's the same pump as the black and decker and blue torrent. The only difference is the warranty. Calimar -1Yr, BT - 3yr, B&D - 5yr

Thank you for the update. It definitely helps future shoppers.

 

[w392598]

i'm considering buying this pump and maybe even moving to saltwater soon (currently using mostly bleach). I have a single speed pump that is costing me about $75-$100 per month to run now that electricity is expensive.

Since this CaliMar is probably $1,000 to $1,500 cheaper than a pentair one, is it worth the headache (future) to not have this talk to my pentair easytouch system? I assume would just wire directly from breaker to pump and bypass EasyTouch. EasyTouch and CaliMar would need to be aligned on time and schedule to ensure pool cleaner ran at right time, etc.

 

[tstex]

Yeah. The prior owner of the house we bought put in a VSP and we lost it in a lightning strike. Didn't know about surge protectors, but we've been going single speed ever since. We now have a surge protector on the entire house. So maybe a VSP is in the cards for us again.

A Surge Protection Device is great investment, but don't expect too much w a direct or near direct lightening hit...maybe an errant hit if far enough away. There's not one surge protector on the mkt that states any kind of protection against lightening . W that many volts so fast, nothing can stop it. But, for your "normal" surges, spikes and power off and on sessions, they are great. Good luck.

 

[peformingpools]

With all of the discussion around the Calimar pump, I wanted to provide my input as to the experience I have had. I purchased a CaliMar Variable Speed Pool Pump | 3HP | CMARVSP3.0 in September 2021. The pump was easy as any to install and get up and running. It was quiet and appeared to be a good deal. It has now failed (inverter hardware failure), Aug 2022, within the 1 yr warranty period. I have been trying to contact Claimar and they will not answer their phone, return phone calls, or return emails. If you purchase a Calimar pump I would assume that it actually comes with no warranty, not a 1 yr warranty. Either purchase another brand, an extended 3rd party warranty, or be prepared to throw it out if you have an issue in within 1 yr.

 

[mknauss]

Do they have a social media account? Twitter, Facebook? Try that.

 

[Darin]

There are lightning surge suppressors out there they are just pricey.
i.e. https://www.transtector.com/ac-surge-protector-spd-apex-module-240-1000-717-1
I previously used suppressors on RF equipment years ago. Suppressors saved a lot of equipment.