I'm sorry, folks, I am just very confused by all of this. I want the Intelliflo VSF 011056 as it's come highly recommended all over the place (including repeatedly here) and potentially integrates with my home automation. An installer friend of mine is suggesting a Sta-Rite Intellipro VSF 356666.A. Are these they the same thing?
Intelliflo VSF 011056 vs Intellipro VSF 356666.A...same thing?
- Thread starter mattvandyk
- Start date
If they look the same but in black, then it’s the same pump. The one that Google is directing me to is different.
While the 056 and it’s sister clone is a great pump, most pool owners will never need the flow control and it’s just one more thing to fail down the road. Certain water features may require it, but if that’s not a concern check out the 028 instead.
When I was shopping them at the start of the season, the 056 was $300 cheaper, so I would have gotten it, but nobody had it and I ended up with the 028 that I wanted in the first place.
While the 056 and it’s sister clone is a great pump, most pool owners will never need the flow control and it’s just one more thing to fail down the road. Certain water features may require it, but if that’s not a concern check out the 028 instead.
When I was shopping them at the start of the season, the 056 was $300 cheaper, so I would have gotten it, but nobody had it and I ended up with the 028 that I wanted in the first place.
Right now according to a few online retailers the 028 is $300 cheaper than the 056.
Why you ever need the flow control with the 056 : You find that your heater or SWG needs 20 gpm (spitballing a # for example only), but as the filter gets dirty the 056 raises the RPM to ensure you keep the 20 GPM and activate the flow switch with reduced flow.
The ‘dumb’ 028 (but otherwise identical pump) stays at the same RPM and your features shut off when the flow drops to 19 GPM. So you find your initial RPMs that activates all your features and run 100 RPMs more than that to accommodate the eventual filter restrictions. There is a 20w (?) difference from running 100 more RPMs that you’ll never see in the electric bill.
The $300 savings now at purchase will pay for 20 years of running the 028 slightly higher with one less electronic to go bad down the road
Why you ever need the flow control with the 056 : You find that your heater or SWG needs 20 gpm (spitballing a # for example only), but as the filter gets dirty the 056 raises the RPM to ensure you keep the 20 GPM and activate the flow switch with reduced flow.
The ‘dumb’ 028 (but otherwise identical pump) stays at the same RPM and your features shut off when the flow drops to 19 GPM. So you find your initial RPMs that activates all your features and run 100 RPMs more than that to accommodate the eventual filter restrictions. There is a 20w (?) difference from running 100 more RPMs that you’ll never see in the electric bill.
The $300 savings now at purchase will pay for 20 years of running the 028 slightly higher with one less electronic to go bad down the road
*there are also those who need every last bell and whistle to play with. If that’s the case get the 056 to get your tech geek on and we will all high five you. 
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,475
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The flow control in the 056 in the pump is all software in the drive.
The 011028 and 011056 hardware is identical. Replacement parts are even on the same page 494 in https://www.pentair.com/content/dam...ts/product-catalog-parts/pool-pumps-parts.pdf
Buy whichever pump is a better deal.
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Yes. Sorry. One more *software program* to glitch. It doesn’t mean it will, just that it could.
For a $300 savings I was gladly willing to take that risk, but I couldn’t get the 056 so in the end I had one less thing to get wonky.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,475
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I have never seen a report of a glitch in the "F" software in the VSF pump.
If those are your worries you should not be getting a software controlled pump or automation.
You say this like the forums aren’t littered with software issues. Or things reset to factory defaults after a power outage / surge, requiring adjustments. It doesn’t mean all software programs are bad, and it certainly isn’t the end of the world, but if they aren’t even needed in the first place, then less is more, no ?
Again when it was cheaper, then by all means it was worth a possible small headache down the road. Now that something that isn’t needed is more expensive, it’s a no brainer to skip it.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,475
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You paint with a very broad brush and generalities.
The "F" feature on the pump can be ignored if you don't enable it. And many folks with that pump don't even know it is there.
Like I said the two pumps are identical and there is no reason to shy away from the VSF pump because it has a bit more software in it. The "F" feature displays some additional information that can be interesting to know at times even when not in Flow mode.