Pump replacement advice

[P00L_newb]

I currently have a single speed Hayward as noted in my signature. I am looking to move to a variable speed pump. I am looking at a Pentair 342001 SuperFlo VS or something like a Hayward SP2303VSP MaxFlo VS. I have a 14000 gallon 18x33 AGP. Any advice would be helpful. I am leaning towards Pentair but i keep getting scared off by the people who say it dies in 4 months and it only has a 60 day warranty and are basically told to pound sand when they call in about it.

Thank again all.

 

[zea3]

If you have a pool tech install it you should get a longer warranty. If you have been happy with Hayward's quality then you may want to stick with Hayward. That said, variable speed pumps are quite expensive. Unless you are running water features that need different speeds at different times, you may be happier with a 2 speed pump. A 2 speed 1 horsepower pump would give you plenty of power to manually vacuum the pool and backwash the filter on high speed, and you switch to low speed for everyday filtration. It saves more in pump price over a variable speed and it saves on electricity costs when you filter in low speed.

 

[P00L_newb]

I'm not married to Hayward. I believe that's all my in laws bought though. I took over the pool last year and this year it's all mine so I'm trying to get things more up to date using better methods than they did previously. This is all still fairly new to me but I feel like I have learned a ton from this site. And seeing how people her do things vs what has been her in the past is night and day.

Anyway Hayward has been good to them as far a reliability. But I really need to get rid of this single speed pump.

 

[markayash]

Look at inyo and pureline. I have a 18k pool and bought the 1.65 VS and love it. They offer a good warranty for do it yourself folks

 

[P00L_newb]

Could you link me what you bought? Also I need it to be a 115v. I was told that was the type of connection that was ran out to the pool

 

[Divin Dave]

I love my Pentair VSP. It's pricey, but IMO the flexibility of it and features like built in timer, schduling ability and freeze protection are value add things that I might be tempted to spend money on as stand alone items. Going on 6 years without a single hiccup.

 

[markayash]

Could you link me what you bought? Also I need it to be a 115v. I was told that was the type of connection that was ran out to the pool

Mine is 220V and from what i have read not many VS run on 120..Any chance you can add a 220V breaker?
Here is what I bought
PureLine Prime Variable Speed Pool Pump 1.65 HP - PL2605 - INYOPools.com

 

[P00L_newb]

I am not too versed in electrical work, so I'm not sure what would be involved in changing the connection from 120v to 220v. I'm sure I know a couple people who could do it but just hope its not hard or expensive for them to do.

 

[markayash]

I am not too versed in electrical work, so I'm not sure what would be involved in changing the connection from 120v to 220v. I'm sure I know a couple people who could do it but just hope its not hard or expensive for them to do.

If your breaker box is close fairly easy job. If it runs from a basement gets tricky Might be worth having someone who knows wiring to look. I replaced my breaker box and rewired everything last year

 

[zea3]

Responders, please keep in mind that P00L_newb has an above ground pool. It is not likely there are features on the pool that justify the expense of a variable speed pump.

@P00L_newb look at the purchase price, installation price, and potential cost of electrical work for a variable speed pump before making a decision. A 2 speed 1 hp pump will start at $150-250. The Pentair 342001 SuperFlo is $600+ and the Hayward SP2303VSP MaxFlo is in the $700-800 dollar range. The Hayward comes in a 115v version so that would save some money on electrical work. It looks like the Pentair will also run off of 115v.

 

[P00L_newb]

I'd rather not have to rewire. Plus if I took a dual speed I'd need to get timer, as turning it off manually sometimes can get forgotten. It's a very busy house around here at night. It's one reason I was leaning to VS as well being I can program the times without wiring in a timer.

 

[Vickery]

I just installed (today) a Speck A91 dual voltage 1.1 hp vs pump. It self detects - doesn't care which voltage, 120 or 240. Came with a 120 duplex plug. Very programmable - 3 schedules, 10 watt increments. $510 delivered. Time will tell how long it works, but it fit my requirements at a good price point.

 

[Chuckiechan]

I currently have a single speed Hayward as noted in my signature. I am looking to move to a variable speed pump. I am looking at a Pentair 342001 SuperFlo VS or something like a Hayward SP2303VSP MaxFlo VS. I have a 14000 gallon 18x33 AGP. Any advice would be helpful. I am leaning towards Pentair but i keep getting scared off by the people who say it dies in 4 months and it only has a 60 day warranty and are basically told to pound sand when they call in about it.

Thank again all.

It depends on what you want to spend, and if you like a lot of options and control. I have the Pentair VSF. It was spendy, I guess, but isnt everything?

The simplified function of a pump is to move water at the volume necessary to maintain a healthy pool. Some actions require more power than others, so “knobs and levers” are a way to do that. But unless you are a “knobs and levers” type of person, keep it simple and get the pump that does the job for the least money. Anything beyond a single speed pump is going to save you a measurable amount of money.

 

[Chuckiechan]

I'd rather not have to rewire. Plus if I took a dual speed I'd need to get timer, as turning it off manually sometimes can get forgotten. It's a very busy house around here at night. It's one reason I was leaning to VS as well being I can program the times without wiring in a timer.

I actually use a timer to run my chlorine generator during a period of run time I selected on my VSF.

 

[P00L_newb]

I have been thinking and I'm narrowing down to a couple options. Leave the single speed, and place it on a timer so it will shut off and only run couple times a day for a few hours. Or replace the single speed motor with a dual motor and buy a whole new pump.

 

[Chuckiechan]

My best advice is to keep it simple. Find a 110 volt* two speed pump. Low for everyday filtering, higher for vacuuming.

*if you are replacing a 110v pump, stay with 110 so you do t have to hire an electrician to wire up a pump for a job your 110 will do.

 

[P00L_newb]

I'm leaning towards dual speed. After reading on VS which seems really nice, idk if it is worth the price for my AGP. I know it will be a cost savings either way. I assume getting a t106 would be a good idea as well. But if the motor will run at 1750 rpm instead of 3450 it's still would be a significant savings.

 

[P00L_newb]

I guess the other question remains, 1hp or 1.5hp. I currently have a 1.5hp but have seen others in my gallon range with 1hp. And to piggy back off that. I have tried to figure out my gallon calculation, but this site says one thing, another will say something else and a third site will say even different. so IDK how many gallons it really is.

It's a 18x33 oval, 4ft deep pool. I've got ranges from 10k to 17k gallons, so I've compromised at around 14k.

 

[Chuckiechan]

Get GPM (gallons per minute) from the literature and do the math to see what output you need at LOW speed to filter the entire gallonage in one program schedule.
As far as cost to run at different outputs and loads, that is beyond my expertise.