Pump Sizing - Advice

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J

jpetroski

0
May 15, 2015
5
Fountain Hills, AZ
Hey everyone, I'm looking to replace the single stage pump I have with either a dual stage or variable. My pool is a 13500 kidney shaped pool with 2" piping and a Pentair cartridge filter system. My current pump is a Centurion pump 1.5 hp with a SF of 1.47 for a total HP of whopping 2.205. Now, I know that you are supposed to replace like with like from a total HP point of view, but 2 HP total for 13,500 gallons seems slightly overkill in my mind. I wanted to get some expert opinions from the team here as well.

Thanks guys.
 
Welcome.
You will need to list more information about your pool system. What other items besides your skimmer does your pump service? Do you operate a pool cleaner, salt chlorine generation, solar heater, hot tub, water features, etc.
You can add this info to your signature so if/when you have additional questions folks here will know your system and can make proper responses.
 
J,

While what you say might be true for a single speed pump, you really can't go too big with a VS pump. They really are Variable Horsepower pumps.. The bigger the pump the more water it can move at lower speeds making it more efficient.

I have a 3 HP IntelliFlo on my little 17K pool and it works great. I run it 24/7, most of the time at 1200 RPM, for less than $20 bucks a month...

I don't see this as overkill at all..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Last edited:
Nice sig. You are going to need the hp to run the in floor cleaning heads properly. Go with Jim's advice and get the Intelliflo 3hp VS and you can dial it in to fit your needs and will still save you money in the long run.
 
Ok, so I bit the bullet and have one headed my way. Question, I'm replacing my current 1.5 hp with a sf of 1.45 pump that runs about 3400 rpms. As I'm reading the manual for the pentair pump, it warns about not exceeding the speed the system will tolerate.

Now, in my brain I'm thinking 3400 rpm with a 2.02 total hp pump is the same as 3400 rpm with a 3.0 hp with sf of 1.0 pump. But, I'd like to hear other's experience also please.

Thanks for your time.
 
jpetroski said:
Ok, so I bit the bullet and have one headed my way. Question, I'm replacing my current 1.5 hp with a sf of 1.45 pump that runs about 3400 rpms. As I'm reading the manual for the pentair pump, it warns about not exceeding the speed the system will tolerate.

Now, in my brain I'm thinking 3400 rpm with a 2.02 total hp pump is the same as 3400 rpm with a 3.0 hp with sf of 1.0 pump. But, I'd like to hear other's experience also please.

Thanks for your time.
Click to expand...
You need to find out the GPM/GPH the pump outputs and what your filter's max flow rate, that is the "system tolerance"
 
J,

I doubt that even full speed is going to do any damage to your system, but what you should do is set the max speed to 3000.. You can always increase it if need be..

The whole idea of a VS pump is to run it at the best speed for what you are doing.. As an example for my pool.. I run at 1250 most of the time because I have a SWCG.. But I need to run it at 2800 RPM when my waterfall is on..

You will just need to play with the pump and pick the slowest speed for each function that you want to run..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 

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