Replacement motor advice…

[EricJ320]

Good morning folks, I have a couple of questions about replacing the motor on my pump. For a (fairly) brief back story, we bought a home with a pool a few years back, shortly after the Hayward (Century) single speed motor started screeching pretty badly, so I replaced it with a Vgreen 165 VS motor. I was very happy with it, bought the Century VLink Wi-Fi controller and all was good. Last year we did a complete reno on the pool so it was out of commission for a couple of months, when I fired everything back up the motor was making a little noise it never had before, I suspected a bearing was starting to go bad. Not sure if it was the downtime or just complete coincidence.

I should have addressed it then, but knowing VS motor bearing replacement is not an easy or recommended DIY job, I didn’t do anything with it until it got progressively worse, and then stopped working and showed a fault on the control panel in the last few weeks. (Lesson learned) I ordered some bearings and a new seal kit and hoped to attempt a repair, but by now the motor was so corroded nearly every screw snapped instead of unscrewing, and when I tried to remove the face plate it broke instead of coming off as it should. Clearly I had a seal failure that I had not seen. So the motor is toast for sure now. Thankfully I kept the old single speed motor, and the bad bearing in it matched the one I ordered for the Vgreen so I replaced it and now it’s back to running whisper quiet, well as quiet as a single speed motor can run. As a side note, in the last couple of weeks the VLink stopped connecting to the internet, it showed my router was not connected to the internet, when it clearly was. Related or coincidence? Not sure.

I’m back to filtering and producing chlorine with the SWG again, but I still want to go back to a VS motor for quiet running, lower operating cost, and programming functions like freeze protection and run scheduling.

Finally to my questions, my plumbing is all 1-1/2”, the 165 is a good fit, but if price is the same, is there any benefit to going with the Vgreen 270, with the same or one step larger impeller? In other words, is there any efficiency gained by running a more powerful motor at a lower power to achieve a similar flow rate?

Also, I’d like to stay with the Vgreen motors hoping I can solve the VLink issue, but is there another motor that would match my Hayward Superpump and plumbing that would be a better motor? I don’t blame the motor in this situation, rather I blame the seal failure and me not addressing it as soon as the noise was noticeable. When the motor speaks to me, I need to listen and act then. Like I said, I liked the 165, but if there is something better I’m open to that. If i switch brands I’d lose out on the couple hundred bucks on the VLink, but it’s also possible that’s toast too. I just find it odd they’d both coincidentally failed at about the same time.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my longer than intended story, and for any advice you can offer!

 

[laprjns]

As a side note, in the last couple of weeks the VLink stopped connecting to the internet, it showed my router was not connected to the internet, when it clearly was. Related or coincidence? Not sure.

Same issue here. I sent an email to Century VLink technical support and received a reply saying .
Sorry for the inconvenience. Service is not been discontinued. Its a global issue. Please allow us 2 to 3 days more. Developers are still working on this issue. We will get back with the resolution.
That was three weeks ago. I haven't heard anything from Vlink and I still cannot get the adapter to connect to the internet. This has been an issue in the past, however, it usually only lasted a few days. I am giving up on the Vlink and switching to a Jandy iQPump controller. See this thread Century (Regal) VGreen motor automation.

is there any benefit to going with the Vgreen 270, with the same or one step larger impeller

Both motors will spin the impeller at the same RPMs using the same power to deliver the same flow with the same impeller. To deliver the same flow rate using a larger impeller with the Vgreen 270 motor, the speed will be lower but still require the same power as with the small impeller / Vgreen 1.65 spinning at a higher speed.

In other words, is there any efficiency gained by running a more powerful motor at a lower power to achieve a similar flow rate?

No, the power to deliver a similar (same) flow rate will be the same for both motors. The larger motor will run at a lower RPM, but the horsepower required to move the water will be the same.
If you want to achieve a certain flow through your system, the power required will be the same no matter which size motor you use. Sure larger motors will run slower, but the horsepower needed to push the flow through your system will be the same. The true advantage of the larger motor is that the reduced speed will be quieter.

edited to correct a misstatement

 

[EricJ320]

That’s very interesting info regarding the Jandy controller. At first glance it looks somewhat complicated, but I’m guessing with a little thought it’s a manageable process.

Also, thanks for the info on the motor size. Would upsizing the impeller a step or two and running at a slower rpm make the switch to the 270 worth it at all, or does the math still pretty much wash out?

 

[laprjns]

Would upsizing the impeller a step or two and running at a slower rpm make the switch to the 270 worth it at all, or does the math still pretty much wash out?

Assuming that the flow will be the same, the only advantage of going with the larger pump is the lower noise level by running at slower speeds. It takes a certain amount of horsepower to move a given water flow through the plumbing system. With a larger pump, although it will be running at a lower speed to move the given flow, the power required will not be more or less than the smaller motor running at a higher speed.

 

[mas985]

Finally to my questions, my plumbing is all 1-1/2”, the 165 is a good fit, but if price is the same, is there any benefit to going with the Vgreen 270, with the same or one step larger impeller? In other words, is there any efficiency gained by running a more powerful motor at a lower power to achieve a similar flow rate?

No benefit unless you change the impeller to a larger impeller. It is the impeller that determines the flow rate for a given RPM, not the motor. The motor just needs to be large enough to support the impeller.

 

[EricJ320]

Same issue here. I sent an email to Century VLink technical support and received a reply saying .
Sorry for the inconvenience. Service is not been discontinued. Its a global issue. Please allow us 2 to 3 days more. Developers are still working on this issue. We will get back with the resolution.
That was three weeks ago. I haven't heard anything from Vlink and I still cannot get the adapter to connect to the internet. This has been an issue in the past, however, it usually only lasted a few days. I am giving up on the Vlink and switching to a Jandy iQPump controller. See this thread Century (Regal) VGreen motor automation.

Doing some research it seems the newer models of the VGreen EVO line includes comparability with 3rd party automation systems like Jandy, Pentair, and Hayward. Seems it wasn’t the original EVO’s, but more recent ones. So that adds to the complexity of sourcing one that is definitely compatible, but that might be easier than the reprogramming process you linked to the other thread.

Also, what email address were you using to communicate with the VLink customer service. Everything I find is just to Century/Regal.

 

[laprjns]

Also, what email address were you using to communicate with the VLink customer service. Everything I find is just to Century/Regal.

In the VLink app, click on the hamburger menu icon, and then the Help menu item, it will bring up an email dialog. mailto: vlinkcenturyelectricmotor.com

Doing some research it seems the newer models of the VGreen EVO line includes comparability with 3rd party automation systems like Jandy, Pentair, and Hayward. Seems it wasn’t the original EVO’s, but more recent ones.

I believe they are branded with "Century Connect". See here

 

[1poolman1]

Good morning folks, I have a couple of questions about replacing the motor on my pump. For a (fairly) brief back story, we bought a home with a pool a few years back, shortly after the Hayward (Century) single speed motor started screeching pretty badly, so I replaced it with a Vgreen 165 VS motor. I was very happy with it, bought the Century VLink Wi-Fi controller and all was good. Last year we did a complete reno on the pool so it was out of commission for a couple of months, when I fired everything back up the motor was making a little noise it never had before, I suspected a bearing was starting to go bad. Not sure if it was the downtime or just complete coincidence.

I should have addressed it then, but knowing VS motor bearing replacement is not an easy or recommended DIY job, I didn’t do anything with it until it got progressively worse, and then stopped working and showed a fault on the control panel in the last few weeks. (Lesson learned) I ordered some bearings and a new seal kit and hoped to attempt a repair, but by now the motor was so corroded nearly every screw snapped instead of unscrewing, and when I tried to remove the face plate it broke instead of coming off as it should. Clearly I had a seal failure that I had not seen. So the motor is toast for sure now. Thankfully I kept the old single speed motor, and the bad bearing in it matched the one I ordered for the Vgreen so I replaced it and now it’s back to running whisper quiet, well as quiet as a single speed motor can run. As a side note, in the last couple of weeks the VLink stopped connecting to the internet, it showed my router was not connected to the internet, when it clearly was. Related or coincidence? Not sure.

I’m back to filtering and producing chlorine with the SWG again, but I still want to go back to a VS motor for quiet running, lower operating cost, and programming functions like freeze protection and run scheduling.

Finally to my questions, my plumbing is all 1-1/2”, the 165 is a good fit, but if price is the same, is there any benefit to going with the Vgreen 270, with the same or one step larger impeller? In other words, is there any efficiency gained by running a more powerful motor at a lower power to achieve a similar flow rate?

Also, I’d like to stay with the Vgreen motors hoping I can solve the VLink issue, but is there another motor that would match my Hayward Superpump and plumbing that would be a better motor? I don’t blame the motor in this situation, rather I blame the seal failure and me not addressing it as soon as the noise was noticeable. When the motor speaks to me, I need to listen and act then. Like I said, I liked the 165, but if there is something better I’m open to that. If i switch brands I’d lose out on the couple hundred bucks on the VLink, but it’s also possible that’s toast too. I just find it odd they’d both coincidentally failed at about the same time.

Thanks for taking the time to read through my longer than intended story, and for any advice you can offer!

If you don't change the impeller, the 2.7 (if you can get one, they're no longer made), at the same RPM will move the same amount of water as the 1.65. It may use a tiny bit less energy but not enough to make a huge difference at the speeds you will be using. The horsepower rating of a motor is how much work it can do, the impeller determines how much it will do at maximum RPM. Put a 5hp motor on the impeller and it will only do 1hp (not counting the service factor) worth of work.
A good match to that pump would be the Nidec Neptune NPTT165. If won't give you WIFI control, but it will have more options available as to run times and speeds with its built-in drive, timer, timeclock.
If you get a larger impeller, like the SPX302C (2hp), the larger motor can be run at a lower RPM to move the same water for less energy. In the Neptune it would be a NPTT225 (or the NPTT270). Then, if you prefer the Century V-Green 270 (and can get one) you will have a more efficient system either way.