Starite Supermax VS pump

[sktn77a]

Hello all:

I'm looking at replacing my 20 year old 1hp single speed Sta-rite P2R pump with a Sta-Rite Supermax VS 343000/343001 or Pentair Superflow VS 342001/342000. The Sta-Rite and Pentair are apparently identical pumps. However, my quetion is about the 000 vs 001 designations. The only difference I can make out is that the 000 pumps are 220v only while the 001 pumps are 110/220 volt pumps.

I've seen posts on this forum saying that the 000 pumps are "older" pumps and are different efficiency-wise to the 001 pumps. However, I've seen no official documentation of this anywhere.

Anybody know for sure if the dual voltage is truly the only difference?

Thanks,

 

[patrick3229]

Re: Starite Supermax VS pump

Hi Sktn77a,

I believe I have some old Pentair Catalogs back in our offices. On Monday I will take a look the 342000 from an old catalog vs. the data from the 342001 and let you know what I find out.

 

[sktn77a]

Re: Starite Supermax VS pump

Thanks Patrick!

 

[CJadamec]

Re: Starite Supermax VS pump

The 000 is the older discontinued version of the pump. It only ran 220v and the motor/drive electronics were a slightly different design. Any "new" pump with this model number will have been sitting on a shelf for a long time as they haven't made this version for a few years.

The 001 version of the pump is current production and will run on 110/220 V power. The motor and controls are updated from the previous version. This version has an ever so slightly less efficient motor most likely due to it being a dual voltage drive setup. Both versions use a permanent magnet motor. In the real world running your pool you will never notice that difference even if you had both versions running side by side. The Superflo VS is still one of only a handful of VS pumps that will run on 110V. This allows this pump to be a direct replacement for a huge percentage of above and in ground pools without any need for new wires.

 

[patrick3229]

Re: Starite Supermax VS pump

Everything CJadamec said is spot on... the 000 was rated at 1.65 True HP where the 001 is rated at a 2.2 True HP. I was able to dig up the specs on the 342000 from 2014 Pentair Catalog which is listed below.... If you look at the motor on the pump below vs. the 342001 you can see new motor is vented and the controller on top of the motor is different.

 

[sktn77a]

Re: Starite Supermax VS pump

Thanks folks. Still a confusing mess! I see the 343000 apparently has a 1.65 HP motor downrated to 1.5HP, while the 343001 appears to have a 2.2HP motor downrated (presumably by the impeller) to 1.5HP(?)

So would the use of a 2.2 HP motor with a reduced flow impeller be less efficient (at a given flow rate) that a 1.65HP motor with a better matched impeller? I saw an energy website showing that the 343001 was rated at grossly lower efficiencies than the older 343000!

 

[patrick3229]

Re: Starite Supermax VS pump

Hi sktn77a,

I could check to see if the pumps used the same impeller or different impellers, but do you have access to a 343000 or a 342000 pump as that model was discontinued in 2014? As CJadmec stated "Any "new" pump with this model number will have been sitting on a shelf for a long time as they haven't made this version for a few years."

 

[sktn77a]

Re: Starite Supermax VS pump

I checked and the part number is the same for both pumps, so I'm assuming they both use the same impeller. Not sure why a 3 year old "NOS" pump should be a problem(?) There are still some of the older 343000 pumps in the distribution network.

 

[CJadamec]

Total HP and rated HP are confusing in electric motors. There is nothing going on with down rated impellors or even different sized impellors on the 000/001 models of this pump. They both have the same wet end. The only difference between the two models is the motor and vfd drive. The older version as partick has shown a picture of has an open vented motor with a 1.1 service factor rating. THP= HP x SF. So for the 000 model of the pump the nominal 1.5hp rating times a 1.1 service factor gives you a total HP of 1.65.

The 001 model Is a totally enclosed fan cooled motor (the motor internals are sealed from the outside air). The 001 model has a 1.65hp motor with a service factor of 1.5 which gives you a total HP of 2.2.

The way motors are rated like this leads to a lot of confusion and is often represented in a misleading fashion by advertisements. Service factor is a way of rating the durability of the motor for a given application. A higher service factor number indicates a more durable longer lasting motor. With VS motors you need to account for an overall lack of cooling for the motor when it is running at low speeds because the cooling fan runs at the same speed as the motor.

The 001 version of the pump has a much more robust motor and electronics package compared to the 000 version. The change in motor is what caused the efficiency to be different. In the real world with the pump actually running your pool the running cost will be insignificant. You will likely get more years of use from the 001 model which will more than make up for the small extra bit of electricity is has consumed over its life.

 

[sktn77a]

Yes, very confusing! I was looking at the intelliflo pumps which use the identical motor (3HP) and electronics but a different impeller ("1HP" vs "3HP")?! So I really don't know what the heck these pump manufacturers are talking about with the "service factor"!

Bottom line is, I will probably go with the 001 model because you can program a lower "prime speed" which doesn't appear to be an option on the 000 model.