Variable Speed Pump evaluations

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tstex

Silver Supporter
Aug 28, 2012
2,236
Houston, TX
Hello to all,

In the process of evaluating the merits of VSP's that can be operated by our automation software and those that cannot.
  • For those of you that have the Hayward TriStar 2.7 HP VSP, how has the performance and reliability been for your pump? How long have you had it? Would you mind listing the city your pump resides [trying to discern the ambient heat you usually experience). This is for two reasons: a), the warmer your climate, the longer your pool season, thus more usage vs shutting it down for winters, b), the greater the summer heat, the more wear and tear on your pump vs cooler climates
  • Have you or anyone you know where bought the Blue Torrent 3HP VSP, and what has been your experience(s)? How long have you owned the pump?
Thank you very much,
tstex
 
I installed a new Tristar 950 VSP in March. It replaced a 9 year old Ecostar VSP (front bearing failure).
I live in the Phoenix AZ area - high summer temps, no closing the pool for winter, mostly low humidity.
I run this new pump and ran the old one 24/7/365. Cost is less than $20/month.

My theory on the long life of the Ecostar is running 24/7 puts less stress on the motor than turning it on/off daily/multiple times daily.
 
Wow!!!! Nine yr EcoStar, that’s amazing… my brother lives in Chandler too and I know that’s not far from Vegas…you should go there !!!

I agree and that’s a great point on pump speed. Any speeds in the 3000RPM really stresses out the Hayward VSP pumps, as well as starting and stoping…the electrical pump harmonics just do not do well w GFCI circuits and erratic RPMS hamper this greatly.

W a low 24x7 RPM, how does that work for skimming top water debris? Cannot see your profile on cell, but do you have a spa? If so, does your VSP run that or anything else (as needed)?

Thanks again for your response.
 
When Pentair VSP first came out, the original with no automation, just four buttons to change speeds and the need for a $600.00 Intellicom to do any automatic speed changing, their failure rate was huge. I had suppliers tell me I should wait for the next batch before purchasing one to install since so many were coming back. They eventually evolved into what we have today, a reliable machine.

Hayward had issues also. What I always liked about their pumps was their "user friendliness" intuitive operation. (And, with instrumentation, it is provable that they are more energy efficient than Pentair, I've seen it). I also appreciated that, while they had a 3-year warranty, I could get them to replace drives that were 4 and in one case 5 years old, as they knew they had a problem and wanted to keep everyone happy.

I still prefer them in standalone installations, but use more Pentair/StaRite because it is so hard to integrate a Hayward into the more and more prevalent automation that isn't Hayward.
 
Fair comments pman. I had a total of 3 ecostars and multiple controllers replaced in first 2-3 yrs. Power to house was checked and fine. Pentair Intelliflo next door and yrs of uninterrupted service. My Siemens DP 20amp GFCI circuit still trips at least 1 time per month…more w summer here.

And yes, I wish there were open standards & compatibility across all brands of p-equipment & automation. If so, you’d see a lot more competition.

Thanks again.
 
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