Variable Speed Pumps (Hayward Super Pump)

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M

maf528

0
May 16, 2017
18
Marlton, NJ
I'm looking into replacing my old Emerson 1.5hp pump which had some issues last summer. I was interested in the VS pumps, specifically I was looking into the Hayward Super Pump VS. It seems like quite a few people had issues with them, but most of the threads I've seen are a few years old. I was just wondering if anyone knew if any improvements were made since then.

Are single speed and dual speed more reliable than the variable speeds in general?

Also, the salesperson I was talking to was recommending the Jacuzzi brand, with a 5 year warranty, compared to 1 year on the Haywards. Anyone have any experiences with this brand? I can't find much on these. Thanks.
 
I was just searching the forum for info on what the 'best' and most reliable variable pumps are, too. I thought I found a great one at a great price this morning, until seeing that everyone here seems to hate the Hayward Ecostar. Interested to see what people say for the best variable pumps and brands in general, and if they're reliable or only going to cause trouble in three years.
 
A lot of members here have pentair equipment. Consequently a lot of members here are very happy with pentair equipment. They are easily the most recommended pump for a VS pump.

The next most common recommendation is buy the VS pump that is most compatible with your automation. If you have automation this is the most important thing to consider when choosing a pump.

Unfortunately haward has had some history with some bad VS drive designs. To their credit they have in my opinion worked very hard to make their customers happy.

Jandy very rarely has a bad word said about any of their equipment as well.
 
Haywards SP3400 VSP [corrected from 3200] has a flawed controller design that fails prematurely...this has been admitted by Hayward and what Hayward has done is to replace the controller 3-4 yrs from purchase, many times covering labor. However, in my opinion, Hayward should have done a recall on the whole pump.

If you knew the car you were buying would have an engine failure 1, 2, 3 yrs after purchase, would you buy it, even if they agreed to replace the engine on their tab? What about when it fails again, and it will, beyond the time they will replace it when there are other brands that will work for 5+yrs w no issues, as Chuck described.

The main pool pump is the heart of your operations. If it fails or you know it's going to fail, your peace of mind is gone, along w a huge inconvenience factor of having to wait to get the drive replaced and your pool turning green. Why take the risk? When mine fails again, I'm going to another brand, and possibly change out the automation too...just not worth the hassle.
 
tstex said:
Haywards SP3200 VSP has a flawed controller design that fails prematurely...this has been admitted by Hayward and what Hayward has done is to replace the controller 3-4 yrs from purchase, many times covering labor. However, in my opinion, Hayward should have done a recall on the whole pump.
Click to expand...
For clarification, Hayward SP3200VSP is the TriStar model and the SP3400VSP is the problematic EcoStar.

The Ecostar model gained its popularity by having too many bad reviews across the board. OTOH, it's great to hear Hayward is doing their best to keep the Ecostar owners happy by replacing the faulty drv contrl. But don't forget, the so-called owners are still stuck with Ecostar that is subject to premature failure again and again! ok enough rant...
 
Meadow, yes 3400 not 3200, thanks for correction

I have heard that the tristar has a new controller design and is much better. But it's a 2.7HP I believe and my pool and spa are 175+ feet away from equip pad so i need the extra horses...good luck on your decision
 
tstex said:
AZrob,

Can you pls help w a few questions:

How long have you had your tristar?

What rpms and hrs/intervals per day do you run your tristar?

How far is your pump from your pool?

thanks
Click to expand...

Sure. Pump was installed last November. I run 2 settings on it.
1. 6 Hours 1700rpm for filtering.
2. 4 hours 2700rpm for skimming and vac.

Pump is about 10ft from pool.

I would knock those times down, but in the desert we have a lot of dust in the air.
 

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Arizonarob said:
Sure. Pump was installed last November. I run 2 settings on it.
1. 6 Hours 1700rpm for filtering.
2. 4 hours 2700rpm for skimming and vac.

Pump is about 10ft from pool.

I would knock those times down, but in the desert we have a lot of dust in the air.
Click to expand...

Wow, my family and I just drove back from Chander AZ from visiting my brother that lives in Chandler, and yes, he tells me of the dust and wind too.

I hope your tristar works for 10+ yrs w no issues...seems you're set up fine w pump only being 10 ft from pool and w 11K water, you should get plenty of movement. One thing you can do, if you haven't, is add the poly-spun hairnets to your skimmers...this will keep your filter from catching a lot of additional things...

Chandler is a great place and sure is growing...thanks again
 
You can adjust the priming speed to a lower RPM so it doesn't stress your filter out. There is no way in the world that you should ever need to let that pump run at full speed. Try priming at around 2000 - 2400 rpm that should be plenty.
 
Chuck, you pose an interesting thought, one to which I’m going to get on the horn with Hayward and find out why they have it factory programmed that way. I thought about dropping it down to 3000rpm for prime, but, the one positive effect it has on my pool is....

Take for example last night. We had some gusty winds here blowing all kinds of stuff in my pool while it was off. Upon start up at 2am for its nightly filtration run, at full speed prime, it gets all the debris that tends to get hung up on the pebble finish, and sends it straight to the skimmer basket.

Even at full speed, my filter is only at 14psi, then drops down to either 2 or 4 psi depending on its run cycle.
I’ll try and get on the horn today and see what they have to say.

~Rob
 
If you are seeing 14 psi at priming speed that means your pump is pushing close to 80gpm. Make your filter is rated for that kind of flow. You can collapse your filter elements very easily if they get plugged and your pump starts up at full speed like that. If you like how it cleans your pool there's nothing saying not to run it up that high while you can watch the filter pressure. Having it ramp up that high every time it starts just seems like an unnecessary risk to your filter.
 
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