Yet Another Pump Replacement Help Thread

[wsamon]

So I'm looking to upgrade from an old 1 hp single-speed Sta-Rite to a VSP and would like some help on sizing / the model to buy. Some hopefully useful background:

Pool Size: about 16k gallons? It's hard to calculate because it's a kidney shaped pool that gradually goes from about 3 feet to 9 feet plus has a small attached spa (at least that's easy to calculate)
Filter: cartridge style, 136 gpm max (I think)
Current Pump: Sta-Rite 1 hp 230v
Current Run Time: about 4-6 hours per day
Additional Equipment:
large Hayward HeatPro electric heater (it's bigger than my home AC unit)
small spa with 4 jets (no booster pump)
suction side cleaner
Ingress / Egress:
1 skimmer, 1 main drain, 1 spa drain, 1 cleaner suction
3 pool returns, 4 spa returns
Piping:
1.5" everywhere
pump is maybe 20' from the main drain and cleaner port, and 35' from the skimmer
pump is about 1-2 feet above the skimmer
doesn't seem to have too many bends except when you get close to the pump itself
4 T junctions suction-side to combine all the inlets
1 T junction return-side to switch between pool & spa
Automation: none currently, though I'm interested for the future. Having 1-touch "spa on / spa off" would be great for my wife.

I was thinking about either the Hayward SP2303VSP MaxFlo 1.65 HP for $680 or Hayward SP3202VSP 1.85 HP for $1090. It seems difficult to justify getting something around 2.5+ HP for $1500+ when things worked pretty well with our old 1 hp pump, though I would like a little more power in the spa jets. I'm not against the Pentair Intelliflows, but from my limited research it seemed like Hayward was the better value and more efficient energy-wise. That would also match brands with my heater which could be useful for future automation?

 

[Teald024]

Good choice updating that old single speed pump! You will find many members on each side of the Hayward / Pentair fence. Both make good pumps and you likely won't be disappointed with either brand. Automation is a key player though. If you are considering automation, then pick one brand and stick with it for the pump and controller. You may find you like one controller better and therefore go with that pump brand.
The filter and heater brand are not important and you can mix/match these. Filter is just standard piping. Heater is a simple hard wire interface and not via any communications wiring.
Check your local utility and see if they offer any rebates. Also, in order to maintain full warranties, you may need to buy & get installed by a certified dealer. Others can comment on this.
As far as pump size, don't confuse full nameplate power ratings with actual power consumption. The whole point in going with a VSP is to run at slow speeds to greatly reduce power consumption. Having a 1.65, 1.85, 2, 2.5 or 3 HP pump is not uncommon. This oversize will allow slower speeds and better overall power efficiency.

 

[wsamon]

Good choice updating that old single speed pump! You will find many members on each side of the Hayward / Pentair fence. Both make good pumps and you likely won't be disappointed with either brand. Automation is a key player though. If you are considering automation, then pick one brand and stick with it for the pump and controller. You may find you like one controller better and therefore go with that pump brand.
The filter and heater brand are not important and you can mix/match these. Filter is just standard piping. Heater is a simple hard wire interface and not via any communications wiring.
Check your local utility and see if they offer any rebates. Also, in order to maintain full warranties, you may need to buy & get installed by a certified dealer. Others can comment on this.
As far as pump size, don't confuse full nameplate power ratings with actual power consumption. The whole point in going with a VSP is to run at slow speeds to greatly reduce power consumption. Having a 1.65, 1.85, 2, 2.5 or 3 HP pump is not uncommon. This oversize will allow slower speeds and better overall power efficiency.

Unfortunately, there's no utility rebates.

We'll probably install the pump ourselves. I know I won't get the full coverage but that doesn't seem worth paying both high markup plus labor costs.

My concern with oversizing the pump isn't strictly the oversizing since I can obviously dial it down, it's the cost. Money is, unfortunately, an object, so if a $700 pump will do the job perfectly well why pay $2000 for one that's only marginally better for me. I assume the slight increase in efficiency would take several years to overcoming the extra $1k-2k initial cost.

I'm curious what the functional difference is between the 2303 MaxFlo and 3202 Tristar. For $400 it's got to be more than just 0.2 HP but I haven't found much concrete info yet.

 

[jimmythegreek]

How are you sanitizing the pool currently? Do you have any plans on automation and maybe a SWG? I'm asking because when I built my pool last year I was on a budget as well and ended up getting a Hayward aquaplus salt cell and control box combo for around a grand. This gave me automation options and I did a Hayward ecoatar VS for around 900 as this was the only option at the time from my supplier. I think the ecostar and tristar are on the same pump platform and the smaller models share the medium size platform. Ppl that have had their drives go bad have swapped controls to other setups using same pump bodies. If you are installing yourself which is pretty straightforward if your handy the money you save pays for alot of it. Not having to worry about your water quality and the simple push a button to do what you want is priceless. In your situation with a small spa you can dial in setting and save them to a program for 1 touch operation of spa and control over your jets power. I figured the chemical and power savings are almost worth it alone but the fact that I dont get phone calls or yelling about what to do with the pool from wife is real savings to me

 

[wsamon]

How are you sanitizing the pool currently? Do you have any plans on automation and maybe a SWG? I'm asking because when I built my pool last year I was on a budget as well and ended up getting a Hayward aquaplus salt cell and control box combo for around a grand. This gave me automation options and I did a Hayward ecoatar VS for around 900 as this was the only option at the time from my supplier. I think the ecostar and tristar are on the same pump platform and the smaller models share the medium size platform. Ppl that have had their drives go bad have swapped controls to other setups using same pump bodies. If you are installing yourself which is pretty straightforward if your handy the money you save pays for alot of it. Not having to worry about your water quality and the simple push a button to do what you want is priceless. In your situation with a small spa you can dial in setting and save them to a program for 1 touch operation of spa and control over your jets power. I figured the chemical and power savings are almost worth it alone but the fact that I dont get phone calls or yelling about what to do with the pool from wife is real savings to me

We're currently sanitizing with a combination of liquid chlorine and pucks.

Yes, I'm thinking of automation and maybe SWG in the future, but that's probably a couple years down the road.