Pump Basics
The pool pump market was turned upside down when the US Department of Energy (DOE) implemented Federal Energy Efficiency regulations, as of July 19, 2021, on Dedicated Purpose Pool pumps (DPPP). For more about that read Pump DOE Regulations.
It used to be that pool pumps were selected based on the pump horsepower to fit the size of the pool and equipment. You were advised a pump which is too large for the plumbing and equipment could cause damage to the filter and other components and will use more energy than a smaller pump. Turnover times of the pool water used to be discussed although we now know that turnover does not matter.
Since the US DOE regulations came into effect almost all pool pumps of 1 HP or more are variable speed pumps. There are some exceptions for low HP, high HP, and specialty pumps. And if you are not in the US then single speed or 2-speed pumps may still be available.
What Pump Should You Buy?
It is nearly always advantageous to go with a larger Total Horse Power (THP) VS pump in a pump family for both lower noise and greater electrical energy efficiency unless electrical cost does not matter to you.
A Variable Speed Pump is a variable HP pump. So the concerns about a high HP pump damaging equipment are no longer valid. You run the VS pump at the speed and HP most suitable for your pump and equipment.
Variable speed pumps are more complex then single speed or 2-speed pumps with electronic control panels to set run times and speeds. Some VS control panels can be very rudimentary while others can have sophisticated controls. If you will not have an automation controller controlling your VS pump you should review the pump Owners Manual and understand the controls of a pump you are considering.
Pool automation expands the utility and efficiency of a variable speed pump by setting the optimum pump speed for filtering, skimming, cleaning, and running spa jets and water features during the day. If you have an automation controller or may get one in the future you must ensure the automation and pump controls are compatible. Usually that means the automation and pump should be from the same manufacturer and even then manufactures may have incompatibilities between their products. Check manufacturer websites and our Wiki pages for the specific automation and pumps you are considering.
What Brand Pool Pump?
At it's heart, a pump is a commodity product where they are all the same in they move water. If you want to move water in a simple pool then a low cost pump that is disposable when it fails may be all you need.
Pentair, Hayward, and Jandy are the big three equipment manufactures. They offer you support and warranties if you go through their authorized dealer channels and compatibility with their automation products. They have multiple pump families with various features and horsepowers for every price point.
Waterway, Circupool, B+D, and others have VS pool pumps with basic features and maybe rudimentary automation interfaces using relays versus RS-485 data comm link. These pumps are at a lower price point then the major manufactures and are attractive to the DIY pool owner who does not care about warranty and support.
There are many low cost Chinese manufactured pumps being sold online. They may be appropriate for the price sensitive pool owner who does not care about warranty or support or spare parts for repairs. Those pumps are probably disposable when they fail.
Choosing Among Pump Families
So now we have you looking at VS pumps from one of the major manufactures and they have a few different families of pumps. What are the major differences and how do you choose which is suitable for your pool?
Before the US DOE caused all the pump technical and marketing changes pool pumps could be classified as:
- High head pumps
- Medium head pumps
- Low head pumps
No, we are not going to get you to calculate the "head" of your pool plumbing. The specific value is not needed. But you can eyeball a pool setup and see if it is a high, medium, or low head setup. Head being the force/resistance working against the pump as it pushes water through your pipes. Filters, heaters, spa jets all create resistance and add to the plumbing head and can make a high head pump more suitable then a medium head pump.
Manufactures rarely label in their sell sheets or manuals if a pump is high, medium or low head. However they have organized their pump product line families into those categories:
- Top of the line 2.7-3+HP VS pumps are high head pumps suitable for pools with heaters and spa jets
- 1.5HP VS pumps are typically medium head pumps
- low head pumps are labeled "Water Feature Pumps" and for simple pools with a basic skimmer, filter, return setup.
There are not hard cutoffs as to which pump should be used for which environment. However, an underpowered pump can leave you with disappointing flows while an overpowered VS pump speed can always be lowered to give you the flow you want. That is why in general we recommend getting the 2.7-3HP pumps versus the 1.5HP pumps.
