If you live in Florida and your filter pump motor dies you will soon face one of 3 options. Because of new laws going into effect in July you must install either a 2-speed or variable speed motor on your main circulation pump. To help you choose what to do if you are facing this decision I will talk a little about your options.
Option #1
Replace your old single speed motor with a 2 speed motor. If you have a single speed timer i.e. Intermatic timer with a big yellow dial inside, you will also need to replace the timer with a 2 speed timer. Although the 2 speed motors are more efficient than single speed motors they are still basically constructed the same as they have been over the last decade. The housing is made of steel which is highly susceptible to rust and corrosion. Typically you should see 3-5 years of life out of these old style motors.
Option #2
Replace your single speed motor with a variable speed motor. The cost for variable speed motors is more expensive than 2 speed motors. However, you can operate these motors with your existing timer. When you take into consideration option #1 having to replace both the timer and motor then option #2 is less expensive because you only need to replace the motor. Variable speed motors are also more energy efficient than 2 speed motors.
We install a variable speed motor brand called ImPower. These variable speed motors are built with an aluminum housing which will drastically cut down on rust and corrosion issues. There is a fully enclosed fan which protects the motor internals better than old style motors. They are constructed way better than the old style motors and should last 5+ years. You will see $60-$75 of electricity savings each month when replacing a single speed motor.
Option #3
Install a brand new variable speed pump. If your pool pump was installed over 5 years ago I highly recommend this option. Because of the age of the plastic housing and internal components you may be looking at a major part of your existing pump cracking and breaking in the near future. The newer variable speed pumps are ultra quiet and energy efficient. Many models have digital programming so you do not even need a timer. But the most important feature of variable speed pumps is the optional safety vacuum release systems (SVRS.) You can expect to pay ~$300 extra to protect your swimmers from drowning by accidental entrapment. Variable speed pumps with the optional SVRS will shut down when there is trouble with blockage or low water in your pool. The typical lifespan of variable speed pumps should be 5+ years. You will save on average $60-$85 per month on electricity.
My personal top of the line choice is the IntelliPro. It uses the same body of the Sta-Rite Max-E-Pro, bar none the best engineered residential pump available today, with the pump intelligence of the more well-known IntelliFlo. The IntelliFlo uses the same pump body of the Pentair WhisperFlo. Water cooler talk amongst us “pool guys” only confirms my opinion about the IntelliPro being the time tested, best designed and most energy efficient model available today. Hayward has a couple of variable speed models out as well the TriStar and the Ecostar. The TriStar has been out for a number of years and it is actually a nicely designed pump compared to some of the other Hayward models. I don’t however like the drive system that it’s connected to for the variable speed control. It’s a big box that is mounted on the wall and the programming is less than friendly. The Ecostar has just been introduced this year and so far it seems like a winner. Hayward seems to be having some trouble with production and they come dribbling from the factory a couple at a time in each area.
Before you faint at the initial sticker price to replace your dead pool pump motor let me explain to you the FULL picture. For example let’s take a look at replacing a 1½ horsepower motor. The old way would have been to swap out the motor with another single speed 1½ HP motor costing around $380 with tax and installation. The new way is to install a variable speed motor costing around $865 with tax and installation. A difference of $485, and now with your new ultra quiet energy efficient motor you will be saving $60-$75 per month on electricity. That’s no lie I’ve seen it time and time again. It will take you 8 months to make up that difference and start reaping the serious rewards of this new technology.
To look at this from an investment standpoint: If you were to take that extra $485 that this HORRIFIC mandate is going to make you spend on this new fangled contraption and invest it in the stock market you would have to see a 48% return on investment in the first year. Saving $60 on electricity each month for a year = $720. You just took that $485 and made $235 in the first year! For 5 or so more years you will get paid roughly $720. How’s that $485 initial investment looking now? Now if you really wanna fall off your rocker Professional Poolcare does 0% interest financing for 12 months. You will literally get a FREE motor out of this deal and save BIG money!
Talk around the pool water fountain is that none of these options will support a solar heated pool. That the pump speed is not adequate to circulate the water. True or False?
Further we were told it can only run 2 hours a day on high(needed for the solar) then drop to low which does not produce enough force for adequate water circulation. Also we have a salt circulation pool which needs 2 turns a day, running on low we will have to operate it 14 hours a day instead of 8, so how do we save money? Sounds like more failed government policy to me.
Thanks
Sue
You are absolutely wrong about these pumps and motors being inadequate for solar heated pools. We have installed them on many solar heated pools to date and have never had a complaint about them. Since they are variable speed pumps we can set them to whatever speed setting we need to circulate water properly up to the panels. One of these pump models is a variable flow pump which means that it constantly monitors the flow of water and automatically adjusts its speed to pump however many gallons per minute it’s set to through the pipes.
As a side benefit, pools with solar panels coupled with a variable speed pump are receiving an increase in heating because these pumps are running longer through the day for less money. And even though these variable speed pumps run longer than traditional pumps you will still save more money on electricity because they are up to 90% more efficient than their counterparts. If you run a single speed pump for 8 hours per day you would have to run a variable speed pump for 15 hours to equal the same amount of electrical usage.
The only disadvantage we run into is that when the solar panels are on you wont get the biggest energy savings because we need to set the pumps to about 1500-1700 rmps. The lowest setting is at 750 rpms and that just isn’t enough flow to get the water to the roof. So in mid summer I inform the customer that once they turn the solar off they can change the default low back down to 750 rpms.
I don’t like the government ramming regulations down the throat of the consumers either. Even though they have pushed back the date of this mandatory switch to more efficient motors, people are still choosing variable speed motors once they are fully informed about the choices.