Considering an SWCG and a VS pump

[DHendrix]

Hello everyone,

We just bought a house that has a 15,500 in-ground pool with a screen enclosure and a DE filter. This is our first pool and I've been trying to learn as much as possible. So far this forum has been very helpful. My chlorinator is not working and I have decided to replace it with a SWCG. My electric bill was very high the first month and I'm sure it is due to my pool pump. I was probably running it excessively 12 hours a day so I cut that to 9 hours but I have decided to replace it with a energy efficient model. Any suggestions for best value SWGC and energy efficient pump would be appreciated. I'm thinking about a pentair intellichlor with an intelliflo VS pump...

Thanks in advance

[CarlD]

Hi and welcome.
A few pieces of advice: Learn and master the BBB system before you install an SWCG system. It's MUCH easier to maintain a pool with an SWCG if you can do it easily without one. And you may find it's so EASY you can't justify the cost of an SWCG.

For me, as much as I liked the idea of an SWCG, I couldn't justify because the cost plus the ease of pool care of our BBB system made it unnecessary. However, when we began to spend more time away from home in the summers, it now made sense to install it. But I had 13 years of pool care, and used the BBB method for 11 or 12 of that before I got the SWCG. I STILL use the BBB method, only my main way of chlorinating is the SWCG.

Second, VS pumps are sexy but they are also very, VERY susceptible to lightning and power surges so without a proper surge suppressor designed for it...it could burn out the electronics. OTOH, I haven't seen much that shows that VS pumps have a significant (emphasis on "significant" ) energy advantage over 2-speed pumps. Is it worth the extra $150-$250 it costs more than a 2 speed? I just don't know, but I run my two speed on LO about 10 hours a day and that's more than enough to filter, run my SWCG, and feed my solar panel.

I don't know much about Pentair but their pumps and filters are considered among the best. I know nothing about their SWCGs, having an Autopilot myself (and very, very happy with it).

[PoolDoc]

What Carl said, plus:

If you plan to purchase the pump yourself, you want to keep in mind that Pentair has eviscerated their product warranties, on products sold directly to consumers. Hayward may be a better choice, unless you purchase through an approved outlet . . . and there's still some uncertainty about what constitutes an approved outlet. Even thhe manager of my local pool wholesale store has not been able to find out.

[DHendrix]

Thank you for the input. I visited 3 local stores yesterday and they all recommended different SWCG. Two of them recommended the Pentair VS pump but one recommended a Waterway pump. His reasoning was that the pump and the drive (I think) are separate on the Waterway so if one fails you don't have to replace both as you do with the Pentair...

[PoolDoc]

Better check the price on the Waterworks electronics module -- replacing it separately is not of much value if the electronics part is, say, 60% of the entire unit.

I should say that I don't know about this pump, one way or the other. But I do know that some of their filter designs are very marginal. And my experience is that a company goes for 'show' and not function in one part of their product line, tends to do so in other dimensions as well. So, look carefully at the WET end of the pump. Poor design or manufacturing there can make efficiency on the dry end sort of worthless.

Frankly, you can achieve very, very high efficiencies on your pool, by purchasing a 3/4 HP 2 speed Whisperflo with a toggle switch, and running it on low (~500 watts) for 4 - 8 hours per day. In many areas of the country, that translates into $6 - $10 per month. And, you'll have a VERY reliable pump.

Pentair Whisperflo WFDS-3 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B002FQIXYM//scouscho-20/)

Just remember that the Whisperflo has an abbreviated warranty if you purchase it directly using the Amazon link above or another online source, so if you do buy it directly, be prepared to install it promptly on receipt. Most failures will occur within a week or so (not that I've ever had either a Pentair or Hayward fail prematurely -- discounting the time when I wired one incorrectly!), so if you install promptly, you can still return it within Amazon's 30 day window.

Ben

[kelemvor]

Hi and welcome.
A few pieces of advice: Learn and master the BBB system before you install an SWCG system. It's MUCH easier to maintain a pool with an SWCG if you can do it easily without one. And you may find it's so EASY you can't justify the cost of an SWCG.

This is important. While I love my SWCG, it's not going to save any money vs BBB. Also, you still have to monitor and adjust your chemistry with swcg. Usual doses become acid instead of chlorine at a less frequent interval. CYA and salt take on a more prominent role.