Need advice on new pool pump

First wanted to say hello to everyone, hope to find valuable information on this forum. I am a member of several different forums, this being the first pool forum.

I purchased my first home last week!!! It has a pool, rather small in size, less than 18,000 gallons, but its a gunite inground pool and the ole lady loves it. The pool pump already installed has been burned up for a least a year or 2. The water is a greenish brown color, looks like it would be good to throw a bass worm into.

I am in the process of picking out a new pool pump. I live in Florida, and Gulf Power is providing a $600 incentive to buy an energy efficient pool pump. I need help deciding which pump to purchase, and where to purchase from. I am looking for a reputable pump that will last a good while and a company with a good track record of warranty claims. Also would be nice to have a pump with a solid warranty. Price, warraty, reputation and dependability are my driving factors. Thanks for the help. Below is a list of incentive elgible pumps.

Flo Pro VS-FHP-2.0 (requires controller)
Hayward EcoStar - SP3400VSP
Hayward EcoStar SVRS - SP3400VSPVR
Hybrid Pumps LLC Hemi - X2 or X3
Intelliflo VS-3050, model number 11013
Jandy ePump - JEP1.5 or JEP2.0 (requires controller)
Pentair IntelliFlo VF - 11012
Pentair IntelliFlo VS + SVRS - 11017
Pentair IntelliFlo VS - 11018
Sta-Rite IntelliFlo VS + SVRS - P6E6XS4H209L
Sta-Rite Intellipro - P6EVS4H209L
Waterway Plastics INC. ECONO-VS
Waterway Plastics INC. ECONO-VSA

Intelliflo probably has the most field time and they seem to be pretty good so far with only handful of failures. But I would only consider either the 11017 or 11018. The VF is too expensive and doesn't give you much more. The 11013 is an old pump without a timer but costs about the same as the 11018.

The only other pump I would consider besides the Intelliflo, is the EcoStar but that is mainly because they have a little better efficiency than the Intelliflo. But the downside is again, not a lot of field experience to determine long term reliability.

Do you have a controller that is compatible with any of them? That could be one deciding factor.

In case you're missing the implications in what Mark is saying, here's they are stated more plainly and less politely:

1. Variable speed pumps haven't been around long enough to be fully tested.
2. We don't know how the electronics stand up to thunderstorms.
3. Serviceable parts can be VERY expensive, and we don't know what the life expectancy is.
4. There's a lot of hype from ALL the companies about these pumps, and we haven't fully penetrated all of it, yet.
5. In particular, the savings compared to a 2 speed pump with proven technology generally seems to be exaggerated.

What kind of controller would be needed? My old burned out system is a pentair.

If you are going with a two speed, you can get away with a two speed timer such as this: http://www.amazon.com/Intermatic-T10.../dp/B0039Q7NYI

If you go with an Intelliflo 011018, it has a built in timer which would not require an external timer.

I went with the Hayward Ecostar. I think it has a built in timer, similar to the pentair. I dont know personally yet, because I have not hooked it up.

As for the time listed in the amazon link, mine is exactly like that, but it only has one dial. It does in fact still work though.

I hope you'll let us know how it's worked for you, sometime this fall. Feedback from the field is very, very valuable to us.

I will do. I am a forum junkie. Just recently game got a new house and my first pool. I will be around for a while