Another pump question...

Everything I have read here says got with a 2-speed pump. I have told everyone quoting to quote a 2-speed pump and for all of them it was not standard. They have all said they would do it. The builder I will probably go with, the one I seem to trust the most, tells me the 2-speed would not be a good idea. He said that his Jandy rep. recomends against going with a 2-speed for a pool/spa combination (I thought that was the whole reason for going with it in the first place). He tells me the Jandy rep. says that the spa would not get the required circulation on low speed (I don't remember why he said this was so). The spa is 8' dia., raised 12". He says the Jandy rep claims to have had to replace quite a few 2-speed setups due to this reason. He says he will install the 2-speed if I want it for aprox. 500.00 additional (seems high for the same pump with a different motor). His reasoning doesn't seem right to me, but I don't see why he would recommend against it if he did not believe it to be true. I'm sure his electricians have wired 2-speed pumps to a Aqualink system before.

Also, he is quoting the Jandy Aqualink RS system and says the wireless is cheaper than the wired model. Is this true? Does anyone have any comments on the Aqualink system, particularly the PDA handheld?

17000 gal gunite pool
8' spa raised 12"
2 HP stealth for pool and spa
2 HP stealth for water features
Aqualink RS system

With one pump for both spa and pool, your builder is correct in that the low speed will not be sufficient for the spa but that is why you have two speeds. You run the spa on high speed for jet action and low speed for pool circulation. The high speed of a two speed 2 HP pump is about the same as a single speed 2 HP pump so there is not much difference at high speed for the spa.

An alternative configuration would be to use two separate pumps. A low HP (3/4) pump for pool and spa circulation and a high HP pump for just the jets. This should be more money than the 2 speed.

An increase of $500 seems a bit high to me for a 2 speed pump. The pumps themselves are less than $200 difference in price so he is padding it a bit.

As for the wireless system, when I bought mine, it was about the same price as the wired. The wireless remotes are quite nice since they don't tie you down to one location and can be used while working on the pool.

Is there any different switching that needs to be installed to support a 2-speed pump motor?

OK, an update on pump question. After telling the builder I did not understand his explanation on why I needed to stay with a single speed pump and my surprise at the price increase, he called back today after talking again with his Jandy rep. Come to find out, he misunderstood what the rep was telling him. Supposedly the rep was saying there would be little circulation in the spa and very little overflow from the spa down the stepped spill-over to the pool while on low speed (No Kidding!). So the use of a 2-speed is really no problem.

On the 500.00 price difference, he did just give an estimate off the top of his head. When he called today he said the upgrade to a 2-speed would be 400.00. Upon further questioning (I had called Jandy and they said the price difference was less than 50.00, but I did not tell him this), he said the price increase was not just for the pump, but for upgrading the Aqualink from a PS6 to a PS8 and the extra relays to hook it up. He said the 2 speed pump would require using one of the accessory terminals on the PS6 so I would need to upgrade to a PS8 (not actuall true, but I would want to go with the 8 button unit anyway). The price difference for the PS8 over the PS6 is about 300.00 acording to Jandy. So this price increase makes a little more sense, even though I disagree with how he arrived at the price difference. And yes, the wired one touch is about 750.00 (PS6) to 1100.00 (PS8) more than the wireless. I guess wireless prices have dropped lately. I wonder how long it will be before my kids loose the wireless. We have a hard enough time keeping up with the TV remote.

I would still love any input on the Jandy Aqulink system, especially the wireless. The other builder I am talking to is offering the Pentair Intellilink 7. Not sure how they compare. Thanks for the input.

By the way, Jandy says all the relays and hook-ups for a two speed pump are included in both the PS6 and the PS8 without using one of the accessory hook-ups.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LITTLEJJ

I would still love any input on the Jandy Aqulink system, especially the wireless. The other builder I am talking to is offering the Pentair Intellilink 7. Not sure how they compare. Thanks for the input.

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I have the PS8 model. I am a new pool owner. The wireless feature is wonderful. The handheld is waterproof so it can be dropped in the pool without fear of damage. I do have one minor issue with the system. The communication between the remote and the wall unit is slow. There is alot of lag time from the time you press the button and when the feature turns on/off. That takes a little getting used to. The Jandy rep claims they are working on the problem and hope to have a fix to the problem very soon. I am running all pool/spa equipment, lights, heater, blower, and have also hooked up 2 sets of flood lights in the backyard off of the system. The true selling feature to the remote unit was the user friendly approach. My wife has no problems operating any of the equipment. Hope that helps. Good luck in your decisions.:) :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LITTLEJJ

OK, an update on pump question. After telling the builder I did not understand his explanation on why I needed to stay with a single speed pump and my surprise at the price increase, he called back today after talking again with his Jandy rep. Come to find out, he misunderstood what the rep was telling him. Supposedly the rep was saying there would be little circulation in the spa and very little overflow from the spa down the stepped spill-over to the pool while on low speed (No Kidding!). So the use of a 2-speed is really no problem.

On the 500.00 price difference, he did just give an estimate off the top of his head. When he called today he said the upgrade to a 2-speed would be 400.00. Upon further questioning (I had called Jandy and they said the price difference was less than 50.00, but I did not tell him this), he said the price increase was not just for the pump, but for upgrading the Aqualink from a PS6 to a PS8 and the extra relays to hook it up. He said the 2 speed pump would require using one of the accessory terminals on the PS6 so I would need to upgrade to a PS8 (not actuall true, but I would want to go with the 8 button unit anyway). The price difference for the PS8 over the PS6 is about 300.00 acording to Jandy. So this price increase makes a little more sense, even though I disagree with how he arrived at the price difference. And yes, the wired one touch is about 750.00 (PS6) to 1100.00 (PS8) more than the wireless. I guess wireless prices have dropped lately. I wonder how long it will be before my kids loose the wireless. We have a hard enough time keeping up with the TV remote.

I would still love any input on the Jandy Aqulink system, especially the wireless. The other builder I am talking to is offering the Pentair Intellilink 7. Not sure how they compare. Thanks for the input.

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This makes a lot more sense to me. I think the price difference is now reasonable and I agree that the PS8 is a better choice.

I did not think I needed the extra relays myself but I have since added a house light and landscaping lights that I can now control with this unit on timers or just manually in the house which is a really nice feature to have.

As for the Pentair, I am not sure if that unit is SWG ready like the Aqualogic. It may need and extra controller which means more $$. I would double check on that. But if the PB packages are the same cost then it may not matter to you.