Replacement Pump

[andrewrstone]

Late last season my Hayward Power-Flo Matrix (1.5 HP) pump stopped working. I tried spinning the motor by hand it didn't bind at all so I plugged it back in and it worked long enough for me to clean the pool one last time. I just reinstalled the filter/pump and it worked a couple of times then stopped again. I'm leaning toward replacing the pump rather than having the motor repaired. Here are a bunch of random points of information.

- Pool is above ground (actually semi-inground) 18x33.
- House was purchased last year so I don't know how old the pump is but there is paperwork for the pool being replaced about 10 years ago so that's probably the age.
- The basket attached the pump always dripped a little even with a replacement gasket.
- The outlet of the filter is PVC (I think it's 1 1/2 inch), routed through the pool heater, then back to the pool.
- The inlet on the pump is flex pool hose.
- The filter is about 10 feet from the pool.
- I live on Long Island which I've been told has the 2nd highest electric rates in the country.

I'm considering replacing the replacing the whole pump assembly. My electric company has rebates of $125 for 2 speed and $200 for variable speed pumps when installed by an approved installer. I called an installer today and got a price of approx $1100 before rebate for a 2 speed and well over $2000 for a variable speed. It looks like I can get the same single speed 1.5 HP pump from Amazon for about $210 and a 2 speed version for $250-$300. I wouldn't get the rebate but the overall cost is significantly less and the installation should be easy enough for me to handle.

From what I've read on here the 2 speed option is better. My questions are:

1. With a 2 speed filter can I just leave it set on low and use my $22 intermatic pool timer or do I need to get a more complex timer for both speeds?

2. Given the size of my pool should I get Hayward SP15922S (1HP) or the SP15932S (1.5HP) pump?

3. Should I just bring the motor to a repair shop to see if it can be fixed for a reasonable price?

4. Is there anything else I'm missing in my logic?

Thanks,

Andrew

[PoolDoc]

Get the 2 speed; run it on low speed all the time. Run it on high, when you're cleaning or backwashing. You won't need a timer for that.

I'm assuming your pool is an AG, so the pump is below water level and you don't have to worry about the pump losing prime. That's the main reason for a two clock timer. There's hardly ANY difference between the two pumps. If you check the chart below, you can see there's only about a 5% difference in flow.



Power Flo pump page