Looking to buy new pump/motor - so confused

[ib.kb]

I found this forum researching a new energy efficient pool pump for my 32x16 ft pool. I have calculated it to be about 15,000 gallons. Anyway, I was about to purchase a LEAF when I saw the removal of all posts from your site. I am most anxious to see the "Energy Efficiency in Pumps, Filters & Piping" page - can you tell me when it might arrive? Is it possible to hire someone to help design a system that isn't trying to sell you a bunch of stuff and will push the stuff they carry instead of the best solution? Am also considering UV Sanitation and automated pool chemical control. Would LOVE to engage a real expert. Thanks!

[PoolDoc]

We removed all the Leaf info, because someone claiming to be a principal with that company didn't like what we had to say and threatened to sue. You can pretty well work out what sort of thing we might have said, from that. We have NOT seen any evidence that anything we said about the company or equipment was incorrect -- but we try to stay out of court.

Regarding the energy efficiency page, we'll be pretty much slammed with questions about basic chemical and operational problems till July 4th, so there's no chance it will appear before then.

If you want to hire someone, again, after the 4th we may be able to help. Mark "mas985" and I have been talking about offering just such a design service. Obviously, we can't provide hands on design (Though it your case, it might be happen, since you live less than 20 miles apart! You won't see me though -- I'm more like 2,000 miles away.). We haven't finalized anything, so if you're still interested after the 4th, you'll need to ask. My email address is poolforum@gmail.com.

HOWEVER, you may not want our help. We will strongly recommend against "UV sanitation" since it can not sanitize your pool. A UV system can kill some pathogens IF they go through the UV chamber, but that is all. A sanitizer has to be where the germs are . . . and the germs are mostly in your pool, and only occasionally in your UV chamber. Such units have some valid applications on indoor pools, which are not exposed to sunlight, but there's little point -- that we can see -- to installing them on outdoor pools.

Also, I probably qualify as an "expert" on "automated chemical control", since I was a dealer for more than 10 years for commercial control systems that sold for $5,000 and up, and I have serviced a wide variety of such systems. During that same period, I had many service contracts on the sorts of pools what used such units. Again, such systems can have a valid role on indoor pools -- though they usually fail to function properly because the staff does not understand them fully -- but on outdoor pools, they don't usually perform well. I used to regularly padlock the access panels on my customer pools, and tape over the view window, so the staff couldn't read them, but had to test manually.

You want discover ANY of those things in the sales literature for such units.

Finally regarding energy efficient pumps, you have a choice between 2-speed pumps with a timer, and variable speed pumps with electronic control.

Compared to 2-speed pumps, variable speed pumps are
+ slightly more efficient;
+ easier to select (1 size fits all -- then you adjust the speed)
+ work seamlessly with SOME pool controllers (computerized on-off systems, not chemical controllers)
+ are 'cooler'

BUT, they are also:
- much more expensive to purchase;
- confusing to program (and sometimes IN-efficient, because they are programmed incorrectly)
- significantly less reliable;
- very expensive to service.

In terms of total over-all efficiency, in which $'s reflect life cycle cost and manufacturing carbon imprint, 2 speed pumps are the clear winner for simple pools, without complex loads (spas, solar systems, fountains. etc.). But selection is tricky. VFD (Variable frequency drive) pumps are a better choice for very complicated pools, since they can be 'tuned' to operate a variety of changing loads. And, in California, the risk to electronics posed by lightning is not nearly so bad as it is in Florida.