new to this forum

[poolmompa]

I'm new here & so happy to have found this forum! I'm really looking forward to learning a lot from the info shared here!

I have an inground vinyl liner pool that was here when we bought our house 12 years ago. We love having a pool & use it all the time! But, every summer, it seems there's something we haven't experienced before that I'll be looking for answers... & I bet I'll find answers here.

This year, we got as far as removing the cover. That was 2 weeks ago. Turns out we need to replace the motor and/or pump. We're thinking of going with a variable speed. Do they really last longer than the single speed? And is the energy savings as significant as advertised?

[PoolDoc]

The energy savings can be significant; it depends on what you have now, and how you use the VS pump.

BUT, VS pumps are far less reliable than standard inground single speed pumps from Hayward, Pentair or Zodiac, primarily due to electronic failure. We suspect that thunderstorm related voltage surges are to blame, since VS problems seem more common on the East Coast, than on the West. But we don't really KNOW that.

If you want energy savings with reliability you may want to look at 2 speed pumps. A carefully selected 2 speed can be nearly as efficient as a VS pump, and will be much more reliable.

[poolmompa]

Thank you PoolDoc! I did read about the electronic failure issues from other posts & decided to stick with a reliable single speed this time. Maybe next time we need a new pump, the VS models will be more reliable.

Your response is much appreciated!