Any opinions on an Ikeric Dyna-miser pump?

[tphaggerty]

I have a new (2nd season) 20x40 IG vinyl with a 2nd story solar heater. No spa, no pressure or suction side cleaners. 2" piping throughout, 2 skimmers, main drain, 60sf Hayward DE filter.

This is a new pool, only 2nd season. PB installed a 2HP (uprated I believe, I need to check tonight) Hayward Superpump on a timer (it says High Efficiency on a sticker on the motor) before I knew enough to get something different (I did ask him about 2 speed pumps, he said no one used the low speed so it wasn't worth it). It works, pushes water nicely BUT it is LOUD and I think it sucks electricity like mad.

So, I have been looking at possibly going to a slightly smaller 2 speed pump (1 1/2 hp) and adding an automatic switch so that when the solar kicks in, the pump goes to high speed, otherwise it would run at low speed. The Pentair Whisperflo and the Sta-rite Max-E-Pro are possibilities that seem to fit the bill. With a switch, it looks like these pumps would run in the 500 to 700 range. I am looking for 2 things: sound reduction (otherwise I have to build some type of sound wall/enclosure) and long term cost savings.


BUT, there is another option that appears to fit the bill as well. The Ikeric Dyna-Miser VS pump is made by Pentair but not sold by them, it is sold by Ikeric only (generally through dealers). This pump has 3 speed levels and they are all adjustable. They have a very inexpensive Solar Switch option that is basically a flow meter that goes in the solar supply line to kick the pump from low to high speed. The "advantage" of this pump is that you can precisely dial in the pump RPM for each speed setting so that the pump is optimally set. The pump with solar switch is around 1200. Quite a bump, but the claimed energy savings are very large, with a 2 to 3 year ROI.

My question, does anyone have or have experience with this pump or the company? It appears that they distribute (right now) only in the West, but will ship East on special request.

[salinda]

I am interested in a response too. I am getting bids from a pool efficiency company and the Ikeric is what they recommend, but they would also go with the Intelliflo 4 x 160. (They claim programming the more expensive Intelliflo is very tricky.) They really want me to research Ikeric, so here I am!

[tphaggerty]

I saw the posts on the Intelliflow (earlier thread on replacing a pump) too. I think the Intelliflow 4 x 160 is very similar to the Ikeric (which says their pump is made by Pentair). Looks different though and the Ikeric is less expensive.

Somewhere I read that the Ikeric is based on a lower line of Pentair pumps.

Anyone have one out there??

[salinda]

Funny thing...I heard that the Ikeric were the founders of VS pumps. Sounds like someone is trying to spin this their way!

[tphaggerty]

I think they were. If you go to the Ikeric web site, they have a History link that says that a pool builder thought this idea up and had Pentair build it for him. I am guessing that he gave Pentair the rights to build some derivative of his idea (I know I would).

But, it seems that Pentair is going for the really high end (electronics built in, etc), versus Ikeric which (from my discussion with them) has a separate control box that is simpler. Also, it appears that the Ikeric is using a lower end line of Pentair pumps as the starting point, whereas Pentair is using there premium line. Just my thoughts from looking at both websites and product descriptions (and talking with an Ikeric sales person).

Can you get your pool efficiency guy to get you a local reference where they have used the Ikeric pump? Maybe you can get a first person account!!

[salinda]

I am working with Pool Power (the efficiency people) on the bid right now and they have several customers who are willing to talk and let me see their systems. It may be a couple of weeks, but I can update the posts with the information I find out.

Just talking to the engineer, who is a long-time certified plumber, from Pool Power, he says that they have been installing the Ikeric for 4 years and have never had a service call on those pumps. They are able to use the flow switch(es?) in tandem with the solar system to get enough flow to fill the solar and then ratchet back the flow to just enough so that the solar system is not kept under pressure.

The Ikeric has a Sta-rite max-e-glas pump body. All the seals etc are readily available at any local pool supply. Ease of servicing was a concern of mine with going with the Ikeric, but knowing this is very helpful.

[waterbear]

The Ikeric has a Sta-rite max-e-glas pump body. All the seals etc are readily available at any local pool supply. Ease of servicing was a concern of mine with going with the Ikeric, but knowing this is very helpful.

Sta-Right is owned by Pentair. I believe the intelliflo is based on the pentair whisperflo pump, if I am not mistaken.

[Waterworks]

At the Las Vegas pool show I spent about 30 mins at the Ikeric booth. The guy I spoke to told me that he and his neighbor came up with the idea and then had it made somehow. It worked so well that they started building them and selling them. He told me a story about their first year in business when they went to a big pool show. Apparently Pentair was going around the show promoting this great new technology that they had come up with that would be available within a few years (this tech is now the intelliflo). Apparently Pentair was unaware that Ikeric was at the same show, promoting the same tech that was already available for sale.
In terms of the pumps, they are built around mostly sta rite parts. They had a pump running with different valves leading to different sheer descent waterfalls that each required different flow rates. With the touch of a button the pump would push exactly the flow they wanted. Also they had Kw meters setup showing the exact kw/h usage at each flow rate. It was drastically lower than a comparable single speed pump. Overall, I was pretty impressed.

Brad
Waterworks Pools

[tphaggerty]

They are able to use the flow switch(es?) in tandem with the solar system to get enough flow to fill the solar and then ratchet back the flow to just enough so that the solar system is not kept under pressure.

I wonder how they do that, maybe one flow switch on the supply side and one on the return side of the solar (when supply is off, low speed. When supply is on/return off, high speed. When supply on/return on, low speed again maybe ?) When I spoke to Ikeric, basically they said that they normally set it up so the pump kicked up the whole time solar is on (using one solar switch), but the kick up was dialed in so that it just had enough head to push the water up and fill the system, but no more. They were a bit disappointed that I only had the pool and solar, they really like running to multiple outlets so they can have the pump doing lots of different settings.

It would be much easier to be a guinea pig if the pump wasn't twice the cost of a top end 2 speed! But, at least according to Ikeric, their numbers even beat a well setup 2 speed. Plus, my current pump is so d*mn loud!

[salinda]

I wonder how they do that, maybe one flow switch on the supply side and one on the return side of the solar (when supply is off, low speed. When supply is on/return off, high speed. When supply on/return on, low speed again maybe ?)

Somehow they use the flow across the bypass to determine when the panels are full. I am in the reference-checking phase right now. The other thing they bidded on and I am resisting is to switch from my booster run Polaris 280 to something that can run off of the Ikeric at its own flow setting. This might save me an additional $500/year, but I am investigating....