I am planning on replacing my pump, pretty sure its too big

[Anonymous [GDPR] European in the UK]

it is definitely not good to have an oversized pump and an undersized sand filter or vice versa for that matter.

Vice versa is definitely preferable, smaller pump and bigger filter.

At the sort of pressure I imagine Leena's setup to have I doubt good filtration will happen but tricky when you can't see the whole setup.
Any Pictures Leena? what size plumbing etc.

[Skymarc]

I had a similar problem, my valve was 2" but the installer had put a 1.5" pick up pipe in the filter.
Filter would never clear out the water. Since I did this fix my water is crystal clear.

[leena]

we finally got a chance to take apart the sand filter and check the spider gasket. It looked ok. Before we started taking sand out to check the laterals we noticed a crack where the hose goes in. There was a tiny crack there last yr but it barely leaked so we kept using it. I don't think its useable this time, the crack is completely across and much wider. So looks like we will be buying a new sand filter too. Would it be cheaper to get a pump/filter combo? Or is it no different in cost to buy them separate?

[leena]

how do I upload pics here

[leena]

down at the bottom where is says posting permissions.....mine says I may not post attachments. Is there something I need to do to be allowed to post pics?

[leena]

while I am waiting to find out how to post a pic, Here is a combo I found on amazon. Its Hayward and a 2 speed pump. Is this something that would work for me? On high I think the pump is still 1.5hp which I do not feel I need but couldn't find a smaller 2 speed pump/filter combo.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CG4EDW4/...I3NHVZOKQHTCLG

[leena]

Here is another combo, also a 2 speed pump, also a Hayward but with a larger sand filter....21" versus the 18" above. This confuses me as before we talked of sand filters as being 200lbs, etc so not sure why it tell the inches rather than lbs of sand? Im assuming I want my sand filter to be the correct size for my pump or do I go by the size of my pool?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002HHM020/...P89FGH0U&psc=1

[leena]

now here are 2 pumps that are 2 speed and only 1hp so would this be better? Would that mean on low it would only be 1/2hp? One is a Hayward for approx. $275 the other is Blue Wave for approx. $175. IS the Hayward better quality or are they practically the same thing?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00212NNU4/...=IPBL5VSUIDVO8

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ITPPS6E/...P8VM63AB&psc=1

[SunnyOptimism]

Hi @leena, glad to hear back from you! Lots of posts to answer, so here's a synopsis -

Posting Pictures

Use a photo sharing service like Photobucket or Picasa. Both of those services are free with lots of upload space. Once you upload a photo, it is assigned an IMG link (which looks a lot like an "http://" link). You can then cut & paste that link in any forum thread and the picture will automatically be displayed in your posts. Trying to attach photos using the Pool Forum's vBulletin software is a waste of time. Since this forum runs on a server with limited storage capacity, users just can't be given a lot of storage space or else the forum will crash.

Sand Filters

I am no expert so all I can offer you is this advice - bigger is ALWAYS better when it comes to sand filters. The last thing you want to do is try to run an undersized sand filter with an overpowered pump. Sand filters are describe either by their full sand weight (pounds of sand) or the diameter of the filters "belly" measured in inches. Either way, the bigger the number, the more water flow you get. So your best best bet is to get the largest size sand filter you can reasonably afford. A bigger sand filter always means longer times between cleaning. So if you don't want to backwash a lot, bigger is better.

Pump

Definitely get a 2-speed pump, 1.5HP sounds like it would be more than enough for your pool. The two speed option is desirable because sand filters actually perform better (finer particulate filtration) at lower speeds. So for everyday water circulation you can use the low speed setting and get good energy savings and great filtration. Then, when you need to vacuum or run a robotic cleaner, you can kick it up to high speed for fast vacuuming.

Vendors

Look, Hayward is the biggest name out there. I don't know of anyone who went with Hayward filtration products and hated it. There are other vendors (Pentair, etc) but if you're happy with Hayward, then stick with it.

Sorry I can't be more specific, but I am a DE filter guy so my knowledge on sand filters is limited. You could always call up the Hayward technical support people (I hear they are very helpful) and give them some pool details. They may be able to give you lots of different combinations and options to work with.

[leena]

thanks for the replies!sorry for so many questions at once:/

So if I have a 1.5hp pump, when Im runnin it on low does that make it the equivalent of a 3/4hp while on low?

If so, Im thinking I need to get a 1hp so that when Im running it on low its the equivalent of 1/2.......