My new pump is a variable speed. I am saving money, but at a cost. Also, my old pump was nowhere near giving up the ghost. My pump was pushing a tremendous gpm even with solar. Without solar, the turnover rate was probably shorter than 5 hours, especially with the booster-driven Polaris 280.

With solar, I had been running the pump 13 hours on the longest summer days. I am getting at least 50% energy savings with the new pump/cleaner, but I believe that is based on previous pump run times of 10-13 hours. There are many ways to save money on a larger pump, including shorter run times and short-cycling to clear the pool surface a couple of times a day before debris sinks into the pool water.

At any rate, it was a simple pump that worked. I could have just installed appropriate bypasses to address restrictions and seen if that lowered pressure and I could have run the pump for shorter times.