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

[leena]

ive been reading that sometimes the hp can be misleading per pump on what amount of electricity / rpm /watts/amps it actually uses. I don't know much about electricity but can you tell which of these 2 pumps use less electricity on LOW? Im assuming the one that uses the less will be the one that will cost me the least to operate.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00212NNU4/...=IPBL5VSUIDVO8 ........ I found a comment in the reviews that said this pump was rated 11 amps on high and 2.8 amps on low

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

[SunnyOptimism]

ive been reading that sometimes the hp can be misleading per pump on what amount of electricity / rpm /watts/amps it actually uses. I don't know much about electricity but can you tell which of these 2 pumps use less electricity on LOW? Im assuming the one that uses the less will be the one that will cost me the least to operate.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00212NNU4/...=IPBL5VSUIDVO8 ........ I found a comment in the reviews that said this pump was rated 11 amps on high and 2.8 amps on low

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

That's not really an apples-to-apples comparison since one is just a pump and the other is a pump & filter combo.

Also, how much power the pump ACTUALLY consumes depends a lot on the specifics of your pool and the plumbing. The horsepower rating on pumps is typically a maximum power or break power consumption and then there also manufacturer who state just the power and a service factor or state the power multiplied by the service factor (service factor is how hard you can overdrive the pump without it failing). So a 1HP pump with a service factor of 1.5 is almost completely equivalent to a 1.5HP pump with a service factor of 1 when you run them at full speed.

I think for your pool you currently have a single-speed 1.5HP pump. If that makes you happy, then get a 2-speed, 1.5HP pump and I bet you'll run it on the lowest speed most of the time and save ~ 1/3 of the power. Beyond saying that (not much, I know), I'm not comfortable telling you which pump to buy. Perhaps other PF users have more insight....

[leena]

hmm, boy I get more confused the more I read, lol. All that flow rate, amps, head pressure, etc is getting over my head. Sounds like greek most the time. I understand a little here & there.

Im not happy with my 1.5hp because it is so powerful it appears to just blow the water thru the sand filter without actually filtering anything. Not to mention, being old , loud and using lots of electricity. Now the lid is broken so its leaking, hence Im replacing it. Granted I never determined if my filtering problem was a too big pump or a faulty sand filter so that makes me hesitant to know for sure what I need. But it SEEMS from reading on here that a smaller pump would be better not to mention cheaper to operate.

However, if I went back with a 1.5 hp 2 SPEED then I do have the option of running it on low so maybe that is the best of both worlds for me. I can run it on high for quick circulation or to vacuum but keep it on low to save energy and filter better. Before I only ran the 1.5hp for 3 hrs per day which was basically just to circulate the water, it didn't appear to filter anything. As reading in my earlier post, we controlled the filtering by using skimmer socks and then letting the worst debris settle and vacuum using the bucket method. Vacuuming using the pump seemed to scatter the small particles but was nice for big debris like leaves.

Ok, so this combo here might be the best of both worlds for me:

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

However I have one concern: IS THAT FILTER BIG ENOUGH FOR THAT PUMP? I think 21" might be 150lbs of sand? Some people say the combos are always sized with a too big pump. Others say its easier to use properly matched equipment made for ea other.

[SunnyOptimism]

Given the size (volume) of your pool, 1.5HP would be the biggest pump you should ever use. Also, seeing your setup with the skimmer and return so close, I can easily see how a 1.5HP single speed pump would just blow water right through your pool.

As I said in earlier posts, you never want to overdrive a small sand filter with a big pump. Not only can you damage the filter with a high power pump but also sand filters work best at low flow rates.

So, in your situation, I personally would go with separate purchases and forget the combo units. I agree with others' sentiments that the pumps on those units are typically too big for the filter. I would much rather go with a 2-speed, 1HP pump and save the money so I could spend it on a bigger filter. Also, with all I have read, I have heard many times that a good 2-speed, 3/4 HP pump is all most standard residential AG pools need.

What's the history of your pool? Did you inherit it? Do you why such a big pump is on there in the first place?

[leena]

yes, the 1.5 hp pump is the one that came with the pool. The original sand filter cracked so we replaced it with the one we have now (was a used one from a person in community). It would save me money to just replace the control valve (this time the control valve is cracked but not the container that holds the sand) but the label on the sand filter is long gone so I would have no ideal which brand of control valve to order. Thanks for all your patience and help!

So here is the pump and filter I picked out to go together. The pump is 1hp, 2 speed Hayward. the sand filter is 21" (200lb) also a Hayward. Does that seem about right? The 1hp combos I looked at had like a 100lb sand filter with them so this is twice as big....

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EVSKSO/...VA2AH45N&psc=1

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

Weirdly this ends up being $90 cheaper than ordering one of the combos and its a bigger sand filter..................

[leena]

I know you said bigger is better, but is it possible to get it too big? I read one review of the pump Im getting and it said that low was so low that they weren't even able to use it on low. This would defeat my whole purpose for purchasing a 2 speed. However, Im not sure I understand how it all works so the sand filter may not have anything to do with the pump being able to be run on low..? Here are 2 larger sand filters, a 250lb and 300lb. IT would cost me like $36 more to go with the 250lb and $46 dollars more for the 300lb so Im willing to do it if you are sure they will still work with that 1hp pump on low.........

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EXWL46/...4FFX3WT8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EY39QY/...I259WSJIDLW747

[leena]

I know ive rambled on for 4 pages but I think ive researched and asked all the questions I can think of. So Im going to repost this last question in a new simplified post so that no one has to read thru all 4 pages to help me.....Thanks sunny for hanging in there with me