EASY Swimming Pool Variable Speed Pump Upgrade

The best way to save money is to cut into your monthly electricity bill and that is exactly what a VS pump does. Your standard pump runs at 3450 RPM (Rotations Per Minute) about 1800-2000 watts. A VS Pump can be set to different RPMs and at every lower RPM, the total wattage used is lowered. So just lowering the VS Pump down to 2100 RPM, cuts the watts down to 685 watts. At 2100 RPM the water will appear to flow just as strongly as a standard pump running at 3450 RPM. Cut it down even lower to 1200 RPM, and you are down to 165 watts. So instead of having twenty 100-watt light bulbs running you only have a little over one light bulb running each hour. This is the reason your electric bill can be cut almost in half by simply installing a VS Pump.




If your pool equipment pad runs off of 115V (120V) then the best VS pump for you will be one that matches your old 1 hp pump. Let me unpack this for you a bit more. VS pumps feature Dual Voltage which means that the pump will automatically recognize if your equipment is running off 115V or 230V and modulate the voltage. If you install, say, a 2.7 THP Hayward TriStar VS pump on a 115V equipment pad, it will modulate the voltage to 115V, but it will also downgrade the total horsepower to around 1.85 THP. So why pay extra for a 2.7 or 3 THP VS pump when a 1.5 or 1.65 THP pump suffices?

To make things even more complicated, let's say you have a Jandy Aqualink automated system, and you want to replace your single-speed pump with a VS pump. I highly suggest you go with a Jandy VS pump and not even consider Hayward or Pentair. Not because a Jandy VS pump is better, but because it is logical to match the VS pump to the same brand automation. Just like if you were remodeling your kitchen and you purchased a stainless-steel LG oven, LG microwave, and an LG refrigerator, it would make sense to get an LG Dishwasher. If you have Hayward or Pentair automation, the same concept applies; go with a Hayward VS pump or a Pentair VS pump, respectively. 

Let me step back to the THP of the VS pump and say you do not have an automated system. Matching your existing pump HP with a VS pump's THP is a pretty good rule of thumb. If you are replacing a 1 hp single-speed pump, you can quickly go with a 1 THP. 1.5 THP or 1.65 THP Vs pump. If you have a 1.5 hp single-speed pump, you can go with a 1.5 THP, 1.65 THP, or a 1.85 THP VS pump. If you have a 2 hp single-speed pump, you can go with a 2.7 THP or 3 THP VS pump. In the first two examples, a Pentair Superflo VST could be your best choice. The Pentair Superflo VS is one of my favorites as it is easy to program and very reliable. If you're looking at a 2.7 THP pump you may want to consider Leslie’s Jacuzzi JVS 2.7 THP or a Pentair Intelliflo 3 THP pump. 

A VS pump will save your customer money and will pay for itself in 2-3 years or less.


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