Why Are Variable Speed Pumps Better?

[@darinferreira4448]

Agree 100% Im a pool owner and pool service pro in So Cal. Theres no question they are better. My own personal pool is pristine all yr round, and you nailed it, there is a sweet spot speed for water flowing through the filter, not to mention the water flow speed when you are heating the spa, try that with a single speed. Also, the slow start up and slow turn off result in motor longevity. Its a no brainer

[@artievan739]

I switched to a variable speed for one reason. Electric bill savings. I'm in FL so my pool is open all year. My pool equipment was installed in the 1980's. Single speed motor with a cartridge filter. I moved and bought this house and pool in 2018 and ran the pool equipment as is for one year. After learning about pools and how to take care of them I bought a variable speed motor on sale and installed it myself. I am saving $50 a month on my electric bill and my pool motor is paid for.

[@RadioRich100]

Wait till the computer or battery fails, then you will see what it cost you.

[@danfenton1939]

Exactly what you explained to me last year, when you personally responded to my inquiry. We had a crystal clear algae free season running our VS Speck pump thru our cartridge at 80% for 2 hours, 40% for 4 hours & 20% for 18 hours/day. Thank you Steve

[@56nomadman]

Yo Steve ! Love the total Pool Education! I just got a Multi speed Neptune pump and motor. Curious as to what you suggest as the settings to use. I'm in Houston , Texas . Thanks in advance

[@angelicadayanafernandez1525]

Would recommend a variable speed pump also because alot of them have a built-in svrs system which is very useful if you have a single main drain that has a dedicated main drain line, svrs saves many lives and prevents suction entrapment

[@michaellx6]

Hi Steve, I love your KZbin. I have a remark regarding pool water velocity and pump speeds. Especially when it comes to the operation of the skimmer/weir. I believe that when I run my pool pump at the low speed the skimmer is certainly not working at its full capacity. Therefore, in the morning I will see bugs or floaties at the bottom of the pool. I really think that variable speed pool pumps need to be tuned at higher speeds because water velocity matters. It also matters with just the circulation of the pool water and circulation rotation direction. Water velocity? How important is this Factor in calculations for variable speed low speed operation. Low speed pumps can defeat the purpose of the skimmer. Thanks

[@Henreko150]

I agree and think variable speeds are great although generally they can be a lot more difficult and expensive to fix. I’ve seen on certain brands of pumps it is cheaper to buy a new one then to replace the part.

[@3up3down.]

I had a single stage pump and my sand filter clean start is 20 psi. I got and inverter pump, and on 80% power the filter only has 12 psi. Is that still a good thing? The heater seems happy with the flow….

[@johnhanselman6371]

Swimming Pool Steve is a smart guy.

[@RadioRich100]

Hes selling VS pumps

[@quarter_moon_and_a_guitar]

I just bought a robotic cleaner, independent of the pump system. Is there now any reason to ever use the high-speed cycle on the pump, or can I just keep it on low at all times? Thanks

[@MalakaProtos33]

I have heads that pop up from the bottom of the pool. Will the reduction in pressure cause them not to function?

[@keithws79]

I’m in California and just got a variable speed this summer. I’m filtering more water for less money. That’s a win win. I’m currently doing three turnovers a day. Seems like I might be able to slow down to 2 or even 1 a day as the water cools. Current water temp is about 60. What do you think?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Yes I agree that with cold water temperatures and no swimmers in the pool you can reduce the filtration schedule with minimal downside, but you can expect to increase your consumption of chlorine inversely proportional to how much you filter the water. Perhaps I would drop from 3 turnovers to 2 turnovers, but the cost of filtration is so much lower now with VS pumps that I see no value in attempting to filter less than this.

[@hovansh2373]

Thanks again Steve for an awesome video. How accurate would you say is the flow meter reading of a Pentair IntelliFlo VSF pump versus an actual in-line flow meter?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

It is my understanding that the flow meters are extremely accurate with a percentage or two of true flow, as calibrated for commercial flow monitoring. When tested against the Pentair internal flow meter it was determined the internal flow meter displayed significant variance from true flow values. Pentair stated that the flow meter is actually a flow estimate, which I agree with. It will give you a good idea what is happening with flow, which is useful information, but is not as accurate as external flow meters. Here is a video from FlowVis and there is specific reference to your questions which starts at 2 minutes 40 seconds. Cheers. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LOhYB7pqqhpNU

[@angelicadayanafernandez1525]

if anyone has an active single drain pool, i would recommend using a pentair variable speed pump with a anti-entrapment system, this system saves so many lives and nearly eliminates the risk of suction entrapment

[@RadioRich100]

Thats because theres no suction left - how is that helping your pool?

[@josephklimchock5412]

My current 36 year old pump and motor, single speed, the motor finally went out, this will be only the 2nd motor in the life of the pump. People can talk all day long about the electric savings of a variable pump motor but how about the 4 times or more that a variable speed set up would have had to been replaced during these same 36 years????? What would that cost have been?? BTW, I run my pool pump 4-6 hrs 365 days a year and the power bill is not crazy high at all.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

TEFC motors like the new VS pumps have should outperform the longevity of single speed motors with the windings exposed to dust / moisture. Also, ain't nobody getting 36 years out of a modern pump or motor. Things are not built to last anymore but that is not news to anyone!

[@josephklimchock5412]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Yeah, I get that, and as an old school and 49 year industrial mechanic, the motor went out recently yet the shaft seal was 30 years old, replace by me and none of the "kids" in the pool stores believe me. I have one of the best pool pumps ever built, a Wet Institute that has a brass volute and brass impellor. The impellor looks brand new and I am considering rebuilding the whole thing one more time. I still can get all of the seals. I can also get the one speed motor for less than 300 bucks. The beauty of this pump/motor set up if you are not familiar, is that the motor is connected to the pump by a coupling that is open, so if the pump seal does happen to leak, it leaks right on the ground and not into the front seal of the motor. Wet Institute went out of business shortly after my pool was built in 86, or maybe another major pool filter company bought them to shut them down since their products were built on the industrial level. I'm not sure what happened, not much on the net to read. My all SS Modulator filter tank is also pristine and I still can get the 10 filters it takes, it is 66 CF total.

[@danaparish1644]

Steve, one quick question…Where is the “ideal” location to place a Flovis Flow Meter on swimming pool system? I have VS Pump, chlorinator (Offline) that feeds after the heater-with check valve and a cartridge filter as well a sacrificial anode. All equipment is bonded and I’m switching everything (above ground) to 2” pvc.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Ideal location is just after the filter. However with a check valve in place in the system I would caution that the most popular model Flowvis is not a good choice. It also has a check valve and two spring loaded check valves in the system is not ideal. You could replace the check valve protecting your heater with the FlowVis check valve and flow meter combo, but in their installation instructions they suggest to not use their product adjacent to erosion feeders as this can damage the seal in the check valve. With a salt cell it is not a problem but with actual puck feeder there is much higher concentration of chlorine to worry about. In this very specific installation I would recommend a different style of flow meter either from FlowVis but without a full flapper check valve, or a rotameter style flow meter which does not obstruct the flow of the system too much. But two check valves is just too much restriction to flow.

[@danaparish1644]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve Thank You! I will implement your suggestion in the spring (when I reopen my pool). Thanks for your thorough and quick reply!

[@weipingshi77845]

I don't get it. The energy consumption only has to do with speed. Therefore, a slow single-speed-motor (SSM) will be just as energy efficient as a variable-speed-motor (VSM) operating at the same speed. The noise has to do with new motors, which happen to be VSMs, vs old motors, which happen to be SSMs. I don't see why new SSM inherently cannot be made as quiet.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Single speed motors are 3450 rpm. There is no option to buy a motor that only runs at 1200 rpm, nor would this be a good option since the motor would lake the power to prime the pump, nor the dynamic range to accommodate different flow rates needed for different pool applications.

[@weipingshi77845]

@@Swimmingpoolsteve If VSMs can run from 1200 rpm to 3450 rpm, then SSMs can be made to run at 1200 rpm. If it makes sense, then there will be option to buy such a motor. What are the other pool applications and what speeds are needed?

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Yes, you COULD make a motor that runs at 1000rpm...but nobody does. And if you did it would work on less than 1% of pools. Pools are too dynamic to need a pump with one (low) rpm option only. This is one of the main advantages of variable speed motors. You can adjust the flow output to meet thr needs of your pool. Literally every last swimming pool is unique, with a unique resistance to flow. Which means a 1000rpm pump would deliver a different gpm on every pool you installed one on. I am afraid 1000rpm statistics motors will never be something the pool industry needs.

[@weipingshi77845]

​@@Swimmingpoolsteve Yes, I agree the speed should be adjusted according to the size/resistance of the pool or season, but I don't understand why change the speed during the day? Size/resistance does not change during the day.

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

Ok I understand your question now. For example, during the daylight hours I might have a solar heater on the second story of my house but at night the system is set to bypass the lift to the solar heater. I have a floor cleaner vacuum and it runs in the evening for two hours and needs high flow rates to operate. Gas heaters, electric heat pumps, salt chlorinators, attached hot tubs...all of these require unique flow rates, times of day and hours of operation. It used to be that the industry used overkill with single speed 3450 rpm pumps. However the variable speed pumps now allow to dial in a dynamic 24 hour flow schedule.

[@TK-qm8rb]

Why doesn't the U.S. use more 3 phase motors? It can give the same HP for almost half the amps. Maybe because we don't pay as much for our electricity.

[@RadioRich100]

There not better - simple as that, dont get one. Pool stores like to sell them because their so expensive and offer no cost savings in the long run and your pool accessories wont operate right and the computer on the pump fails way before the motor itself.

[@axelfoleyt]

Water generators do not work at lower speeds, which is why this is a terrible video

[@Swimmingpoolsteve]

This is a video about swimming pool pumps. You are talking about something else entirely. Thanks for dropping off your opinion about the quality of my video.