swimming pool pumps

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
Topic Author
hq38sq43
Posts: 425
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 5:25 pm
Location: Bradenton FL

swimming pool pumps

Post by hq38sq43 »

Our pool pump has died and we are shopping for a replacement. Hayward has two we are considering, one very expensive touted as energy efficient possibly eligible for rebate or tax credit, the other "regular" about half as expensive (ca. $600). We live in SW Florida. Advice/recommendations very welcome.
Harry at Bradenton
mjdaniel
Posts: 129
Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 1:20 pm
Location: Temecula, CA

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by mjdaniel »

I didn't even wait for my pump to go out, I replaced it with a Jandy variable speed pump probably similar to what you are looking at. With rebates and savings on electricity, you will probably end up getting your money back. The pump allows you to program different speeds for different functions. For example, just normal operation, low speed (this is where you save the money). For solar heating or spa, you program higher RPM's. All in all I wish I did it earlier, good luck.
Snapper
Posts: 126
Joined: Sat Mar 30, 2013 10:23 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by Snapper »

Pool people should calculate the savings for you so you know the break even. Variable speed are about twice the cost of conventional but much more efficient and should last much longer. I have had one for a year and am very happy with both the savings and flexibility of the pump. It is also very quiet.
GeauxBR
Posts: 121
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:53 pm
Location: Baton Rouge

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by GeauxBR »

We got this last year from amazon. Have been extremely happy with it and saved quite a bit of money on it.
User avatar
mcrunyan
Posts: 140
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 2:38 pm
Location: SoCal

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by mcrunyan »

We replaced a single speed pump with a Hayward SP3400VSP from Amazon back in early Sept after some really high electricity bills and saw a substantial reduction in energy use. I didn't find it particularly difficult to install, but our pool guy "knew a guy" who could install it for a couple hundred bucks in case I ran into any trouble. We got $200 back from SoCal Edison as well. This is important: actually check the dollar value of the available rebates in your zip code since we received a number of offers from pool folks touting $500 rebates even though the actual rebate available was much less.

One thing to note is that at the lower speed settings there won't be enough flow to get a sweeper to work. We end up running at 1750 RPM to keep the sweeper moving and that uses about 325 watts (compared to the ~1,500 watts of the single speed pump). So just keep in mind that you won't be able to run it at 800 RPM all day to take advantage of the "pump affinity law" if you need a sweeper.
nhdblfan
Posts: 218
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 1:33 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by nhdblfan »

Although I have been "retired" from the swimming pool business for 14 years now (thank goodness) I did spend over 25 years building a servicing in ground swimming pools and replaced/installed probably 1000 pumps (filters.heaters and pool cleaners).

Many years ago Marlow had a 2 speed pump on the market that was very similar to whats being offered now.I replace every one with a single speed ( Hayward Super Pump,or Bronze Sta-Rite ). You will find as they did its does not circulate the water enough in low to heat, chlorinate and filter the pool and is a waste of money. Ideally if equipped with a quality filter ( DE not sand or Cartridge),properly plumbed , "most" swimming pools run fine on a timer 12 hours per day (unless its very very hot out)
Saving "some" electric with a 2 speed pump will cost you 10 times that in chlorine,filter back washing and quality of water.


Buy a well known brand that has parts available ( Hayward, Sta-Rite) make sure you have a sch 80 hi temp fitting in the suction and discharge sides of the pump,be sure all of the suction side of the plumbing is 100% air tight ( PVC glued ideally) and the pump is properly sized and plumbed (again Ideally 2 " suction side-and check valved if above grade or distance requires )

Hope that helps
Last edited by nhdblfan on Wed Jan 15, 2014 5:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Topic Author
hq38sq43
Posts: 425
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 5:25 pm
Location: Bradenton FL

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by hq38sq43 »

Many thanks to everyone,
Harry at Bradenton
willybiggs
Posts: 33
Joined: Fri Aug 30, 2013 4:21 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by willybiggs »

My goldline hayward pump just went out after 7.5 years which I understand is very good life for a pump. Being the do-it-yourselfer that I am, I decided to tackle the replacement myself. I ended up buying a rebuilt pump from a Co. called Southern rewinding. After putting on the two seals and 4 bolts and firing it up, I saved big bucks. The rebuilt pump cost $140 and seal $20 and the labor was free of course. You can go on YouTube and watch how-to videos for help. I was quoted $659 for similar Hayward pump from the supply place that put in my pool. I saved the bucks and feel good about the successful installation which I had never done before.....good luck to you.
nhdblfan
Posts: 218
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 1:33 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by nhdblfan »

willybiggs wrote:My goldline hayward pump just went out after 7.5 years which I understand is very good life for a pump. Being the do-it-yourselfer that I am, I decided to tackle the replacement myself. I ended up buying a rebuilt pump from a Co. called Southern rewinding. After putting on the two seals and 4 bolts and firing it up, I saved big bucks. The rebuilt pump cost $140 and seal $20 and the labor was free of course. You can go on YouTube and watch how-to videos for help. I was quoted $659 for similar Hayward pump from the supply place that put in my pool. I saved the bucks and feel good about the successful installation which I had never done before.....good luck to you.

When you say pump went,I think you mean the motor,and yes that very simple repair that most "handy" homeowners can do.
You should also,as you did,replace the pump seal and inspect the impeller and diffuser.

Good job williebiggs, nice to see someone take that on and save some money on a service call.
Valdeselad
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:42 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by Valdeselad »

Going to bump this thread since it's a year old and my question is basically identical to the OP.

Any specific makes/models that folks would recommend for a energy efficient pool pump replacement?

Thanks,

Valdeselad
jebmke
Posts: 25274
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 2:44 pm
Location: Delmarva Peninsula

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jebmke »

Valdeselad wrote:Going to bump this thread since it's a year old and my question is basically identical to the OP.

Any specific makes/models that folks would recommend for a energy efficient pool pump replacement?

Thanks,

Valdeselad
Is it the pump that died or just the motor? Motors are a commodity and they are pretty cheap. They are all made in China.
Stay hydrated; don't sweat the small stuff
texasdiver
Posts: 3935
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:50 am
Location: Vancouver WA

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by texasdiver »

You can pull the pump off and bring it to an electric motor shop and have them test it. They may be able to fix it for a reasonable fee. I was able to do that the first time I had a pump burn out and paid about $50 to have the motor fixed.

The second time it was completely burned out and I bought a new Pentair pump off Amazon for about 50% of what my local pool shop wanted for an equivalent Jandy pump. I didn't do an analysis of which was most energy efficient, I just bought the one off amazon that had the most good reviews. So far so good. It was easy to install myself although I did have to re-plumb some of the PCV piping because the different brand pump had the outlets in different spots.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UXPFMU
Valdeselad
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:42 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by Valdeselad »

jebmke wrote:
Valdeselad wrote:Going to bump this thread since it's a year old and my question is basically identical to the OP.

Any specific makes/models that folks would recommend for a energy efficient pool pump replacement?

Thanks,

Valdeselad
Is it the pump that died or just the motor? Motors are a commodity and they are pretty cheap. They are all made in China.
After closer review I see that my question is not identical to the OP in that our pump hasn't died. I just fear it is very inefficient and I am just throwing money away every month. Just looking for strong recommedations for a good value energy effient pump. They seem pricey, but if it can save me $50 or more per month in electricity it seems like a no brainer.
Valdeselad
Posts: 248
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:42 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by Valdeselad »

texasdiver wrote:You can pull the pump off and bring it to an electric motor shop and have them test it. They may be able to fix it for a reasonable fee. I was able to do that the first time I had a pump burn out and paid about $50 to have the motor fixed.

The second time it was completely burned out and I bought a new Pentair pump off Amazon for about 50% of what my local pool shop wanted for an equivalent Jandy pump. I didn't do an analysis of which was most energy efficient, I just bought the one off amazon that had the most good reviews. So far so good. It was easy to install myself although I did have to re-plumb some of the PCV piping because the different brand pump had the outlets in different spots.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UXPFMU
Thanks @texasdiver...have you noticed a noticeable decrease in your utility bills with this pump?
texasdiver
Posts: 3935
Joined: Thu Jun 25, 2009 12:50 am
Location: Vancouver WA

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by texasdiver »

Valdeselad wrote:
texasdiver wrote:You can pull the pump off and bring it to an electric motor shop and have them test it. They may be able to fix it for a reasonable fee. I was able to do that the first time I had a pump burn out and paid about $50 to have the motor fixed.

The second time it was completely burned out and I bought a new Pentair pump off Amazon for about 50% of what my local pool shop wanted for an equivalent Jandy pump. I didn't do an analysis of which was most energy efficient, I just bought the one off amazon that had the most good reviews. So far so good. It was easy to install myself although I did have to re-plumb some of the PCV piping because the different brand pump had the outlets in different spots.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000UXPFMU
Thanks @texasdiver...have you noticed a noticeable decrease in your utility bills with this pump?
Not really but I have a 3500 sf house in Central Texas so our main summer electrical use is air conditioning and it really varies based on how much we are home during the summer and what the ambient temperature is. I haven't really tried to isolate the pump. You could do the math to by looking at the pumps amperage and comparing it to others.
jgy2001
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:04 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jgy2001 »

Seek pump PVC adapter. 1.5HP cold water pump.

To the pump is 1-3/4" NPT male thread with 1.75" O ring
To the hose is 1-1/4" male hose, clamp.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1knE-17 ... sp=sharing

Please advise where to purchase this adapter?
Thank you.
suemarkp
Posts: 1372
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2017 7:18 pm
Location: Somewhere in WA State

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by suemarkp »

There is no 1 3/4 NPT thread. Is the actual outside diameter of the threads 1 3/4"? If so, it is probably a 1 1/4 NPT on the threaded side. That would be normal for a 1 1/4 push on fitting (pipe system is 1 1/4 inside diameter throughout). I have some 1 1/2" ones I no longer need, but those are probably too big for you.

Here is one site. These are female on the threaded side, so you may need to get a male male threaded nipple to use it. Or keep searching other sites.

https://www.pvcfittingsonline.com/fitti ... nsert.html
Mark | Somewhere in WA State
crefwatch
Posts: 2493
Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2007 1:07 pm
Location: New Jersey, USA
Contact:

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by crefwatch »

Just a note to say that I hope you will give a moment’s thought in your decision-making to noise pollution of your neighbor’s yard. People in our town used to build equipment sheds for pool filters and heaters. But either with new technology or lower budgets today, fully-exposed pool equipment can make an annoying high-pitched whine that spoils other people’s outdoor enjoyment. Thank you.
jgy2001
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:04 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jgy2001 »

Thank you, Mark.

The outer thread outside diameter is 1-3/4". According to this chart, "National Pipe straight mechanical (NPSM)"

http://www.poustusa.com/CONSTRUCTION_PA ... charts.htm

My picture of adapter
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1knE-17 ... 9aEWW/view
What should we call this male NPT thread size? and the O ring size?
You are right, there is no 1-3/4" NPT thread. It jumps from 1-1/2" to 2".
Carl53
Posts: 2687
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:26 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by Carl53 »

When I last replaced my Hayward super pump, I tried another brand because of the cost. Variable pumps were recently the rage but prohibitively expensive. Did not like the performance of the offbrand and took it back and installed another Hayward. That was twelve seasons ago. In 2016 I also installed a timer.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Intermatic- ... /100024879
I used to often turn it off at night, but found it a pain to remember. Now I set it to run about 8 hours a day and the heater and the rest of the system has plenty of flow for its needs and the pool remains crystal clear. Consuming no power for 16 hours a day with a cheaper pump has worked well for me. Seems like the pump has lasted longer than its predecessor too.
suemarkp
Posts: 1372
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2017 7:18 pm
Location: Somewhere in WA State

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by suemarkp »

jgy2001 wrote: Wed Nov 18, 2020 3:13 pm The outer thread outside diameter is 1-3/4". According to this chart, "National Pipe straight mechanical (NPSM)"

http://www.poustusa.com/CONSTRUCTION_PA ... charts.htm

My picture of adapter
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1knE-17 ... 9aEWW/view
What should we call this male NPT thread size? and the O ring size?
You are right, there is no 1-3/4" NPT thread. It jumps from 1-1/2" to 2".
Your chart says threads of 1.66 dia are 1 1/4 NPT. Threads of 1.9" would be 1 1/2 NPT. I'm still thinking you have a 1 1/4 NPT male end. Measure again to see if it is just under 1 3/4 or just over.... And are you measuring at the small tapered end, or the larger end, and measuring a male or female thread? You could go to your local hardware store to see if they have PVC pipe nipples and buy a 1 1/4 nipple that is maybe 3" long. Or just buy a 1 1/4 PVC male end. Then, see if that screws in tightly to the pump. It will be obvious if the size isn't right. If the O ring is truely 1.75 ID, then this may be a 1.5" thread (1.9" OD at far end), since O-rings need to stretch a bit to be correct.

I've not seen the O rings used before with pipe fittings on pool pumps. With NPT threads and pipe dope, you shouldn't need it. The O ring may allow hand tightening. Need to be careful not to over tighten plastic fittings. The pump manufacturer may also sell a fitting kit for the pump. What is the make/model of the pump?

How many GPM is this pump? 1.5 HP is rather large unless they are lying about its HP. My in ground pool pump was 3/4 HP and designed for about 50 GPM. You should be using 1.5" pipe for a 50 GPM system, 1.25" pipe for 30 to 40 GPM, and 2" pipe for 60 GPM or more. Pump size is limited by pipe diameter. Pump run time is determined by its flow rate and how often you want all the pool water to run through the filter (you should try to run all the gallons of the pool through the filter once per day).
Mark | Somewhere in WA State
BobTexas
Posts: 259
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:56 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by BobTexas »

hq38sq43 wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:24 pm Our pool pump has died and we are shopping for a replacement. Hayward has two we are considering, one very expensive touted as energy efficient possibly eligible for rebate or tax credit, the other "regular" about half as expensive (ca. $600). We live in SW Florida. Advice/recommendations very welcome.
Go to troublefreepools and they have a forum on pool pumps. They will likely recommend a variable speed pump. As others have noted, replacing the motor is not too difficult


https://www.troublefreepool.com/forums/ ... umbing.11/
jgy2001
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:04 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jgy2001 »

We just used a caliber, the exact outside diameter of the thread is 1.84 inches.
Will this make this 1-1/2" MNPT Male National Pipe thread? Will the O ring size also 1.5" too?

http://www.poustusa.com/CONSTRUCTION_PA ... charts.htm
National Pipe straight mechanical (NPSM)
1 1⁄2 -24 11 1⁄2 1 29⁄32 1.90

My guess the pump is probably made in China. Not sure. 1.5HP 4500 GPH. 110V, 9 Amp, 60Hz, 1 phase. 3450 RPM.
Just need to replace adapter & hose. The pump seems working fine. Both the adapter & hose was damaged.
suemarkp
Posts: 1372
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2017 7:18 pm
Location: Somewhere in WA State

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by suemarkp »

The thread is tapered, meaning the diameter is not constant. If you measured at the end of a male fitting (the thread diameter is smallest there), then it is 1.5" NPT. O rings are true diameter (and I think inside diameter), so a 1.75" ID would probably work. A 1.5" O ring would most likely be over stretched.

If you have a Harbor Freight close by, you could get this kit which has way more O rings than you'll ever need, and the largest in it are 1.75" ID. Cost is $8. One O- ring from the pool store will cost you that. https://www.harborfreight.com/382-piece ... 67554.html You can move down to the 1 5/8 if 1.75 is too loose.

A 120V motor with a 9 amp nameplate is nowhere near 1.5 HP. Probably closer to 3/4. The 4500 GPH = 75 GPM is probably assuming almost no head pressure. With a realistic head pressure of 10 PSI, it will flow less. How much less I don't know without seeing the pump curve. But even 50 GPM is a lot of water for a 1.25" piping system to try and move. Bigger isn't always better with water pumps. If this is an above ground pool, your hose runs are usually short so it may work OK. 1.5" hose would flow better, but may not attach to the pool without an adapter.
Mark | Somewhere in WA State
jgy2001
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:04 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jgy2001 »

Shopping for submersible pump that can remove as much water from pool.
Pool has flat level bottom. Need more power pump, such as 1.5HP pump that can pump water out quicker.
Any pump with lowest intake to remove as much water from bottom as possible?
Thank you.
RetiredAL
Posts: 3513
Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2017 12:09 am
Location: SF Bay Area

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by RetiredAL »

jgy2001 wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:06 pm Shopping for submersible pump that can remove as much water from pool.
Pool has flat level bottom. Need more power pump, such as 1.5HP pump that can pump water out quicker.
Any pump with lowest intake to remove as much water from bottom as possible?
Thank you.
Pool pumps are typically piped to draw both from the skimmer and the pool bottom. Plugging the skimmer line, or shutting off via a valve if so equipped, will allow the pool pump's higher capacity to be used to quickly empty the pool. The float valve in the skimmer may or may not adequately seal the skimmer line. Finish the last little bit with a submersible or hose driven siphon pump. Do not run the pool pump dry, regardless of the water level left in the pool, as it will quickly damage itself without water flowing thru it.
jgy2001
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:04 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jgy2001 »

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088K6CC86/

Found this at Amazon. It can only go to 2 inches to the bottom. Any lowest possible?
Teague
Posts: 2524
Joined: Wed Nov 04, 2015 5:15 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by Teague »

RetiredAL wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:28 pm
jgy2001 wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:06 pm Shopping for submersible pump that can remove as much water from pool.
Pool has flat level bottom. Need more power pump, such as 1.5HP pump that can pump water out quicker.
Any pump with lowest intake to remove as much water from bottom as possible?
Thank you.
Pool pumps are typically piped to draw both from the skimmer and the pool bottom. Plugging the skimmer line, or shutting off via a valve if so equipped, will allow the pool pump's higher capacity to be used to quickly empty the pool. The float valve in the skimmer may or may not adequately seal the skimmer line. Finish the last little bit with a submersible or hose driven siphon pump. Do not run the pool pump dry, regardless of the water level left in the pool, as it will quickly damage itself without water flowing thru it.
That's good to get the level down maybe a couple of feet, but generally pool pumps aren't designed to accommodate more than that, much less the amount of head between the bottom drain and the pump intake. With a filled pool the effective head is probably about a foot. A pool pump can raise water one foot no problem, get it through the filter, and so on. The bottom drain is maybe 8-9 feet further down, and the pump must work ever harder as the pool gets emptier. I've tried to do it, it doesn't work, so I learned why it doesn't work. Perhaps there is some sort of special pool pump that will do this? But I don't think the regular variety pool pump can do that, as far as I can tell.
Semper Augustus
User avatar
riverant
Posts: 1068
Joined: Tue May 04, 2021 6:51 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by riverant »

hq38sq43 wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2014 12:24 pm Our pool pump has died and we are shopping for a replacement. Hayward has two we are considering, one very expensive touted as energy efficient possibly eligible for rebate or tax credit, the other "regular" about half as expensive (ca. $600). We live in SW Florida. Advice/recommendations very welcome.
The variable speed ones are worth it. We run ours on low speed for 23 hours, medium speed for 1 hour each day. The electrical usage is minuscule. Single speed pumps run at 3500rpm and several hundred watts.
User avatar
UpsetRaptor
Posts: 1068
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 4:15 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by UpsetRaptor »

OP probably already found a solution for their pool pump issue 9 years ago, but for anyone that keeps finding/bumping this thread:
http://www.troublefreepool.com is really the bogleheads for pool owners. Any pool related question, it's worth researching/posting there.
RetiredAL
Posts: 3513
Joined: Tue Jun 06, 2017 12:09 am
Location: SF Bay Area

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by RetiredAL »

Teague wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:58 pm
RetiredAL wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:28 pm
jgy2001 wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:06 pm Shopping for submersible pump that can remove as much water from pool.
Pool has flat level bottom. Need more power pump, such as 1.5HP pump that can pump water out quicker.
Any pump with lowest intake to remove as much water from bottom as possible?
Thank you.
Pool pumps are typically piped to draw both from the skimmer and the pool bottom. Plugging the skimmer line, or shutting off via a valve if so equipped, will allow the pool pump's higher capacity to be used to quickly empty the pool. The float valve in the skimmer may or may not adequately seal the skimmer line. Finish the last little bit with a submersible or hose driven siphon pump. Do not run the pool pump dry, regardless of the water level left in the pool, as it will quickly damage itself without water flowing thru it.
That's good to get the level down maybe a couple of feet, but generally pool pumps aren't designed to accommodate more than that, much less the amount of head between the bottom drain and the pump intake. With a filled pool the effective head is probably about a foot. A pool pump can raise water one foot no problem, get it through the filter, and so on. The bottom drain is maybe 8-9 feet further down, and the pump must work ever harder as the pool gets emptier. I've tried to do it, it doesn't work, so I learned why it doesn't work. Perhaps there is some sort of special pool pump that will do this? But I don't think the regular variety pool pump can do that, as far as I can tell.
If it doesn't work, it's because you got a leak someplace that is letting air into the suction pipe, thus killing the vacuum by letting air in. At work we had numerous ground mounted pumps that maintained sump water levels at 10' down. Yeah, they had priming water to start them, and if they lost their prime, it was always a vacuum leak letting air into the system.
suemarkp
Posts: 1372
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2017 7:18 pm
Location: Somewhere in WA State

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by suemarkp »

jgy2001 wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:06 pm Shopping for submersible pump that can remove as much water from pool.
Pool has flat level bottom. Need more power pump, such as 1.5HP pump that can pump water out quicker.
Any pump with lowest intake to remove as much water from bottom as possible?
Thank you.
You'd want something like this: https://www.harborfreight.com/34-hp-sub ... 63477.html
or this: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Smartbot/5013728861

Tie a rope to the handle and throw it into the deep end of the pool. Replace the garden hose adapter (on the harbor freight one) with a 1.25" threaded barbed adapter for 1.5" hose and buy some hose of the matching size. Will go much faster than a garden hose. Should pump about 50 to 60 gallons per minute, and the bigger the hose diameter the faster it will go. How many gallons do you need to pump out, and do you have a place to dump that much water that can take it that fast?

I used something like this to pump down my pool during the winter rains when the normal pool pump was winterized. Also used it to drain it when it was replastered.
Mark | Somewhere in WA State
User avatar
enad
Posts: 1581
Joined: Fri Aug 12, 2022 2:50 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by enad »

jgy2001 wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:06 pm Shopping for submersible pump that can remove as much water from pool.
Pool has flat level bottom. Need more power pump, such as 1.5HP pump that can pump water out quicker.
Any pump with lowest intake to remove as much water from bottom as possible?
Thank you.
On several occasions I have had a need to use a utility pump to drain a portion or all of the water in our in-ground pool. I used the pool pump to take the water down to the skimmer, then used a 1/3-HP pump from Home Depot which will pump down to 1/8" and then shut-off here. At the time I purchased a hose kit that was 24 feet long in-lieu of a garden hose which would have taken much longer to drain the pool.
What Goes Up Must come down -- David Clayton-Thomas (1968), BST
jgy2001
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:04 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jgy2001 »

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088K ... UTF8&psc=1

Just order this 1.6 HP 4858 GPH submersible pump from Amazon.
Will report back once we get it going. Big concern is how low can we get the pool water go down to.

Thank you for all your helpful suggestions.
Carl53
Posts: 2687
Joined: Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:26 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by Carl53 »

Typically just used a pump like this https://www.lowes.com/pd/Superior-Pump- ... 1002778198. I used the 1 1/4 fitting when draining our 40,000 gallon pool which I then transitioned to some old 1.5 inch pool hose to run it out back. Took a couple days. Shop vac finished up the last 20 gallon or so. Also found that I could use it to siphon out excess in the winter. Left the pump dangling in the pool perhaps a foot below the top/skimmer. Attached a garden hose to the smaller fitting down a slope, turned on the pump for a minute and then turned it off. It continued to siphon water out at perhaps 1 gallon/minute until the level of the hose outlet was reached. I found pumps like this were pretty tough, recovering after letting it run dry for hours but they did require cleaning when ridding the cover of winter debris.
jgy2001
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:04 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jgy2001 »

Sorry, I disagree. With 1/4 HP pump, this likely take days to remove the water from the bottom of the pool.
That is 1800 GPH rate of pumping.
That is why we purposely select 1.6 HP pump at near 5000 GPH rate of pumping.
However, the spec of removing water down to 1/8" to the surface of the pool is quite useful. It would be less use of wet vaccum to dry.
wilked
Posts: 2427
Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:50 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by wilked »

As others have noted, definitely get a programmable variable speed pump. I recommend a Hayward.
User avatar
illumination
Posts: 3160
Joined: Tue Apr 02, 2019 6:13 pm

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by illumination »

jgy2001 wrote: Fri Mar 10, 2023 8:06 pm Shopping for submersible pump that can remove as much water from pool.
Pool has flat level bottom. Need more power pump, such as 1.5HP pump that can pump water out quicker.
Any pump with lowest intake to remove as much water from bottom as possible?
Thank you.

After seeing what Home Depot wanted to just rent one for a few hours, I ended up buying a cheap pump on Amazon and it worked fine. I think I paid like $70 for one (1hp) and I have a diving pool with around an 8-10' "deep end". Around 25,000 gallons. It did though take a long time, over 12 hours.

Where I live, you have to drain (or half drain) every few years because the water is so hard. Even with a SWG instead of using tablets, I had to drain the pool. It's actually "cheap" to drain a pool where I live, like $100. You can easily spend that in chemicals trying to get a pool straightened out.
jgy2001
Posts: 21
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:04 am

Re: swimming pool pumps

Post by jgy2001 »

Lanchez 1.6 HP Submersible Sump Pump 4858GPH
Received. Pump works OK. Test pumping very quick. 5 gallon water removed in seconds.
But only able to pump water level to around 2 inches. No lower.
Water level sensor switch is very cumbersome. Has to tie it up in rope. No snap switch to turn it off. Very poor design.
Not recommend.
Post Reply