Hayward Super Pump VS Flow Test (240V / 1.5" pipe)
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The Hayward Super Pump is one of if not the single best selling pool pump of all time. The effective and long lasting design of this pump is now available in a variable speed version. Multiple versions actually. The landscape of pool equipment supply is starting to get confusing to pool owners as manufacturers have started to offer multiple product lines of similar (nearly identical) products depending on whether you are purchasing from a brick and mortar swimming pool dealer, or from an online / ecommerce retailer.
This means that often there will be multiple pumps which are almost the same however the part numbers will be different as well as potentially one or two feature changes. For example, the Hayward Super Pump VS can be the SP2603VSP (W3SP2603VSP) which is the pump being tested in this article today. That is the open product line 240 volt dedicated VS Super Pump (does not run on 120V). You can also however get the 120 volt dedicated Super Pump (with a smaller motor) which is W3SP26115VSP in the open line or SP2670010VSP in the dealer protected line. In addition to these models you can also get the dealer protected SP2670020VSP (dual 120/240V compatible).
How do you pick the right pool pump? - If you are thinking all of that sounds pretty confusing for just getting a pool pump you might be underappreciating how deep the world of pool pumps goes. They are like cars. There are big ones, small ones, efficient ones, high quality ones, cheap crappy ones...and a right pump for every pool. You do not have to know anything about pool pumps as you can simply call a swimming pool professional and they will help guide you towards purchasing the best pump for your needs. If you want to take on this challenge yourself then you will need to learn about about flow rates, resistance to flow and how to match your pump to your filter / filtration needs / plumbing sizing. You will also need to know what voltage you have available to operate your pump. If you feel like you need more information about matching your pump to your filtration needs and plumbing size you can read this additional article about replacing a pool pump.
In these videos I am able to monitor the rate of water movement through the system at all times with a flow meter, which is a huge advantage to the pool owner and something you should consider adding to your pool. For more information about the importance of flow rates you can read this article about swimming pool flow meters.
Pentair SuperFlo VS
Pentair SuperFlo Bench test 1.5" pipes / 240 Volt
Pentair SuperFlo bench test 1.5" pipes / 120 Volt
Pentair SuperFlo Bench test 2" pipes / 120 Volt
Pentair SuperFlo Bench test 2" pipes / 240 Volt
Pentair SuperFlo Full Flow 2" test (with filter) / 240 Volt
Hayward Super Pump VS
Hayward Super Pump VS Bench test 1.5" pipes / 240 Volt
In this testing video it is very important to understand that the exact flow rates and power consumption that you experience on your pool will be different and unique to only you. The size of pipes and number of pipes that you have, their orientation, the grade above (or below) water level of the equipment, the type of filter, heater and peripheral equipment and the plumbing orientation in which they are installed are all going to be different on each and every pool. This is part of the reason why pool owners can get confused as to how to program their pool pump since it is not really possible to get generic advice that will be useful for your application. You need to be able to interpret and apply the advice and information correctly. Two articles that will help you with this a great deal are how much should you filter a pool as well as this article about variable speed pump filtration schedules.
With a single 1.5" suction line and a single 1.5" return line this test setup simulates small and medium sized pools with minimal plumbing configurations. The estimated resistance to flow in this system setup is about 30 feet of head. Note how low the power consumption is at lower RPM settings despite the impressive flow rates. Also worth noting is the amount of increase in power consumption at the higher RPM values. The SP2603VSP is a 1.65 total horsepower pump where the 342001 Pentair SuperFlo is larger at 2.20 total horsepower which is why the high end flow (and power consumption) are lower on this model than the SuperFlo VS.
Hayward Super Pump Variable Speed Test (SP2603VSP)
Voltage - 240 Volts
Suction Line - Single 1.5"
Return Line - Single 1.5"
750 RPM
Flow Rate - 14.7 GPM
Current Draw - 0.35 Amps
Power Consumption - 30 Watts
1000 RPM
Flow Rate - 19.8 GPM
Current Draw - 0.52 Amps
Power Consumption - 50 Watts
1250 RPM
Flow Rate - 25 GPM
Current Draw - 0.76 Amps
Power Consumption - 81.6 Watts
1500 RPM
Flow Rate - 30 GPM
Current Draw - 1.10 Amps
Power Consumption - 126.5 Watts
1750 RPM
Flow Rate - 35.2 GPM
Current Draw - 1.53 Amps
Power Consumption - 188.5 Watts
2000 RPM
Flow Rate - 40.7 GPM
Current Draw - 2.07 Amps
Power Consumption - 268.5 Watts
2250 RPM
Flow Rate - 46 GPM
Current Draw - 2.74 Amps
Power Consumption - 370.5 Watts
2500 RPM
Flow Rate - 51.3 GPM
Current Draw - 3.51 Amps
Power Consumption - 497.6 Watts
2750 RPM
Flow Rate - 56.7 GPM
Current Draw - 4.48 Amps
Power Consumption - 651.8 Watts
3000 RPM
Flow Rate - 61.7 GPM
Current Draw - 5.63 Amps
Power Consumption - 837 Watts
3250 RPM
Flow Rate - 66.9 GPM
Current Draw - 6.98 Amps
Power Consumption - 1060 Watts
3450 RPM
Flow Rate - 71.3 GPM
Current Draw - 8.23 Amps
Power Consumption - 1260 Watts
If you are noticing that the standard power equation of P = V x I (power in Watts is equal to voltage in Volts multiplied by current in Amps) does not seem to work here you are missing the service factor multiplier. This multiplier is used to determine "total brake horsepower" which can be interpreted as the amount of "horsepower" that the water actually, physically gets. Total brake horsepower is equal to the motor rated HP multiplied by the service factor. For this Hayward Super Pump the service factor was 0.66 while at 3450 RPM as measured by the external wattage meter. The pump nameplate has the S.F. = 1.0. Applying the measured 0.66 to the power calculation above we can see that 230 (Volts) multiplied by 8.83 (Amps) equals 1892.9 (now multiplied by 0.66) equals 1249.3 Watts, which matches our measured value for Wattage to within a 1% tolerance.
The confusing nature of rated horsepower, total brake horsepower and service factor are by design by pump manufacturers to obfuscate the pump buying process. This is being phased out now in favor of a much more leveled pump rating system, the WEF rating (weighted energy factor). Weighted energy factor ratings measure the amount of flow (in thousands of gallons) that you are able to pump for 1000 Watts (1 kilowatt) of power, averaged over a spectrum of motor RPM speeds. This is a change that was long overdue and will help pool owners greatly moving forwards to determine the capability of one pump compared to the next, at least in terms of overall efficiency. The WEF rating for the SP2603VSP Hayward Super Pump VS is published by www.EnergyStar.gov as 9.3 and for comparison the Pentair SuperFlo 342001 is published as having a WEF rating of 6.3.
Be sure to subscribe to the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel to see (many) more videos about pump, flow and power testing as well as videos and discussions about all aspects of owning and maintaining a swimming pool.
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool and spa specialist from Ontario Canada. With over 10,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the 2018 Pool & Spa Industry Leadership award and author of hundreds of pool and spa articles both online and in print Steve is committed to helping pool and spa owners as well as pool and spa industry workers learn more about the technical side of building, renovating, repairing and maintaining all types of swimming pools and spas. Follow Swimming Pool Steve on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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