Black + Decker Variable Speed Pump Review
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Black and Decker have a new line of variable speed pool pumps available for the 2022 swimming pool season. With many big names in pool equipment removing their products (like pool pumps) from the internet, or just limiting selection and warranty availability, the online market was left open to a new brand to step in and fill the void. Black and Decker seem to be the ones to do this first, or at least most successfully so far. I say so far because it is highly likely with the success of these pumps we will see more names, recognizable brands and new brands, coming to market with new equipment offerings in the near future.
The pumps being sold by Black and Decker online are being manufactured by Blue Torrent. The Black and Decker pumps are available through online retailers such as Amazon and PoolPartsToGo.com as are replacement parts for all of the models they sell. For inground pool pumps Black and Decker is selling a 1.5hp, 2hp and 3hp model of variable speed pump. There is also a dedicated above ground Black and Decker pump as well which is smaller in size both physically as well as in motor size, with a 1hp motor. The above ground model is offered with 115 volt electrical requirements where all three of the inground models are 230 volts only.
What is the best thing about Black + Decker pumps? - The number one thing that jumps out about the line of Black and Decker variable speed pool pumps is the low price. Compared to other competing models of VS pool pumps from Hayward, Pentair and Jandy, the Black and Decker models are less expensive. Significantly so. Right now I am seeing pumps like a Hayward Super Pump VS for $1200 where the Black and Decker prices are under $800. Also, when searching just now Black and Decker were the only choice with product in stock and ready to ship right now. I was not able to find anything from Pentair or Hayward in a similar pump class in stock, and the prices for the out of stock models were 30% more than the Black and Decker at minimum. There were no pumps from Jandy available online as per their hard stance against any online sales of finished goods. I definitely think that pool owners will look at these lower price Black and Decker pumps. After 30 years in the pool industry I know very well that there are a great many price shopper who own pools, for better or for worse. So I think the price point alone for these pumps, combined with their availability is the thing that will make the most difference to pool owners shopping the market right now for a new pool pump.
How long will a Black + Decker pool pump last? - If I could answer this question I would probably be out doing more important things right now like buying next weeks winning lottery numbers. As it stands I can only tell you the importance of a pool pump that lasts. If you only get a few years of operation from a new variable speed pool pump then you definitely did not save any money by buying one. So unfortunately this review of the new Black and Decker pool pumps can not include what is easily the most important piece of information which is how long will these pumps last. What I can do however is tell you about warranty coverage for pool pumps. For most of my swimming pool career a pool pump warranty was one year. This was across pretty much all brands and all dealers. One year, usually parts only, no labor if there is a labor component to consider. Not all that impressive. Modern day sales of pool pumps would typically come with 1 year, 2 years or less commonly 3 years of warranty coverage. The inground Black and Decker models all have a five year warranty (the above ground has a three year warranty) and these warranty periods rival or exceed the best offerings in the pool industry. This is not a guarantee that these pumps will last a long time, but in a world where there can be no guarantee of this end result, the next best thing I think we can all agree would be a strong warranty offering.
Are Black + Decker VS pumps efficient? - These pumps are Energy Star rated. Modern day swimming pool pump efficiency is measured in WEF (weighted efficiency factor). The higher a WEF rating, the more efficient a pump is. This is perhaps not perfect but certainly better than horsepower ratings which is definitively deceptive in terms of creating an apples to apples comparison between pumps. For example the Hayward Super Pump (1.5hp) and the Pentair Superflo (1.5) are really not all that comparable at all. The Hayward is actually a 1.65thp pump and the Pentair a 2.2thp. The Hayward uses about 1300W at maximum speed where the Pentair uses about 2300W. Those are hardly comparable at all when you look at the power consumption from these pumps at high speed. That is not because one pump is better than the other. It is because these are two different size motors. For comparison the 1.5hp version of the Black and Decker VS pump uses about 1500W at maximum speed*.
* every swimming pool system is unique and will result in unique values for flow, power consumption etc. so these values are what was observed from running all of these pumps models on essentially the same system to help level the playing field and allow for an apples to apples comparison.
Pentair Superflo 1.5hp WEF = 9.0
Hayward Super Pump 1.5hp WEF = 9.3
Black + Decker VS 1.5hp WEF = 8.4
A WEF rating measures the amount of flow (in thousands of gallons) that a pump is able to achieve for a set amount of power consumption (1000W) measured across a spectrum of different motor RPM speeds. This is intended to give you a generalized average of performance of the pump across a spectrum of operational parameters and it is at least better than just displaying horsepower which we saw in an earlier example to be a very poor metric to compare based on. WEF ratings tend to be lower the larger and more powerful a pump is. This is because of the huge amount of power that an electric motor uses at high RPM. The larger the motor the more the overall WEF rating will be lowered, as evidenced by the Pentair Intelliflo VSF 011056. This is arguably the best pump on the market (I think many pool professionals would agree it is) and it has a WEF rating of just 6.9 but this is due to the (huge) motor size of 3.95thp. Comparing pool pumps from a technical level is something that mechanical engineers will be able to do and the rest of us just kind of wing it. Between the lines the Black and Decker VS pumps are pretty much in line with comparable models from Hayward and Pentair when it comes to overall efficiency.
What comes included with a Black + Decker VS pump? - Black and Decker have done a really great job at including everything that you need with their pumps. First and most importantly are the union connectors that come included with the pump. They appear to be CPVC (heat rated, chlorinated PVC) which is very good but even better the box includes a union kit for both 1.5" and 2" pipes. This means that no matter which pipe size you have the union connectors you need will come in the box. The platform base that the pump is mounted on is set up to match the Pentair Whisperflo and Sta-Rite Dyna-Glas pumps. If you remove the platform base then the pump is the exact length and height of the Hayward Super Pump and Pentair Superflo, two of the most popular pumps in the entry level / 1.5hp pump class. This will allow adapting of the new pump to your existing plumbing system with little or no modifications being required at all. The pump also comes with a strainer basket, lid, winterizing plugs and associated O-rings...all of the normal stuff you expect to get with a new pool pump.
Black + Decker 1.5hp variable speed pump
Voltage: 230 Volts
Max Amps: 7 Amps
Max power consumption: 1500 Watts
Flow @ 30' TDH = 100 GPM
Black + Decker 2.0hp variable speed pump
Voltage: 230 Volts
Max Amps: 8 Amps
Max power consumption: 1800 Watts
Flow @ 30' TDH = 108 GPM
Black + Decker 3.0hp variable speed pump
Voltage: 230 Volts
Max Amps: 10 Amps
Max power consumption: 2200 Watts
Flow @ 30' TDH = 127 GPM
So should you buy a Black and Decker pool pump? I can not answer that for you. I can only tell you that there are a lot of people talking about them online right now. I can also tell you that out of the box I was impressed with what I have seen. The price point for this pump is low enough that I set my expectation bar pretty low to start with but I was surprised with a few details like the extra long warranty as well as including both 1.5" and 2" unions. A budget offering could have excluded those items and had a shorter warranty but they chose to include them and I find that encouraging.
Ultimately a pool pump is the heart of your filtration system and choosing the right one is important and more technically challenging than most pool owners understand it to be. So in general I say that pool owners should develop a relationship with a local pool industry service professional / retail store and that is who you should talk to first when you need a new pool pump. For the people who intend to order online it looks like the new line of Black and Decker pumps are one of the better options right now.
I am in the process of making comparison videos using these new Black + Decker pumps as well as Hayward and Pentair models of pumps so be sure to subscribe to the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube channel to see this content as it comes out. For an example schedule using the Hayward Super Pump you can check out this page where I design a 24 hour variable speed pump schedule, break down the 24 hour electrical use, flow rate and total cost and then program this schedule into the pump: Hayward Super Pump filtration schedule breakdown.
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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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New Black + Decker variable speed pumps are available online from www.PoolPartsToGo.com and they are a drop in replacement for many popular pump models including Pentair Superflo and Hayward Super Pumps. With an adjustable platform base, union connections included and a very strong warranty these pumps offer an impressive value to pool owners.
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