How Does A Variable Speed Pump Save You Money?
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How does a variable speed pump save you money? Pool owners want answers more than ever since energy conservation laws have been introduced to help curb excessive energy use for both commercial and residential swimming pools. Any time you are forced, more or less, to invest into an expensive piece of technology it is only normal to be skeptical about whether this is really in your best interests or not. Well, rest assured, the technology behind the energy saving benefits of variable speed pumps is beyond refute. If you operate a proper filtration schedule for your variable speed pump this will cost you less money than a proper filtration schedule for a single speed pump.
The only real concern you should have as a pool owner is to make sure that you program and use you new variable speed pump properly. When you do this you will be able to meet the filtration requirements for your pool for less money than any possible operating schedule that uses a single speed pump. Take a look at this example of a super minimal approach to pool water filtration running a pool pump 4 hours per day. No matter how much you try to augment your filtration schedule with a single speed pump it still uses more power than a properly scheduled variable speed pump of similar size. Most importantly, the vast majority of pool owners do not actually run a lean filtration schedule with their single speed pump so the difference will be noticeable when they upgrade to a variable speed pump.
A variable speed pump saves you money by moving water more slowly, which reduces losses due to friction and turbulence, while also saving costs on electricity due to the nature of pump affinity laws. As the speed of the motor reduces by half, the power consumption is only 1/8th the value it was at full speed operation. In reality the questions from pool owners should not be about whether a variable speed pool pump really works or not - the questions should be about why we were all filtering pools in such an inefficient way for so long! To put this into a recent historical perspective, single speed pool pumps are like the gigantic and heavy cars from the 70's which made sense when gas was cheap. Once gas prices went up those cars were simply too impractical and the automotive industry had to change and adapt. With the cost of electricity being so high, and always getting higher, it makes sense to explore most energy efficient methods of filtering water.
1) Slow moving water moves more efficiently than fast moving water that loses energy to friction, turbulence and resistance to flow
2) Variable speed pump interfaces allow for customizing filtration schedules to maximize energy savings
3) Permanent magnet motors (variable speed) are more efficient than induction motors (single speed)
4) TEFC (totally enclosed fan cooled) motors on variable speed pumps are less prone to contamination from dust or moisture for longer life
5) Pump affinity laws allow for drastic decreases in electrical consumption while still allowing for adequate pool water filtration at lower RPM's
The rate at which your new variable speed pump will return money to you will depend on how well you program your new filtration schedule, as well as how inefficient your previous filtration schedule was. Whether you live in an area where your pool operates all year long, or a seasonal area with a short swimming season, both pools will save the same amount of money every month. It will simply take more time for a seasonal pool to recover the upfront costs for a new variable speed pump than a year round pool. Without a doubt variable speed pumps will save you money but in order to get the maximum return on your investment you need your new pump to last as long as possible. Continue on to this article that looks at how long do variable speed pumps last.
How much electricity does a pool pump use
How does a variable speed pump save you money
Variable speed pump schedules
Variable speed pool pump reviews
3 reasons to get a variable speed pool pump
How long do variable speed pool pumps last?
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Swimming Pool Steve is an award winning, second generation swimming pool specialist from Ontario Canada and one of the most trusted voices in the swimming pool industry. With over 20,000,000 views on the Swimming Pool Steve YouTube Channel, winner of the Pleatco 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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www.PoolPartsToGo.com
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.
- Swimming Pool Steve
www.PoolSuppliesCanada.ca
When it comes to ordering pool and spa supplies online in Canada www.PoolSuppliesCanada.ca is by far the best option. They carry everything from chemicals to replacement pumps to entire pool kits, with free shipping options and more "in stock" items than any other Canadian online retailer.
- Swimming Pool Steve