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The Pentair Intelliflo Variable Speed Pump
If I were to buy a pool pump today, I’d buy the Pentair Intelliflo Variable Speed Pump. In fact, that's exactly the pump Pool Rangers is putting on their new pool. After years of proven in-field reliability, the Intelliflo is the best swimming pool pump because of its energy efficiency, near silent operation, and long service life. The Intelliflo’s variable speed technology was introduced a full 5 years ahead of the competition and it was so revolutionary upon its debut that to this day they still outsell all other variable speed pool pumps combined! The Pentair Intelliflo pump has the highest overall Amazon rating of any other variable speed pump across the web and at the best value just under $900.00. It also comes with a 2-year warranty. Of the few reviews for the Pentair Intelliflo variable speed pump on Amazon and Pool Supply World, the Intelliflo has one of the lowest failure rates of variable speed pumps reviewed across the web. Of the combined 50 reviews, only 4 reported a problem with the unit, which comes to a reported failure rate of 8 percent. Of the hundreds of units I have personally installed, I have yet to have a problem with one…
Who should buy this?
Variable speed pumps are intended to circulate your pool water for longer periods of time at much lower speeds, resulting in significantly less energy consumption, quieter operation, and longer service life. If you’re looking for something that’s solely going to circulate your pool water, is a much simpler product, at about a third the price but still reliable, you’ll be better served by a single speed pump. That said, if you care about your energy consumption - A single speed pool motor is the second most consumer of energy in the household, second only to your AC and can consume as much energy as all other home appliances combined. Single speed motors can cost up to $1000.00 annually to operate. With an Intelliflo variable speed pump, you can save up to $1500.00 annually which means the pump pays for itself in the first year. The Pentair Intelliflo can also last up to 3 times longer than a traditional single speed motor. The The Pentair Intelliflo variable speed pump was the first energy star certified pump with savings of up to 90% even compared to “high efficiency” single-speed and two-speed pumps, which makes more total energy savings than any other pool pump family in history.
Who else likes these pumps?
In 2011, FPL announced a new law that requires pool pumps of one or more horsepower to be multi-speed for all new homes in Florida. If we compare several domestic appliances like a washing machine, a kitchen cooker or a fridge, a pool pump consumes as much as 7 fridges! That means that a single speed pool pump produces indirectly about 1,380,000 grams of CO2, which is equivalent to 138 trees. The IntelliFlo can provide tremendous energy savings. When operated at low speeds its energy consumptions reduced by as much as 80% compared with a regular single speed pool pump. Sources: The International Energy Agency (IEA – www.iea.org), European Commission of Energy (www.ec.europa.eu/energy) and own calculations.
Utility companies are now offering rebate incentives to pool owners for the purchase of energy-efficient swimming pool pumps. - Inefficient pool pumps are considered a significant drain on energy and therefore a prime target for replacement with newer, more energy-efficient models. Variable speed The variable speed technology’s ability to adjust speeds allows you to virtually cut your pumps’ speed in half compared to a single speed motor and operate for longer periods of time. This also allows for custom programming of optimum pump speeds for specific tasks such as filtering, heating, cleaning, spa jets and waterfalls. For virtually all these applications, the optimum speed of the Intelliflo is lower than the preset, unchangeable speeds of older pumps. These traditional pumps operate at a set, unchangeable speed of 3450 rpms. This accelerated speed generates an amazing amount of heat and is directly related to their short lifespans. Those speeds are almost always higher than required and as a result, they overpower the jobs they’re assigned to do, which wastes energy. When water moves more slowly for longer periods, it helps reduce the occurrence of algae that forms more easily when water is pumped briskly and then allowed to rest for long intervals. Your filter also works more effectively because it has more time to sift out particles from the water, and because particles aren’t forced through the filter media under needlessly high pressure.
Superior Engineering
The Intelliflo uses the WhisperFlo Pump, which has been unchanged since 1998 because of it's superior design. One of the reasons the Intelliflo pump is able to operate at significantly lower speeds while still maintaining proper water flow is because it is equipped with a 3 horsepower impeller. The considerable size of this impeller allows the motor to operate at significantly less rpm’s, thus generating less heat, vibration, and sound. In comparison, the Hayward EcoStar is rated at and equipped with a 2 horsepower impeller. This means the EcoStar, running at full speed, is consuming around 2 kW an hour, doing what the Intelliflo does at about 2700 rpm’s consuming about half that of the EcoStar per hour. (max rpm’s for the Intelliflo is 3450) Most pool pumps, even so-called “energy-efficient” models, still use the traditional technology of an induction-style motor. The IntelliFlo pump uses an advanced permanent magnet motor—the same technology found in today’s hybrid cars. Permanent magnet motors run cooler and produce less vibration than induction motors with much greater efficiency. With a motor that produces less heat and vibration, the IntelliFlo sees less stress and wear on its components and as a result they can last up to 3 times longer than traditional pumps. In addition, the sound quality of the Intelliflo’s permanent magnet motor is specifically engineered to not only reduce the quantity of sound, but improve the overall quality of sound created. The Intelliflo virtually eliminates the unpleasant high-pitched noise found in other so-called “quiet” variable speed pumps due to its totally enclosed fan-cooled (TEFC) motor design.
This not only introduces a new level of quiet operation but also results in a significantly longer motor life. IntelliFlo pumps introduced a new level of quiet to the pump world. With their permanent magnet motors, totally enclosed fan-cooled (TEFC) design, and low average operating speed, they’re so whisper-quiet that you may not even know they’re operating. It truly is a dramatically quieter operation - as low as 45 decibels - about 4 times quieter than most traditional-style pumps On low speeds, I’ve actually had customer’s call to complain that their new Intelliflo wasn’t running when in fact it was; I just had to show them. Fact... The eco star pump is the loudest and least economic of the vs pumps on the market. The intelliflo motor is a special motor designed for its application, it runs cool and quiet, the eco star has a variable Hertz drive mounted on a 3 phase motor, the motor is heavy, runs hot and is also less powerful motor than the intelliflo. Variable speed technology is so groundbreaking that I can confidently say that single speed motors will soon be obsolete. So when Pentair® first introduced variable speed technology they not only set the bar for the industry standard but they opened the door and led the way in swimming pool innovation.
Ecoselect Designation
The Eco Select designation is given to the "greenest" and most energy efficient choices from Pentair. Eco Select Products are designed to help you save energy, conserve water, eliminate or reduce noise, or otherwise contribute to a more environmentally responsible equipment system.
Energystar Designation
Products earning the ENERGY STAR certification deliver results with greater efficiency while reducing operating costs and carbon emissions. Pentair’s innovative pool pumps have earned this important designation by being at least 30%–72% more energy efficient than typical pumps on the market. Pentair is proud to be an industry leader in protecting the environment through superior energy-efficiency achievements.