Hello! My wife and I moved into a home last fall with an 18x36 in-ground pool. It has an Pentair WhisperFlo pump. The company that opened the pool last month mentioned that I should consider a more energy efficient unit. They didn’t try to hard sell me on a particular system, but I would like to stay with Pentair. If I wanted to upgrade, which should I look at? The current pump is 1 HP / 60hz.
Also, is this something I could install OR is it something that should be installed by a professional? Just curious.
The Pentair Intelliflo model 011018 is a drop-in replacement for the Whisperflo model. You can install the pump but Pentair offers a longer warranty if a professional installs it. It would go from 60 days to 2 years.
I know you want to stay with Pentair, but we have a more affordable option. It’s the PureLine Prime model PL2606. It comes with an 18-month warranty and it doesn’t matter if the homeowner or pool professional does the installation.
Its always amusing to me when people spend $1000-$1500 to save $20/month in electricity.
What does “a drop-in replacement” mean here?
A “drop-in” replacement means that the new pump’s suction and discharge ports will match up to the old pump’s suction and discharge ports, so you would not have to rework any of the plumbing. This makes changing the entire pump a fairly simple process as long as your existing pump has unions on it to make removal and replacement easy and you are comfortable with doing the electrical work.
That is why replacing the motor on your pool pump is a popular (and cost-effective) option. No plumbing needs to be changed and it is easy enough for the average homeowner to do themselves!