Pump Selection

[f18fdg]

Has there been any problems with Hayward Northstar pumps. I am trying to decide between Hayward Northstar, Tristar and Pentair Whisperflo 1.5hp pumps.

20-25,000 gallon pool, will be getting a four cart. filter depending on the brand of pump i buy. Will also be installing Hayward Lo Nox Heater.

As far as the heater, if I just want to heat the spa will the 250,000BTU heater be sufficient? I don't think I will be using it to heat the pool so I don't think i will need the 400,000BTU version.

Thanks

[drip]

Hi, I don't like the Northstar pumps, they are hard to work on, rather harder to work on than other pumps like the whisperflo or challenger and I haven't seen the tristar out in the field yet. My main beef with the Northstar is that it is easy to block it in with plumbing due to it's size, another thing I've seen is that the internal parts have had trouble but they may have fixed that. Of the pumps you mentioned the Whisperflo has the best track record and I would go with it. If you can afford it the new Intelliflo pumps (by Pentair) are very good also and will pay for themselves in energy savings, but you would need to check with your pool builder to see if they can set it up properly for you.

Any size heater will heat the spa but it is usually best to go with the largest you can afford, a 250 depending on the size of the spa may take an hour to an hour and a half to reach temperature, a 400 usually only takes about 20-30 minutes, well worth the extra money up front, usually about 300-500 more for the 400.

My opinion of the best brands for pool equipment out there now are Pentair pumps, filters and control systems, and Raypac heaters. I base that on 8 yrs of working on all of them

[Discountpoolspa]

The Northstar pumps work great, but as previously mentioned, they are very difficult to work on.

I have installed over a hundred tri-star pumps now, and they have been excellent so far. I can't say how hard they are to work on yet, since none of them have had a problem so far. Both the tri-star and northstar pumps are efficient and quiet when plumbed properly.

The Pentair Whisperflo pumps seem to work well, though I have had a lot more failures on them than any other pumps. The intelliflo is a novel idea, but it is a little expensive still. If you can afford it, it is an excellent choice. Hayward also makes a tri-star with the same variable speed technology now.

For heaters, I would recommend a 400k BTU heater. Smaller is cheaper, but will take longer to heat the spa.

I have had excellent luck with the sta-rite Max-E-Therm heaters, as well as the Hayward IDL2 - Low Nox heaters. Pentair Mini-Max heaters are functional, but not my favorite.

[ANG]

The Northstar is a nightmare to work on. Instead of the Northstar try the Duraglass. They are very reliable and a snap to replace.

[pooloz]

Has there been any problems with Hayward Northstar pumps. I am trying to decide between Hayward Northstar, Tristar and Pentair Whisperflo 1.5hp pumps.

20-25,000 gallon pool, will be getting a four cart. filter depending on the brand of pump i buy. Will also be installing Hayward Lo Nox Heater.

As far as the heater, if I just want to heat the spa will the 250,000BTU heater be sufficient? I don't think I will be using it to heat the pool so I don't think i will need the 400,000BTU version.

Thanks

I personally would go with the Pentair but since you are using a Hayward heater, I'm assuming that your market is strong with Hayward, so replacement parts are probably more readily available. The Hayward is a beast, so if it is a replacement application, installation would probably cost more. Regardless, I would use a 1 HP low service factor motor. But check the underground plumbing sizes, 2" is really marginal for these high flow 1.5 HP pumps. The 1 HP would be more than adequate for a typical residential turn over. Using a larger pump will only overdrive your filter, unless it is sized correctly for the pump. The larger pump if too big will use more enery and require more repair due to radial bearing load. So save yourself some $$$ on initial install, operating and repair costs.

The heater will be fine, but i would go with the 400,000 because you will probably wind up using it on the pool also, that is not to say that the 250,000 would not. make certain that you hard pipe the gas to the heater as per the manufacturerer's specifications.

[flexfitness]

hi

I use a lot of the whisperflo's, the are reliable good quality and ok in price.... no matter what you choose, put union connections on the inlet and outlet of the pump. Helps if the pump ever brakes down you can change the pump in 10min.... and you dont have to cut and reglue any pipes!!!

FLEX

[Discountpoolspa]

I totally agree with flex - unions can be a lifesaver. Also makes your install go easier, since you won't have to force pipes around to get things to fit as much.

(btw - the hayward tristar pumps come with unions)

[ParagonPool&Supply]

Here's an idea! Buy a better pump with a bigger haircatcher and union fittings built in! Then you don't have to plumb in unions and NEVER worry about male fittings leaking! Jandy stealth for the friggin win! I knew when I joined this forum I'd be on the anti-Whisperflo crusade!

Northstars are JUNK. The impellers strip out and just as everyone else said they are a pain in the rear to work on.

Duraglass pumps are decent. My only complaints are they are kinda noisy and have tiny haircatcher baskets. If youre considering a Duraglass I'd just go with a Hayward super pump siince youre going for the Hayward heater.

I've got a H-series heater on a pool that sees heavy heater use and its always worked well (knock on wood)...never had to physically work on a Raypak...I guess theyre good then! I'd steer clear of the Sta-rite maxitherm...Ive replaced 4 of these in the last year due to heat exchanger failure. and yes the water was correctly balanced in all of these pools....the Pentair minimax is alright, however the sensors seem to poop out often...The Jandy lite 2 (made my Laars) is better than the Pentair minimax...the new Jandy LX is based off the Lite 2...but the mack daddy is the Jandy HI-E2 (95%) efficiency but it'll cost you a few arms and legs....

[yes]

Has there been any problems with Hayward Northstar pumps. I am trying to decide between Hayward Northstar, Tristar and Pentair Whisperflo 1.5hp pumps.

20-25,000 gallon pool, will be getting a four cart. filter depending on the brand of pump i buy. Will also be installing Hayward Lo Nox Heater.

As far as the heater, if I just want to heat the spa will the 250,000BTU heater be sufficient? I don't think I will be using it to heat the pool so I don't think i will need the 400,000BTU version.

Thanks

Pump

I am a fan of the Pentair/StaRite brand. Be careful and check your State Law. If you live in California newly legislated law states that you must use at least a 2 speed pump. This is in order to save on electricity. Sta-Rite is the same as Pentair. Pentair bought Sta-Rite some time ago. So it's the same company, but the Sta-Rite brand is cheaper.

Cartridge Filter

My favorite Cartridge Filter is SwimClear by Hayward. It is the most competitive in price with great quality. From the size of your pool it sounds like you would be needing either the C2025 or the C3025. I would go with the C3025 because you would be able to filter more water faster, therefore reducing your electric usage. It would also reduce the frequency that you would have to open and clean up the cartridges.

Heater

The BTUs make a difference on the speed that the Spa will be heated. So it really depends on how impatient you might be Also you want to heater that is quiet. You would like while you are trying to relax in your spa to be listening an annoying noise fo the heater. The Pentair 400,000 BTUs will certainly do a great job in both speed and low noise.