In fact, I just finished talking to him. I mainly just asked him about the Hybrid pump with just a couple of questions about the VF versus X2. John stated that there is no pump on the market that can move close to the same amount of water for the same energy consumed. For 2 inch pipe with a Sta-rite system3 DE filter, he estimates that at their default 1500 rpm filtering speed, the Hybrid pump would move 60 to 80 GPM using 1.8 amps. This equates to 230V X 1.8 amps = 414 watts. I searched TFP and found chemgeek listed a slew of speeds and wattage readings from his VF (60 GPM, 2710 rpm = 1305 watts). That's a little below what John estimated the VF would consume with my setup. If I drop the rpm to 1000 on the Hybrid, the amps would drop to 0.5 = 115 watts. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask him the GPM estimate. But it's obvious that he believes the hybrid to be the most efficient variable on the market. Using the 1.8 amps for 1500 rpm moving 60 GPM (low end of his estimate for GPM), to turnover 32K gallons 1 time would consume 3.68kwh in 8.9 hours. According to your spreadsheet using Curve A, the VF at 1000 rpm would take 3.15 kwh running for 24.24 hours. Getting the VF to turnover in 8.98 hours requires 10.4kwh (using chem geek's numbers, it would be 11.6 kwh). Unfortunately, no CEC data to perform apples to apples comparison via the spreadsheet. But given that another X2 user on the forum reports using 2.2 amps using solar and running his waterfall, the efficiency could be close to what John states. Replacement cost is another consideration I asked John about. Since the drive is the most expensive aspect of the VF with its custom application, the availability of an off the shelf driver for the Hybrid that they customize the programming on makes the cost much more reasonable - in the $300 range. The pump motor is custom made to their specs and they have not had a single failure in 3 years. John stated that the drive's job is to keep the motor safe so it won't allow it to run outside of pre-set parameters or it will shut it down. I also found out that I won't need an automation system to run the X2. The drive has an internal timer which will allow me to run X time at vacuum speed and the rest at filter speed. My intermatic clock would control on/off like it currently does for the single speed. Hybrid also has a 2 year warranty on everything. The only question left is longevity of the company itself. Can they sell enough and get PBs to start using their product to stay in business? I'm really impressed after running the numbers.

Thank you, that will save me some time if I switch over. Since everything is glued together including the threaded fittings into the pot I would have to replace two 3-way valves. Not a huge deal just more time and money. I just installed a 2-speed motor and it seems to be adequate at low speed. However, as the filter pressure increases the flow dramatically decreases. I was thinking a little more RPMs would be nice maybe around 2,000 or so. I have been using PhosFree to remove the Phosphates, which are now low so the flow problem may go away and the 2-speed motor may be fine. I can buy a lot of DE for the price of a VF and Intellicom. I am a little hesitant to install a variable speed pump. I had my variable blower motor fail on my house heater. Fortunately it was just inside the 5 year warranty but it still cost $280 in service calls. Could have been $280 plus over $750 for the motor.

From the man who invented the pump..... "When using IntelliFlo on a 2 story house what you want to do is lower the prime flow to as low as possible. How the pump primes is not common sense... adjusting this parameter opens up the look up table and makes the algorithm much more simple to see a "true" or "positive" for the pump to attain prime. The second thing you want to do is adjust up your max flow for the panel i.e. if you are having trouble at 25 GPM try 26 etc. The hardest part of using the IntelliFlo in this application is getting the software to think it is primed... usually starting the pump in the controller before the solar is initiated solves this issue as well. It will take some trial and error adjusting but once you find the flows your system works best at... you can set it and forget it and pay dividends with the overall cost to operate." If you need to restart while solar is activated, prime the pump with the solar off and then kick it back on. You have an issue that is common but if addressed properly, it will work fine. Your max speed is limited by that 1.5 line. For your pool, I would have throttled down that pump from the "out of the box" 3HP to a 2HP and then program accordingly. That field adjustment needs done by a qualified tech and is usually a benefit of a paid installation. If someone installed it for you, you can call them back to do it.

First thing first. Larger filter = less operating pressure on the same flow rate. Second thing. In the absence of a visible leak in your equipment pad which will cause the filter to drain back, you have a classic gravity feed. This can happen simply by design of the system. More often when the equipment pad is slightly elevated above the pool line. On the other post, yes, you don't program gpm into the filter mode of an IntelliFlo directly. It is a calculated number based of the cycle, volume and hours. You'll need to install a full flow check valve in the line between the pump and filter. Use a Pentair of Jandy model, 2.5 x 2.0 CPVC. Now the issue. You put flex line there and that is going to cause problems. The weight of that valve may overwhelm the pipe. This line should be rigid pvc and you will certainly develop a leak later if it is glued into the backwash valve. On the other post. Yes, you don't program gpm on an IntelliFlo filter mode. It is a calculated number based on cycle, volume and hours. Those numbers are not known until you have your desired gpm and the final operating flow is + - a gpm or 2. The FEATURES do account for total daily volume but not 1 or 2.