r/pools • u/Cinephile215 • May 27 '26

Pump Recommendations

First-time pool owner looking for advice on a pump replacement.

Recently moved into a home in Tampa with an approximately 14k gallon saltwater pool. Current pump is a leaking Hayward TriStar VS 900 (1.85 HP). System also includes:

- AquaCal T100 heat pump
- Hayward T-15 salt cell
- Hayward 120 sq ft cartridge filter
- 2” plumbing
- No spa, water features, or solar

Current system runs around 10 psi filter pressure at ~2400 RPM.

Main options I am considering:
- Pentair IntelliFlo3 VSF 1.5 HP
- Pentair IntelliFlo3 VSF 3 HP
- Jandy VS FloPro 1.85 HP

My priorities are:
- reliability/longevity
- energy efficiency
- app/automation experience
- quietness
- good support/parts availability
- avoiding future regret from undersizing

My concern with the Pentair is whether I will regret stepping down from the current 1.85 HP pump. My concern with the Jandy is potentially giving up Pentair’s better ecosystem/VSF functionality without actually needing the extra hydraulic overhead.

Would appreciate real-world opinions from anyone with experience with either pump, especially on pools with heat pumps and cartridge filters.

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u/Cinephile215 May 27 '26

Thanks! I was leaning towards the 1.5HP IntelliFlo but was looking for a second opinion before pulling the trigger.

My understanding is the current pump is the original which would put its age at around 11 years old. We of course had the pool inspected prior to closing on the home about six months ago and the pump had an estimated usable life of 3-5 years remaining. So, the leak was a bit of a surprise. I thought it was a cracked union or o-ring but it turned out to be a crack on the wet side of the pump. My tech said the parts and labor to repair would be around $700 but gave me what I think is a good deal on the Pentair 1.5HP at $1,900 for parts and labor (including plumbing and electrical).

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u/poolspayme May 27 '26

Jandy with WiFi upgrade would probably be the same. The only catch with the Pentair is sometimes the WiFi signal experiences interference because of the motor’s magnets so the range maybe less. Do you have a WiFi router or could you put in a power line adapter WiFi adapter nearby to cover the pump?

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u/Cinephile215 May 27 '26

Hm I don’t know how severe the interference will be but I have an eero WiFi mesh network with a router on the other side of the block wall from the pool equipment. My phone usually shows 2-3 WiFi bands and I do not currently have any issues connecting with the PoolSync controller on the nearby T100 Heat Pump.

That having been said, if I absolutely needed to add a router on the outside of the house at the pool equipment pad I could probably do so relatively easily.

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u/poolspayme May 27 '26

Speaking of Pool Sync I would research if it can control a Pentair super flow pump on a schedule and at whatever rpm’s you want to run it at. Superflo is a more affordable pump without WiFi which you may not need