Best Variable Speed Pool Pump in 2021 – Reviews and Comparisons

In order to have clean pool water that your family can enjoy you need that water to be circulated through a filtration system. In order to get the water circulated through a filtration system you need a quality pump.

These needs will cause pool owners to shop for the best variable speed pumps for their private pool usage. The following variable speed pumps are some of the best ones on the market for use in private home pools.

The features are slightly different but the pumps all have the ability to perform efficiently and provide you with the pump services you need for long periods of time.

Best Variable Speed Pool Pumps 2021 Reviews

01. Pentair 011018 IntelliFlo Variable Speed High Performance Pool Pump

The Pentair 011018 IntelliFlo variable speed pump uses as much as 90% less energy to operate as the common traditional pump uses. That means that your energy bills will be lower when you use this device. This can amount to close to one thousand dollars less energy used in a year.

This pump has eight programmable speed settings so you can select the proper speed you want the pump to operate at.

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It also has a built-in timer so you can establish how long the pump will run. This feature makes the unit more cost effective because the pump does not have to run twenty four hours a day, and if you forget to turn the pump off after you get out of the pool the timer will cut it off for you.

The pump is very quiet so you will not be distracted or disturbed by the sound of it in operation. Your neighbors will not complain about the noise of your pump running.

It has a built-in diagnostics system. It can tell when things are not just right and alert you so that you can fix a problem before the problem becomes a major condition.

02. Pentair 342001 SuperFlo VS Variable Speed Pool Pump

This Pentair variable speed pump cost much less to operate than the standard single speed pump does. You can save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars each year in your energy cost.

It is the perfect choice for any pool that requires a 1,5 horsepower pump with a 50 and 60 Hz capability.

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 It can determine if your electrical source is supplying 115 or 230 volt and it adjusts to the voltage it is receiving so you do not have to do any rewiring to make the pump functional.

It has a simple to use digital keypad that will allow you to choose between three variable speeds, and let you program the pump to run for a preset amount of time and then automatically shut off. It has an override speed setting as well. You will be amazed at how effective this pump is at moving the water at lower speed settings than what a traditional pump supplies.

The motor is extremely quiet so you can enjoy the pool even when the pump is running. The motor is also cooled by a fan so it stands less of a chance of overheating or being damaged due to heat.

03. Pentair 340041 SuperFlo High Performance Single Speed Pool Pump

The Pentair 340041 SuperFlo high performance single speed pool pump was designed to replace the Hayward Super Pump. It is equipped with a 56 square flange motor which provides you with commercial grade power in a homeowner priced piece of equipment and it has less mechanical problems than other pumps of the same horsepower.

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It is self-priming so it is very easy to start this pump up. It is also very quiet when it is in use. The way that the pump is designed creates a reduction in the amount of hydraulic noise that you hear when it is operating.

You also get a lid that is transparent so you can check the contents of the strainer basket without having to open the lid or turn off the pump. This allows you to be able to easily clean the strainer basket out whenever it is necessary.

You can get pumps that work on the 115 volts of electricity or the 230 volts of electricity so you will know you have a pump that operates on the precise voltage you have to operate it on.

04. Hayward SP2610X152S Super Pump 1.5 HP Pool Pump

The Hayward Sp2610X152S Super Pump is specifically designed for use in in-ground swimming pools. It is perfect for all sizes of in-ground pools regardless of the pool construction materials.

It is a self-priming pump so it is easy to turn the pump off when you need to and then start the pump back up when you are ready. The pump can be positioned as much as 8 feet above the water level of the pool and the powerful suction it has will still allow it to lift enough water to prime itself when it is needed.

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The strainer is covered with a transparent lid so you can easily see when the strainer needs to be emptied or cleaned. It has swing aside hard knobs that make the removal of the strainer very easy to do when it is time to empty the strainer basket. The strainer basket is larger than the average strainer basket so it can handle larger debris items like leaf matter without becoming clogged or blocked.

This is a highly efficient pump that runs quietly and performs it’s duties with less energy consumption than many other pumps of the same size.

05. Hayward SP23115VSP MaxFlo VS 0.85 HP Variable-Speed Pool Pump

This variable speed pump will provide you with your pool pump needs while consuming up to 80% less energy than a traditional single speed pump would consume. You can get the Hayward Sp23115VSP in either a 115 volt or a 230 volt.

It has eight timer controlled functions and a rotatable digital interface that makes it very easy to choose and set the pump to the speeds you need, and the length of time in which you want the pump to run.

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The 24 hour clock is set for real time so you will have no trouble discerning the exact time that you are setting the pump to run for.

The pump motor is very quiet so it does not create any disturbance and can be operated at any time of the day or night even in close neighborhoods. It is also operated by a fan cooled motor so you do not have the worries of overheating if you should leave the pump running for twenty four hour periods.

It is the perfect choice for homeowners because of how easy it is to set up and to program. You can start to enjoy the efficient movement of water at lower speeds and with quieter operations in just a few moments after you get it to your home.

Buying Consideration: Best Variable Speed Pool Pump

The common pool pumps, operate at one or maybe two speeds. A variable speed pump operates at several speeds and it saves energy cost and wear and tear on the pump motor because it operates at the lowest speed needed to do the job effectively.

They have a pressure sensor built into them that discerns when the water pressure is low enough that the pump could be operated at a slower speed. There are a few things you need to know before you rush out to buy a variable speed pump for your pool.

01. Consider what size pump your pool has to have.

02. Consider the pipes you have providing your plumbing needs. A lot of older plumbing systems used a 1.5” pipe and that size pipe is not adequate to handle the higher horsepower pumps.

03. Determine the flow rate of your pool and that will determine the horsepower you need your pump to have. The flow rate is the maximum amount of water that your filtration system can handle. To get the flow rate simply divide the number of gallons of water the pool holds by 1440 (that is how many minutes are in a day).

04. If you are unsure about the number of gallons of water that is in your pool simply calculate it like this: the length of the pool times the width of the pool times the average depth of the pool times 7.5 is the volume of the pool. You can also use an online pool volume calculator and save yourself some math trouble.

High Traffic Pools

If your main motivation for buying a variable speed pump is to reduce the amount of energy your pool pump uses and lower your electric bill then you have to consider the size of your pool and how often the pool is used.

If you have a large pool and a lot of people use that pool on a regular basis then the pump is going to have to work at full speed so the energy reduction cost is going to be insignificant. If your pool is normally used by smaller groups of people and occasionally used by larger groups then the amount of energy the pump consumes will be significantly less than the energy a single speed pump uses.

Programmable

Many of the variable speed pumps have built-in timers that you can program to shut the pump off at certain times, or that you can set to lower the speed that the pump is running at. These timers can help you to save a lot of energy costs by keeping the pump from operating when it does not have to be.

Quieter

The majority of these pumps are quieter than traditional pumps of the same horsepower. You want to read reviews and make sure that the pump you are thinking of buying has proven to be quieter.

How it works

The variable speed pump can change speeds so that the pump is moving the water at a speed consistent with the needs of the pool at the time. If the pool is being heavily used by a lot of people then the water needs to be pumped through the filtration system at a faster rate of speed than when the pool is being lightly used by only one or two people.

The single speed pump simply operates at the one speed but the variable speed pump is in essence a smart pump. Some of these pumps can detect what speed they need to be operating at through the water pressure and they self-adjust their speed and some of them you program to run at an increased speed for a specified amount of time.

The variable speed pump lasts longer because the motor does not work as hard, and they have fewer mechanical problems because their motors are fan cooled and they are not subject to the problems of overheating.

Difference between Single Speed and a variable speed pump

Single speed

• Makes more noise while in operation.
• Consumes more energy while it is in operation.
• Runs at one set speed and cannot be adjusted.
• Does not last as long. You will replace a single speed pump three times as often as you replace a variable speed pump.
• Is less efficient.

Variable Speed

• Produces less noise than the single speed pumps.
• The motors are totally enclosed and fan cooled so they are not only quieter they are also protected from the outside weather conditions.
• They are energy efficient and cost less to operate.
• They last about three times longer than standard single speed pumps.

Final Notes!

The best variable speed pump is the one that is perfectly sized to fit the pool dimensions you have. You do not need the largest variable speed pump on every pool and sometimes you do not need the same horsepower variable speed as the single speed that you have.

The variable speed pump can be more effective at lower speeds so it can be a smaller horsepower pump and still provide the right amount of pumping action required by your pool size and pool activity levels.

These pumps last longer and use less energy while in operation, so you should keep those facts in mind when you are shopping for the perfect pump for your pool.