Doheny's Harris In-Ground VS Variable Speed Swimming Pool Pumps (1.5 HP)

7/4/2020 Update: I ran across a review from 'RunMore' in the top-rated reviews for this pump just today. 'RunMore' explains there's a potential issue if your power drops out even for a short time for this pump, when power returns it will have an error status and will not restart to run the program until the error is cleared and the program restarted manually. This is an obvious problem for a lot of people as sometimes we don't know when / if the power fails (if we're not home or at night). This could allow the pump to not run for several days before noticing and cause algae blooms as 'RunMore' stated. I'm going to research and look into a potential solution to this and will update if needed. I'm leaving my rating as is because even though I'm aware of the issue, it hasn't posed any problems here yet. BTW... I did test the scenario with my pump and it does do the same thing... stops with an error when power is restored and it must be cleared to resume.7/9/2020 Update: I contacted Harris Pump at the number listed in the manual. The support tech answered within 5 minutes and was very pleasant ;) I informed him of the potential issue noted by 'RunMore' that I mentioned in my previous update (above). I explained that I live in FL and it's very common for us to have power glitches in the summer months due to daily thunderstorms in the afternoon. He explained that they are aware of the fact that the pump will power back up with an Error condition if power is lost and this is intentional as they want the user / owner to actually physically be at the pump to clear the error so if any other problems arose, they will see it. That said... If you purchased this pump and this is a problem for you, I personally recommend that you purchase a power monitor alert device that will alert you if there was a disruption in the power grid. You can purchase something like this Bewinner Power Failure Alarm, Power Out/Failure Alarm LED Indicator Siren Alarms Smart 120db Automatic Power Cut Failure Outage Alarm Warning Siren CN Plug 220V here on amazon for less than $13. I will be implementing my own solution that is a bit more involved (tying a diy wifi monitor into the control panel).Original Review:I will update this review as time and experiences change, but I felt the need to give an initial rating based on my experience so far.First of all, I ordered this pump on June 17th 2020. The estimated delivery was for June 26th - July 3. That wasn't a problem. I wasn't in a big hurry. Well... the pump arrived just 2 days later on the 19th! That was already a big plus especially considering how deliveries have been delayed during the COVID-19 downtimes.The pump arrived in a well packaged box with nice sturdy foam blocks. I recently purchased another pump... a Pentair Superflow, which when it arrived the packaging when it arrived looked like it was tossed around the back of a truck and the padding in the box was not very good. This pump by Harris was packaged the way you expect an expensive piece of hardware to be packaged. Very nicely done.The pump included everything needed to plumb it into the existing system with 2 threaded union fittings for the inlet and outlet. Several reviews have dinged this pump for leaking issues. I will just say that I added plenty of Teflon Tape along with some Rectorseal Tru-Blu threadseal (Local Hardware Store.. HD) and I haven't had a single leaking issue from the threaded fittings. The basket hatch must be tightened down quite a bit to get a good seal on the lid... but that is normal I think.The manual was pretty easy to follow. It doesn't include wiring instructions, but if you're buying this pump to install yourself, I assume, like me, you don't really need instructions on how to wire up 220VAC to a pump. It's very straight forward and the terminal lugs for the wiring are well designed. The only thing I did was replace the cord grip fitting on the electrical box with a standard liquid tight fitting and conduit from my power.After hooking up power, I started the pump up to check for leaks. I couldn't believe how quiet this thing is. It sounds like a large fan running rather than a pump. I have had 4 other pumps on this pool and this is by far the quietest one... so far. The 3 speeds are very adequate to get the job done in our pool. Setting up the time and the speeds was pretty straight forward. The manual explains how to make the adjustments, but it's not a really in depth instruction set and the grammar is a bit broken. Still... I had the whole thing setup within about 15 minutes and it's now running in "MODE1" program.We have solar on our house and I have a power metering system that I can use to monitor how much energy we're consuming. This pump uses almost nothing in ECO mode and it uses maybe 1/4 of the power my Pentair used when in CLEAN mode. The automated programs allow you to specify 4 times that the pump will run in CLEAN and ECO (2 times each) at different start times and different run lengths. You can adjust the speed for ECO and CLEAN to get it to your preferred flow rate. The BOOST speed is nice if you need a little extra volume, but it doesn't allow you to run in BOOST when running from the MODE1 or MODE2 program.Pros: Very well packaged, included everything I needed to install, Very quiet, easy to setup / program, low power consumption, Price is very reasonable compared to other name brands.Cons: Threaded adapters need a good amount of teflon tape and thread-seal to keep them from leaking, Can't run BOOST speed in MODE1 or MODE2.7/3/2020 Update: The pump is still running without issue so far. I took some pics of the installation that I wanted to add along with some photos showing what the pump is currently drawing amperage at the 3 speed settings.The 1st pic (showing the plumbing) is an illustration of how I decided to install this in parallel to my existing Pentair pump. That way if one pump fails, I can quickly switch over to the other pump and run on that one until the pump that failed is repaired. Also saves from having to re-plumb every time a pump fails.The 3 photos with the meter are showing the current draw a the 3 different speeds I have set. On this pump you have 3 speed settings (Eco, Clean and Boost). Each speed can be varied within a range for that speed setting. I have Eco set to 1500 rpm (Default), Clean at 2850 rpm and Boost at 3450 rpm.I run the pump in MODE1 program which runs the pump 4 different times (S1, S2, S3, S4) S1 runs CLEAN mode for a specified start / length. S2 runs Eco for specified start / length, S3 CLEAN and S4 Eco. So you run Clean speed then Eco then Clean then Eco. The start times and length of run times are adjustable to whatever you want.I have the pump set to run in the a.m. Clean for 2 hours, then Eco for 5. Then in the Evening same thing.When I ran my Pentair, I had to run it 7 hours in a day to keep the pool clean. The pentair is a 2HP pump and it draws 11.5 Amps at 240VAC or 2.76Killowatts. Multiply that by the 7 hours, that's 19.32Kwh a day it was costing to run the Pentair.The new pump runs a total of 4 hours in Clean (2.33 Amps) and 10 hours in Eco (.84 Amps) or 2.237Khw Clean + 2.02 Kwh Eco = 4.253Kwh a day to run the Harris pump. That's 78% less power than the Pentair to run the Harris 2x more time (at lower speeds).Our local Kwh cost averages 11.4 cents per Kwh so it cost me $2.20 a day to run the Pentair and it costs around 48 cents a day to run the Harris. In a 30 day month that's a saving of $51.52 or $618 a year. These aren't hard numbers and the amounts vary but that's still a considerable saving.

Performance/Impression:Arrived well protected and packaged. Quiet and adequately powered pump which sounds like a big fan on the full BOOST mode. Happy with the performance and especially the overall value. Some of the documentation and ancillary parts could be better, but I think the value lies is the pump functionality and performance for the price. I will have to update later for a comment on durability and electricity power consumption.Installation:Reasonably straight forward if you have some DIY plumbing and electrical skills. Double check the securing structural bolts holding the pump together. Two or three of mine needed some additional slight hand tightening with a socket wrench.The included 1.5" PVC threaded socket union connectors for input/output flows are a little too small when seated in the threads and can jiggle a bit (probably bad manufacturing tolerances). Others here have used generous amounts of plumbers tape to make a tight seal. I bought new connectors from a home hardware store. You can also order from Amazon (1-1/2-Inch MIP by 1-1/2-Inch Socket Male/Female Socket Union). Note for this 1.5 HP model, the PVC threaded connectors are 1-1/2 inch and not the 2 inch mentioned on the manufacturer's website.Specs list this pump drawing up to 9.5 amps at 220V depending on speed mode. This pump is on a 15 amp circuit for me. My circuit connects to the pump via a 1/2" liquid tight NM conduit connection. In my case, the black plastic electrical conduit adapter was unscrewed and replaced with a 1/2" liquid tight NM adapter from the home hardware center.This pump is well-balanced and doesn't vibrate. But, I bolted pump to my concrete pad to reduce any vibration and any possible wear on the PVC connections.Program/Setup:The menu setup is not intuitive at initial run through but can be figured out very easily with the manual. Just briefly read the manual and make sure the LED is not in direct sunlight where the LED menu lights are hard to see.The MENU/ESC button cycles through in order the pump's time clock, Mode 1 options, and Mode 2 options. The stage sequences S1 [CLEAN] - S2 [ECO] -S3 [CLEAN] - S4 [ECO] seem fixed. But, the clock start times and number of hours to run are adjustable for each stage. I will have test if the pump will not run a latter stage if two stages have the same start times or if stages can run out of their natural order.Pro Tips:1) The top metal base that houses the screen (not the plastic lid) can be unscrewed to re-orient 180 degrees depending on your pool pump install orientation and access needs.2) The plastic lid protecting the screen can be unscrewed. I briefly removed and applied a bead of silicone caulk at the screen base just to be extra.3) Save the manual and make copies. I couldn't find a copy online from the manufacturer.

The operation of this pump was flawless, for five years, and would have given 5 stars. In the 6th year the motor started grinding noises and found it was the bearings that would cost hundreds of dollars to repair. I have had other pumps/motors and this is the first to die due to bearings, especially after only 5 years.

I am am my wits end with this pump. The documentation it shipped with is very limited, and their customer service department (if and when they answer or decide to return your call) knows nothing about their product. Here is my issue: EVERY TIME there is the slightest power blip at my home, the pump throws an error code 6, and it cuts off. It DOES NOT start the program back on it's own. So unless you happen to realize the pump is off, and manually turn it back on, you will not have water flow. This has now caused me TWO big algae blooms this summer when the pump was off for multiple days unbeknownst to me. I have called customer support numerous times, and NOBODY can tell me what the error codes mean, why the occur or how to bypass them or provide a work around for this problem. The pump has cost me HUNDREDS of extra dollars in cleaning up algae blooms because I can't count on this pump to run reliably. In addition, the seller (Pool Supplies Superstore, which I believe is owned by Doheny as that is who the pump shipped from) does not answer calls either or provide any support for this product.If I could count on this pump to start itself back when power fails, I would give it 5 stars. It runs quiet, and the variable speed features are nice. But I simply cannot count on it to keep my pool clean. I'm planning to try to return this thing.