Early adopters of the variable speed pool pump motor craze that took hold in the mid to late 2010s have found themselves in a pickle recently. Their tried-and-true variable speed motors have run faithfully for a decade, but they’re nearing the end of their life; control drives are malfunctioning, and displays are unreadable or unresponsive. So I guess it’s time to replace your old 2.7 HP Jandy R0562201, Pentair 350305S, or Hayward TriStar SPX3202Z1VSPE VS motors.
If you’re like many other VS pump owners, you’ve been struck by sticker shock at the price of replacement OEM variable speed motor options and perturbed by the lack of aftermarket replacement pool pump motors. Well, fear not, my dear entrepreneurial pool DIY-er, there’s a solution to your 2.7 HP variable speed pool pump motor problems: The Nidec Neptune Variable Speed Motor 2.70 THP (NPTQ270 – Square Flange / NPTT270 – Round Flange)
Why Are 2.7 HP Replacement VS Motors So Hard to Find?
It’s simple: Century (formerly AO Smith), the manufacturer that makes virtually all of the pool industry’s Big-3 whole-pump single, dual, and variable-speed motors, has stopped producing the 2.7 VS models. Century Motors now only produces the EVO V-Green replacement variable speed motors with 1.3 HP, 1.65 HP, and 2.25 HP.
I’ve never heard a good explanation for why they stopped making the 2.7 HP motors (ECM27CU / ECM27SQU) in favor of the EVO V-Green Motors. But their seeming neglect of those users with an aging-out 2.7 OEM pump has left an opening for Nidec (formerly Emerson) to fill with the Neptune VS replacement motor.
What Are the Advantages of Using a Neptune VS Replacement Motor?
The Nidec Neptune’s biggest pluses are, of course, its price and its drop-in ability to replace OEM 2.7 HP VS motors without requiring any other parts to be replaced (besides your shaft seal).
Price
Take a look at any of the OEM variable-speed motors and their prices; you’ll see the significant upcharge that manufacturers put on their motors. In some cases, such as the Hayward Power End Assembly for SP2603VSP – SPX2603Z1VSPE, the motor is packaged with hardware parts that you don’t need, which serve only to inflate the price to almost three times that of the Nidec Neptune.
Mind you, you still need to tack on the cost of a pump gasket kit (GOKIT) to the cost of the Neptune VS to complete the installation. But the kit on average adds 15 to 40 bucks to the cost of the motor, depending on the pump model and if it’s a traditional chlorine or saltwater gasket kit.
Drop-In Replacement
By replacing your old 2.7 HP OEM variable speed motor with another 2.7 VS motor, no other pump hardware like your impeller, diffuser, or seal plate needs be replaced. If you decided to install the smaller Century EVO V-Green Variable Speed, you’d be required to install a smaller impeller to accommodate the weaker motor.
Some pump models, like the Pentair Challenger, have a specific diffuser for each impeller horsepower. Other pumps like the Hayward Super Pump use a different seal plate for impellers below 2.5 HP uprated, so that’s another chunk of change added to the total. Or, heaven forbid, you have a Super II, and have to remember to pick the right impeller wear ring.
The Downside of Switching to the Neptune VS
The biggest disadvantage to switching to a non-OEM VS Pump motor is the mounted timer’s compatibility with an OEM automation system. If you have a Pentair IntelliFlo VS (IntelliFlo VS Post June 2016) coupled with a Pentair IntelliTouch Automation System, you’ll lose the capability to set schedules, change speeds, and read faults from your automation control box or its companion app.
Most pool schedule setups are “set it and forget it,” so the need to control or change your pump settings does not often arise after initial installation. However, if you are more of a fiddler with your pump’s schedule, this lack of functionality may be a drawback.
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