I've upgraded last year to a Balboa VS501 system ( works great ) from the old school Balboa lite leader pack - and I didn't mess around w/ any of the wires inside from the stock configuration when it came, I know I have a ( Aqua-Flo FHMP Series ) 2spd pump in which can be cycled between high and low speed from the control...however from a previous post I believe the windings for the high speed are failing...I would like to upgrade the pump/motor to one that puts out more/improved flow. so my questions are as follows...

1. What would be a suitable motor/pump combination to upgrade to? My current motor is 230V, don't know if its 1.5 or 2 HP. with a 1-1/2" Inlet/Oulet, I also don't know where to get performance curves...has anyone upgraded this pump/motor combination before...I have 19 small jets, and one whirlpool jet that can be turned on/off ( Not a very big tub ).

2. The tag on my motor only says 230V, however with what limited electrical motor knowledge I thought that low speed was 1725 RPM's at 110/115V, and for high speed the controller kicks up the voltage to 220/230V giving you 3450 RPM...is that how my motor works, even though the tag only says 230V ( shouldn't it say 115/230 ? ) - I'm just a little confused on that and want to make sure whatever I buy will work when I plug it in without having to fudge around with more wiring?

Any feedback will be appreciated...I will try to take pictures today and try to post them as well...

The largest FMHP you can get is 2hp. Since you have 1-1/2" plumbing you're a bit limited. You might consider isolating certain parts of the tub with a valve so that you can use half the jets at a time with more power.

Your motor works on 230v at both speeds. A motor that reads 115/230v is a convertible motor that can be hooked up to either electrical source but still only operates on one setting or the other at a time.

1. What is the potential risks if I run a 2" suction, and then reduce after the heater to 1-1/2" which would run to my manifolds

2. The Previous setup had the piping set up so that I could run either the Jets, or the large whirlpool jet...my setup now allows me to run my jets AND my whirlpool jet...if those are all open would a 2HP 2" Pump be ok?

3. What would be a good pump to pick up? Are the FHMP pumps good pumps?

1. You'd just be running a less efficient setup. The 1.5" plumbing will restrict how much water you can move. Even if you used a 3HP pump, the flow would only be marginally better than the 2HP 1.5", you'd be putting everything in your system under more pressure, and your motor would be running inefficiently.

2. OK how? It would work fine, but without isolating the larger jet from the smaller ones (depending on the size of the tub) you're going to get much less force from it. And because of issue #1, increasing the pump size won't necessarily help. You could consider adding a second pump.

3. The FMHP is a good pump. Whatever you decide on, it's more important to take care of it after the fact. Most manufacturers use the same few brands of motors and seals. It's out of control chemistry and unchecked leaks that tend to be the death of most pumps.

Thanks For the Feedback, I'll probably be picking up a new 2HP pump soon then. I'm pretty comfortable with the chemistry aspect, but I've got a good setup where the pump and heater are actually in my garage, so any pump leaks are easily detectable ( which I haven't seen ), also it makes things very easy to service / upgrade...

Thanks for the input...This forum is very usefull...