Circulation Pump Comparison

11 Sep, 2018
•

Here is a comparrison of some of the most common circulation pumps for spa pools.

Circulation pumps are designed to draw or push water through the filters and heater tube. It is not deigned to pump large quantities of water at high pressure, its sole purpose is to pump water for filtering and heating at a low cost. An average spa will filter for 4 hours each day. Picking the correct replacement pump can save you a lot of $$$.

Below I have outlined 3 separate circulation pumps. There are more pumps on the market but are the most common.

Balboa Circulation Pump

This pump has been around for approximately 6 years. It is cheap to run and has a good flow rate. It has a moderate life expectancy of approximately 4-5 years.

Details:

Current drawn: 800ma
Flow rate: 100 Litres Per Minute
Life Expectancy: 4-5 Years
Manufactured In: Mexico

Used In:
Signature Models:

Aqua zone, Arizona, Cabriolet, Cadillac, Eclipse, Eden, Miami, Mirage, Niagara, V-Stream.

Cyclone Models:

Force, Monsoon, Storm, Tempest, Twister, Typhoon, Whirlwind, Zephyr.

Leisurerite Models:

Cascade, Entertainer, Finesse, Florence, Hot Tub, Riviera, Sahara, Swim Stream,

Designer Models:

Azure, Cascade, Colorado, Entertainer, Hot Tub, Lagoon, Milan, Regatta, Riviera, Titan, Tasman, Atlantic, Trinity.

Many more brands and models including Lanark and Heritage.

SpaNet Circulation Pump

This pump has been around for many years. It has a good flow rate, but is more expensive to run. It has a poor to moderate life expectancy of approximately 3-4 years.
Details:

Current Drawn: 1.6amps
Flow Rate: Max 170 Litres Per Minute
Life Expectancy: 3-4 Years
Manufactured in: China

Used In:
These pumps are used in many spas. Most of the imported spas from China. Also Spa World, Sapphire, Oasis.

Aqua Flow Circulation Pump

This pump has been around for many years. It has a good flow rate and is cheap to run. They run very hot. This has been rectified with a cooling fan towards the end of 2017. It is very reliable and the older models can last between 5 -10 years.
Details:

Current Drawn: 620ma
Flow Rate: 100 Litres Per Minute ??
Life Expectancy: 5-10 Years
Manufactured in: Mexico

Used In:
These pumps were used in many spas until approximately 6 years ago when they changed to the Balboa circulation pump.
Signature, Designer, Cyclone, Leisurerite, Lanark.

Conclusion:

All three pumps have good points. My pick is the Balboa pump, it is the mid priced pump and is cheap to run. The SpaNet pump is cheap to purchase but uses a lot of power and has a poor life expectancy. The Aquaflow pump is the most expensive but is very reliable.