I’ll be the honest middle ground here. I don’t regret going variable speed, but I do regret assuming it would magically fix everything without me touching the settings.
When I first installed mine, I basically ran it like a single speed at high RPM because I was paranoid about circulation. That defeated the whole point. My clean filter pressure is 15 psi, and at full speed it would shoot up to 22 pretty fast. Loud, more energy, and honestly no clearer water. Total waste.
Once I actually sat down and figured out my pool’s real turnover needs, things changed. I run low RPM most of the day, just enough to keep steady skimming and maintain flow through the heater. Then I bump it up for an hour if I vacuum or after a heavier bather load weekend. Pressure stays closer to baseline, less aeration, and my pH drift slowed down too because I’m not blasting water like a fountain all day.
Where I think people get frustrated is the learning curve. You do have to dial it in. If someone wants set it and forget it with zero tweaking, they might feel annoyed. But if you’re willing to spend a little time understanding flow rate, head pressure, and what your pool actually needs, it’s hard to go back to a single speed screaming at 3450 RPM nonstop.
So regret? No. Just had to adjust my expectations and actually use the flexibility instead of ignoring it.
