Best Pool Pumps In 2022

The first pump on our list is the Intex Krystal Clear Sand Filter Pump. It’s actually designed to be used with Intex swimming pools but will work as an excellent upgrade for pretty much any above ground pool. A pool is a luxury item, but it can quickly turn into a nightmare if your filter isn’t working correctly. You can end up with a pool full of debris, a tiring maintenance regime, and a huge electricity bill at the end of it. Investing in this filter will help you avoid all of that.

The first thing that we love about this product is the fact that it uses sand as a filtration agent. It provides excellent water filtration and requires much less maintenance than cheaper cartridge filters. In fact, you should only need to change the sand once every five years.

Hayward is a pretty well-known brand in the world of pool pumps. Not only do they make some of the highest-quality pumps, but they also make everything else you could ever need for your pool. The Hayward SP2610X15 is also known as the ‘industry’s workhorse’ because of its reliability, efficiency, and proven track record as an all-rounder. To see what we mean about its proven track-record, take a quick look at the Amazon reviews. It has over 1,500 reviews and only 12% of them are negative. That’s a really impressive record for any product, but especially one that has lots of moving parts and requires maintenances.

It’s designed to work in any size of an inground pool or spa, but it’s probably too powerful to put in a small hot tub.  The motor is a heavy-duty, high-performance motor that has air-flow ventilation to keep it quiet and stop it from overheating. It’s also designed to produce higher flow-rates whilst still being energy efficient.

The Intex 28633EG is the cheapest pool pump on our list. We warned against buying cheap pool pumps in the intro to this article, but we think this pump is actually pretty good for the money. Sure, it’s can’t compete with the premium swimming pool pumps on the list, but if you’re looking for a budget option, this is the one for you.

It’s a single-speed pump that is specifically designed for above ground pools. To install it, all you have to do is attach the hoses and plug them in, and you’re ready to go. However, there is a small amount of assembly required when you get it out of the box. It’s also easy-to-use. It has an auto timer with presets from 2 to 12-hour cycles, so you can set it up and leave it running. That means, over time it’s going to cost you more in electricity bills than a variable speed pool pump would.

The Wayne 57729-WYNP offers something a little different. It’s not your classic pool pump because it doesn’t circulate the water inside your pool. Instead, it’s designed to stop the water from building up on top of your pool cover. Any pool owner will know how frustrating it is when you go to take the cover off and it’s full of dirty water. It can really ruin the experience of owning a pool.

This pump sits on top of the cover and automatically pumps the water away from the pool. It has an automatic sensor that detects the presence of water over a certain level. Inside is a ‘strainer base filter’ that minimizes clogging and stops the pump from tipping over. It’s energy-efficient, doesn’t use any oil, and can pump up to 3,000 gallons an hour. Plus, it has anti-freeze protection built into the iSwitch technology, so you can leave it out over the winter and not worry about it freezing up inside.

The Pentair 340039 Pool Pump is another single speed pump for use in-ground pools. It sits nicely in the middle of the price range for high-quality pumps. You can spend a lot less money on a pump, but this one is designed to last you a long time. It has a 1-½ horsepower, heavy-duty flange pool motor that is designed to pump water more efficiently without increasing the operating cost. It’s also surprisingly quiet, thanks to the new flow design that reduces the noise of the hydraulics.

It might be called a Pentair pump, but underneath, it’s actually another Hayward pump. It has the same oversized strainer basket and see-through cover that makes maintenance easier and less time-consuming. Unlike some cheaper in-ground pool pumps, this one has self-priming, which makes the set up easier and quicker. However, you’ll still need to have it professionally installed, unless you really know what you’re doing. This is a great inground pump and it comes with a 1-year warranty – the only thing that would make it better is if it was a variable pump or even a two-speed pool pump. This makes a perfect gift for swimmers in your life.

Up next is the Little Giant APCP-1700. Like the Wayne 57729-WYNP, it’s designed to remove the water from the top of your pool cover, instead of circulating the water in your pool. It has a similar system that detects the standing water and automatically turns the pump on when it needs to remove the water. This pump actually turns on in 2 inches of water, which is 1/8 of an inch lower than the Wayne pump.

The difference with this pump is that it has a removable intake screen instead of a strainer base filter. Effectively, it does the same thing, in that it makes it much easier to clean and maintain. We can’t be exactly sure which pump is easier to operate, but they both seem to work really well. The main advantage of this pump is that it comes with a 3-year warranty. That means you get 3 seasons of swimming to see if this pump works for you. The pack comes with a ¾ inch Garden hose connection and a 25-foot Power cord. The only problem is it doesn’t have the freeze protection that we saw on the Wayne pump.

The Hayward SP15932S Pool Pump is one of the best value dual-speed pool pumps for above ground pools. They say that it’s also suitable for in-ground pools, which are semi-inground. Basically, it isn’t self-priming, so it can’t pump water vertically, but if you can put your pump below the pool, it will work.

\The best thing about having two speeds is that you can save on energy costs. You can pump on a lower setting when you’re not using the pool, without using too much electricity. This makes it the most efficient pool pump for above ground pools we’ve featured. Because of this, you’ll probably save money over time if you buy this instead of a cheaper single speed pool pump.

The Pentair 011018 is the unmistakable premium choice pool pump on this list. We couldn’t choose it as our Best Choice because the price puts it out of a lot of people’s price range, but we think it’s the best pool pump out there. At nearly $900, it’s a lot more expensive than a lot of the pumps out there, and there are a few key reasons for the big price tag. The first, and main, reason is the fact that it has the variable speed system. It has 8 programmable speed settings and a built-in timer that allows you to choose the perfect amount of pumping that your pool needs. Not only does this provide you with the cleanest possible pool, but it should also save you money.

Pentair claims that it can save you $1500 a year, but we’re not sure on the exact number. That’s why the premium price tag is completely justified, over time it could end up being a great purchasing decision. It’s dramatically quieter than other pool pumps (as low as 45 decibels) and has built-in diagnostics to make sure the motor lasts for a long time.

The Wayne WWB WaterBUG is an interesting addition to this list because it’s not strictly a pool pump. Instead, it’s designed to pump water out of areas where it’s not needed. The reason we’ve included it is because some people will come to this list thinking that a pool pump will be able to help them out if they have a flooded basement or yard. Those people would be right, but this is a much better and more affordable option.

It has multi-flow technology, which means it can either discharge from the top or the side of the unit. The reason this is useful is that it can pump flat open surfaces with the side discharge, and it can also pump small areas like a window well with the top discharge. It has a maximum flow rate of 1257 gallons of water an hour and pumps it right down to a 1/16 of an inch, which is virtually dry. The multi-ring suction strainer filters debris out and stops the unit from clogging. Having said that, you will still need to clean it out regularly if the water you’re trying to pump has debris in it.

The Harris H1572730 ProForce is one of the best mid-range above ground pool pumps. As they say in their description, it provides great performance and results but without the large price tags from the big-name brands. If you need a high-performance pump, but don’t want to spend too much money, this is the one for you. It has a stainless steel 1.5 horsepower motor shaft, which is reinforced with a thermoplastic body. This makes the pool booster pump last for longer, without corroding or getting damaged. 

The way that it’s engineered makes it pretty efficient but without making too much noise. Having said that, it’s not the most powerful or the quietest, but for the price, it’s pretty good. The strainer basket is large and relatively easy to clean, which is important because you’ll have to clean it out pretty regularly. Overall, we think this is a really solid above ground pump. The only problem with it is the power cord is only 3 feet long, so it’s going to have to be very near to a power source.

The Pentair 342001 Pool Pump is another premium pump that can be used in pretty much any standard pool. Like the Pentair 011018, it’s considerably more expensive than most single speed pump but can save you money in the long run. This pump is actually 80% more energy-efficient than single-speed pumps and can save you an average of $0.16 per kWh in a 20,000 gallon.

It’s the only pool pump of its kind that doesn’t require a costly installation that includes rewiring. That’s because it runs on 115- or 230-volt power and is has an easy-to-access wiring compartment. This is another reason why it might be a better option to spend extra money on the initial cost instead of going for a cheaper, more complicated option.

We try not to make buying decisions based on the name of a brand, but XtremePowerUS is the closest we’ve come. That name tells you everything you need to know about this pool pump – it’s extremely powerful. It can compete with the biggest and best pumps on this list, which is why it deserves a place on our list. The brand might not be as well-known as Intex or Pentair, but they’ve got a really solid reputation in the world of pool pumps. 

The first thing to say about the XtremePowerUS 2HP Inground Pool Pump is that it’s self-priming. That means it turns a mixture of air and water into a pumpable fluid. For you, that means it needs to be submerged in the water. Don’t turn it on before it’s installed because you could end up damaging the seals. It’s constructed from a corrosion-proof polymeric material and is designed to be long-lasting and durable.