I knew exactly what you meant. If you are installing those things, you are the one taking a test drive. I talk to pump installers everyday that have stuck their neck out and installed a few hundred of these things, only to find out that they are going to have to warranty ever single one. Then they either have to call all the customers who bought one and tell them of the problems they are having, or just wait for the angry customers to call them. That particular brand has only been available for about 5 years. Which is long enough to have done a few test and seen the problems for yourself. That is if you bought into it five years ago, and installed a bunch to test at that time. Otherwise, you are just Franklins latest Guinea Pig.
A good pump man would not even change brands of tanks or motors unless he had tested them for many years. Are you old enough to remember when Franklin decided to switch to aluminum end bells on their motors. They kept assuring me that it had been tested and would be fine. Warrantying every motor I installed at that time almost put me out of business. Sure Franklin replaced the motors, but they didn't help out on the labor at all. I ended up with a mountain of those motors with the bottoms pooched out, a huge labor bill, and a stain on my reputation.
Have you ever tried a new brand of bladder tank without testing them properly? I once got talked into a tank that was suppose to be as good as the one I had always used. After having to warranty everyone of those tanks, I no longer stick my neck out for unproven products.
However, those variable speed pumps do seem to last longer in Michigan than many other place. I think that is because of the good water quality, shallow water tables, and limited water use by the home owners. If you install a system for a couple of old people living in a house by themselves, with no heat pump, drip system, sprinkler system, or any other major water demand, even the SQE's are lasting for quite a while.
If you do accelerated test like I do, and put systems in where there are drip systems, evaporative air conditioners, and heat pumps, you will find that these variable speed systems do not last long at all. If you think the pump and motor companies are spending so much promoting these new products to actually make pumps and motors last longer, then I have some land in Louisiana I want to make you an unbelievable deal on. Yeah that cp.com thing is a good way to lure customers to the idea of constant pressure. We think everyone should try a variable speed system once like we did 20+ years ago. Then we started looking for a reliable way to deliver constant pressure. The Cycle Stop Valve has replaced every brand of VFD system sold since 1993, and is still doing so today. In this economy, people are now looking for constant pressure products that are less expensive and makes pump systems last a long time, and that is exactly what the CSV does.
BTW, even a home owner can go to
www.Driveswarehouse.com and pay only 153 bucks for a VFD that is much better than any of the ones put out by the pump and motor companies. Installers who are educating themselves about VFD's are now using these because they have so many more adjustable parameters, and they cost much less. That is until they realize that the CSV is far superior to any VFD.