Stupid question... how do I tell the difference between a regular relay and the 2-speed jobbie?

There is no difference. You simply tell the controller which relay is for low speed and it does the rest. Since you have a spare, there is no extra cost.

BTW, I think you are making the correct choice. To me the benefits of the VS pumps are little overblown. Don't get me wrong, they have their place and can be a good choice for some but they are not the best choice for all. For low energy cost areas without rebates, it can take a long time to make up the cost difference between a two speed and VS pump.

Oops! didn't see that there was an open relay. Disregard my post

Alrighty then! Looks like I'll be placing my order for a shiney new Whisperflo this afternoon. Thanks for all of your help everyone!

Any other opinions on the best actuators???

I'm going to automate the solar and vaccuum to coincide with the pump settings... the Pentair actuators that were original with the system are all shot... I've found the Jandy's I mentioned earlier for $105 online and that seems to be about the cheapest. If one should last a few years over another, I'd be happy to spend a few extra bucks.

Holy carp... just found these for $66!

Intermatic PE24VA 24-Volt Pool/Spa Water Valve Actuator

Junk I presume?

Nope, I use them too. Nice, cost effective replacement. Works fine with Jandy, Pentair and Hayward's automation.

Scott

Well ****, at that price I gotta figure out how many I should get...

I did it... Ordered the pump and two actuators... screw automating the spa.

Stupid question... how do I tell the difference between a regular relay and the 2-speed jobbie?



Apparently there is a difference. Anyone looking at this thread for info needs to be aware that with Pentair, you DO need the 2-speed relay. Wish I would have understood that before spending all this money... now that $80 relay can't be found for cheaper than $95... should have just bought the VS pump and called it a day.

I am so sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. At the time, I must have been confused with another thread and didn't realize that your controller was an EasyTouch.

But I don't think you wasted your money. The pump plus the extra relay still costs less than the VS.

The price of the WhisperFlo 2 speed 1 1/2 is about $630 at one reputable online website. At that same site, the price for the IntelliFlo 10118 pump is $880, a $250 difference. This pump comes with an RS485 communications cable that will connect up the pump to your Intellitouch, and now you have full automation. Given the need for a 2 sp relay at $95, the difference between a standard 2 speed and one of the best pumps out there is now only $150. What's nice about the 10118 is that it comes with its own programming module, which means it can work independent of the Intellitouch/Easytouch or any other automation system. Since you already have an Intellitouch, this isn't that big of a deal... unless the Intellitouch goes down. Then you have a backup to keep your water from turning green while you get the Intellitouch fixed.

Other nice features of this pump: Automatic priming... if priming fails, the pump turns itself off. Auto-freeze protection (not a big deal in your area, I would imagine), 8 speeds, each of which can be programmed to ANY speed. This means you can really optimize electrical use vs. flow. This is great for different functions. It's 3 HP, which means that you can really get those jets going in your spa if you want to. At lower speeds, this thing is almost silent. Since you have solar, you can optimize your flow rate for the highest efficiency of heat recovery to electrical use. Lastly, this pump tells you the power usage for a given speed. You can actually see how significant your electrical savings are by running at 3/4 vs. 1/2 speed, etc. Your electrical rates are much better than ours, so your savings won't be as high. But, for the extra $150 or so over the 2 speed, the other nice features of the IntelliFlo are worth considering. So this doesn't come across as spam, you can PM me for the link. BTW, this vendor recently had free shipping on variable speed pumps. I'd call them and ask for that.

BTW, I'd keep the heater. It looks like a recent model, so it's probably something reasonably simple to fix. This equipment is only 6 years old. How did it get so screwed up during that time???

mas985 - no worries, I'm already over it. The biggest issue for me was the frustration in thinking it would work, realizing it wouldn't, then thinking I was missing something... Oh, and making the project take two full days of cursing and cycling through every programming function on my control system... At least I know how it works now!

CraigMW - too late for all that. Already got the pump. Going to an electronics surplus store tonight for some various non-pool related things, gonna see if they have a suitable relay there... probably will end up buying the Pentair relay tonight when I get home. I've already disconnected the heater... from what I can tell it's a mainboard issue - did find a replacement for like $130 one time, but didn't pull the trigger. Been through two summers without it and never once thought to myself that I wish we had it. Solar FTW.

So tonight, I'm just going to wire up the pump for single speed operation... unless I find a relay... to keep me going until the new relay comes in.

Any relay you find would need to be a DPDT, I'm guessing probably a 24V DC actuated one rated for 220V 15-20A duty. That's a pretty beefy relay, but they exist. The Pentair ones do seem expensive. I'm guessing something like this would do, but maybe a beefier one would be better:

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/OMRON- ... Pid=search

I'd just keep the heater hooked up. We use the spa year round here in SoCal, even when it's quite cold (relative term for this climate). So, while the pool water can be in the 50's, the spa can get up to around 100F in about 20 minutes. It's just kind of nice to sit in the spa drinking some nice homebrew, and this wouldn't be doable without the heater.

Yeah, I found some suitable relays at the surplus store last night, but they were all open with no sort of cover... I didn't like that. Plus mounting would end up being goofy.

So to keep things tidy and uniform, I just ordered the Pentair relay.

The heater is already out of the equation... Again, I don't know what it would cost to fix it and I never felt the need to use it anyway... I hate being in the spa and getting out into the cool air anyway...