need advice to add a timer to the filter?

[gabagoo]

Our house now has been equipped with a smart metre. For those that dont know, it is the hydro meter and what it does is calculates at what times of the day you use power and then you are billed accordingly. I had no choice in its installation. It seems that after 9pm on weekdays until early morning is the cheapest rate.
When our pool was put in they hard wired the power direct to the electrical box in the basement. I desperately would like to put a 7 day timer on my filter , so the question is if I call an electrician to break the line so I can put a timer somewhere along the way, would it be best to have it inside the house or outside, or should I bother at all?

 

[dmanb2b]

our timer is installed right at the main panel in the house, with an override switch at the pump...I like it so far and gives me a way to control the pool in the house or pump

 

[Bama Rambler]

If the location is very accessible I'd put it inside.

 

[Durk]

I prefer closer to the pool. If you are at the pool and want to activate the pump, say to skim debris or vacuum, and the timer is off, you have to go back inside to turn it on. Whereas you can always power down the pump from inside by flipping the breaker at the panel. (Of course, then you would have to reset the timer when you powered back up.)

In my case, I have a sub-panel at the pool with other circuits on it (lights, sound, etc.) so there is really no choice.

 

[dmanb2b]

I prefer closer to the pool. If you are at the pool and want to activate the pump, say to skim debris or vacuum, and the timer is off, you have to go back inside to turn it on. Whereas you can always power down the pump from inside by flipping the breaker at the panel. (Of course, then you would have to reset the timer when you powered back up.).

Not if you install an overide switch at the pump...I can turm my pump on at the pool with the switch, even though my timer is in the house

 

[Durk]

I prefer closer to the pool. If you are at the pool and want to activate the pump, say to skim debris or vacuum, and the timer is off, you have to go back inside to turn it on. Whereas you can always power down the pump from inside by flipping the breaker at the panel. (Of course, then you would have to reset the timer when you powered back up.).

Not if you install an overide switch at the pump...I can turm my pump on at the pool with the switch, even though my timer is in the house

Well, you assume he has an extra live conductor(s) to wire such an override to. In the context as asked, I assumed he would not want to run a second power line from panel to pump--which is what you would have to do in most cases to have an override that would turn the pump ON at the pool. Turning it OFF is of course not a problem. I assume your setup was built that way from Day 1 or such a second line was added when the timer was put in.

If you are talking about remote control technology, then please explain in more detail.

 

[dmanb2b]

That's correct and was my assumption. If the wiring is run in PVC conduit piping...runnning an extra wire is still a possibility. Having the timer iat the pump is not a bad idea either, but rather than using the breaker to shut power off from inside the house, wouldn't a better option be to install a switch inside the house? I'm not and electrician and maybe it's just myth, but I thought using a breaker as a switch is not recommended as it could weaken the breaker over time?

 

[Durk]

That's correct and was my assumption. If the wiring is run in PVC conduit piping...runnning an extra wire is still a possibility. Having the timer iat the pump is not a bad idea either, but rather than using the breaker to shut power off from inside the house, wouldn't a better option be to install a switch inside the house? I'm not and electrician and maybe it's just myth, but I thought using a breaker as a switch is not recommended as it could weaken the breaker over time?

There are millions of commercial and institutional installations all over the country where the only control on the circuit is the breaker and these are operated at least daily. (Think about your high school gym or cafeteria lights.) It is certainly not recommended for a frequent use control, and against code for the only light in a room, but occasional use as an override disconnect is not a problem. Pulling and repulling with extra conductors is not a minor exercise or cost for all but a short run, even assuming you have sufficient excess conduit diameter to avoid going over cross-section fill limits. However, if it is worth the extra cost to you, then, yes, inside timer with poolside override (ON/OFF) is the best setup. There is also some value to keeping the timer out of the weather, although my Intermatic T104P has been outside since 2004 with no problem. Leaving the box open in the rain is always a danger, however.