Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP!

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J

july1962

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Jul 9, 2011
22
Well, just got sent here from poolforum by a very nasty guy called pooldoc. What is HIS problem?

My jandy pump is going out and got a recommendation to replace it with an Intelliflo by Pentair. But, I have a Compool 3800 automation controller and apparently it doesn't work with that, at least not without some tinkering. So I purchased the Compool to Easy Touch upgrade kit. From the instructions it looks really easy. But now that I'm into it, it's not that easy.

There is an IMPORTANT instruction in the front of the manual talking about a "Single Body System" vs "Shared Equipment System." But there is no definition of what these two terms mean. Do I have a Single Body System? I have a pool, raised/adjoining spa, with solar and a goldline chlorinator. I assume I'm not sharing equipment with anything, but I always seem to be wrong when I assume!

If someone could help me with that, I'd sure appreciate it. AND if someone can help me with some other configuring questions, I have more. But for now, this will do.

Eric
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

Welcome to TFP!

It looks like ed0846 already answered your question, "Shared Equipment System." When you have more questions, we will be here :)
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

Thanks for getting back to me. I'm still confused, though, as the manual also says this:

"For an EasyTouch single body system, you have the option to control your pool and spa temperature settings using the valves button or the spa (Hi-Temp) and Pool (Lo-Temp) button on the optional indoor control panel. "

So that sounds like a "single body system" is also a pool and spa. So what's the difference?

Just to be clear, I have a pool, and a raised spa, both use the same pump, but the spa also has a pump for the jets. I also have solar. So are they sharing, or is that a single body?
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

You have a two body, shared equipment setup. There are two bodies of water, the pool and the spa, which share equipment. The manual isn't very well written. A single body system can be either a pool or a spa, so they are constantly using both words in the manual. That particular paragraph is talking about two buttons, labeled "Pool" and "Spa", which are instead used for the hi-temp and low-temp feature when you are in single body mode, despite what they are labeled.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

OK, whew! The manual IS terrible. I've been pulling my hair out all day. I can't get the solar to work. I can choose it in the settings, but it never turns on.

I'm having trouble grasping the difference between Aux, circuits and features. For instance, I can't figure out how to get it to switch the spa over so the spillway works.

Also, my Compool 3800 had two phone-type plugs that went to dimmer modules for my pool and spa lights. The EasyTouch doesn't have any such thing, so I don't know how to hook up my lights.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

Pretty much everything you want to be able to control is a circuit. There are some built-in circuits, like filter pump, heater, etc. and then there are Aux circuits that correspond to relays that can be turned on/off. But often enough you create an aux circuit that doesn't actually use the physical relay. Just one of the confusing things with their naming of things.

Generally they use the word "feature" to mean that the unit has the ability to do something. It doesn't really have a meaning in terms of the user interface.

To use the spa spillover, you setup a circuit that is a "Spillway" circuit. Then when that circuit is turned on the valves will move to the appropriate positions.

The EasyTouch doesn't work with dimmers that I know of. You can connect the lights to relays, and turn them on and off.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

Well, that's what I thought I did. I went to settings>Circuit Func, and chose Aux7 as the spillway. But then when I go back to the main menu and push #7, nothing happens.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

The other thing, when I push the P button (up arrow) on the indoor controller to turn the pool on, it only stays on for about 5 minutes then shuts off.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

I've really screwed it up now....don't know what I did. Now none of my valves turn. When I turn on the spa, the pump and heater come on, but the valves don't turn. The solar valve doesn't turn. But I know they work because they turn when I run the self-test.

I like to think I'm good at figuring things out, but this thing is screwy!
 

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Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

I had problems with my easy touch system because the manual doesn't do a good job. I called pentair tech line and found them easy to talk to. They are good at walking you through thisand they are refreshingly easy to get on the phone.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

When I go to Valves, it lists Valve A and Valve B. Valve A is where I have the Solar Valve plugged in, so for "A" it says "used solar." But when I turn the pool on, the solar valve doesn't turn. But it did turn in the "test."

@Jongig, yes I spoke to Pentair one day and the guy was very helpful in telling me what to purchase. He said the conversion would be "very simple!" They were closed on Friday by the time I called them and closed all weekend. I was hoping to get it all up and running this weekend as my pool hasn't run now in 2 days.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

I wouldn't expect the solar valve to turn unless the pump is running, the pool is colder than the desired temperature, and the solar panel sensor is showing lots of heat up by the panels. That requires several different settings to all be correct. Meanwhile, the diagnostic will turn the valves as long as the hardware works, regardless of the settings.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

Hmmm...my Compool used to turn the valve either way. But yesterday when I was running it all in the heat of the day, the solar was not coming on. I'll try it again in a bit. Regardless, my spa valves are not turning at all when I push the spa button.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

So I had ONE minute of success and then it died. I reset the EEPROM and started over. That got the spa jets working again. So then I programmed Aux 7 for the spillway, pushed the button and it worked! One minute later, the valve turned off (without me touching anything) and now it won't work again. It's still not hot enough out for the solar to come on...waiting for that.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

One thing to check is to take a look at the air water and solar temperatures on the diagnostics menu. Make sure the unit is seeing plausible temperatures.
 
Re: Upgrading from Compool 3800 to Pentair Easy Touch...HELP

Ahah! Jason...that was it! The solar temp was reading only 84, and it's much warmer than that. I'm curious, though...is it supposed to measure the air temp at the solar panels or the temperature of the water inside the solar panels? I thought it was measuring the water temp, but the sensor is just sitting open air on top of the panels.
 
EasyTouch and QuickTouch programming

I just installed the EasyTouch with the Quicktouch remote.

I have 3 of the 4 buttons on the Quicktouch working properly, but one is not working properly.

I assigned Aux 2 to the spillway and Aux 3 to the pool light. Then I go into the quicktouch settings and assign each button properly. I put the spillway on button 4 of the Quicktouch. However, it won't turn on Aux 4, it keeps turning on Aux 3, no matter what I change it to.

Is there some way to clear just the settings for the Quicktouch?
 

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