Pump and heater timer question

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firepilot

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Nov 26, 2011
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Lewiston Idaho
Hi Everyone,

Bought a home with a pool last year. Enjoyed the pool immensely but the cost was pretty over the top. Previous owner had the pump running 24/7 with the water @

I put a timer on the pump system to run it about 12 hours a day. We ran the heater some and I discovered the main cost of the option was indeed the pump.


This year I am wanting to put a firemans switch control on my timer which is a intermatic. I am just making sure I understand it before I buy and install everything. The firemans switch will kill the power to the heater about 15min before the pump shuts off. If I have the timer set to run the pump 12 hrs a day then when the pump cycles the power to the heater is restored, and for that 12 hrs the thermostat will control the heater.

I have talked to the pool service that we used last year and he concurred that we could run the pump about 6-8 hrs a day to turn the water over enough to keep it well filtered. We are going to give all maint this year.

What would be the best schedule to set up the timer to keep the pool heated to a consistent temp this season. I will be opening the pool this week as thing are heating up. I probably won't heat it until later and I am getting a solar cover to help keep expenses down as well.

Thanks for any wisdom and insight you all may have.

Phil
 
Ohm boy,

Thanks for the reply. We do have the Caretaker cleaning system installed so that may be why we have that size pump. I had a pump die last summer and I let the pool guy sell me a rebuilt one. I am thinking of getting a new pump to have on the shelf and not getting it from him so I will investigate more.

Sitting here in Michigan right now for work so I am doing a ton of research.

I will lookup two speed pumps next.

Thank you

Phil
 
The fireman's switch in the Intermatic timer is merely an on-off switch and it is really not meant to handle a lot of current. It is meant to break the 24 volt circuit that is used with the other controls in your heater. One of the lines from the 24 volt transformer is run in series with the controls which include the thermostat, low pressure cutoff.... and depending on the type of heater, the pilot control for gas or a contactor (relay) for the heating elements (resistive heat) or heat pump compressor.. There may be other safety controls such as a thermal heat or overload breaker. If any one of those controls breaks the 24 volt line, the heater shuts off. So the fireman's such is just another series'd connection through that line. That means if the timer clicks off, the fireman's switch opens and breaks the 24 volt control circuit which shuts down your heater.
 
Hoosierrun,

The heater is not a heat pump style. I'll be home Sunday night and will add all the model numbers and such to my signature line.

I guess based on what I want to do I am totally receptive to suggestions on how to do it.

I don't mind investing in a better way I am looking for direction.

Thanks

Phil
 
OK, I guess I missed your signature notation about the gas heater. You are lucky because I think that is the best fuel right now with natural gas prices lower in comparison to other fuels.

You should be able to find the 24 volt line going to your heater gas control. There might even be a diagram inside the cover. All you need to do is run the 24 volt line through the fireman's switch contact. Remember that this is a series coneection, not parallel. It would probably be best to find a diagram rather than me try to explain it in words.
Actually your heater should have a low pressure cutoff so that when the pump shuts off and the pressure drops, your heater shuts off. The firemans switch contact only helps to get the heater shut off a bit before the pump shuts down. The earlier shutdown may help prevent damage to the heat exchanger in your heater if for some reason air instead of water got in it.
 
Thanks for the info. I called home and had my daughter take a look at the heater. It is a teledyne laars series 2 gas heater. It looks like it is a older model from what I can see online.

If it has a low pressure switch do I need to still put in on a timer? Or is the timer just good backup?

Thanks again

Phil
 
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Interma ... T4042A.pdf
here's the installation instructions for the Firemans Switch.

There should be a two position terminal strip within the heater that has a jumper to complete the circuit. You can attach the two wires to the heater at this point.

https://www.parts4heating.com/v/vspfile ... eries2.pdf
Look at Figures 5 and 6 for the ESG series. (does not have 110V or 22V power going to it)

https://www.parts4heating.com/v/vspfile ... eries2.pdf
Look at Figures 6 and 8 for the ESC series. (has 110V or 220V to the heater)
 
Sean,

Looking at the manuals I have a ESC model. So that was great to figure out. Now when I be those I can figure which Intermatic timer I have and order the parts for it.

Any advice on a good schedule to set the timer and pump to?

Thank You

Phil
 

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It takes some experimentation to find out your ideal pump run time, as every pool is different. I suggest starting with six hours a day and seeing how that goes. Ideally you want to break that into two 3 hour blocks spread across the day, but that isn't essential. There is a good article in Pool School on figuring out your ideal pump run time.
 
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