Installing EasyTouch w/IC60. Any issues to consider?

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Okay, it's good to hear that the IC60 has a flow detector. So I will use the "Filter Pump" relay to control power to the IC60 transformer. Given this, my wiring will be:

20A 220V GFCI breaker for Intelliflo pump, and to power leads of "Filter Pump" relay. I will probably also run the heater power wires to this relay to prevent overheating if the heater's flow switch malfunctions. The Intelliflo power wires will run from the breaker, but not from the "Filter Pump" relay as it is controlled via the comm. port. I will use a different 220V 20A breaker to power the ET8 itself and an aux. pump. This aux. pump is for the waterfall and will be controlled by the Aux1 relay. The Aux2 relay will control pool lights. The Aux2 relay will be wired to a 120V 15A GFCI breaker in the panel and the load side of the relay will be wired to the Intermatic 12V transformer connected to the Intellibrites. At this stage, there are three relays connected, "Filter Pump," Aux1 and Aux2. I also have 12V lighting on the waterfall, and will likely control that via Aux3, leaving 4 relays open for expansion. Does this sound reasonable?
 
Okay, so today's the day that I'll be installing all of this. I've planned things out pretty well in my head. My only major issue at this point is how I'm going to configure the Intellichlor plumbing. I know where it needs to go in the overall scheme of things, but the plumbing space is pretty tight. I may have to get creative. Also, the Intellichlor manual says to have 18" of straight pipe in front of the unit, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make that work. It may instead have to come out of a couple of 90's to make it work. I'll take some before and after pics.

In any event, wish me luck!
 
CraigMW said:
Okay, so today's the day that I'll be installing all of this. I've planned things out pretty well in my head. My only major issue at this point is how I'm going to configure the Intellichlor plumbing. I know where it needs to go in the overall scheme of things, but the plumbing space is pretty tight. I may have to get creative. Also, the Intellichlor manual says to have 18" of straight pipe in front of the unit, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make that work. It may instead have to come out of a couple of 90's to make it work. I'll take some before and after pics.

In any event, wish me luck!
Click to expand...

Do try to get that 18 inches of straight pipe. Pentair wants that to reduce turbulence and improve the reliability of its sensors.

Good luck.
 
Qwaxalot:

Thanks a bunch for the tip. I ended up running a couple of elbows to lower the level to go straight into the return manifold. This means that I wasn't able to get 18" of clear pipe for the run. The whole setup is rather compact, so I couldn't really do this, at least not at the moment. If it turns out that there are flow problems, or the Intellitouch doesn't kick in at lower flow rates, I may have to rethink it.

The install is going well, but didn't get done today. In addition to plumbing in the IntelliChlor, I also had a bunch of other stuff. I ran a conduit with 8 gauge feeders (220V/40A) from the pool house subpanel to the EasyTouch and did a bunch of the electrical wiring. I also rerouted the flex conduits for the two pumps and the heater. I have the main pump, the heater and the IntelliChlor all fed of one 20A 2P (220V) breaker, with the latter two switched by the filter pump relay. Aux1 is lighting (Intellibrites in the pool and spa through a single 12V Intermatic 12V pool transformer) and gets power from a 15A 1P (120V) breaker that also powers the EasyTouch. Aux2 controls the waterfall pump. At some point, I'll wire Aux3 to handle the waterfall lighting circuit.

Tomorrow, I still have quite a bit to do:

1. Wire up the actuators.
2. Wire up the IntelliChlor.
3. Wire up the heater.
4. Wire up the Intelliflo.
6. Install the temperature sensors (air and water, no solar yet).
7. Run bonding wires from panel to equipment.
8. Test the system.
9. Tidy up the wiring and conduit run with wire ties and conduit fasteners.
 
So, I ended up getting this thing hooked up over the weekend. I still need to run the wired panel to the inside of the house. I have the conduit needed, but still need to run and route the cable for this. The whole install took a bit longer than expected (typical), but I had to do a bit of fumbling around with the electrical to take a 40A line from the pool-house subpanel into the EasyTouch. In addition, made a couple of boo-boos along the way including:

1. Forgetting to solvent weld one of the elbows for the installation of the IntelliChlor. After letting the solvent weld dry, I tried to pressure test at full flow. Wow, that elbow popped off quickly and doused everything nicely (including me).

2. Forgetting to draw the neutral for the light circuit from the 1P GFCI breaker's neutral terminal.

Despite my mistakes, the system is now all wired up and working nicely. The components provided in the EasyTouch kit are very nice and they provide reasonably detailed info about how to install it. I ended up with the following electrical configuration:

1. 40A line to EasyTouch.
2. 120V/20A GFCI breaker for pool lighting circuits.
3. 220V/20A GFCI breaker for main pump (direct from breaker) plus heater and IntelliChlor, the latter two wired to the Filter pump relay.
4. 220V/20A GFCI breaker for the waterfall/auxilliary pump.
5. 120V/15A GFCI breaker for the control panel power.

The lights come off the Aux1 relay, and go into a nearby Intermatic 300W low voltage pool transfomer via flex conduit. The two pumps and heater are connected via flex conduit to the bottom of the EasyTouch. The heater is connected up with 18 ga 2-conductor fireproof wire. I redid the bonding connections as the main bonding wire is now connected to the EasyTouch bonding lug, and the equipment is bonded via the second lug. Once all of the wiring was done, I ended up zip-tying it all, and now it looks pretty clean. Before I did this, it looked like spaghetti everywhere!

One other thing I added was an Insteon switch on the side of the panel. This is temporary, as I like to control my pool lights and waterfall lights from Insteon. As wired now, these lights are controlled either by the EasyTouch or by Insteon. Once I get the panel wired, I'll probably remove the Insteon switch and just control this via the indoor panel (and Autelis' Pentair controller, allowing me to control this via my Android phone).
 
I know what people mean regarding programming the unit. It's a little tricky, but I think that gives you a lot of flexibility. An example of this was to get the lights working properly. There are three separate menus that are needed to make this work, as I recall. First, you have to set up a feature circuit, then you have to name the circuit and give it a function. Lastly, you have to configure the light and let the system know which Aux relay the circuit is set up on. But, it does control the Intellibrites nicely now. Some of this is intuitive, but some is weird. For example, if you have the filter pump on, you can switch between pool and spa mode. But, to do so, you press the "valves" button to toggle back and forth. On the indoor control panel, there are switches for pool vs. spa. I guess the reason for the "valves" button is to allow you to control other options when in the "service" mode.

A couple other quirky things... when first set up, the system wouldn't connect up with the IntelliFlo. It just sat there acting as if it wasn't connected and the panel on the pump showed its various settings, even after I'd configured the panel to see pump 1 as an Intelliflo VS. It finally started to connect up and showed "Panel off" to let me know it is being controlled externally.

The Intellichlor IC60 sat there with the green and red LEDs blinking back and forth. These are the "good salt" and "low salt" indicators. Nothing in the manual describes what this means. Under diagnostics for the Intellichlor, there was a reading of "normal" but "0 ppm" salt. After a few minutes of water flow through the salt generator, the lights stopped blinking and the panel showed 3200 ppm, closely agreeing with my Taylor salt kit.

So, expect some fiddling and let the water run in the system for a while before getting concerned that things are not working properly.
 
CraigMW said:
The Intellichlor IC60 sat there with the green and red LEDs blinking back and forth. These are the "good salt" and "low salt" indicators. Nothing in the manual describes what this means.
Click to expand...

I believe this means "preparing to measure salt level" (I think it lets the pump run for a minute or so before it takes the salt reading).

--Michael
 
Ah, that makes sense. So far, so good. The panel seems to be functioning properly. Last night, I tested the Intellichlor colors and modes. I guess I've never actually seen some of the different shows. That really works well.

I'm confused on one point... I have been able to program distinct speeds for spa and pool and that works fine. But, if I want to add a pool cleaner/skimming speed, how is this done? Before, I had my pool run at about 3000 for 2hr to skim and run the suction side autocleaner, then switch over for another 6h at 1700 to filter and turn over the water. So, do I program a pool cleaning feature? If so, does it need to be assigned to an Aux function? Later, I am going to install an actuator on the 3-way valve that controls the flow between the cleaner and the skimmer/drain. At that point, do I need to add an additional feature and pump speed? Sorry, this seems a bit confusing.
 
I just watched the system start up today. I noted that the IntelliChlor took about 2 minutes to kick in. So, I guess that's the amount of time it sits in "testing mode" prior to communicating with the EasyTouch. After that, it reads 3200 ppm on the diagnostics page. It also takes roughly that amount of time to show the proper water temp.
 
To setup a higher speed for skimming you have two options: use an aux button or a feature. Define the aux button or feature, then assign to one of the pump speeds, then program schedule to activate. The aux button or feature can be added to the valve control later.

I used the Aux extra button for high-speed. I have any an Easytouch 4 and ran out of other available Aux buttons. I do not have solar. I wanted a button that I could press to get high-speed for adding chemicals etc. Through the schedule I active that Aux extra button for an hour in the morning and in the evening to get the skimming that my pool requires.
 

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I see. So, configure a low speed forthe standard pool pump speed to conserve energy. Then set up a high speed to use for the cleaner and skimmer, or for manually vacuuming the pool and assign this to an unused AUX button so it can be manually activated. Other speeds can be set but don't have to be associated with an AUX button. I like the flexibility of that.
 
I fought setup for quite awhile, then reset everything and started over. After doing so, I left Pool=Pool (this is the lower speed when I want it to circulate through the filter and return to the pool through the jets, not my Polaris 360, which uses the same pump). I set up Aux 1 to be Cleaner (this actuates a valve to send the water through the Polaris 360 pool sweep) and I set up Aux 2 for my Waterfall. I previously had a separate pump for this and was able to eliminate one pump by having this configuration. I went in and set up the pump with the three different speeds and names (Pool, Cleaner & Waterfall) as well. When on Aux 2 I have a second valve actuator that switches to waterfall vs pool/cleaner. I also use Aux 3 for my pool lights and run it through a relay and I have Aux 4 as my Yard Lights and run it through a relay circuit as well. The other nice thing is that I can manually turn any of these on with my wired remote inside my house. Remember, if you have your pool running at 1750 RPM and you hit the Cleaner button which operates at 2250 RPM, the higher RPM command will always take over and run until it times out or until you turn it off.

Using Features/Circuits/Functions made it too confusing and it was not operating correctly, and Pentair was no help nor did I find their manuals to be very well written. Also for my pool, I set Pool at 1750 RPM and Cleaner at 2250 RPM. This is high enough to get good flow through my Polaris. Right now I am testing to see if 9 hours of run time at these speeds is sufficient to maintain my chlorine at the right level. I am running my pool sweep at two hours per day and the remaining 7 hours at the lower pool rpm.

Hope that helps.
 
Bill - Okay, that's great info. I plan to change my standard pool speed to around 1700 for normal running and then set up a Feature Circuit to run the pump at a higher speed (around 2800) for skimming and/or cleaning. If I do this as a "Feature Circuit," can't I turn the pump speed higher by going into the "F.Circuit" menu to turn on that feature instead of having to use up one of the relays via setting it to an Aux circuit? I'm not too concerned about this though, as so far, I've only used a couple of the Aux circuits. However, I plan to have the following on relays:

1. Intellibrites (not separate at the moment, but all tied together via a single 300W transformer).
2. Waterfall.
3. Cleaner (for manual control... increases to high speed and switches a third actuator on the vacuum manifold to pull all water from the cleaner line).
4. Waterfall lights.
5. Spa blower.

That still leaves two open relays for future expansion. I guess my point is that I'd like to be able to have some functions accessible by one button push, and try to limit these as much as possible to those that require a relay, like the blower. The Cleaner button violates this, and in theory, could be set up as a Feature Circuit, if I understand this all correctly.

So, for scheduling, I will have the pool start up in normal mode (1700 rpm) for water turnover, then have it switch to cleaner mode for 1h (2800 rpm), then skimmer mode (2800, but with cleaner valve turned off). I will schedule the pool mode to run from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and then schedule the cleaner modes and skimmer modes to kick in during this time. I'm guessing that these "modes" will be able to switch the pump to a higher speed during the scheduled times, and that the cleaner mode will be able to switch the third valve. At some point, I'd also like to have a 4th valve to control a solar setup when I install this. I'm guessing that valve is controlled by the heater logic and that you don't need to schedule it, right?

Thanks again!
 
Craig, first I want to make sure I was clear and that you do not need to use a relay to use an Aux circuit, but I do not believe you can use a Feature if it does require a relay, so that might be your point. I just liked having the ability to control everything from my remote control with the simple click of a button.

You are right that if you run your pool from 7 to 5 and have your cleaner come on during that timeframe and it is set up at a higher speed that it will override the lower speed and run the cleaner.

Not sure if you already have solar or not, but one thing I found is that the solar did a good job of warming the water during the day, but lost alot of the warmth at night so I had to get a blanket to prevent it. Once I got the blanket, I found I no longer needed the solar panels. Just something to think about before you make a major investment like I did. I ended up removing my solar after a couple of years and switched to photo-voltaic panels instead.
 
Bill-

I think I'm understanding the difference between a Feature Circuit and an Aux relay circuit, though I'm still figuring this stuff out. You are probably correct about solar panels for the pool. The only issue with ours is that big trees around our property block sun to the pool much of the time. If I were able to site the solar panels in a place that always gets sun (like on the roof of the pool house), it might actually work. But, I definitely need to get a solar cover to keep the heat loss to a minimum. I think this would also help to minimize junk getting into the water during the fall windy season here. BTW, there is a mode that can be programmed under the solar menu that allows you to automatically turn off the solar valve at night and/or when the temp of the panels is lower than the pool water. Some people actually take advantage of this to cool the pool down at night because their pools get too hot. That's never been an issue for our pool, but the solar menu allows that.

I'm trying to figure out the Service mode. When I put the system into service mode, the pump shuts off (as is described in the manual). However, there are two useful functions in service mode only: drain and fill. This allows you to either drain or fill the spa. But, if the pump is off, this is useless. Do I need to set separate pump speeds for drain and fill so that the pump will come on in the service mode? I was able to fill the spa by manually moving the return valve to the spa, but it would be nice to let the EasyTouch handle this.
 
Craig,

I do not have a spa and do not use the drain/fill feature. Hopefully someone else can help answer that question for you.

I have never had a problem with the pool being too hot either, unless I leave the solar cover on during our 100+ days. Typically when it gets that warm, I just remove the cover and leave it off at night too.
 
Yeah, I will upload pics of the install shortly. I still need to run cable to the house to connect the indoor control panel. I've already run conduit, but I need to pull a few CAT5e cables through it so I can wire up the pool house for ethernet, replace a telephone land line cable that was "temporarily" strung by AT&T over trees, etc, and a third to control the EasyTouch from the house. No point in running anything less than CAT5e, since I may use that cable for future expansion (e.g. once everything migrates to ethernet protocol, which it likely will).

Everything seems to be running fine. I still need to work on my schedules because right now, the pump is running for 8 hrs at about 2/3 speed. I'd like to instead have the default "POOL" speed run at 1/3 speed for circulation, 2/3 speed for skimming and cleaner function, and full speed for manual vacuuming. I also plan to install a third actuator to control the 3-way valve to the cleaner vs. skimmer. This way, I can dedicate the suction to the cleaner line vs. the skimmer. The other advantage to this is that I can have the cleaner line shut off during normal pool mode. This is important to me because it's rather dangerous to have that cleaner line on when people are in the pool, esp. if the cleaner hose is disconnected.

I just ordered an Autelis Intellitouch controller:

http://www.autelis.com/pool-control-for ... touch.html

I plan to work with them to make this compatible with the EasyTouch panel, which I think should be reasonably straightforward. I would imagine that the RS485 code used on the EasyTouch should be a subset of that used for the IntelliTouch. Once I get the wires I described run to the house, I'll have ethernet in the pool house connected to the Autelis controller (via a second router acting as WiFi hotspot, and also a flat screen TV, Squeezebox, etc). The run from the main WiFi router to the pool house is almost 200 feet, so our WiFi by the pool house is spotty. With this configuration, communications should be very reliable. Why add the Autelis? Because this gives control over the EasyTouch via the net. I can log into the Autelis via any web browser (including on an iPhone, Android, etc) and control the pool functions. In addition, the Autelis can be controlled by HTML commands, which means I can control it via my ISY. For example, I have an Insteon KeyPadLinc switch with one key assigned to "BackYard Party Mode." When this switch is pushed, all of the lighting in the back yard is configured to turn on and dim to preset levels. This includes turning on the Intellibrites, the waterfall lights, the pool house interior and exterior lights, the BBQ island lights, and the umbrella lights and rope lights. By pressing this to turn it off, all of these lights are turned off. I will use the ISY to also send a command to activate the waterfall pump (via an HTML string to the Autelis) and Squeezebox (also via HTML) so that those turn on in Party Mode. If I wanted, I could also use an HTML string to turn on the spa, but I'll probably program a separate KeyPadLinc button to switch spa mode on and off.

The combination of HA and pool automation via this hardware allows a huge number of possibilities. I think this should be fun!
 
Mark:

Yes, it's still a work in progress. I hope to get an Easytouch specific firmware update from them soon. There are enough differences between the Intellitouch and the Easytouch that the Intellitouch firmware is not really compatible off the shelf with an Easytouch system. I think this mostly has to do with the initialization process that the Autelis has to do to recognize the Easytouch system. In any event, once I've got that working, I'll let you know more.

BTW, the system seems to be running pretty well right now. I've programmed a few feature circuits and plan to use a couple more Aux relays for things. I'm looking forward to being able to control the Easytouch from my ISY99i that handles my HA needs. Autelis provides a series of HTML codes that can be sent via ethernet that can control individual functions (e.g. turn on waterfall pump... activate spa mode, etc) that I can send from the ISY99i in response to a button push or program command. It's already pretty cool to be able to do this from inside the house about 100 ft. away from the pool! Geez though... getting those communications cables (ethernet and RS485 on separate cat5e cables) was a pain. But now, the pool house (and pool pad) are wired with both. I set up an old Linksys WRT54G router as an access point using DD-WRT and now my whole property has WiFi access!
 

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