Is the remote control for lights and waterfall worth it?

[grantsarahwilliams]

I am putting in a new pool and from input from the post I have read and talking with people, I am starting to feel good about the design and features.

One question I had was regarding a remote control that controls LED lights and waterfall. We are currently listed to get the JANDY RS CONTROL UNIT + POWER PAC to operate the ZODIAC WATERCOLORS LED LIGHT and a pump for the water fall. In previous quotes from other builders we were not planning on getting the remote and they were putting in a system like the PURELINK POWER CENTER.

So I was wondering if it is worth the extra $600 to $700 to add in a remote? It doesn't seem like a big deal to just flip a switch. I understand that you have to flip it a certain number of times to get the color you want, but is this really a big deal?

Thanks for your input.

15x33 play pool
Salt Water
LED lights
Small water fall

 

[Stevereno]

I am putting in a new pool and from input from the post I have read and talking with people, I am starting to feel good about the design and features.

One question I had was regarding a remote control that controls LED lights and waterfall. We are currently listed to get the JANDY RS CONTROL UNIT + POWER PAC to operate the ZODIAC WATERCOLORS LED LIGHT and a pump for the water fall. In previous quotes from other builders we were not planning on getting the remote and they were putting in a system like the PURELINK POWER CENTER.

So I was wondering if it is worth the extra $600 to $700 to add in a remote? It doesn't seem like a big deal to just flip a switch. I understand that you have to flip it a certain number of times to get the color you want, but is this really a big deal?

Thanks for your input.

15x33 play pool
Salt Water
LED lights
Small water fall

For the lights and waterfall only? Personally, I would say no (my wife would say yes). But it's nice to have to setup and adjust your programmed run times for pumps, salt water chlorine generator, etc. For our setup we have a spa attached to the pool and it is very handy to set the system to spa mode, turn the heater on & off plus adjust the temperature and turn the air jets on/off. Would be a pain to deal with having to go back and forth to the control box to do all that, especially when using the spa in winter time.

 

[Qwaxalot]

Ask your builder about the "PDA" (Personal Digital Assistant) version of the Jandy controls. It's not that expensive, and it's very handy. Pre-programming various features, lights, water features, run times etc. are really nice to have.

 

[grantsarahwilliams]

Do you know if pda also operates on switches in case the controller goes out.

 

[Qwaxalot]

Do you know if pda also operates on switches in case the controller goes out.

If the hand held controller goes out, the unit can be placed in "service" mode, allowing features to be manually operated from the equipment pad.

Not as handy, but works in a pinch.

 

[Stevereno]

Do you know if pda also operates on switches in case the controller goes out.

If the hand held controller goes out, the unit can be placed in "service" mode, allowing features to be manually operated from the equipment pad.

Not as handy, but works in a pinch.

Right. The wall mounted control unit will have a pushbutton to change from Automatic to Service mode and then have individual buttons for each controlled feature - pumps, heater, lights, etc. I find this to be more useful than the PDA when I am backwashing my DE filter since the control unit is mounted right next to the equipment pad.

If the PDA fails, its battery goes dead or you otherwise lose communication between the PDA and controller box you need the pushbuttons on the controller box for manual operation of the system. Even if the PDA has failed, you can leave the controller in Automatic to run the programs you have setup (filter run time. SWG output, etc.) and only switch to Service mode as needed. The PDA cannot control anything on its own, it has to have communication with the controller box since that's what controls the relays that turn on the various electrical loads.

NOTE: With a SWG, if you switch to Service mode you will have to manually adjust the SWG output through the controller box using the provided buttons and display.