AutoPilot Digital and Variable Speed Pentair Pump

[king908]

Hey Guys,
Gotta say you have been getting me through this project, but each day its something else that comes across my mind.

In the Process of Wiring and Plumbing everything together.

How would I set the pump on Off time if using the Autopilot Digital?
Would I set it as a Single Speed Pump?
Do I not wire the Pentair Variable Speed into the Relay for the AutoPilot?
Can I just Wire It into the AutoPilot Power Box?

Thanks.

 

[JasonLion]

There are several ways to approach this, none ideal.

The simplest is to allow the AutoPilot to turn the pump power on/off. This prevents you from using the timer on the pump, which limits you to a single speed. You can change that speed to any single speed you want, which the pump will remember, but you can't automatically change speed with this setup.

Another option, a little bit more expensive/complex to setup initially but much more flexible, is to power the AutoPilot on/off from a current sensing relay that is setup to determine when the pump is running. Then you can use the pumps timer and it will automatically turn the AutoPilot on/off. With this setup you can use the fairly fancy timer features on the pump (which are actually mostly not worth using).

There are a couple of other approaches as well, each requiring some additional piece of equipment, or an increased safety risk.

 

[Poolsean]

King908, if you wire the pump to the AutoPilot's relay (terminal strip), you should then program the unit to ONE SPEED PUMP. This will allow you to program (2) on/off times. When the pump is powered up through the AutoPilot, you can probably then assign the speed you want your pump to run at. This will ensure that the cells can only be energized when the pump comes on.
Alternatively, if you wire the pump to the incoming wires to the AutoPilot, the pump will constantly be powered, then you can program the speeds of your pump directly on the pump. I would recommend still programming the AutoPilot to One Speed Pump, so that you can set up the on/off times when you know the pumps are on...again, ensuring AutoPilot operation when the pump is on.