controlling Pentair Intelliflo pump with Hayward OnCommand controller

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T

teares

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Jun 18, 2014
8
Tehachapi CA
I have just completed an 20,000 gal in-ground pool at my home and I am hooking up the equipment. The equipment came as a kit. I have an Intelliflo pump and a Hayward OnCommand controller. I have scoured the internet to see if someone has successfully hooked these two items together. I would like to be able to take full advantage of the Intelliflo capabilities and it seems that I may lose some functionality running it through the OnCommand. It appears that I may need to buy an Intellicomm II interface to go between the two though the Intellicomm II instructions only cover the Hayward Pro Logic Control System. Currently I have the pump connected directly to the breaker as the pool should finish filling today and I will be running the pump directly until I figure it out.

Adding to the fun is a Nexa Pure chlorine generator with pH Clear. The Nexa Pure would like to be hooked up to the pump and the timer for full functionality. Any thoughts on how to add that to the mix?

Thanks for any inputs.
 
Welcome to TFP!

Once you have the automation system controlling the pump it will be easy to turn the Nexa Pure on/off. The pump relay will be on any time the pump is on, so you can wire the Nexa Pure to that.

Yes, you will want to go wiht an IntelliComm 2, which will require one relay in the OnCommand for each pump speed you want to be able to control.
 
Thanks for the reply.

If I understand the installation instructions, the Intelliflo wants to have power all of the time (whether it is running or not). When the pump is connected to the OnCommand, it will only have power when the relay is active and without the IntelliComm, it will only run at a single speed. With the IntelliComm, I have can other speeds but only if I give up a relay for each speed. This seems like I am negating many of advantages of having a variable speed pump especially since I would like to use the other 3 relays in the OnCommand for other things. To access the capabilities of the pump without buying another component (IntelliComm) and using up all of the OnCommand relays, I suppose I need a Pentair control system. Thanks.
 
It isn't an ideal situation. When getting a variable speed pump and an automation system you really want to make sure that the work with each other, which usually means having them be the same brand.

On the other hand, you don't normally need very many speeds. The specific speeds can still be setup on the IntelliFlo, with the automation system determining the run time and optionally choosing between two or three different speeds (if you get an IntelliComm2).

You haven't said what equipment your pool has. For a simple pool all you need is one speed. If you have a spa or water feature you will want two, one for circulation and the other for the spa/water feature when it is on. There are more complex setups where you may want additional speeds, but they are rare.

The big advantage is being able to run on a low speed when circulating. Low speeds are much more energy efficient.
 
I have a spa, spa light, pool light, and blower that I would like to control. It would be nice to change the temperature on the heater but that does not seem to be an option.

The OnCommand has a low-voltage control connection for the Hayward variable speed pump. I am guessing that it is not compatible with the Intelliflo low voltage control connection. Does anyone know what signals are being sent over that control circuit? Even with that additional circuit, the Hayward pump is still connected through the relay.

When an Intelliflo is connection to a Pentair controller is all of the control of the pump speed available from the control panel as if controlling the pump directly? I realize that I really only need a couple of speeds in practice but after messing with the pump, I really like all the control options. It seems that the pump has enough brain power to allow for a simple, low-voltage connection to a control box without the need for a relay. Perhaps the equipment is still progressing to that stage ... I noticed the heater connection works like that though.

I have not hooked up the OnCommand yet - should I switch to a Pentair system (I already installed the electrical subpanel)?
 
If you have an option to switch to a Pentair automation system for a plausible amount of money you will get much more complete control over the pump via a data connection. A Pentair automation system allows you to assign a minimum speed to each "circuit" with the pump running at the highest speed of any currently active circuit. The UI is different, but you do get essentially the same control as you would have from the pump control panel. The main difference is that pump setup is attached to "circuits", rather than having immediate control of what the pump is doing right now.

A VS pump controlled over a data connection is always wired directly to the circuit breaker, not the to relay. This is true for the Hayward EcoStar when used with the OnCommand. Their documentation is a little inconsistent on this point, but regardless once you have a data connection you do not wire the pump to the relay for the pump anymore.

Unfortunately, Hayward and Pentair data connections do not speak the same language and no one that I know of makes a translator.

Any automation system will give you control over the heater target temperature.
 
Thanks for all the input. I think what I will do is exchange the OnCommand for a Suntouch. Looking at other posts indicates that the Suntouch will do everything I need. I like the OnCommand remote but I think I will be fine with the QuickTouch. Now if I could just figure out the SWG.
 
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