IntelliFlo/Pro 3 VSF Power Surge = Dead pump

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E

Edward4Him

Member
Oct 14, 2023
5
Georgia
Hi,

I had a transformer blow down the street yesterday. I heard a big boom, power went out and 1 hour later came back on. My IntelliFlo/Pro 3 VSF did not. This particular pump I bought on ebay as a damaged box "like new". Indeed the box was damaged but the pump looked and appeared like new in every way. I installed it myself and for 2 months it's been perfect until this transformer boom. It is highly doubtful I can return it anywhere or warranty it since it's possibly a year + old in the box and bought on ebay. I'm hoping I can repair it.

I have already tried shutting it down. I flipped breaker box switches to completely turn it off several times for minutes at a time. The lights work. The connect button turns green. The On/Stop button just stays yellow. If you press it, then it turns red/stop. Press it again and just turns yellow. Hold the middle button and it resets (all lights go blue for a second) and then it goes back to being yellow. I mean it used to work perfect. If it was on red you hit the button and it goes green and/or starts the priming and then goes green. The app has worked perfect as well. I just don't know what to replace since the transformer down the street obviously had an impact.

For reference the grounds should be be right. I grounded both the internal ground next to the IO Board and also the external ground attached to the pump itself. Very frustrating I'm having this problem at all. Any help would be appreciated. Unfortunately I do not have a voltage detector. If I need to go buy one, then let me know which one to buy and I'll update the posts on what I get.

Oh, also the app says device alert "internal error - supply volage sensor. :Your IntelliFlo/Pro3 VSF has an internal error." Yeah no Crud. I don't know if this error was from me flipping the breaker on/off or if it happened when the transformer popped though.

Any help on what to replace or try would be appreciated.

Thanks, Ed
 
Try calling Pentair to see if they can help. Obviously you can’t expect them to warranty it but they may be able to suggest a fix. They’re not going to get into board level repairs, but they might say the controller is fried and you need buy a new one. It’ll set you back a chunk of money but it won’t cost as much as a new pump.

Perhaps Tom (@ogdento ) might have some insights …
 
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You need to get a multimeter to confirm the pump and your house is getting close to 240 volts.

Your house may have a voltage issue and the pump may be the most sensitive piece of equipment.
 
JoyfulNoise said:
Try calling Pentair to see if they can help. Obviously you can’t expect them to warranty it but they may be able to suggest a fix. They’re not going to get into board level repairs, but they might say the controller is fried and you need buy a new one. It’ll set you back a chunk of money but it won’t cost as much as a new pump.

Perhaps Tom (@ogdento ) might have some insights …
Click to expand...
I will call them. That's kind of what I need to know. What is it that I need to replace.
 
So far Pentair said that the powerline needs to be hooked up directly to the breaker not the timer so that the VS gets "constant power" and apparently leaving the timer always on isnt enough for constant connectivity.
Sounds as if he is reading it out of a book, but I'm hoping that he's right and a magical computer chip may start being happy once this is done.

I have a pool guy who said he can do it and will rewire it. Pool guy thinks the drive in the Pentair motor is fried which really stinks because all it was is a transformer pop. Uggh.
 
The VSP should be directly powered by the breaker. The breaker needs to be a GFCI breaker and it should be either the Pentair version or the Siemens version (they I’ve part numbers in their installation manual). VSPs can be electrically “noisey” and if you use a cheap GFCI breaker that hasn’t been tested to work with the pump, you’ll get nuisance tripping from them.

Also, a whole-home SPD is a cheap investment to protect your pump from power surges. Squared makes a breaker panel mounted option for around $110.

Finally, I sincerely doubt the rewiring will fix the issue but it’s worth a try. You likely need a new pump drive.
 
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