Pentair Intelliflo lost signal with EasyTouch

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pennstump

Member
Mar 10, 2021
11
SoCal Coastal
I just read all I could on this site about the Intelliflo VSF losing its RS-485 connection to the ScreenLogic controller. I went ahead and contacted Pentair and they confirmed that the S/N 011028 does not have firmware issues, only the 011056 does apparently. They then told me they couldn't help me and to contact a pool tech. Has anyone come up with any solutions to this that didn't involve new firmware?

I get "Pump 1: Communication Lost" messages in my System Alerts as often as every 3 days and sometimes as long as 7 weeks. I then have to switch off the breaker and wait for the screen to shut off before turning on the breaker again. I've already tried swapping the cable, but that did not work. I also tried cleaning the contacts on the pump side. Any other thoughts or suggestions?
 
Pen,

I suspect that your EasyTouch is not wired correctly..

As a test, put the system into the Service mode and wait about a minute, then go look at the pump's display and tell me if it shows an RPM display of some type or if the screen is blank.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Pen,

I was hoping for an easy fix... :mrgreen:

The fact that your IntelliFlo has a display when in the Service mode, is exactly how it should work. This means your pump has constant AC power.

When you put it back into auto, the display should show "Display not active", which means the EasyTouch is talking with the pump.

The communications between the EasyTouch and the Pump is normally there, or not there, so troubleshooting an intermittent com port problem is pretty hit or miss. Some possibilities...

1. The cable could be bad.. We have seen them eaten by small animals.
2. The cable connections at both ends can be suspect. At the pump, we have seen the pins inside the pump completely corroded away. At the EasyTouch end, often the installer will try to cram too many wires into the same plug. This often leaves one of them loose.
3. The entire RS-485 com port could be dropping out and then coming back due to the RS-485 chips on the main card or inside the pump.
4. The outside ScreenLogic antenna is often the cause of a constant com port failure, but I suppose it could also be intermittent.

Sorry, but intermittent issues are pretty hard to find and even harder if the failure only happens once a week.

The next time it goes bad, do not shut off the power before you look at other things besides the pump.. Try to turn on a pool with ScreenLogic and then go and see if the light is on. The use the panel to turn the light off, and then go back and see if ScreenLogic shows the light as off.

Show me all your schedules...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
I really appreciate the help, Jim. I replaced the cable in September and did not notice a change in behavior after it was replaced. I checked all the pins thinking they would be corroded, but they were all clean and shiny. I've never had a problem connecting to the system, so maybe we can rule out the antenna? The rain should clear up here on Saturday. I can take some photos of the internal connections then.

I will be sure to test the lights and connectivity the next time the problem happens.

Here are my schedules:

IMG_B0E653243E5A-1.jpeg
 
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Humor me and check your firmware on the device. I've had devices that weren't supposed to have 3.03 or 3.04, have them.

You can check under Settings > Device on the pump's control panel when in Service mode.
 
Bingo.

Your Pentair rep was mistaken or misled and you have a foul firmware iteration. This won't be something you can do yourself.
It needs to be re-flashed by your local Pentair warranty station. We use a serial adapter (gearmo) with proprietary software to update them in the field.
 
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bradgray said:
Bingo.

Pentair was mistaken or misled and you have a foul firmware iteration. This won't be something you can do yourself.
It needs to be re-flashed by your local Pentair warranty station. We use a GearMo with proprietary software to update them in the field.
Click to expand...
They specifically told me that the 011028 does not have firmware issues, only the 011056 does. How would you recommend I approach them about this since they already shot me down?
 
pennstump said:
They specifically told me that the 011028 does not have firmware issues, only the 011056 does. How would you recommend I approach them about this since they already shot me down?
Click to expand...
The issue is with the firmware, not the hardware.
Anything that is 3.03 or 3.04 needs to be updated. That is the directive we have from Pentair.


Screen Shot 2024-02-07 at 11.51.26 AM.png
 
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I cant believe it I called Pentair and they gave me a case number to come out and do a firmware update even though the pump was installed in 2016. I really appreciate that. I will see if it is free or will cost me?
Thanks to this article that I mentioned on the phone with the tech. I have only a green light on and nothing else comes up. I hope this fixes the issue. I bought new 2 years ago for my other pump but did not know about this service for the update.
I have the pump 011055
 
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