Pool Automation - Filter Pressure Sensor questions

[LivelyOasis]

I am in the process of doing a ton of work to my home/pool and automation / control / information is at the foremost of every aspect of it.

I currently have a Manual Pressure Relieve Valve with Pressure Gauge on the filter, Is there a filter pressure sensor that ties in with either the Pentair Intellitouch, Google Home, or Smarthome / Smartthings / IFTTT that anyone knows about?

 

[ajw22]

I have never seen one.

 

[LivelyOasis]

I figured with all the Tire Pressure monitors, weather sensors, and everything else, there had to be a pressure sensor / sender, that worked with automations in some form. It may take some digging and just make one or repurpose another sensor from some other pressure monitored system (Low Pressure Steam -- etc)

 

[ajw22]

Pool filters are old technology sealed pressure vessel. I have not seen a smart PSI gauge that screws into the filter pressure port. But I have not looked real hard.

I walk by my pool equipment and galnce at the PSI gauge needle position. It is not something that needs to be monitored real time.

 

[LivelyOasis]

Agreed, but mine is in a weird spot, and I can automate a "Rinse" or "Backwash" with alert to add DE etc. I like unique automation, if it works.

 

[dschlic1]

The problem is not so much the pressure sensor, but getting the right input on your automation system. You can go either off two ways. The first is to use a pressure switch tied to a discrete digital input on an automation system. Search for pressure switch there are tons of them. You won't get a pressure reading, but a signal that it is time to backwash.

The second way is more expensive and more involved. You will need an analog input on your automation system. This input will have a rating or range (0-5 volts, 4-20ma etc.) You will then need to find a pressure transmitter with an output that is the same as the input on your automation system.

To the best of my knowledge none of the commercial pool automation systems have either of those two types of inputs. Most have analog inputs for RTD temperature sensors which will not work with any pressre transmitter that I know of. Home automation systems might have one or the other of the needed inputs. For example, the most common alarm sensor is a switch which would work for the pressure switch.

 

[LivelyOasis]

The problem is not so much the pressure sensor, but getting the right input on your automation system. You can go either off two ways. The first is to use a pressure switch tied to a discrete digital input on an automation system. Search for pressure switch there are tons of them. You won't get a pressure reading, but a signal that it is time to backwash.

The second way is more expensive and more involved. You will need an analog input on your automation system. This input will have a rating or range (0-5 volts, 4-20ma etc.) You will then need to find a pressure transmitter with an output that is the same as the input on your automation system.

To the best of my knowledge none of the commercial pool automation systems have either of those two types of inputs. Most have analog inputs for RTD temperature sensors which will not work with any pressre transmitter that I know of. Home automation systems might have one or the other of the needed inputs. For example, the most common alarm sensor is a switch which would work for the pressure switch.

That's what I was thinking, I have a bunch of old alarm sensors, pressure, magnetic, slide, etc. I am going to see if I can wire up a sensor for my "wash/clean me" pressure. and maybe add a low side pressure switch so if pressure disappears ( IE Pipe burst, prime loss, etc ) I will get an actionable alert to ensure safe cut-off of equipment. I hadn't considered my old alarm contact box, time to route through it.

 

[galvinizd]

Wireless Pool Filter Pressure Sensor

Wireless Pool Filter Pressure Sensor: I have a small in-ground swimming pool, with a sand filter. The filter occasionally needs to be backwashed, when the sand has filtered a lot of dirt from the water. The filter has a pressure gauge on the top, providing a PSI reading. The pressur…

www.instructables.com

Was wanting the same pressure sensor so I can stop crushing my manifolds in my Pentair FNS Plus 60... this looks somewhat promising, thought I'd share.