The Attendant - do you still need a separate controller / relay board?

[fnhanks]

FIrst post, first pool, etc. we know very little at this point and are starting to dig in and do more research.

We want to get “the attendant” for our pool controller: The Attendant and we shared it with our builder and he had never heard of this one since it’s much newer. He asked us whether this would replace the Pentair ez touch controller that he would use and I thought so but wasn’t sure. I do remember seeing a youtube video which said this didn’t have a relay board and it still was tied into something else, but I could have misunderstood.

I apologize if this question is horribly vague, but still trying to connect the dots at this point. Does anyone know if we still need any existing controllers that would go with this device, or would this connect directly to the pump, actuators, etc.? It says it includes “2 high voltage relays” with support for up to “5 low voltage relays” and “expandable to support 8 relay devices”.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Not sure why you would want this as opposed to just getting whatever automation system goes with the equipment you are selecting? If you are getting Pentair equipment then you should stick with Pentair automation. If you’re getting Hayward, then use Hayward automation, etc, etc. Using a 3rd Party controller will only complicate matters and result in inconsistent behavior that could be unsupported by both parties (Poolside Tech blames Pentair for an issue, Pentair blames Poolside, etc, etc).

Also, the EasyTouch automation is going to be obsolete by the end of the summer. Pentair has decided to deprecate that product line. If you get automation then you absolutely want to go with the IntelliCenter control system.

 

[fnhanks]

Thanks for the information, especially about the EasyTouch being deprecated.

The intent behind getting this controller was that it’s far smarter / configurable then the ones that come with the manufacturer itself. I am new to pools, but more often then not, the manufacturer ones are very generic, not customizable, etc. The analogy here was going from a generic rain bird irrigation controller (to match the rain bird heads) to a hunter/hydrawise controller was a night and day difference in the level of functionality / customization. I will fully admit that pumps and heaters and such are far more complicated then an irrigation head, but wasn’t sure if the logic was the same there as well. The compatibility list looked fairly comprehensive, so I assumed that there wouldn’t be a large number of issues, but that’s no guarantee.

The other draw was the fact that this would do chlorine/pH testing automatically which would ease up on the maintenance burden. Still learning more about the TF-100 kit to see what tests would still need to be done compared to what the attendant could monitor to see if it’s making much of a difference.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Thread 'IntelliTouch and EasyTouch Officially Obsolete'

IntelliTouch and EasyTouch Officially Obsolete

 

[AguaCaliente]

FIrst post, first pool, etc. we know very little at this point and are starting to dig in and do more research.

We want to get “the attendant” for our pool controller: The Attendant and we shared it with our builder and he had never heard of this one since it’s much newer. He asked us whether this would replace the Pentair ez touch controller that he would use and I thought so but wasn’t sure. I do remember seeing a youtube video which said this didn’t have a relay board and it still was tied into something else, but I could have misunderstood.

I apologize if this question is horribly vague, but still trying to connect the dots at this point. Does anyone know if we still need any existing controllers that would go with this device, or would this connect directly to the pump, actuators, etc.? It says it includes “2 high voltage relays” with support for up to “5 low voltage relays” and “expandable to support 8 relay devices”.

Did you end up going wtih the Attandant? Im looking at adding this as well

I looked through the installation manaual and it seems you do not need individual controllers.
Your pumps and high power equipment wires directly into relatys, and there are terminals for valve actuators, other deviceand thermostats, etc built in. You need only the hardware and wire strippers

 

[fnhanks]

We didn't end up going this route...yet. Our pool builder wasn't familiar with it, and with this being our first pool, we figured we'd at least start with something that we can get help with and learn what all the components are / how things work first. We may end up going this route down the road.

 

[cuttingedgepool]

FIrst post, first pool, etc. we know very little at this point and are starting to dig in and do more research.

We want to get “the attendant” for our pool controller: The Attendant and we shared it with our builder and he had never heard of this one since it’s much newer. He asked us whether this would replace the Pentair ez touch controller that he would use and I thought so but wasn’t sure. I do remember seeing a youtube video which said this didn’t have a relay board and it still was tied into something else, but I could have misunderstood.

I apologize if this question is horribly vague, but still trying to connect the dots at this point. Does anyone know if we still need any existing controllers that would go with this device, or would this connect directly to the pump, actuators, etc.? It says it includes “2 high voltage relays” with support for up to “5 low voltage relays” and “expandable to support 8 relay devices”.

No. If you use modern stuff, like a Pentair IC20 or IC40, you can direct connect the them to the attendant as it does RS485 through the power panel it comes with (get the kit version). You will still need a sub panel/load center as the attendant is not a load center.