We are bidding out a pool for our back yard. We are just going to have a pool and a waterfall with LED lights and 2 pool lights. The pump is variable speed. Rather than have to manually open the valve to turn the water fall on, the designer is suggesting that I put in a Pentair Easy Touch 4. Electricity and gas will have to be brought from the main panel to the equipment site. Without taking into consideration the cost of digging the hole and bringing electrical and plumbng to the equipment site, what do you think the incremental time it would take to hook up a Easy Touch 4 once the plumbing is in and electricity available? Also include installing a GFCI outdoor receptacle outlet. I am trying to educate myself so I can analyze each bid. What have people paid for labor to install an Easy Touch 4? Thank you. Eddie
Easy Touch 4 Installation Time and Cost
- Thread starter elvis2000
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,026
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Welcome to TFP.
The ET4 consolidates a lot of switches and circuitry that an electrician would otherwise have to install independently. If you are going to have the same devices I don’t think using the ET will take an electrician more time and it may save him time.
Depending on how many of your lights you want to control independently the ET4 may not have enough relays. And note that the latest Pentair automation is the IntelliCenter and the ET is getting old.
The ET4 consolidates a lot of switches and circuitry that an electrician would otherwise have to install independently. If you are going to have the same devices I don’t think using the ET will take an electrician more time and it may save him time.
Depending on how many of your lights you want to control independently the ET4 may not have enough relays. And note that the latest Pentair automation is the IntelliCenter and the ET is getting old.
Eddie,
I would think that an electrician that has installed one before could do it in half a day, maybe a full day if he took a long lunch.
If you do get an ET 4, make sure you do not get a "lite" version as they just do not taste right.. Nothing with an "L" on the model number like PSL4 or PL4..
Make sure that the pump you get is the IntelliFlo, as it is the only pump that Pentair automation can control.
Thanks,
Jim R.
I would think that an electrician that has installed one before could do it in half a day, maybe a full day if he took a long lunch.
If you do get an ET 4, make sure you do not get a "lite" version as they just do not taste right.. Nothing with an "L" on the model number like PSL4 or PL4..
Make sure that the pump you get is the IntelliFlo, as it is the only pump that Pentair automation can control.
Thanks,
Jim R.
This is key. Do not hire a random electrician, but rather one who routinely works on pool systems.
Realize EasyTouch is 1980s technology. I have one, but would not buy one today. Look at the IntelliCenter as a more modern controller, but figure it will be harder to find an electrician who has installed them before.
- Oct 25, 2015
- 5,184
- Pool Size
- 25000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Eddie
I've installed a Jandy RS 12 and and Intellicenter I8PS myself. Each one took me about 12 hrs over a 3 day period. I had not done either previously. As mentioned already a lot of the time is running the wires and conduit that have to be run anyway. Installing the power center panel is not time consuming. Took me about an hour using Tapcon fasteners into cinder block wall. Most of the time was spent pulling wire from equipment to the panel and wiring the panel itself. I would think an experienced tech could do the whole job in half the time it took me. I found professional pricing for the larger capacity systems to run a little over 2 times the online price of the systems. For example my Intellicenter I8PS cost just under $2k including tax and shipping. Professional installation and setup bids were $4500-$5000 TIC plus tax and any incremental wiring to bring the circuits into the new panel. I would expect incremental cost to a pool builder would be less since almost all the wiring has to be included in his base price and he gets wholesale price on equipment. The builders probably will sub out the work. Make sure to require they can demonstrate experience with the system you decide to get. You don't want to go through the process of training them. It will be very frustrating..
I hope this helps.
Chris
I've installed a Jandy RS 12 and and Intellicenter I8PS myself. Each one took me about 12 hrs over a 3 day period. I had not done either previously. As mentioned already a lot of the time is running the wires and conduit that have to be run anyway. Installing the power center panel is not time consuming. Took me about an hour using Tapcon fasteners into cinder block wall. Most of the time was spent pulling wire from equipment to the panel and wiring the panel itself. I would think an experienced tech could do the whole job in half the time it took me. I found professional pricing for the larger capacity systems to run a little over 2 times the online price of the systems. For example my Intellicenter I8PS cost just under $2k including tax and shipping. Professional installation and setup bids were $4500-$5000 TIC plus tax and any incremental wiring to bring the circuits into the new panel. I would expect incremental cost to a pool builder would be less since almost all the wiring has to be included in his base price and he gets wholesale price on equipment. The builders probably will sub out the work. Make sure to require they can demonstrate experience with the system you decide to get. You don't want to go through the process of training them. It will be very frustrating..
I hope this helps.
Chris
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,900
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Think now about what you might want to do later. I primarily use a separate home automation system to control my environment, but if that is not in your future, you can make use of your pool's controller to do some nice things in your yard, and/or you may expand pool automation beyond what you're thinking at this time. For example:
1. Pool filter
2. Waterfall
2. Pool lights
4. LED lights
There's four right there. What about:
5. Pool vac
6. Saltwater chlorine generator
7. Solar pool heater
8. Garden lights
9. Bistro lights
10. Bug zappers
11. Misters or fans
12. Whatever else you can imagine...
13. The thing you haven't thought of yet, but will want later...
I think one or two of those won't require one of the four relays of an ET4 (Jim?), but the rest would. Your pool automation should be controllable with your phone and/or your computer. The ET requires a separate add-on to do that (called ScreeenLogic). Pentair's newer system has it built in. Either way, wouldn't it be nice to be able to control all of your yard from your phone? If that sounds interesting, plan ahead and buy a controller that doesn't limit the possibilities...
1. Pool filter
2. Waterfall
2. Pool lights
4. LED lights
There's four right there. What about:
5. Pool vac
6. Saltwater chlorine generator
7. Solar pool heater
8. Garden lights
9. Bistro lights
10. Bug zappers
11. Misters or fans
12. Whatever else you can imagine...
13. The thing you haven't thought of yet, but will want later...
I think one or two of those won't require one of the four relays of an ET4 (Jim?), but the rest would. Your pool automation should be controllable with your phone and/or your computer. The ET requires a separate add-on to do that (called ScreeenLogic). Pentair's newer system has it built in. Either way, wouldn't it be nice to be able to control all of your yard from your phone? If that sounds interesting, plan ahead and buy a controller that doesn't limit the possibilities...