Intellichlor IC40 Kit + Intelliflo VSF Wiring / WITHOUT Automation

[pauly3dotcom]

Hello Folks! Need some support and verification here... We have arrived at our 30 day mark since our pool was finished and pumps were started. Today I had my Pool Builder come place the IntelliChlor Cell after the filter and tomorrow the electrician will come to wire up the Power Center and tie the system in.

I want to ensure I am asking him to do this the right way since I do not have Automation. Currently my Intelliflo VSF is wired directly to Breaker Panel and there is no timer in between.

Install Plan:
- Install Intermatic T101R Mechanical Time Switch and wire into Service Panel using 20A Breaker
- Wire IntelliChlor Power Center to Intermatic T101R
- Program SWG to run inside of the run time in my IntelliFlo schedule

Questions:
- Is there not a way to wire the IntelliChlor direct and put communication cable between IntelliFlo and IntelliChlor?
- How do I know how much salt is needed for my pool?
- Is the Clorox Pool Salt from Sam's a good choice?
- Do I just empty the bags into the pool? Does the salt damage the finish if it sits at the the bottom?

 

[ajw22]

- Is there not a way to wire the IntelliChlor direct and put communication cable between IntelliFlo and IntelliChlor?

No.

You can get the Pentair IntelliConnect which is low cost and will control the pump and SWG so you don’t need the timer.

Pentair Automation Systems - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

- How do I know how much salt is needed for my pool?

Use PoolMath Effects of Adding

For a 15K pool you will need 440lbs of salt for 3500ppm. Add 2/3 of the salt and test the salinity after 24 hours to ensure you do not overshoot the salt level.

Do you have a K-1766 Salt Test Kit?

- Is the Clorox Pool Salt from Sam's a good choice?

No. Clorox salt has been found to stain pools.

Salt - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

- Do I just empty the bags into the pool? Does the salt damage the finish if it sits at the the bottom?

Salt dissolves quickly. Brush it around and don’t let it sit on the pool floor.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Paul,

Only put in about 3/4's of the amount of salt you should need.. Then test the salt level and bring it up from there. I like to keep my salt level below 3500 ppm, as I can start tasting it above 3500. Right now my salt is about 3300 ppm. If you don't already have one you will need a Taylor K-1766 salt test kit... and smart stir type of mixer.

I do not recommend Clorox Pool salt.. Seems to be very dirty to me.

To figure out how much salt you need, use the volume of your pool and pool math.. In your 15K pool one 40 lb bag of salt will increase your salt level by about 320 ppm. So 10 bags will get you to 3200.. Keep in mind that this "assumes" you have zero salt in you pool right now, which I doubt.

As far as I know the IntelliChlor can not talk directly with the IntelliFlo.

I like your "install plan".. Do not let your electrician talk you into just using the Flow Switch.. Kind of like turning off your air bags.. It will work just fine right up to the point of the crash..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[pauly3dotcom]

No.

You can get the Pentair IntelliConnect which is low cost and will control the pump and SWG so you don’t need the timer.

Do you have a K-1766 Salt Test Kit?

No. Clorox salt has been found to stain pools.

Thank You AJW22:
I have an IntelliConnect on order although just like my Pentair Intellichlor IC40 the pool was built and finished ahead of receiving this item. It has shown "Preparing to Ship" on Leslie's site for months.

I purchased the TF-Pro Kit with Speedstir (XL Option) although I didn't purchase the add-ons for salt. I will need to look up and see what I need to order to make it Salt ready.

Which salt do you recommend?

Paul,

Only put in about 3/4's of the amount of salt you should need.. Then test the salt level and bring it up from there. I like to keep my salt level below 3500 ppm, as I can start tasting it above 3500. Right now my salt is about 3300 ppm. If you don't already have one you will need a Taylor K-1766 salt test kit... and smart stir type of mixer.

I do not recommend Clorox Pool salt.. Seems to be very dirty to me.

To figure out how much salt you need, use the volume of your pool and pool math.. In your 15K pool one 40 lb bag of salt will increase your salt level by about 320 ppm. So 10 bags will get you to 3200.. Keep in mind that this "assumes" you have zero salt in you pool right now, which I doubt.

As far as I know the IntelliChlor can not talk directly with the IntelliFlo.

I like your "install plan".. Do not let your electrician talk you into just using the Flow Switch.. Kind of like turning off your air bags.. It will work just fine right up to the point of the crash..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thank You Jimrahbe:
I appreciate your insight and will use the data you provided for salt addition. Also thank you for the reassurance that the "Install Plan" looks good!

Do you have a salt preference? I am in South Texas and have all the big box stores, Leslie's, Discount Warehouses and Hardware stores available to go hunt down the recommended salt.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Paul,

I use Pool salt from either Lowes or Home Depot, but not Clorox.

A lot of people here use water softener salt as it is a little cheaper.. But it takes too long to dissolve for me.

Just make sure that the bags have not turned into "bricks" of salt from being outside too long.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ajw22]

Wait to install the Intellichlor until you get the IntelliConnect. No reason to spend money on the timer install.

My Walmart sells Morton’s or Diamond Crystal pool salt at a good price. I will also pay a bit more for this salt from my local pool store when I just need a bag or two …

1A3D1E81-7E4A-4E43-A671-A710375A444F.jpeg

• ajw22
• Mar 8, 2021

 

[setsailsoon]

I agree with everything Allen and Jim noted above. Only thing I have to add is put the salt in the shallow end. It's easier to brush around if you need to. Morton's pool salt works best but it's 2-3 times the cost. I often use diamond brand water softener pellets, they take about twice as long to dissolve but that's still only about an hour. Sometimes there is a little bit of sand that is left after the salt dissolves. It's easy to vacuum up or the robot will get it.

Good luck, you're gonna love your swg!

Chris

 

[ajw22]

Morton's pool salt works best but it's 2-3 times the cost.

My Walmart sells Morton’s Pool Salt for $6.50 per 40 lb bag. Can you get water softener salt for 1/2 to 1/3 that?

 

[pauly3dotcom]

Wait to install the Intellichlor until you get the IntelliConnect. No reason to spend money on the timer install.

My Walmart sells Morton’s or Diamond Crystal pool salt at a good price. I will also pay a bit more for this salt from my local pool store when I just need a bag or two …

1A3D1E81-7E4A-4E43-A671-A710375A444F.jpeg

• ajw22
• Mar 8, 2021

Unfortunately patience is not a skill I possess.
I think I will be able to use the same circuit to power up the IntelliConnect and remove the timer once I receive it. This will hopefully save me a trip by the electrician as I can shut-off the panel and wire it in.

I agree with everything Allen and Jim noted above. Only thing I have to add is put the salt in the shallow end. It's easier to brush around if you need to. Morton's pool salt works best but it's 2-3 times the cost. I often use diamond brand water softener pellets, they take about twice as long to dissolve but that's still only about an hour. Sometimes there is a little bit of sand that is left after the salt dissolves. It's easy to vacuum up or the robot will get it.

Good luck, you're gonna love your swg!

Chris

I think I will go with the Diamond Crystal from Home Depot. It's $7.17/bag if I buy 6 or more. Lowe's has SureSoft for $7.98/bag which has good reviews as well. I will drop in the shallow as stated and then let the BlueSquare Q360 heads push it around but I will also brush it around so it doesn't sit.

I also found these Morton's Water Softener Pellets at Wal-Mart for $5.96/bag and Morton's Water Softener Crystals at Sam's for $5.28/bag... which do you all suggest?

 

[ajw22]

For the $1/bag difference I would get the Diamond Crystal pool salt.

 

[pauly3dotcom]

Install was completed yesterday morning! Went out and purchased 12 bags of the Diamond Crystal Pool Salt from Home Depot. Dropped in 8 bags and brushed around. Pump has been on since yesterday afternoon mixing it all in. I unfortunately do not have the Salt Option on my TF-Pro. I will order these today although I was hoping I could take care of 2 birds with 1 stone as one of the powders that came in my Pro Kit was solid as a rock so I had to use the one that came in the XL Bag. I sent TFTest Kits an e-mail and hopefully they will respond tomorrow. I sent them an e-mail prior to purchase in April and never heard from them.

Are the salt strips from Leslie's any good? I looked for the AquaChek and was not able to find locally via online search. Is there any other options available? Does Leslie's sell the Agents, I will pay premium if needed.

 

[BowserB]

Pauly, it's been suggested at least twice in this thread. Get the Taylor K-1766 salt test kit. You can get it from Amazon, in a couple days if you have Prime, as well as the individual reagents (you use 1 drop of R0630 but 1 drop of R-0718 for each 200ppm of salt--so with 3600ppm you'd use 18 drops of R0718 to determine that.) Test your water before you add any salt, so you know your starting place and can see what each bag or two does. If you've used liquid chlorine for some time, you may have a base salt level higher than you think. Mine was 1200ppm before I added the first bag of Morton Pool Salt from HEB. After the first bag had fully dissolved, I had an idea how many more I'd need. I just picked up a couple bags when I went to HEB, as the installer was going to be about a three week wait. Pentair's recommendations for salt level strike me as odd. Their suggested range is 3600-4500, but with the "ideal" level being 3600. So and OCD guy like me finds it necessary to add small amounts of salt often to keep salt at the "ideal" level, with the unusual rain we've had in recent weeks.

BTW, I have an IntelliConnect, but the IC40, along with an ozone generator and UV-C appliance are on a separate timer. That way, I can set the VSF pump to run optimally for skimming, and then adjust the separate timer within the pump run times to optimize chlorine production. Frankly, I find the Intelliconnect to be a pain in conjunction with Pentair Home the phone/tablet app you have to use to make changes or manually start connected devices. Changes all happen through a Pentair server, so if your Internet is out, you can't change a setting or manually start a device. And every time you make a change, Pentair restarts the pump or pumps that are running at the time.