Intelliconnect restarts Intelliflo VSF every 15 minutes

[ryanfaricy]

Hi all, my pool build finished in June. Long time lurker of the forum, but first post (hopefully I've followed all the rules properly vis-a-vis profile, signature etc). I've since purchased and installed an IntelliConnect and I've upgraded my pump to an Intelliflo VSF so I can automate filter pump, SWCG, light, and my heat pump.

Everything works perfectly EXCEPT my pump stops and restarts every 15 minutes, like clockwork. I've determined that IntelliConnect seems to be the culprit because if I remove the RS485 connection, the pump runs steady for hours.

As soon as I plug it back in, 15 minutes later, pump stops, then ramps to 1800 RPM, then maxes out for 20 seconds, then runs the current schedule.

I have no egg timers set or anything, just four schedules:
2750rpm 8am-10am
1500rpm 10am-10pm
2350rpm 10pm-12m and
1200rpm 12m-8am. All other programs (5-8) are disabled.

It isn't losing prime or anything like that, because again, it runs fine when disconnected from IntelliConnect. I've noticed the display doesn't constantly show "display not active" either, so to rule out a communication cable issue, I bought a second one and ran that instead, but same issue. So it must be happening in the IntelliConnect itself.

I plan on calling Pentair tomorrow but in the meantime I'm hoping someone has run into this before and found a way to resolve it. I did find a post on another forum similar to my issue but it was happening with Intellicenter, not IntelliConnect. A factory reset seemed to have solved it, but I have no idea how to factory reset IntelliConnect and it's not covered in the manual.

So, to summarize, I've ruled out priming issues, cable issues and schedule issues, and definitely think something is wonky in IntelliConnect's control over it.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Ryan,

Where are you setting your schedules?

Not that it matters, but what is the purpose of odd/different speeds at different times?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Ryan,

Where are you setting your schedules?

Not that it matters, but what is the purpose of odd/different speeds at different times?

Thanks,

Jim R.

I've set the schedules in the app, and programs 1-4 match at the pump.

The reason for the higher speeds morning and night are for skimming bugs off the surface; lots of them come out during these times. The lower speed in the evening is just quieter. I keep 1500 during the day to ensure chlorine is distributed well, and 1200 at night is just enough to keep it silent while still providing enough flow to generate Cl. I prefer to keep my cell setting as low as possible.

Any ideas on the restarting every 15 minutes?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Ryan,

I don't know much about the IntelliConnect, but assume it is similar to the EasyTouch..

With the EasyTouch , you don't schedule the "pump" to run, but "Circuits" to run... Like the Pool Circuit or the Spa Circuit or Waterfall circuit.. Each Circuit can have a speed assigned to it.

While we are waiting on one of our IntelliConnect owners to chime in, can you show us some screen shots of your app schedules?

I can't think of anything except for freeze control that has a 15 minutes cycle... at least on the EasyTouch.

When the pump is running does the pump's display say "Display not active"?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Ryan,

I don't know much about the IntelliConnect, but assume it is similar to the EasyTouch..

With the EasyTouch , you don't schedule the "pump" to run, but "Circuits" to run... Like the Pool Circuit or the Spa Circuit or Waterfall circuit.. Each Circuit can have a speed assigned to it.

While we are waiting on one of our IntelliConnect owners to chime in, can you show us some screen shots of your app schedules?

I can't think of anything except for freeze control that has a 15 minutes cycle... at least on the EasyTouch.

When the pump is running does the pump's display say "Display not active"?

Thanks,

Jim R.

Yes, the pump display does read "display not active" - but only sometimes. As I mentioned in my first post, thinking there could be a RS485 cable issue causing this, I replaced with another cable, same result. Continuity and resistance tested perfectly on them both, so I know it isn't a cabling issue. I really think this is either a bug or a hardware failure in the IntelliConnect itself.

As for schedules, I've attached a screenshot of the four programs for my pump. Intelliconnect is a bit of a different beast in that there aren't "circuits" like ET, at least by name - you set schedules for the devices themselves. HTH

 

[pjt]

I had a similar, but not identical problem. Maybe this will help you:

IntelliCenter Initial Impressions / Not Working Well

My IntelliCenter is up and running, but I can't hide my disappointment. It struggles performing fundamental tasks, such as maintaining communication with my IntelliFlo pump. I frequently get a "VS Communication Lost" message. The IntelliCenter app doesn't work well at all. I have to close...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[ryanfaricy]

I had a similar, but not identical problem. Maybe this will help you:

IntelliCenter Initial Impressions / Not Working Well

My IntelliCenter is up and running, but I can't hide my disappointment. It struggles performing fundamental tasks, such as maintaining communication with my IntelliFlo pump. I frequently get a "VS Communication Lost" message. The IntelliCenter app doesn't work well at all. I have to close...

www.troublefreepool.com

Different system (I have IntelliConnect versus Intellicenter) - but even with priming disabled, I had the same issue. It still stops and restarts every 15 minutes, just runs the schedule right away, instead of ramping up to priming speed first. Thank you though!

 

[ryanfaricy]

One other possibility I had considered is I remembered reading at 11am and 7pm they send out NTP time updates, which I've read can stop and restart pumps. So I thought maybe it happens every 15 minutes for just me. But then I calculated it happens exactly 15 minutes after any change I make, and every 15 mins from that exact time forward. So if I switch to program 1 at 5:12pm, my pump will stop and restart at 5:27pm, 5:42pm, 5:57pm, etc. If I then switch to program 4 at 6pm, it will restart at 6:15, 6:30, 6:45, etc.

So bizarre. But that pretty much rules out time updates, which I thought unlikely to begin with. lol

 

[ryanfaricy]

Spoke with Pentair support this morning and the rep seemed to immediately recognize what I was talking about and said it's a firmware issue they're working on and currently testing a beta fix. They created a case for me so hopefully it is resolved soon.

They also said it's normal for the IntelliConnect to cause the pump to flash between "display not active" and the normal screen so that reassured me as well.

I'm just glad they're aware of the issue and it's not just me. lol. Hopefully the remedy is released just as smoothly as the phone call went.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Ryan,

Thanks for the great feedback!! It should help others with the same issue..

Jim R.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Ryan,

Thanks for the great feedback!! It should help others with the same issue..

Jim R.

My pleasure - thank *you* for taking the time to help folks! I appreciate all your wisdom I've read in a number of posts.

 

[BowserB]

Glad to hear Pentair is "on it." Please keep us posted. Just FYI, my IntelliConnect reports (via Pentair Home) :

• Controller Software version 1.5.1.1 (May 19, 2021)
• IoT Software version 1.61

Another thing to consider, in the event Pentair doesn't come through or the fix doesn't fix it, how strong is the wifi signal at the Intelliconnect location? I have no idea how Pentair's servers or the Intelliconnect respond to loss of connection and then reconnect.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Glad to hear Pentair is "on it." Please keep us posted. Just FYI, my IntelliConnect reports (via Pentair Home) :

• Controller Software version 1.5.1.1 (May 19, 2021)
• IoT Software version 1.61

Another thing to consider, in the event Pentair doesn't come through or the fix doesn't fix it, how strong is the wifi signal at the Intelliconnect location? I have no idea how Pentair's servers or the Intelliconnect respond to loss of connection and then reconnect.

Wifi is good strength at the location - I have a mesh module very close to it. As for software versions, controller is at 1.5.0.7 (June 16 2020) and IoT at 5.53. It's a "PNR" version if it matters (I seem to recall there are two "versions"). Interesting that you have newer controller software than I do, but IoT seems wildly different. Is yours a "PIF" by chance (versus PNR)?

Also, do you know if they push updates? Or can I request one somehow?

 

[BowserB]

Yes, mine is a PIF. No clue on updates.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Interesting update: if I run a timer instead of a schedule, the pump does not cycle after 15 minutes.

I'm going to try manual mode next and will see if that also keeps it from cycling. If that works I'll just leave my pump on 24x7.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Alrighty... manual mode cycled after 15 minutes. @Jimrahbe what are your thoughts on how this would affect the pump, if I were to allow this to continue until Pentair fixes the IntelliConnect issue?

I really appreciate being able to monitor and control the system remotely, but I don't want to have to run an egg timer every day until then (lol), and I'm concerned about the pump stopping and starting every 15 minutes. I did at least disable priming so it doesn't ramp up to max speed.

Would, for instance, a few months of this significantly decrease pump life? Or am I just overly concerned? Cycling 96 times per day just seems bad for it to me.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Ryan,

If this were my pump, it would be running 24/7.. In fact, my pumps run 24/7.... Most of the time at 1200 RPM, for less than $20 bucks a month.

I am not sure it would hurt the pump to restart every 15 minutes, but it is not something that I'd want to try..

I actually have three pools and three IntelliFlo pumps.. one has been running 24/7 for over 10 years, another for over 7 years and the one at my house close to 6 years.

It could take Pentair over a year of more to fix the problem...

I just don't see any downside to running 24/7...

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Ryan,

If this were my pump, it would be running 24/7.. In fact, my pumps run 24/7.... Most of the time at 1200 RPM, for less than $20 bucks a month.

I am not sure it would hurt the pump to restart every 15 minutes, but it is not something that I'd want to try..

I actually have three pools and three IntelliFlo pumps.. one has been running 24/7 for over 10 years, another for over 7 years and the one at my house close to 6 years.

It could take Pentair over a year of more to fix the problem...

I just don't see any downside to running 24/7...

Thanks,

Jim R.

Yeah I'm good with running it 24x7, it's just the cycling that really bothers me. I'm going to keep doing a few tests of manual mode and see if manual mode truly is still cycling or if the one time it happened so far was just a fluke. It's all just really annoying because I spent extra money to upgrade from the Superflo on top of the money I already put into the build and then I run into a stupid issue like this. ugh. My next stop would be installing EasyTouch but I'd rather salvage what I have because that is overkill for my simple pool. Thanks for the feedback!

Edit: one second after I posted this, it cycled again.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Got a reply back from Pentair today. The issue affects all "PNRA1" devices, and it is related to a time sync issue. So my gut was right. Here's their email:

Currently this is affecting all PNRA1 devices. The root issue is with the Wifi firmware synchronizing time to the pump every 15 minutes, when time is synchronized it essentially accesses the menu on the pump drive which causes the brief shut off. That is very interesting regarding the Timer setting as I have not heard of that yet. A “non-PNRA1” device would indeed work properly as those run on a different firmware set.

Currently there is no ETA as the issue is looking more like a hardware problem which is not allowing the firmware to update. We’re still gathering information and working on a solution.

I've ordered another IntelliConnect from a different supplier in hopes I get a non-PNRA1 device. I will continue to post updates in order to hopefully save someone else from my frustration!

I also replied to their email with the following:

I set a 9 hour 59 minute timer this morning and it is still running strong with no cycling, 5 hours later. So it occurred to me, if the chip is large enough to contain the additional logic, perhaps the firmware could be reprogrammed to convert "schedule" and "manual" programs to "timer" programs on the 'back end' (invisible to the user).

For instance, if I set a schedule for 8am-10pm, it would instead run a 9 hour timer and then a 5 hour timer or something like that. Or if I set a manual program, it would just keep setting 9 hour timers over and over until something changes.

The pump might still cycle in between the timers, but it would happen much less frequently.

 

[ryanfaricy]

Went to Pinch a Penny today and picked up a new IntelliConnect. We opened the box and checked before purchase and it was not a PNRA1 model, so I purchased and installed and everything is operating normally.

So, bottom line is, if you are reading this thread and you have a "PNRA1" device, this is why your pump is cycling every 15 minutes. There is no workaround or fix for manual and schedule programs cycling the pump. But timer programs will not cycle the pump.

Hopefully this will help someone! And thanks so much to everyone who took the time to help out.