Intellicenter, valve actuator, filter, - trying to figure out what models to buy

[Goshdurnit]

I currently have an old dying Hayward pump and an ancient DE filter on a 13k gallon pool, out here in the desert in California.
I want to be able to control:

1. pool vs. spa mode of my MasterTemp 400 pool heater
2. a new Pentair IntelliFlo VSF 011056 3HP that my pool guy recommends
3. At very least turning on/off the random lights that I currently have in the pool and spa (no idea what brand/model, but could turn on/off the power?)
4. (I think) I need 3 valve actuators, but someone correct me here. I have one for intake (pool vs spa), one for the return, and one for a water feature. I imagine if the pump is running in "pool" mode I always want the water feature on, and if it's in "spa" mode, I want the water feature off.

Questions:
- Can I get by with a IntelliCenter i5PS Pool/Spa Combo to control 3 valves, (it looks like it supports up to 4 with the "PS" model, so I'd just need to buy 1 more actuator?
- Do you think my pool guy who's never installed one of these (but has installed IntelliConnect, and installed my heater- he's super good with traditional pool maintenance/plumbing) could handle this?
- Also, can someone recommend a good cartridge or DE filter? My guy suggested "Waterway cartridge filter =570-0325-07 great cartridge filter, large capacity and good price" but the Amazon reviews are questionable...

Thanks experts! This thread was super duper helpful.

 

[setsailsoon]

Welcome to TFP! I'll ask our pentair expert to comment especially on the pump model number. @Jimrahbe. To turn on and off lights doesn't require an actuator just use a relay to actuate power the transformer. If I understand correctly all you need is 2 actuators for the pool/spa operation on in and out flow of the pump. Adding the Intellcenter isn't all that hard but does involve rewiring and configuration. Ask the pool guy if he's ever done any panel replacement. You can get a lot of help on configuration here. Any major brand cartridge is fine just make sure it's a large one. The larger it is the easier maintenance will be. I used a 200 sq ft on my similar size pool. 250 would be better.

I hope this helps.

Chris

 

[Jimrahbe]

Gosh,

The 011056 is the perfect pump for you..

I suggest you look at these guys... Welcome to Polytec Pools Right now they have next to nothing in stock, but that is not the normal case.

Since you are going "hog wild" on equipment, now would be the perfect time to convert to a saltwater pool.. No more buying chlorine or tablets.

The i5PS is a good choice for your set up. If you go with saltwater, make sure you get the model that comes with the internal SWCG power center and cell.

The larger a cartridge filter, the less often it has to be cleaned. I have a CCP-520 on a 17K pool. I could go all year without cleaning it but my OCD makes me do it twice a year.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Goshdurnit]

Gosh,

The 011056 is the perfect pump for you..

I suggest you look at these guys... Welcome to Polytec Pools Right now they have next to nothing in stock, but that is not the normal case.

Since you are going "hog wild" on equipment, now would be the perfect time to convert to a saltwater pool.. No more buying chlorine or tablets.

The i5PS is a good choice for your set up. If you go with saltwater, make sure you get the model that comes with the internal SWCG power center and cell.

The larger a cartridge filter, the less often it has to be cleaned. I have a CCP-520 on a 17K pool. I could go all year without cleaning it but my OCD makes me do it twice a year.

Thanks,

Jim R.

thanks Jim- I was thinking about saltwater but initially when I looked into it, it seemed like it was a ton of work to convert and maintain. Do you think saltwater is worth it?

The CCP looks like a good filter! Maybe the CCP420 is adequate for my pool?

 

[Goshdurnit]

oh I just saw @setsailsoon 's post about filter size, with 250 being good. I saw some other Pentair filters- a 240 and a 320.
I have a lot of trees, flowers and plant matter (grass cuttings, etc) that ends up in the pool and ultimately in the filter- do you think a cartridge filter is still the best way to go? I also have a Dolphin robot which helps a bit.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Gosh,

I suggest that you get the biggest filter you can afford and start using hairnets in the skimmers. Hairnets will reduce your filter load by 50% or more.

it seemed like it was a ton of work to convert and maintain

Saltwater pools are the easiest pools to maintain. I am not sure where you are getting your info, but it is just not true.
The biggest con for a saltwater pool is the initial cost and the installation of the salt cell. But since you are installing a lot of new stuff all at once I just don't see any major issue with the installation.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[pjt]

it seemed like it was a ton of work to convert and maintain.

SWG is the exact opposite. It makes chlorinating very easy and simple.

 

[setsailsoon]

oh I just saw @setsailsoon 's post about filter size, with 250 being good. I saw some other Pentair filters- a 240 and a 320.
I have a lot of trees, flowers and plant matter (grass cuttings, etc) that ends up in the pool and ultimately in the filter- do you think a cartridge filter is still the best way to go? I also have a Dolphin robot which helps a bit.

Gosh,
As Jim says you can't go too big on a filter. Sounds like you have a lot more potential debris then I had. I also had a full enclosure like many pools in Florida. If money is No Object I would go as large as you can. If it does matter go as large as you can afford. Problem is you can't really guess too well what year debris load will be and what your particle size will be. If you are on the small side you will be cleaning the filter more often. If you are on the large side you may not have to clean it more often than once a year. I ended up in that situation in my case and did as Jim does. I cleaned it every 6 months just because I thought it was a good idea. Cleaning isn't a real huge issue but I like my pool maintenance to be as easy as possible.

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

Gosh,

I'll add my two cents on swg conversion also. I resisted converting for several years even after our experts recommended it. Big mistake. The conversion was pretty easy, my wife would love the feel of the water, and pool maintenance was way more easy. This was before chlorine got hard to find at times and pretty expensive. The very first time my wife got in she said " I never want to have a pool that is not salt". I have only met one person but does not like the feel of saltwater pool. It is not like going to the beach. Nowhere near salty is that in fact it's about 10% of that salt level in the ocean. Just enough to feel really nice. But for me the big Advantage was just never having to Lug jugs and add chlorine several times per week. Doesn't seem like a lot but when you go to Salt you realize it is just way easier.

Chris

 

[Goshdurnit]

Thanks- that's really helpful. Gonna investigate it- salt seems like the right move, if we can get enough power supplied to the Intellicenter from the breaker to do the big install.

Also just called a local Intellicenter installer and he suggested I look into a cyclone prefilter before a cartridge filter. Anyone have experience with one of these?

 

[setsailsoon]

You'll find mixed opinions on them. I used them for very specific industrial applications. Where needed and designed properly for the application they work great! For pools they appear to me an unnecessary up-sell.

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

You'll find mixed opinions on them. I used them for very specific industrial applications. Where needed and designed properly for the application they work great! For pools they appear to me an unnecessary up-sell.

Chris

Generally solar panels work best with turbulent flow. If you can find out your manufacturer and model most of them have a recommended minimum flow rate. One way to check this is to look at your discharge pressure on the pump and then find out your flow rate from the pump curve. Make sure to divide the total flow rate by the number of panels.

Chris

 

[Goshdurnit]

Generally solar panels work best with turbulent flow. If you can find out your manufacturer and model most of them have a recommended minimum flow rate. One way to check this is to look at your discharge pressure on the pump and then find out your flow rate from the pump curve. Make sure to divide the total flow rate by the number of panels.

Chris

Thanks Chris- I was looking at this article about the cyclone and it seemed relevant, given that I'm in the desert in California. I'm not worried about solar panels yet- I don't have solar for my house yet but once I do, all of the pool equipment + the rest of the house will be powered by solar... but this was specifically just to add a pre-filter to a cartridge filter setup.

 

[mknauss]

that I'm in the desert in California.

Your location shows Los Angeles.

 

[Goshdurnit]

Your location shows Los Angeles.

Yes, there are deserts in LA :-D I'm about an hour north of Hollywood, past Santa Clarita.

 

[mknauss]

So not Los Angeles, which is at the coast, and far less dust.

You are in the Palmdale / Lancaster area?

I would get a large cartridge filter. No prefilter thing. They add quite a bit of head to the system. Use skimmer socks/hair nets over the skimmer baskets. You will be able to go a year between filter cleanings.

 

[Goshdurnit]

So not Los Angeles, which is at the coast, and far less dust.

You are in the Palmdale / Lancaster area?

I would get a large cartridge filter. No prefilter thing. They add quite a bit of head to the system. Use skimmer socks/hair nets over the skimmer baskets. You will be able to go a year between filter cleanings.

Yep totally, you know the area! That's good to know, and skimmer socks sounds like a great idea. Btw, what does "head to the system" mean?

 

[Goshdurnit]

oooh, I just had a thought. I suppose anything that requires draining onto grass (like a DE filter backwash) is going to be an issue with a saltwater cell - so if I get a cartridge filter and can wash it far away from my pool equipment, I'm going to save the life of the grass nearby. So in that case, maybe the cyclone is not a great choice.

 

[mknauss]

If you have grass that survives Palmdale weather, a little low salinity water will not hurt it much. But still, there is no need for the prefilter. Use hairnets over the skimmer basket.

 

[Goshdurnit]

Thanks everyone. So far I’ve ordered an intelliflo VSF pump and a CCP420 filter! Now need to see about i5PS vs i8PS - and not 100% sure of the differences between. Something about future extendability? Gonna get an estimate for electrician wiring as well as the intellicenter purchase separately- the pool store often works with an electrician.

Guy at pool store also started to say that I would need a screenlogic… I had to set him straight. I did see there a long distance wireless adapter thing, but I assume that’s only necessary if your router is super far away? I imagine if the WiFi controller on the intellicenter is reasonably decent and has 2.4 ghz support built in like my Dolphin, it “should” reach the router.