Pentair ic40, surge board, intelliph and swg transformer.

[Latitude22]

Regardless of what you come up with @ogdento, I'm wondering about a possible preemptive trick for other IntelliChlor users, especially those whose gear is still under warranty, as they wouldn't want to hack their IpH and void whatever is left of the warranty. This trick could apply even to IntelliChlor users that don't have an IntellipH (see below).

You know that paste used on heavy duty aluminum wire connections to prevent oxidation? Could we slather the pins of those connectors with that, or some other similar material, to stave off this problem? If so, and if not that specific type of paste, any suggestions?

We just got a new thread today where the OP's IC40 burned out the connector on his surge board, and he has no IntellipH in the loop. Similar connector, though the pins looked a bit different. Whatever vendor Pentair is using for these connectors has got to go! I'm wondering if we can recommend to all IC users to hunt down these connectors, wherever they are, and perform some sort of preventative treatment.

Check it out:

No power on Pentair IC40

I noticed today that my pentair IC40 has no power. It's about 2 years old. When I opened the intelliclor panel, I noticed the fuse was tripped. I reset it but no luck. I removed the panel and noticed the power adaptor going into the card red wire plastic is black as if it got power surge...

www.troublefreepool.com

I was thinking maybe conductive grease. We use in boats one crimp on connections. Although we don’t have much rust here in the desert. It’s usually heat. I don’t see any corrosion in these plugs but the pins don’t seem to make great contact.

 

[Dirk]

I was thinking maybe conductive grease. We use in boats one crimp on connections. Although we don’t have much rust here in the desert. It’s usually heat. I don’t see any corrosion in these plugs but the pins don’t seem to make great contact.

There you go. It's probably the quality of the metal in the pins. They don't slide together as they should, and then don't hold together as they should, and then a little moisture gets in and the corrosion takes hold.

I've never used conductive grease. Is it literally conductive? So that it could improve the contact between the male and female pins? And if so, would you have to be careful not to inadvertently bridge the pins or the traces on the board? Does it stay put? Or could it soften and leak out? But yah, you're on the right track.

 

[Latitude22]

Yea it’s called dielectric grease. There’s a brand that electricians use, for Marin use we use this stuff.

Link

I’ll find the stuff electricians use. I will ask my cousin.

 

[Latitude22]

Yea it’s called dielectric grease. There’s a brand that electricians use, for Marin use we use this stuff.

Link

I’ll find the stuff electricians use. I will ask my cousin.

He got right back to me. The stuff they use in commercial electrical is called “ox gard”. He also added that the ox gard is “better than that marine Crud I use” ha ha.

 

[ajw22]

Stabilant 22 is an electrical contact enhancer used in aircraft...

Amazon.com

 

[Latitude22]

Stabilant 22 is an electrical contact enhancer used in aircraft...

Amazon.com

Ha I should remember that I have my a&p license but it’s been 25 years since I worked in the industry.

 

[Dirk]

Now we're gettin' somewhere! Curious about what @ogdento thinks of this idea...

 

[Flying Tivo]

This is what i did since i did not want to risk it all over again with new iph board or IC.

IntelliPh control box down.

Control box not working, read up on @bdavis466 post about wiring through a relay. I understand the wiring, but my question is: Can i get the 26VDC from the SWG control board (this is where the PH gets its original power from)on the extra connector of my ET8 with integrated SWG transformer? Dont...

www.troublefreepool.com

And let it be know! Time to break up with @Dirk

 

[Dirk]

I'm sooo confused. Your IC burned your surge board two years ago? And then your IpH board fried, too, later?

Is the IC transformer wired to the pool circuit relay? And then the black and red from the surge board go to the IC, and a second ET relay? What is that second relay accomplishing? And from the ET relay, what do the smaller-gauge red and black wires connect to?

Just so ya know, I'm taking the silverware and the toaster oven. You can have the martini glasses. Who gets the cat?

 

[ogdento]

hey @Dirk i'd take @Latitude22 's advice for any anti-oxidizing or conductive greases... it's not really my wheel house. last time I worked with aluminum wires was a house panel replacement and I used Noalox. But I do think that anything that minimizes corrosion would be helpful.

I should have put something on the flow sensor going into my aquarite salt generator - it wasn't generating because it thought there was no flow... the connector was totally corroded and some board traces had to be repaired when I opened the pool this year.

i'll check out @Flying Tivo 's thread tomorrow, but it looks promising!

 

[Flying Tivo]

Your IC burned your surge board two years ago? And then your IpH board fried, too, later?

No, nothing fried just the connector.

Is the IC transformer wired to the pool circuit relay? And then the black and red from the surge board go to the IC, and a second ET relay? What is that second relay accomplishing? And from the ET relay, what do the smaller-gauge red and black wires connect to?

I just took power from the IC board, passed it through a Relay(aux3) then directly to the stenner pump of the IPh(small red/black).
Since the IC transformer feeds the ic board from the pump relay its an extra safety feature that the stenner pump wont run with pump off.

Is this to simple for @Dirk ?

 

[Dirk]

Not at all, it's pretty much what I did. I added a buck converter to control the voltage to the motor, and a flow switch as a secondary safety feature. But the principle is the same.

So when you were talking about soldering onto a circuit board, were you talking about your IC's surge board, and not the IntellipH's board?

Did you just abandon the IpH controller, and only use the ET relay to dispense acid?

 

[Flying Tivo]

So when you were talking about soldering onto a circuit board, were you talking about your IC's surge board, and not the IntellipH's board?

Soldering the overheated connection on the iph.

Did you just abandon the IpH controller, and only use the ET relay to dispense acid?

Yes is wall decor now and yes i only use the ET to schedule 1 min additions 2 time a week. Thats about 300ml per min given my untrained eye.

 

[Dirk]

I should point out for others that might stumble on these last posts: Pentair sells the acid tank and pump motor separately, in essence an IntellipH without the controller. All the "good stuff" without the problems of the controller. By connecting this "dummy" to a pool automation controller relay, you end up with the setup Felipe has for about half the price of an IntellipH.

What you lose in going that route is the protection of a flow switch, the ability to add acid once an hour in metered amounts and the function where the IntellipH turns off the IntelliChlor while its dispensing acid.

You could add your own flow switch, and if you don't need much acid (like Felipe's pool), then "once an hour" doesn't matter. And to avoid pumping acid through an active IntelliChlor, it's just a matter of scheduling. With this setup, you don't even need an IntelliChlor, though you'd have to come up with 24VDC, to run the acid pump, some other way.

What you gain is the ability to automate acid dispensing year 'round, without any dependence on whether the IntelliChlor is functioning or not.

 

[Flying Tivo]

And to avoid pumping acid through an active IntelliChlor

You can also install the injection point after the SWG so no need for safety schedules.

 

[Dirk]

You can also install the injection point after the SWG so no need for safety schedules.

I've wondered why Pentair recommends the injector before the IC. Does it help keep the IC's plates free of calcium buildup? Or does it help wear them out sooner? Is the chlorinated water bad for the injector? Anything to do with the hydrogen gas? Dunno.

 

[Latitude22]

I've wondered why Pentair recommends the injector before the IC. Does it help keep the IC's plates free of calcium buildup? Or does it help wear them out sooner? Is the chlorinated water bad for the injector? Anything to do with the hydrogen gas? Dunno.

That’s my guess, I ran my pool for a year before I got the acid injector and had to clean my cell once. I haven’t cleaned it in 3 years since I got the injector, always looks perfectly clean. I dilute the acid and run it every hour.

 

[Dirk]

Similar report here. I know it was a year, for sure, but it might have been two years. Not a spec on my IntelliChlor plates. I take good care of my chemistry, specifically CSI, so I expect that to be a main factor, but I gotta think a little acidic water every hour helps, too. I just hope it's not prematurely aging the delicate precious metals on those plates...

I gotta say (again!) that I believe hourly injections keep my pH very stable, 24/7. Which means CSI is very stable 24/7. I can't quantify this, but that's gotta be good for my plaster, as well as my SWG (and my eyeballs!).

 

[ogdento]

With this setup, you don't even need an IntelliChlor

Thanks to all of this great info, that's exactly what i'm considering since I've got an Aquarite (hayward) swcg. I figured that the iph would work with my system but the manual indicates it'll only work with a pentair icXX (not sure how true that is).

On the bright side... My salt cell is only powered while the pump is running, I can tell when there's flow, and I can tell when the cell is generating... so it should be easy to use my own tank to pump acid only when there's flow and no generation.

 

[Dirk]

Thanks to all of this great info, that's exactly what i'm considering since I've got an Aquarite (hayward) swcg. I figured that the iph would work with my system but the manual indicates it'll only work with a pentair icXX (not sure how true that is).

Very true. The IpH has a male plug and female jack like the ones found on the IntelliChlor and its Power Center (transformer/surge board) or on an automation box that has the IC transformer/board included. The IpH Controller gets plugged into the power source (wherever the IC was plugged in) and the IC then plugs into the IpH Controller. The IpH comes with no power source, and even if you provide one it still won't work because the IpH looks for the IC, and won't dispense acid without one plugged in. Among other things, the IpH Controller analyzes the IC's flow switch and temperature sensor, and won't dispense if it doesn't like what it finds. The IpH system is a companion to the IC and is not stand alone.

That's why it has "Intelli" in its name, because it was intelli of Pentair to make you buy two things! To be fair, Pentair could offer the IpH at a lower price point (or make more money on it) without having to include a power supply and a flow switch, etc. I guess they figured the average potential IpH buyer would already have an IC. (That was my situation.) Of course, to be real, that setup don't workie so good, as we all know.

If you want to keep using your SWCG, you'll have to go the route that Felipe did. The tank and pump I mentioned is actually a component of the IntelliChem product line, it's not a part of the IntellipH line. But it looks just like an IntellipH, sans controller. This guy:

522472 - IntelliChem Acid Tank With Tank Mounted Pump - Pentair

This is a Pentair Acid Tank with Tank Mounted Pump for IntelliChem Chemical Tanks.

www.poolweb.com

I've seen these sold with and without the pump, so ya gotta be careful what you order...