Compool CP3800, going from a Single Speed Pump to a Variable Speed Pump

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Spadak

Spadak

Active member
Jan 4, 2022
27
Simi Valley, CA
Pool Size
24000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Saline Generating Systems Breeze 540
Hi everyone. I currently have a Compool CP3800 controller. My single speed motor burned out and I thought I would take advantage and upgrade the motor to a VSP.

Upgrading is the easy part. The hard part for me is how I can get the motor wired such that I can actually use the pump given my current controller does not talk to VSPs.

I plan on upgrading the pump using a Century ECM27SQU Pool Pump motor. I figure as long as I can get power to it, I can simply program it and when I go into "spa" mode on my CP3800 I can simply manually make it run at high.

Any ideas/suggestion?
 
Hi and welcome, you would need to move the pump to the line side of the relay and run programming from the back of the pump. I would advice against the century epump though, the compool systems are easily upgradeable to easytouch(easytouch upgrade) which will communicate with a Pentair intelliflo or superflo vsp. Intelliflo being the most recommended.
 
Thank you for your response. I have the option of getting a Superflo for $300 (used and local). I see you are saying the intelliflo is recommended over the superflo, any particular reason? I was considering the upgrade to the easytouch, but that sets me back another $500! Maybe it would be more worth it as I continue to do my research. The main reason I was going to rebuild my Stealth pump using the ECM27SQU is I was able to get one for only $400 shipped which is a steal.
 
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The superflo vs is 1.5hp the intelliflo vs is 3hp the intelliflo is heavier duty and made to last. If you do decide to go with the superflo listed above make sure it’s a vsp. There are superflo single speeds which you wouldn’t want. But if it was me, And I wasn’t able to upgrade all at once. I would go with the intelliflo, hook it up to the line side set programming on the back, until I was able to go with the easytouch upgrade. It’s very diy friendly and cost effective, but to note intellicenter is the best automation out there which they don’t have upgrade kits for.
 
My biggest concern with doing the upgrade to the Easytouch is the control pad. RIght now it's bascially a phone wire so I would have to re-run a new wire into the house, unless there's an easy hack for this that you might know about?
 
Spadak said:
My biggest concern with doing the upgrade to the Easytouch is the control pad. RIght now it's bascially a phone wire so I would have to re-run a new wire into the house, unless there's an easy hack for this that you might know about?
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The connection from the wired remote to the ET panel is indeed 4 wires, so your existing phone cable should work. I did a Compool to ET conversion a few years back and was able to reuse the wires. (I actually had 2 4-wire phone cables in there and abandoned one.)
 
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Poolbreh said:
Hi and welcome, you would need to move the pump to the line side of the relay and run programming from the back of the pump. I would advice against the century epump though, the compool systems are easily upgradeable to easytouch(easytouch upgrade) which will communicate with a Pentair intelliflo or superflo vsp. Intelliflo being the most recommended.
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Hey Poolbreh, when you say move the pump to the line side of the relay, are you saying to simply take the wires going from the load side of the relay and connect them to the line side? The picture below shows the two wires currently connected to the relay connector.
 

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Spadak said:
Hey Poolbreh, when you say move the pump to the line side of the relay, are you saying to simply take the wires going from the load side of the relay and connect them to the line side? The picture below shows the two wires currently connected to the relay connector.
Click to expand...

It looks like you have two wires going to the LINE side and two wires connected to the LOAD side. You want to identify the pump wires on the LOAD side and move them to the LINE connections.

However you should not have more then two wires under a screw. The best practice would be to wire nut the three line wires to a pigtail that connects to the LINE screw.
 
ajw22 said:
It looks like you have two wires going to the LINE side and two wires connected to the LOAD side. You want to identify the pump wires on the LOAD side and move them to the LINE connections.

However you should not have more then two wires under a screw. The best practice would be to wire nut the three line wires to a pigtail that connects to the LINE screw.
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Got it! I did put all three under there but I’ll fix it with a wire but per your suggestion. Out of curiosity, why not just wire it directly to the breaker?
 
Spadak said:
Got it! I did put all three under there but I’ll fix it with a wire but per your suggestion. Out of curiosity, why not just wire it directly to the breaker?
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Some breakers should only have one wire on their screws. Others you can do two wires but not a good practice.
 

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The ECM27SQU (commonly called a V-Green 2.7), won't interface with the CP3800 or an EZTouch without an automation adapter (AOS2517501002). They are relatively easy to install. They use connections to the low-power side of the relays or a voltage input to a valve actuator to change the speeds on the motor. The instructions are very good.

The CP3800 will communicate with a Pentair Intelliflow through a IntelliComm 2. These are rather expensive now, about twice the cost of the adapter listed above. If you are sure you going upgrade to an EZTouch, get an Intelliflow now, use it without connection to the CP3800 for now, though that won't be very convenient if you are used to using automation..

You can get an upgrade kit for your CP3800, Compool Upgrade to EasyTouch Pentair 521107, and save considerably over buying a complete enclosure. You would have to get a different indoor control or Pentair Screen Logic Bundle Kit EC-522104 to complete the system. Your existing wiring will continue to work as the upgrade kits come with the adapters you may need if you get a new indoor control, Pentair EasyTouch ICP Control Panel 520549. You can still get wireless remotes, but they are more expensive than the Screen Logic and the remotes are NOT waterproof.

I have been very successful keeping the Compool CP-3600 and 3800 systems and older Jandy and Hayward automation (as long as they were functioning properly) with the V-Green 2.7 and automation adapter. If you, for some reason in the future need to upgrade the automation the adapter will still work.

VSPs should have constant power, preferably wired to a dedicated breaker.
 
So I decided to move forward with the Easytouch upgrade. Now I’m concerned with how the heater and salt cell are wired. Currently the heater is wired into the line 230 volt input which goes to the transformer that is then jumped into the filter relay which has the salt cell wired in at the load line. These are basically fed through a dual pole 15 amp breaker. I went ahead and added another 15 amp dual pole breaker which is now dedicated to the VS pump. My question is with the easytouch should the heater (which is a Mastertemp 400) be wired to its own breaker or is the current setup okay. And also my Breeze 540 chlroinator is still utilizing the Filter Pump relay to turn in, is this an issue?
 

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Spadak said:
Hi everyone. I currently have a Compool CP3800 controller. My single speed motor burned out and I thought I would take advantage and upgrade the motor to a VSP. Upgrading is the easy part. The hard part for me is how I can get the motor wired such that I can actually use the pump given my current controller does not talk to VSPs. I plan on upgrading the pump using a Century ECM27SQU Pool Pump motor. I figure as long as I can get power to it, I can simply program it and when I go into "spa" mode on my CP3800 I can simply manually make it run at high. Any ideas/suggestion?
Click to expand...

Who's your supplier, I need me a kit.

In just ordered the ECM16SQU... I see my upgrade is going to cost me around 2500(vsp + control board upgrade) for everything. ECM will be 500 and simple replacement.
 
Poolbreh said:
Hi and welcome, you would need to move the pump to the line side of the relay and run programming from the back of the pump. I would advice against the century epump though, the compool systems are easily upgradeable to easytouch(easytouch upgrade) which will communicate with a Pentair intelliflo or superflo vsp. Intelliflo being the most recommended.
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Why do recommend against the Century? It's going to cost me 500 to change the motor only vs 2200 to upgrade to easytouch+Intelliflo. I understand the ease of upgrade (labor wise) but 2.2k is hefty if I'm only loosing convenience of automation. I am looking at possibly doing an Arduino relay, I can't find the automation adapter ( AOS2517501002) in stock anywhere. Do you know if the pool/spa valve will spin if I select to run the spa only?
 
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It really depends on your setup and how it works best for you now and in the future. A simple board change out is cheap and includes multiple upgrades and allows multiple speeds for different variations and he will get the most bang for his buck. There is nothing wrong with epump. I just think for the value, an upgrade and Pentair vs pump was the way to go. I also recommended he go with a Pentair vs and use the programming on the back until he was ready to do the easytouch upgrade.
 
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40sumthinkid said:
VSP, easytouch upgrade parts. I have a Compool cp3800 as well. Looking at ebay, the upgrade looks like it will cost me around 2,200. I'd have to lose the automation, but I can keep it to 500 just replacing the SS to a V-Green. Unless I'm wrong about the whole thing. :(
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I wasn't sure how much control you wanted from your system. Your CP3800, if it still works otherwise, will control the V-Green through a relay, just like a single speed motor, you just won't have speed control at the Compool. If you upgrade to an EasyTouch, the same applies. There are YouTube and Century videos about how to use a standard time clock (Intermatic) for that purpose. Just substitute your system for what it says about the time clock and you're good. I've done it several times with Jandy, Hayward, and Pentair systems and it works well. That way you won't have to go to the equipment pad to run your spa, just program the motor with the speeds you need when it gets power and you'll be happy.
 

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