Intellitouch question

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arlingtonace

Member
Aug 17, 2024
7
Clayton, CA
@Jimrahbe ,
You mentioned that if the Intelliflo screen is blank when it is the only thing wired into the Intellitouch comm port, and the Intellitouch is set to Auto, that the pump must be wired wrong. How so? I have an inside control panel that has stopped communicating with the Intellitouch, even though it tests OK (gets power and the wiring is good). The pump wiring is unchanged from when I installed it seven years ago.

Hoping to avoid the expense of an Intellicenter upgrade.

Thanks.
Brian
 
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Brian,

In AUTO mode, if the Automation is controlling the IntelliFlo, the pump's display will show "Display not Active".. It should not be blank..

In the Service mode, if the pump's display is blank, it means the pump is wired to the load side of the pump/filter relay.. This is wrong, the pump should get constant AC power. (This assume the pump's display is working normally.)

The Test you are talking about, with just the pump connected to the RS-485 com port, is to see if the com port is working in both the pump and the automation. If the com ports are ok, then the pump's display should show "Display not active" If one of the two com ports are bad, the display should show an RPM screen of some kind. The display should not be blank.

If the pump's display never works, it could be a bad display or control head.. It could also be you are missing one of the hot leads (L1 or L2) that power the pump.
To test, with the pump connected to AC power, use a voltmeter and test between L1 and L2 and make sure you get about 240 VAC..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thanks for the quick reply, Jim.
To be clear: since the inside controller stopped communicating, I only have the two wires from the pump attached to the Intellitouch comm port. In Service mode, the pump shows the RPM screen; in Auto mode the pump screen is blank.
If I read your reply correctly, this indicates that the comm port on the Intellitouch is bad (?). Is the Intellicenter upgrade my best bet? I don't know of any pool companies in the area (S.F. Bay Area) who do anything more than hyper-expensive new equipment sales, and I can replace parts, myself.

Brian
 
hey Brian,
when you say "in Auto mode the pump screen is blank", do you mean there is nothing at all on the display? no pixels turned on and just a backlight showing?? If so, I've never seen that before... if the pump wasn't communicating with the outdoor board I'd expect to see the RPM screen.

(If you haven't already done so), unplug the pump's comm wires from the port and connect only the indoor panel... I'm wondering if it will start working, and if so then the pump might be causing the communication problem.

also, if the indoor/outdoor boards are the problem, they can most likely be repaired rather than going ahead with an intellicenter upgrade... feel free to pm me.
 
Brian,

If the pump show an RPM screen, that means the display works.. So it should not be blank in the AUTO mode.. I too have never seen that failure.

Does the pump run like it should in AUTO, but the screen is just blank, or is the pump not running at all in AUTO?

Odd, indeed.. :scratch:

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thank you, Gents!

Everything was running fine before the inside control pad (ICP) stopped working, both in Auto and in Service modes.
I tried your suggestion to unplug the pump and wire the ICP back into the Intellitouch (IT). Doing that does allow me to turn the light features and pool cleaner on from the ICP. Strangely, I cannot turn them OFF from either the IT or the ICP after. Putting the IT into Service mode does turn the kights and cleaner off, but they go back on when I switch back to Auto. Only powering down the system clears them.

I do not know how to send a personal message in this forum.

I do appreciate your help!

Brian
 
That's odd that you can turn the lights (you're really turning on the aux circuit that controls the light) on but can't turn it off using the indoor panel... pressing a button at the indoor sends a message over the comm wire (rs485) to the outdoor board so if it can send a "turn on" message, then I'd expect it to be able to send a "turn off", not sure why that would break?

in any case, if you turn the light on using the indoor and switch to "service mode" on the outdoor... you should see the associated aux led illuminated on the outdoor and be able to press the outdoor aux button to turn it off (the outdoor aux buttons only work in service mode... some genius thought that was a good idea).
 
can you expand on what you meant by "the pump display is blank"?

hey Brian,
when you say "in Auto mode the pump screen is blank", do you mean there is nothing at all on the display? no pixels turned on and just a backlight showing??
Click to expand...
 
Tom,

Switching to Auto, whether the pump is plugged in or not, and the ICP wired in, the pump display first gives an "Alarm - Power out failure" then goes fully blank, no backlight. Switching the IT back to Service and turning the Filter Pump on at the IT restores the pump display to the RPM screen.

Thanks.
Brian
 

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Brian thanks for that information!

It sounds to me like your pump is not "continuously powered"... is the pump wired directly to a 240v breaker or does it go through a relay? (power to the pump should not go through a relay)
 
arlingtonace said:
Switching the IT back to Service and turning the Filter Pump on at the IT
Click to expand...
Brian,

When you are in the Service mode, the pump should have AC power WITHOUT pushing the 'F' button...

When in the Service mode, there is just no reason to push the 'F' button.. The whole point of the Service mode is so that you can used the pump's display to control the pump..

Your pump is wired to the load side the pump/filter relay.. It should not be.. This is your main problem.

When you push the 'F' button you close the Pump/Filter relay and that why the display lights back up.

Show us a couple of pics of your pump/filter relay, so that we can see the wiring and breakers.. Should be a very easy fix..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Gents,

Yes, the pump (and the pressure side cleaner, which shares the same conduit) is wired through Relay #1. It looks to me like the wires drom the pump are attached to terminals 2 and 4, and the wires to the breaker at 1 and 3.
I've got the wires from the pump and cleaner booster taped, as well as the wires to the pump breaker. I think the pump wires are black and the booster wires dark gray.

If wrong, why would it have worked correctly until now?

Thanks for your expertise and patience!

Brian
 

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Brian,

Move the wires that go to the IntelliFlo pump, from the load side (2 and 4) or to the line side (1 and 3).. This will solve one problem.. I suspect that you also have another problem, but we need to fix the Service mode problem first.

After you move the wires.. Put the system into the Service mode (Do not push the 'F' button) and tell us if your pump's display shows an RPM screen, like it should.

Then go to AUTO, (Do not push the 'F' button) and tell us what the Pump's display shows.. This assumes that the RS-485 cable is connected to the pump, and to the automations com port..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Gents,
I have wired up the pump to the line side of Relay #1. Pump display shows the rpm screen both in Auto and Service modes, now. The Inside Control Panel is powered up in both modes. Pushing buttons on the ICP will light up panel lights on the Intellitouch, but doesn't actually activate any of the features. The ICP cannot turn off the IT panel lights. Switching to Service mode switches off the IT panel lights. Switching back to Auto mode turns those same panel lights back on. Only turning off the breakers clears the ICP signals from the IT.

Sure seems like someone could engineer a pool automation system with far less complexity.

Thanks, again.
Brian
 
Brian,

In AUTO, your pump's display should show "Display Not Active".. This means the Automation is controlling the pump.

Is your pump connected to the Automation's com port??

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Ok so now you have to diagnose the outdoor board's comm port and the other devices connected to it, to see which is broken.

More details here... Pentair Automation Systems - Further Reading

I'd power down and pull the indoor panel (and whatever else is there) off the comm port, leaving only the pump on the comm port... See if you get display not active. If so, then your outdoor board's comms are good and the indoor (or it's cable) may be bad
 
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A,

If your pump's display does not show "Display not Active", then the first troubleshooting step is to connect just the pump to the Automation..

You would need to unplug anything else that uses the com port.. Remotes or ScreenLogic or SWCGs.

If you connect just the pump to the com port in the automation, and the pump's display does not show "Display Not Active, then the com port in the pump or the Automation is bad. Not way to know for sure which, but 90 % of the time it is the Automation.

Listen to Tom, he knows a lot more about the IntelliTouch than I do... :mrgreen:

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Ha, Jim we wrote the same thing at the same time... Shows you know plenty about the intellitouch!
 

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