Intellicenter does not recognize heater is idle

[mwalker85]

Hi all,

So I have an intellicenter automation panel with a IntelliFlo3 VSF pump and MasterTemp 400 HD gas heater. Both the pump and heater are controlled via RS485. When I turn the heater on(via the intellicenter) the heater will accept the set point specified, and also the pump will ramp up to the specified speed. This is all as expected, however when the pool heater reaches the set point the heater turns off(also as expected) but the intellicenter does not recognize that the heater has shut off(still shows it in heating mode). As a result the intellicenter does not show the heater as idle and will not ramp the pump back down to its normal speed. The heater and the pump are both clearly communicating with the intellicenter so I am not sure why the intellicenter is not recognizing the heater as idle which leaves my pump running at the higher speed setting intended for heating mode. I am thinking about flashing to the newest firmware to see if that may correct this issue. Any thoughts?

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

What temperature do you set the pool heat to and what water temperature does the IntelliCenter show when the heater turns off?

I suspect the IntelliCenter water temperature is displaying a bit lower than the heater temperature.

The IntelliCenter uses its own water temperature sensor separate from the MasterTemp heater.

You can adjust the displayed value of a temperature sensor by going to SETTINGS-GENERAL SETTINGS-ADVANCED SETTINGS and scrolling down to Calibration. Adjust the IntelliCenter so its temperature reads the same as the heater.

Let us know if that fixes the problem.

 

[mwalker85]

Welcome to TFP.

What temperature do you set the pool heat to and what water temperature does the IntelliCenter show when the heater turns off?

I suspect the IntelliCenter water temperature is displaying a bit lower than the heater temperature.

The IntelliCenter uses its own water temperature sensor separate from the MasterTemp heater.

You can adjust the displayed value of a temperature sensor by going to SETTINGS-GENERAL SETTINGS-ADVANCED SETTINGS and scrolling down to Calibration. Adjust the IntelliCenter so its temperature reads the same as the heater.

Let us know if that fixes the problem.

Hi,
I don’t always use the same temp setting , but usually somewhere around 88 degrees. The intellicenter had been reading about 2 degrees cooler than the heater reading. I had already adjusted the calibration of the intellicenter to match the temp of the heater previously.

However, I believe the issue I have been experiencing is independent of the discrepancy between the temp reads. I am not sure, but I had read somewhere that when connected via rs485 the temp set point is sent to the heater and then the thermostat of the heater is performing the temp regulation, not the intellicenter (which seems logical to me). This is also supported by the fact that the LCD of the MasterTemp will show whatever temp setting I input into the intellicenter (as well as the current water temp).

So when the heater shuts off, it needs to report its status back to the intellicenter which would then show as “idle”, then it would ramp the pump back down to its normal speed.

All this being said… my intellicenter finally went back to idle and ramped my pump down. I have not changed any settings yet so… I don’t know what was going on. FM? Perhaps I had not waited long enough and the heater cool down timer was still active?

Anyway, I truly do appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thank You! I will report back if the system exhibits this behavior again.