Pentair Freeze Protection

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Txena4

Txena4

Silver Supporter
Oct 3, 2022
23
76016
Pool Size
16000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hi, everyone, Happy Sunday!
We have pentair system, the pool and spa freeze protection are on. Other freeze protection settings are off, such as light, air blower, etc.
And our pool pump is set as 24/7 run.
However, this morning, I noticed that everything stopped working, when I switch from auto mode to service mode, then switch back to auto, everything will run some, then stop after a few minutes until the weather gets warmer.
I am in TX, I wonder if there is small freeze in certain pipe? Do I need to schedule the pump to be higher speed by chance?
Please advise.
Thanks so much!
 
T,

When freeze protection comes on, the system should switch between the pool mode and spa mode every 15 minutes. Keep in mind that your pump will turn off while the valves are switching. So, make sure you are not confusing when the pump should be off, and when it should be running.

Our local temps have not been low enough to freeze anything so far this year.

Look at it again tomorrow and see if the pump is only off when the valves are moving.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
T,

When freeze protection comes on, the system should switch between the pool mode and spa mode every 15 minutes. Keep in mind that your pump will turn off while the valves are switching. So, make sure you are not confusing when the pump should be off, and when it should be running.

Our local temps have not been low enough to freeze anything so far this year.

Look at it again tomorrow and see if the pump is only off when the valves are moving.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
That makes sense, thanks so much, Mr. Jim! I also increase the pool pump speed to 2400 instead of 2200 for the peace of mind. Lol...
I got a warm wire, which I can plug in to warm the pipe, and some insulation. I will start putting the insulation on tomorrow after work!
Thanks so much!!!
Btw, how are you?!

Tammy
 
Tammy,

I'm doing great....

Even though your pump is scheduled to run 24/7, when freeze protection kicks in it will still have to shut off when the valves are moving.

Please let us know, if that is not what you are seeing.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
Tammy,

I'm doing great....

Even though your pump is scheduled to run 24/7, when freeze protection kicks in it will still have to shut off when the valves are moving.

Please let us know, if that is not what you are seeing.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
Yes, sir! I will definitely keep you posted!!!
 
Everybody's pool, plumbing and equipment are different, so maybe you do need to run your pump at 2200-2400 RPM, but just for reference: when my pump's cold-weather mode kicks on it runs at 900 RPM (I think that is the factory default setting). When my EasyTouch's freeze mode takes over, it's only 800 RPM. My normal filtering RPM is 1550, and I only need to go above 2K for vacuuming (2300), high-speed skimming (2800) and solar heating (2200).

If I remember correctly, Jim runs his pump 24/7 around 1200 RPM.

Running at 2400 RPM 24/7 just to keep the water in your pipes from freezing might be more than you need, and way more than you need to spend (for electricity). At 800 RPM, my pump draws about 40 watts of power. But at 2300 it jumps to 660 watts! The scale is logarithmic: while the RPM increases only three times faster, the electrical expense goes up by over 16 times!!
 
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Jimrahbe said:
Even though your pump is scheduled to run 24/7, when freeze protection kicks in it will still have to shut off when the valves are moving.
Click to expand...
On the EasyTouch, valve delay is a user option. I have never used that option, my pump runs while the pool/spa valves turn. Do you think this is a bad thing? I tend to think stopping and restarting the pump is unnecessary. And are you suggesting freeze mode overrides the setting?
Dirk said:
When my EasyTouch's freeze mode takes over, it's only 800 RPM.
Click to expand...
I also run freeze mode at 800 rpm. Just enough to keep water moving.
 
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Freeze protection keeps the water moving through the pipes so it doesn't freeze. That should be more than enough protection in the Dallas area. The insulation, higher rpms, warm wire, etc. do not necessarily hurt anything but are unnecessary and are not going to keep pipes from freezing on their own.

Also note that you should know how to drain your equipment if you lose power or equipment fails during a hard freeze. Snowmageddon from 2 years ago was hopefully a one in a lifetime event, but know what to do in the off chance you are in that situation again.
 
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Rocket J Squirrel said:
On the EasyTouch, valve delay is a user option. I have never used that option, my pump runs while the pool/spa valves turn. Do you think this is a bad thing? I tend to think stopping and restarting the pump is unnecessary.
Click to expand...

Rocket,

In the OP's case, she has the useless SVRS option on her IntelliFlo. This option shuts the pump off if there are any sudden changes in suction or pressure.

Unfortunately, her pump will often see the valves moving and then stopping as a suction problem and it shuts the pump off. To eliminate that problem, the EasyTouch was set up so that the pump shuts off while the valves are moving.

In most cases, the valves moving with the pump running is not an issue at all. In her case it was.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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JJ_Tex said:
Also note that you should know how to drain your equipment if you lose power or equipment fails during a hard freeze.
Click to expand...
Ugh, I put that task on a "To Do" list, and then promptly ignored that list! I was trying to encourage myself to just jot down an easy-to-follow step-by-step checklist on how to freeze-protect my plumbing in the event of a long power outage in the middle of a freeze, and then purchase and store any necessary gizmos to facilitate that. Just something I didn't want to have to figure out for the first time at night, in the dark, while a blizzard is going on! So thanks for the re-inspiration.

JJ_Tex said:
Snowmageddon from 2 years ago was hopefully a one in a lifetime event,
Click to expand...
I fear that will not be the case. I saw record highs this summer, and now my sub-freezing nighttime temps have started way sooner than normal. They usually start in January or February! One can argue the causes, but no longer the fact: climate change is happening, just look around. In any event, preparing for it is prudent.
 
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