Choosing a SWG that will integrate with Jandy iAqualink automation

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V

Veccster

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Bronze Supporter
Aug 30, 2016
359
Pittsburgh PA
Hello folks,
Please help me choose a SWG. I have a 23k inground vinyl. I am planning to install an iAqualink system to control everything and recently decided to go the way of a SWG. I was initially interested in the Hayward AQR15 but now see that it won't communicate with an iAqualink.

I don't see Jandy getting high remarks in terms of quality for their SWG. Perhaps they've gotten better?

Any other suggestions (brand, size, etc)?

Thank you.
 
vec,

If you really want to take full advantage of any automation system, it is almost always wise to buy all the electronic equipment from the same manufacturer, so that they can easily communicate with each other. (Pump, Automation, and SWCG).

Let's see if one of our Jandy SWCG owners might be able to chime in...

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.
 
Well, several of the SWG manufacturers do not make automation systems. I know the big 3 do - hayward, jandy and pentaire. I guess I was wondering if there were any swg's outside of the main 3 that will work with the Jandy Automation.

I do not have ANY equipment yet so I can change the whole thing if needed. Though i'm not too interested in the Hayward automation system.
 
I vote for Pentair. If you buy three pieces of equipment (pump, SWG and EasyTouch panel) and have them professionally installed, then you get their full 3 year warranty.

My beef with Jandy is that the iAqualink system seems to be very poorly made and their largest SWG (AquaPure 1400) produces less chlorine than the highest model Pentair (1.25lbs/day versus 2lbs/day).


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Typically, it's best to keep all automation and computerized equipment from the same manufacturer.

Variable speed pumps, salt systems etc.

Automation does not do well with other manufacturer's equipment.

I would rate Jandy, Pentair and Hayward as roughly equal. All three have good and bad reviews. No system is perfect.

For non-computerized equipment, such as single or two speed pumps, it's not important to match automation.
 
The IC40 is big enough. It just depends on how long you need to run the pump. You can get an Intelliflo and run it as long as needed because the cost to run at low speed is low.

You could get the IC60 and run the pump less.

Either way should work.

What pump do you have?
 
I have ZERO equipment - clean slate - blank canvas - nadda - nothing. The pool was dug and filled in the fall but then immediately covered as cold weather set in. We are now planning our equipment list so it's ready to purchase and install in the spring.
 

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Intelliflo and IC40 works great for me. I run my pump at 1100 rpm to skim and make chlorine and it uses 150 watts. At 10.5c/kWh it costs 12 bucks a month to run the pump 24x7. It is tall that much to upgrade to the IC60 though. I'll probably get an IC60 when my cell fails.
 
vec,

I am an highly biased Pentair kind of guy, but I would go with whatever your pool builder is most comfortable with. If he works with Pentair that would be great, but if all he knows is Jandy, then I believe there would be less risk going with all Jandy.

Talk with him and see what kind of feedback you get....

Jim R.
 
IC-60

The economics are such that a larger sized cell is always better. Since you're buying this as part of a pool build, the marginal increase in cost between the IC40 and IC60 is in the noise.


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Then you lose the best feature of the autopilot, the temp compensation from what i understand.

I have the Jandy PDA. It was with the house and automation is nice but I'm way too cost conscious (or cheap as the wife says) to buy it on my own. I don't know much about the other systems, but the Jandy is finicky and I would avoid if possible. I don't know if they made improvements to the Jandy salt system, but I have the 1400 and it's not great. I've replaced the board and transformer and for now it works. I got my friend the hayward system and he has no issues whatsoever with it. I don't like the pentair because you can't get 300 dollar cells for it, but it does get very good reviews. Also, if you don't have a spa, do you really need the salt system integrated?
 
robl45 said:
I don't like the pentair because you can't get 300 dollar cells for it, but it does get very good reviews.
Also, if you don't have a spa, do you really need the salt system integrated?
Click to expand...

I don't understand those 2 points. What do mean about pentair cells? Are they much more than 300? Are others cheaper?

Also, why do I not need integration without a spa? I have minimal understanding of swg but I figured Id want control over the same way I control everything else.

I think I'm leaning toward all pentair equipment and a raypak heater...

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Pentair builds all of their control logic and electronics onto the cell itself. The only thing not built into the cell is the 24V power transformer which is usually located in the automation panel. So, since there's so much hardware built onto the cell, Pentair replacement cells are more expensive. If you compare a Pentair IC40 with a Hayward T-15 cell, the Hayward cell is probably less than $500 while the Pentair will closer to $600. You can also buy off-brand "T-15" replacement cells (i.e., not made by Hayward) for even less money. With Pentair, you can only buy Pentair equipment.


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robl45 said:
Then you lose the best feature of the autopilot, the temp compensation from what i understand.
Click to expand...

Yes this is true, because the automation wants to control the SWG level rather than having the SWG control itself - wouldn't really be automation control if the SWG does things on its own. Yes, I really like that feature, but am building my own home-brewed automation which will control the SWG but will attempt to reproduce that algorithm itself (looking at air and water temp).

The autopilot has another good feature that automation "normally" has, as it can control the pump - turning on/off and even freeze-protection. This is lost as well if you go to automation, because again, scheduling and pump control is an automation item.

So while these are "lost" with connection to automation, they were features that were added to provide a level of automation without an automation system.
 
Veccster said:
I don't understand those 2 points. What do mean about pentair cells? Are they much more than 300? Are others cheaper?

Also, why do I not need integration without a spa? I have minimal understanding of swg but I figured Id want control over the same way I control everything else.

I think I'm leaning toward all pentair equipment and a raypak heater...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

As Joyfulnoise said, pentair cells have the electronics built in so its like getting a new system every time you swap the cell. Thats very good but also more expensive. As for the automation, with a spa, the automation can run the chlorinator less when the spa is on so you don't way overchlorinate just the spa. Without a spa, I can't imagine that automation is really that necessary for the SWG. Once you fine tune it to the correct level, it will rarely be changed.
 
robl45 said:
Without a spa, I can't imagine that automation is really that necessary for the SWG. Once you fine tune it to the correct level, it will rarely be changed.
Click to expand...

Where I live, we can have pretty wide temperature swings. My pool is in direct sun for most of the day, so it will heat up during the day and then cool down at night when I run my fountains. The Autopilot without automation attached, has a feature to automatically adjust the %age based upon water temperature. This was nice as if we had a cooler week, with lots of clouds, it would cut back production automatically. Otherwise I would see my FC rising. Same as when fall was approaching and the water was getting cooler over the course of weeks. It kept lowering it. I still tested my FC levels to verify ok and still made some minor adjustments. So without this feature, I would have needed to adjust sometimes to keep FC stable.

So regardless of if you have or don't have automation, you may be tweeking your SWG at times if your water temp varies much. So if you go with automation, you still need to check you pool chemistry and be ready to make SWG adjustments if needed. W/O automation, the AutoPilot is nice because it can try to do that for you with the automatic adjustment with water temp.
 

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