EasyTouch 4 - step by step guide to connecting landscape lights?

[miles267]

Recently had low voltage LED lights placed around perimeter of our pool with wiring run back to the EasyTouch 4 Panel. It's my understanding I have one circuit open to which I can connect outdoor landscape lighting. Has anyone done a step-by-step guide (photos) to connect them? Surprised there isn't one on YouTube.

Would love not to have to call an electrician. Landscaper ran the lighting back to this 120V digital transformer mounted directly below my ET4 panel. Do I just connect the 2 wires on the end of the lighting wire to an AUX in the ET4?

Hampton Bay Low-Voltage 120-Watt Landscape Transformer-SL-120-12A - The Home Depot

Also wired to the panel:

Pentair VS Pump
Pentair UltraTemp Heat Pump
2 Intellibrite lights

Thanks.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Miles,

How close to the pool are the lights? "Technically" if they are less than 10' I believe that they need a special transformer.

That said, all you need to do is run the AC power that goes to the landscape lighting power supply through your available Aux relay.

You do not want to run the low voltage through the ET.. you want the ET to power the landscape lighting system.

Jim R.

 

[miles267]

The lights are off the edge of our pool decking in our flower beds. Probably 5-10 ft.+ from the water's edge.

Thanks Jim R. Just have that Hampton Bay 120 Watt transformer for now. The wiring from the chain of low wattage LED lights goes to that HB transformer mounted to wall just below my ET4 panel. Then there are wires from the transformer that need to be connected within the ET4 panel itself. Do not currently have a breaker for the landscape lighting itself in the ET. That's where I'm unclear specifically where they need to be connected (am a visual person).

 

[Jimrahbe]

Miles,

I'm headed to a Doctor's appointment, so I'll have to get back with you later today.

I noticed that your SWCG is not wired through the Pump/Filter relay. If you read the big note on the larger (SWCG) Transformer, you will see that it is a requirement.

Jim R.

 

[miles267]

Sorry Jim, that is actually an old pic prior to my electrician correcting the SWCG (per your advice). Otherwise everything else in panel is unchanged. Hope everything OK and all goes well at doctor!


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[bdavis466]

An Aux circuit will need to be used. Wire a 15A breaker to the line side of the relay, wire a low voltage transformer (Intermatic PX300) to the load side of the relay. The neutral and ground will run from the neutral and ground bars to the neutral and ground wires on the line side of the transformer. Low voltage landscape wire will hook to the low voltage side of the transformer.

Set the Aux circuit up and assign it.

Menu> Circuit names> Select Aux ## (the one you hooked the wiring to)> Set name - Yard Lights or Malibu lights> Exit

Menu> Circuit Functions> Yard lights/ Malibu Lights> Assign to Lights> Exit

Menu>Settings>Schedule>Select The light circuit, set the on/off time and the days of the week.

When you push Aux ## (the one the lights are assigned to), the lights will come on. Additionally, you can set the lights to a schedule so they turn on and off on the days/times of your choosing or even better, wire in a photocell so you never have to adjust the on time throughout the year.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Miles,

Brian has got you covered... /\ /\

Man, you take a sick day and look what happens...

Jim R.

 

[miles267]

Set the Aux circuit up and assign it.

Menu> Circuit names> Select Aux ## (the one you hooked the wiring to)> Set name - Yard Lights or Malibu lights> Exit
Menu> Circuit Functions> Yard lights/ Malibu Lights> Assign to Lights> Exit

We have no spa or water features. Simply a pump, heat pump and 2 IntellBrite lights on AUX2 and AUX3 working correctly.

Successfully followed your schematic and wired low voltage transformer to my only remaining/empty circuit in the ET4, AUX4. Yet am unable to find a way to select AUX4 in ScreenLogic Configurator to follow the steps above. Since AUX4 was unused, would expect it to be more straight forward. Rather confusing. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[GDN]

Brian has it right but it might help to also do a search for adding a stenner pump to the easy touch panel. There are several threads on this forum and a good diagram or two. The wiring will be the same concept - you are just adding an outside device to be controlled by one of your open relays. Very handy and smart. I wired my Stenner pump in today, very straight forward. I'll put a thread together in a day or two but all of my information came from a few threads and good guy's right here in the forums.

Brian has the right concept of the breakers. In my situation the electrician didn't use all of the functionality of the ET and I have no breakers inside of the panel. Just the three back in the main house panel.


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[Jimrahbe]

Miles,

The open relay on the right side is Aux3, not Aux4.

Pump/Filter, Aux1, Aux2, and then Aux3. There is no Aux 4 in an ET4

Jim R.

- - - Updated - - -

Brian has it right but it might help to also do a search for adding a stenner pump to the easy touch panel. There are several threads on this forum and a good diagram or two. The wiring will be the same concept - you are just adding an outside device to be controlled by one of your open relays. Very handy and smart. I wired my Stenner pump in today, very straight forward. I'll put a thread together in a day or two but all of my information came from a few threads and good guy's right here in the forums.

Brian has the right concept of the breakers. In my situation the electrician didn't use all of the functionality of the ET and I have no breakers inside of the panel. Just the three back in the main house panel.


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GDN,

I would not call the guy who wired your ET8 an "Electrician"... Sigh!!!

Jim R.

 

[bdavis466]

Brian has it right but it might help to also do a search for adding a stenner pump to the easy touch panel. There are several threads on this forum and a good diagram or two. The wiring will be the same concept - you are just adding an outside device to be controlled by one of your open relays. Very handy and smart. I wired my Stenner pump in today, very straight forward. I'll put a thread together in a day or two but all of my information came from a few threads and good guy's right here in the forums.

Brian has the right concept of the breakers. In my situation the electrician didn't use all of the functionality of the ET and I have no breakers inside of the panel. Just the three back in the main house panel.


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I'm Brian and I approve this message

 

[miles267]

Miles,

The open relay on the right side is Aux3, not Aux4.

Pump/Filter, Aux1, Aux2, and then Aux3. There is no Aux 4 in an ET4

Jim R.

Jim R. - that was it. I was trying to use AUX4 instead of AUX3. The moment I configured AUX3 in ScreenLogic Configurator, everything started working. Just kept the transformer in TEST mode so it doesn't use its own timer or photo cell feature.

Thanks AGAIN!


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[GDN]

So - I must say - I was sitting out by the pool having a drink when I read this thread and replied on my phone. I missed more than I got. I didn't see the drawing Brian had already provided and it looks like Miles was replying at the same time that he had already completed the job when I was sending my reply. So all is already done and done well with your wiring. My next thing is to add a PX300 or equivalent and add some lights for control.

Brian - did you already have that drawing or whip it out just for the reply? That is impressive if you did it on the fly for the reply.

No offense on the guys that did my wiring - I get it now they were not electricians in any stretch of the imagination - it passed inspections, but that doesn't say a whole lot. I'll say that when thew were ready to start up my pool, the heater wouldn't work and was wired incorrectly and we went through 2 boards I think they shorted out in the ET8 before they got it wired and working properly. I've never mentioned the PB's name because of the way the pool was finished. It wasn't fun. At the end of the day - the pool is structurally sound I think, looks like what we wanted and works, but it wasn't the smoothest path and when I show pics of my ET8 or tell the story of 2 boards frying in it - it just proves that all I got were hacks doing the wiring. While they came from a certified electrician, I don't think any of them were older than 25 or 26 - there were 3 of them and at this point they don't know any more about electricity than I do.

And I won't argue that the order of the relays should be Pool, Aux1, Aux2, Aux3 - the door of the panel shows that, but after you get a hack electrician replacing the board in the ET8 twice and they don't pay any attention to how they hook it up, my relays are not in any kind of numerical order because they plugged them back in to the board willy nilly. So I chose the relay I wanted to use and then pushed the buttons til I found the one that operated it. I didn't want to take the top panel in the ET8 off to follow wires.

 

[miles267]

GDN, be careful you don't get a hijack warning for responding to this thread. I've had more than my share [emoji6]


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[GDN]

GDN, be careful you don't get a hijack warning for responding to this thread. I've had more than my share [emoji6]


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This is true - I've had a warning, but it was warranted. I was truly trying to be helpful on my first reply, but missed the drawing and part of the thread - then did go into my own wiring situation. I get how it helps to keep every thread to a single topic/problem, but it isn't practical in every situation.

 

[bdavis466]

Brian - did you already have that drawing or whip it out just for the reply? That is impressive if you did it on the fly for the reply..

I had drawn that up in response to a similar question a little while back.

 

[blakeusa]

Nice diagram.
Just a top priority safety warning.... just make double sure when you are working on your Easy Touch Control Panel that you have the MAIN POWER source to the ET panel (in the house) turned off before starting wiring. Said another way to make sure you don't fry yourself or your panel control board - make sure the power is OFF.
B

 

[miles267]

Appreciate the diagram. Made wiring in landscape lighting straight forward. I was weakest link...didn't realize the EasyTouch 4 had 1 circuit for pump + auxiliaries 1-3. I was incorrectly trying to configure an auxiliary 4 that didn't exist.


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[copaaz]

I'm no electrician, but I'm fairly hands on. I am failing to put this all together. Can you tell me if I'm on the right track? I should run all of my LV lighting to a transformer. Then connect the transformer to a "new" breaker that I install into the panel? I've attached an image of the inside of my ET 4.

 

[Jimrahbe]

c

Welcome to TFP.. A great place to find the answers to all your pool equipment questions...

It really depends on what kind of lights you have, how many lights, and if you want them all to be controlled independently or all together.

I notice that you have used the third relay over as the "Pump Filter" relay.. As long as it is connected to the Pump/Filter connector on the main board, it will operate fine. But, since most installs use the very first relay on the left (as well as the diagram on the door) as the Pump/Filter relay, it could be confusing for the next guy to use/troubleshoot the panel... Any reason you did this??

What are you currently using the 4th relay over for... (This would normally be the Aux 3 relay, if connected per the door diagram) ???

Thanks for posting,

Jim R.