Is Pentair Intelliflo VF a DIY project?

[socalsharky]

As I noted in another post, my current pump appears to be on the verge of failure, and I am going to be getting a Pentair Intelliflo VF. I am very handy with electrical, plumbing and other DIY projects. I also have a good understanding of electronics, like computers, etc. Is the installation of this pump a reasonable DIY project? Two local pool companies have quoted me about $2000 for this pump including installation and set up. I can buy the pump for less than $1200. The pump would be replacing an existing Pentair Whisperflo 1HP pump. I have attached a photo of my equipement set up. The pump in question is on the far left of the photo:[attachment=2:1ddx96bb]pentairCIMG0073.JPG[/attachment:1ddx96bb]
Here are two close-up views:
[attachment=1:1ddx96bb]pentairCIMG0074.JPG[/attachment:1ddx96bb]
[attachment=0:1ddx96bb]pentairCIMG0075.JPG[/attachment:1ddx96bb]

 

[JasonLion]

That area is crowded, so there will be a few tricky moments, but still you should be able to do it yourself.

One challenge is that the back of the current motor is under a pipe with very little clearance, and that is exactly where the control panel on the IntelliFlo is going to be. Another is that you are very close to fittings on both pump connections, so you don't have much give to work with. You are going to need to be methodical and plan out the pipe routes and what order to do each of the major joints so that everything will fit correctly. The person who did your original plumbing was very good and they put everything very close together, so a few of the joints will require extra precision.

 

[socalsharky]

Jason--

What about the electrical and control connections, and then the programming? Does the pump come with detailed instructions on how to wire everything, and then how to program the intellitouch system to "talk" to the pump? Also, my intellitouch predates the VF pumps. Do you have to do some type of flash update?

Thanks,
Greg

 

[JasonLion]

The electrical and control connections are very easy if you have done any electrical work before. The programming is a little bit of work, but mostly it is a question of figuring out how you want the unit setup, rather than any trouble actually configuring it.

If your IntelliTouch is old enough it might need to be updated. Updates are available.

 

[socalsharky]

If your IntelliTouch is old enough it might need to be updated. Updates are available.

How do I go about updating my Intellitouch? I didn't see anything about it on the Pentair website.