Slowly automating my home & pool over time

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bwnet2k

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Jun 21, 2011
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St. Louis, MO
I am a first time pool owner, who is slowly automating my home over time. The desire to automate the new pool is a no-brainer, but I'm looking for someone to offer some guidance or advice.
My HAL 2000 automation system is UPB based, and I don't have a need to control the pool remotely (phone, browser etc.). The low voltage lighting is not an issue, but how can I tie into my Pentair VF3050 pump? Is it only possible through using an expensive Pentair product? I also have (3) 2-way valves and (1) 3-way valve controlling flow to different features; can these be controlled (slightly tweaked) through actuators, or are the actuators simply open or closed? Same question would apply for natural gas features.

Any thoughts?
 
HAL2000 uses the X-10 powerline protocol to communicate with various devices connected up through standard household wiring. Getting it to control a Pentair 3050 pump would indeed require the IntelliComm module (you would need to get 2-4 powerline to low-voltage relays to interface X-10 to the Intellicomm, btw). My only concern would be reliability, as X-10 is not the most robust HA protocol out there. I've had better luck with Insteon devices. Alternatives are to completely automate your pool equipment using X-10 or to get a dedicated controller (e.g. like the Intellitouch) and obtain a bridge that allows you to control some functions from your HA system. I think the latter may be easier, more reliable, but also much more expensive.
 
I know that Control 4, Crestron and AMX are pretty versatile home automation systems, but they require a lot of custom setup and programming. If money is not the primary concern, then one of those systems might be worth considering.
 
There is a thread on the subject of talking to/controlling an Intelliflow at cocoontech
http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13548&hl=intelliflow&st=0

So you have two options:
1) Interface with RS485 and talk via it's native protocol
2) Use relays to trigger on/off and preset speeds via a pentair adapter

If you are savvy with control systems, it should be no problem for you to get it to work.
For me it was easiest to get a Jandy RS12 to control the pump and various systems/valve and then interface with Homeseer to bridge to my home automation stuff. What is really sweet for me right now is that I can see power usage on the pool sub panel, water usage, and pool/ambient temps all in the same weekly/monthly report. I'm working on getting chemical usage in there too.
 
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