Control pool light: sunset/vacation

[Decelerate]

I am wondering how everyone here is controlling their pool lights so that they come on at sunset throughout the year. Also, how is everyone handling occupied vs vacant settings for the pool light?

My pool is be being built at a winter home and I would like to be able to have the pool lights come on at sunset when we are there, and when we are not at the house, I do not want the pool lights to come on at all.

Right now the house has a Vantage lighting system and an easytouch is specced for the pool. My pool guy told me I would need to upgrade to the intellitouch to get the vantage to communicate with the pool. The problem is I only need to introduce conditional logic for the pool lights. The pentair ipad app is more than enough for the rest of the pool's functions.

So, I am wondering if there is a way to wire a Vantage relay to the easy touch in such a way to be a "master on/off" for the pool light. The pentair easytouch would be set to turn the pool light on everyday at 4pm and off at 11pm, but the vantage relay will will execute the conditional programming.

Does this make sense? Are there other options?

EDIT: pentair tech support just told me my logic is sound and that I would not need to upgrade to an intellitouch to accomplish all of this.

 

[techguy]

Not my expertise... but couldn't you simply add a photoelectric switch to the lighting circuit? Circuit comes on at 4:00 but only close the circuit (power-up the light) when it's dark.

 

[CraigMW]

I don't see how having an Intellitouch over an Easytouch would make a difference. The Vantage system would need some way to communicate with the RS485 communications line on either of the Pentair products to impact the control of the pool light. If Vantage makes a low voltage controller, it would be possible to route the control wires that activate the appropriate aux circuit relay. For example:

Easytouch/Intellitouch motherboard AUX1 (Lights) -> Vantage relay box -> Easytouch/Intellitouch AUX1 relay -> Pool light(s)

In this way, you have the Vantage system determine if the lights should be activated or not, and the Easytouch/Intellitouch controls when they turn on and off, and also control the light mode (e.g. on an Intellibrite). What is needed from the Vantage system is a) a way to detect when the residence is occupied, b) a means to communicate this to a Vantage controller/relay box and c) rerouting the AUX1 (or whatever aux circuit you have your pool light attached to) so that the wires from the Easytouch/Intellitouch motherboard that normally go to its relay first instead go through the Vantage controller and then to the Pentair unit's AUX1 relay.

An alternative would be to have the Vantage send an HTML string via the web to an Autelis box or Pentair's Intellicomm. The first method would be the cheapest though, assuming Vantage has a reasonably priced relay controller box.

 

[kodiak1120]

Hey, I created an app for my phone that lets me control my pool light (and pumps) from my smartphone. Here's a link to my thread:

i-created-an-app-to-control-pool-equipment-with-smartphone-t61606.html

Kevin