Pentair pool automation for new pool

[pbdb]

We are getting close to signing a contract to have a pool and attached spa built for us. We are still undecided about whether or not to have automation for the pool/spa/swcg operation installed when the pool is built. My main concerns are reliability of the systems. Florida is a hostile place for electronics that don't live in an air-conditioned environment and these panels all seem to be mounted outside, near the pool equipment. None of our friends who have pools have any kind of automation but most of them say it would make the pool/spa more enjoyable and some are considering putting it in. I think they are looking at us as potential guinea pigs. What kind of experiences are all of you having with these systems, particularly the Pentair EasyTouch. We have been in this house eight years now and have had no problems with lightning so my main concerns are corrosion from our usual high humidity.

Info about the pool - all equipment Pentair:
approx 600 sq ft, free form with sun shelf and oval spa (12" elevated) with spillway cascading down stacked river rock into pool
approx 19' x 40' dimensions
4' to 6' depth
IC4 SWCG
IntelliFlo VS pump (3 HP)
CC200 Clean & Clear cartridge filter

 

[jblizzle]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I do not know much about the Pentair Automation, but felt compelled to mention that your filter seems awefully undersized, especially given your location where the pool will be open all year.

Do you have an estimate of the water volume and we can offer a suggestion?
If is is around 24k gallons, we would suggest a minimum cartridge size of 350 sqft.

 

[imrodee]

We have the Pentair Easy Touch Automated system... and LOVE it. I live in Texas, it's 105 degrees here today. I can't imagine not having one on the pool. If you look at my signature below, you will see some of the equipment listed there. There are some awesome threads on here on programing. My PB set ours up and I've made some scheduling adjustments for winter vs summer. Call Pentair and ask too.. I am told they are extremely helpful in answering questions about warranties.

Good luck!

 

[pbdb]

Welcome to TFP!!!

I do not know much about the Pentair Automation, but felt compelled to mention that your filter seems awefully undersized, especially given your location where the pool will be open all year.

Do you have an estimate of the water volume and we can offer a suggestion?
If is is around 24k gallons, we would suggest a minimum cartridge size of 350 sqft.

Pool is a hair over 23,000 gal. I will bring this up with the builder before we sign contracts this Friday. Thanks for the input.

 

[pbdb]

We have the Pentair Easy Touch Automated system... and LOVE it. I live in Texas, it's 105 degrees here today. I can't imagine not having one on the pool. If you look at my signature below, you will see some of the equipment listed there. There are some awesome threads on here on programing. My PB set ours up and I've made some scheduling adjustments for winter vs summer. Call Pentair and ask too.. I am told they are extremely helpful in answering questions about warranties.

Good luck!

Thank you Helen. We will likely be getting the automation and it's good to hear from someone who actually has it that they LOVE it.

 

[jblizzle]

Pool is a hair over 23,000 gal. I will bring this up with the builder before we sign contracts this Friday. Thanks for the input.

So that would make the minimum about 340 sqft. You can not actually go too big on a cartridge filter. The larger it is, the less often you will have to open it up and go through the hassle of cleaning it.

 

[JasonLion]

Your setup is fairly simple, so a SunTouch automation system would be more than enough. EasyTouch is a better system, but for simpler setups it often isn't worth the extra expense.

The only thing that really calls for automation here is the spillway. To control that you want to turn a valve and change the pump speed, which is exactly the kind of thing automation is good for.

 

[HouTex]

Pool is a hair over 23,000 gal. I will bring this up with the builder before we sign contracts this Friday. Thanks for the input.

So that would make the minimum about 340 sqft. You can not actually go too big on a cartridge filter. The larger it is, the less often you will have to open it up and go through the hassle of cleaning it.

I agree on sizing of a cartridge filter. Mine is way over sized and I clean it once a year and I probably could do it every 18 months.

 

[Blowout]

Pool is a hair over 23,000 gal. I will bring this up with the builder before we sign contracts this Friday. Thanks for the input.

So that would make the minimum about 340 sqft. You can not actually go too big on a cartridge filter. The larger it is, the less often you will have to open it up and go through the hassle of cleaning it.

I agree on sizing of a cartridge filter. Mine is way over sized and I clean it once a year and I probably could do it every 18 months.

x3... I have the Pentair 520 on a 24k pool and it only needed to get cleaned once in the past year. The pool looks fantastic too!

 

[imrodee]

!

Thank you Helen. We will likely be getting the automation and it's good to hear from someone who actually has it that they LOVE it.

Inside we have the wll mounted unit.. Outside we have the main computer system and there is a limited service on the spa itself. Best money I ever spent!

 

[superray]

I have a Jandy Aqualink RS on my Pool/Spa so can't speak of the Pentair system but with regard to pool automation in general, the circuit boards inside the weatherproof enclosure are designed (coated) to be in such environments (obviously not waterproof, but able to handle high heat, high humidity environments).
One thing that I learned living in the South, having lived in Northern areas most of my life, and being a boat owner/pool owner is everyone is always concerned about the heat but forget about the cold here in Texas. Not sure about other pool automation systems but my pool automation will actually start the pumps to allow water flow when the temps get around freezing. I mention the boat because interesting enough the most damage comes to people living in Florida and Texas who forget the power of water freezing in a line and bust a pipe (or engine block/drive). I travel alot for work and am working on automating the pool further but it's nice piece of mind to know that when I travel during the winter months I won't come home to a burned up pump, emptied pool or a huge plumbing bill due to an overnight freeze. Also being able to adjust the spa temp without leaving the water is really great and to take it one step further with automation heading towards being controlled via tablet/phones now it's awesome to be able to set the spa or pool heater remotely so that it's ready to go by the time you come home from traveling or even just getting ready for that back yard party!
Now I will mention that I work in the electronics industry and am an automation geek but pool automation is a huge plus as far as I am concerned!

 

[HouTex]

On the automation issue, I completely agree that it's worth it. I haven't made the effort to hook my Easytouch up to my router for online access, but I do have the wireless remote and I wouldn't have pool/spa/fountains etc. without some type of automation. The Pentair system is not the most user friendly system, and the manual is not the best, but once you learn it it works well.

 

[pbdb]

Thank you everyone for your timely input. We will be signing a contract tomorrow morning and will definitely be getting the automation. We also will be discussing the filter size. If we decide to do our own maintenance it's almost a sure thing that we will get a larger filter. I don't mind giving up part of an afternoon cleaning filter elements but I don't want to have to take the filter apart any more times during a year than necessary. If we decide to go with a service (which the builder also offers) and there is not an additional charge for filter cleaning we may stay with the smaller unit for now. We will likely take over the maintenance when I retire but that's about three years away. It sounds like something that would provide something interesting to do when I don't have to go to work each day. On top of that you get to do it in a very pleasant environment.

 

[jblizzle]

You would be better served and likely have better water if you continue to read here and manage the pool yourself ... it really is not that hard or time consuming. Certainly there is an extra charge if they are responsible for cleaning the skimmer, pool, and filter over just chemical addition.

 

[imrodee]

My maintenance program:
Check the skimmers every morning
Get a water sample and test the pH every other day or so (1 minute or less)
I do the other tests weekly (unless I have a reason to do it more often) (less than 10 minutes)

Enter the readings into the Pool Calculator and do what it says.. which normally is similar to this:

I basically toss in a few ounces of muratic acid twice a week
I brush the pool once a week
backwash maybe every 4-6 weeks, or when the pressure rises on the DE filter
MAYBE add salt 2 times a year

If that gives you any idea...

Good luck!!

 

[pbdb]

You make it sound easy and almost attractive. I'll think it over. We certainly wouldn't mind saving the money.

 

[Bluelilly]

We have the Pentair Easy Touch system and can't imagine having a pool without automation. We can sit on deck and turn on waterfall, adjust speed of pump, change lighting, check temps. We also have landscape lighting connected and schedules for everything.

I will also add that maintaining your own pool is an easy thing. We have very busy schedules and did not want to be burdened with pool maintenance but this forum has made it very easy and "trouble free". Even if you hire someone else to do it, having the knowledge of how it is supposed to be done will keep your pool trouble free.

 

[pbdb]

I'd like to thank everyone for taking the time to help us work through the issues connected to putting in a pool and reach informed decisions. We really appreciate it.