Another EasyTouch programming question - flow to spa

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I would like to program my EasyTouch 8 to cause water to flow through the spa without going to high speed and without turning on the heater. In other words, I just want the ET to turn the 2 valves to spa position for a period of time to aid circulation while maintaining normal pump speed, and then turn the valves back to pool position.

How to accomplish this?

 

[mknauss]

Spillover. Set up a Feature Circuit using that mode.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I should have specified my spa has full-time spillover via an extra return which operates in pool mode. (I don't get awful pH rise because my spa is at pool level.)

Part of my objective is to open the spa drains to suck debris from the bottom into the filter.

 

[mknauss]

I do not know if that is possible to be done via the ET. @Jimrahbe may have some ideas.

 

[Jimrahbe]

RJ,

You can set up a schedule that has the spa on and the heater off... That is the easy part.. You can also set the pump speed using feature circuits. But, you can't make the pump go slower, only faster.. So I would set the standard Spa speed at a low RPM you want and then when you want to use the spa you will have to turn on a feature circuit to ramp up the pump speed.

I can't think of another way.. at least right now... If what I suggest above would work for you, let me know, and I can walk you through setting it up.

I doubt that the spa drain will capture much stuff unless you sweep it in there. ???

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

I'll settle for the easy part. How to run the spa with the heater off? (Remember, no ScreenLogic here.)

I can just let the pump run at spa speed for the short amount of time I'll run this schedule. That would help with capturing debris as well.

 

[mknauss]

You don't need ScreenLogic to create Feature Circuits and schedules.

If I want to clean up sand etc in our spa I do a manual switch of valves. But I also have to use my brush, or get in the spa, to mix up the debris so it pulled in to the drains. Just running the spa does nothing to get the debris.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

You don't need ScreenLogic to create Feature Circuits and schedules.

I know, I just wanted to steer Jim away from a SL solution.

If I want to clean up sand etc in our spa I do a manual switch of valves. But I also have to use my brush, or get in the spa, to mix up the debris so it pulled in to the drains. Just running the spa does nothing to get the debris.

You're probably right. This was just kind of a pipe dream I had because my little pole-mounted mini-vac bit the dust.

 

[Jimrahbe]

RJ,

Not have ScreenLogic is like going for a math test with just your fingers and not a calculator...

Of course now I find myself using the calculator to add 2+2...



If you look at my schedule above you can see two spa schedules one with the heat on and set to 95F and another with the spa on and set to 103F.. In your case you can just have the heat command set to off..

Now all I have to do is remember how to do that without Screenlogic..

Jim R.

 

[mknauss]

It will be like not using a calculator!

Just set up a Feature Circuit. Then if you want it scheduled, add a schedule for the Feature Circuit. I can go out and do it, explaining how, thats another issue -------

 

[Jimrahbe]

RJ,

Go into Heat and then Spa and set the Heat to off.. I think that when you schedule the spa mode the heater will not come on.

Then go into Settings and then go to Manual Heat and turn it on.

When you want to use the spa manually switch to spa mode and the heater will come on..

This is just a guess, as I have only set this up using ScreenLogic which does the work for you..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Go into Heat and then Spa and set the Heat to off.. I think that when you schedule the spa mode the heater will not come on.

Then go into Settings and then go to Manual Heat and turn it on.

When you want to use the spa manually switch to spa mode and the heater will come on..

This is the right answer according to the ET user manual. I haven't tried it yet, but will see what happens. This also explains why there are 2 speeds available named SPA and SPA HEATER, which puzzled me until now.

I stumbled across this in the MAN HEAT section of the manual today while looking for something else. It's amazing how long it takes to learn Pentairese.

 

[Rocket J Squirrel]

Tested and it works. Thanks, @Jimrahbe . I've set it to run at spa speed for 10 minutes per day in the middle of the pool schedule. Spa mode without heat overrides for the 10 minutes and then it returns to Pool mode. Time will tell whether that filters out any of the usual debris on the bottom of the spa. I know it won't get big leaves because they won't fit through the drain covers. But maybe it'll filter out some of the small stuff.