Automation what’s the best approach

[ksully]

I have a hayward Tristar 900 vs 900 and a Raypak 406a gas heater

I am going to look at automation controls one that I could eventually expand to include some other automation in the future - just have a Chlorinator right now but may look at a salt water Chlorinator as well

Any suggestions on the best route to go?

 

[guinness]

What is your budget? Someone listed their old Prologic for sale if that works for you.

Prologic - Full System for sale

I upgraded from Prologic to Omni PL so have many things for sale. I can ship to anywhere in a Canada or the US (pictures are below). I have the following items: GLX-PCB-PRO Board (Main Motherboard) that’s upgraded to software v4.47 (latest) not refurbished/repaired - $400 CAD/USD shipped...

www.troublefreepool.com

If you want to go with a newer Omni system, below are the systems for comparison purposes.

If you want to go the DIY route you could try Nixie with njsPC as it supports the TriStar pump.

Nixie Controller Setup

An application to control pool equipment from various manufacturers. - tagyoureit/nodejs-poolController

github.com

 

[1poolman1]

I have a hayward Tristar 900 vs 900 and a Raypak 406a gas heater

I am going to look at automation controls one that I could eventually expand to include some other automation in the future - just have a Chlorinator right now but may look at a salt water Chlorinator as well

Any suggestions on the best route to go?

For compatibility, any automation will work with your heater, but you need Hayward (or a Waterway Oasis) to communicate with your pump directly. There are ways to use relay inputs to control that pump with other brands, but it gets a little complicated with the install. If you look into guinness' info on that ProLogic, call Hayward first to see if it is compatible with your pump, it may not be.

 

[guinness]

From TriStar Owner’s Manual:

The TriStar VS 900 pump can communicate with and be controlled by Hayward pool controls such as OmniLogic, ProLogic, E-Command 4, and OnCommand. Minimum software revision requirements: OmniLogic R1.0.0, ProLogic 3.00, OnCommand 1.00, E-Command 2.65, E-Command 4 2.80, AquaLogic 2.65, and AquaPlus 2.65.

 

[1poolman1]

From TriStar Owner’s Manual:

Thanks, good to know. Usually, the older Hayward automation, like the ProLogic, can only control 2 speeds on their VSP, but that is also usually enough for most applications.