autopilot vs hayward vs jandy

[larryfl1]

hi all,

i have a old autopilot digital and its time for a new system...

my maintenance guy is recommending to stick with the autopilot nano plus
the company redoing my pool is recommending jandy and or hayward

whats the thoughts?

the pool is small about 16k gallons and in florida

btw, i am using a variable speed pump that runs pretty slow during the day..

thanks for the help

 

[GaryT58]

Love my Autopilot - have Total Control, but same basic controller as the Pool Pilot Digital. The Autopilots allow low water flow rates (15 gpm) so a good choice with low RPMs. I can run my vs pump as low as 650 rpm and still run the autopilot. The autopilots also have a great feature which will automatically adjust the chlorine output based upon water temperature. This is great as fall comes and the water temperature varies. I had my system set to 25% and it adjusted it self down to eventually 1% as the water got cooler. The Autopilot also allows for a wide salt level from 2000 - 35000 ppm. It can depending upon pump and model of autopilot, control your pump (turn on/off) based upon the scheduling in the unit itself. This allows for it to also provide freeze protection (turn on system with temperature drops near freezing).

While I have no personal experience with Jandy or Hayward, I love my Autopilot and would definitely replace with another when that day comes.

BTW, if you go with Autopilot, I highly recommend Josh (tfp member) at Salt Pool Guys. He will answer any questions.

Gary

 

[chiefwej]

I have been using the Hayward AquaRite AQR15 in my 20k pool for about 12 years now. My first cell lasted 7.5 years and cost $400 to replace making my chlorine cost about $53 per year. In twelve years I had to replace two flow switches ($25 each and 5 minute install) and an input resistor. The resistor was a common issue on the older models but has since been resolved. The repair cost $2.50 for the part and took about 15 minutes with a soldering iron. If my whole system blew up today, I would buy another like it tomorrow. If you are a DIY type the system is available online for under $900.

 

[m2m]

Love my Autopilot - have Total Control, but same basic controller as the Pool Pilot Digital. The Autopilots allow low water flow rates (15 gpm) so a good choice with low RPMs. I can run my vs pump as low as 650 rpm and still run the autopilot. The autopilots also have a great feature which will automatically adjust the chlorine output based upon water temperature. This is great as fall comes and the water temperature varies. I had my system set to 25% and it adjusted it self down to eventually 1% as the water got cooler. The Autopilot also allows for a wide salt level from 2000 - 35000 ppm. It can depending upon pump and model of autopilot, control your pump (turn on/off) based upon the scheduling in the unit itself. This allows for it to also provide freeze protection (turn on system with temperature drops near freezing).

While I have no personal experience with Jandy or Hayward, I love my Autopilot and would definitely replace with another when that day comes.

BTW, if you go with Autopilot, I highly recommend Josh (tfp member) at Salt Pool Guys. He will answer any questions.

Gary

Hi,

Maybe you can give me some advice. I have the Autopilot copilot Nano, only 18 months old and with around 8500 amp hours on the rc 35/22 cell. I have a hayward ecostar sp3400vsp variable speed pump, and a pentair quad de 60 filter all on 2 inch pipe, for a small pool of 10000 gallons. Salt around 2.6 to 3.0 normally. My pool is currently at around 80F but goes upto about 87F (sunshine only)

I find that I have to run the pump at over 2100 rpm for the autopilot to produce chlorine, otherwise I get an alert saying "flow rate error". I can see really good flow through the cell at much lower rpm too.

Any ideas? Is there a setting in the nano or a an issue with the release valve? Thanks. Im in the Philippines and this is my first pool as such. I did quite a bit of research initially to ensure i got the right components for the job, and to run in an environmentally friendly way.

Thanks for any advice

 

[GaryT58]

Hi,

Maybe you can give me some advice. I have the Autopilot copilot Nano, only 18 months old and with around 8500 amp hours on the rc 35/22 cell. I have a hayward ecostar sp3400vsp variable speed pump, and a pentair quad de 60 filter all on 2 inch pipe, for a small pool of 10000 gallons. Salt around 2.6 to 3.0 normally. My pool is currently at around 80F but goes upto about 87F (sunshine only)

I find that I have to run the pump at over 2100 rpm for the autopilot to produce chlorine, otherwise I get an alert saying "flow rate error". I can see really good flow through the cell at much lower rpm too.

Any ideas? Is there a setting in the nano or a an issue with the release valve? Thanks. Im in the Philippines and this is my first pool as such. I did quite a bit of research initially to ensure i got the right components for the job, and to run in an environmentally friendly way.

Thanks for any advice

I am not aware of any settings in regards to the flow switch. The autopilot line has one of the lowest flow rates needed (15gpm). On my larger pool, I can run my pump as low as 650 and it will work - but as filter became dirty I would need to bump up. I normally run about 1100-1400. Have you noticed the pressure reading on your filter? Has it been increasing? Maybe it needs cleaned. The pump will run at a constant RPM, but that doesn't mean constant flow rate, as that can be influenced by other things - water features, filter status, ..

Do you have any water features (falls, fountains) solar heating, heater, ... any else attached to pump?

If your pump has a window on its basket, is there a lot of air in there if you run at lower speeds? If so, possibly you have a air leak before the pump, so there would be less flow.

Did it ever work at lower RPM?

That it does work at all would seem to mean that the switch is working, but maybe defective if all the above are ruled out.

 

[binrocha]

Love my Autopilot - have Total Control, but same basic controller as the Pool Pilot Digital. The Autopilots allow low water flow rates (15 gpm) so a good choice with low RPMs. I can run my vs pump as low as 650 rpm and still run the autopilot. The autopilots also have a great feature which will automatically adjust the chlorine output based upon water temperature. This is great as fall comes and the water temperature varies. I had my system set to 25% and it adjusted it self down to eventually 1% as the water got cooler. The Autopilot also allows for a wide salt level from 2000 - 35000 ppm. It can depending upon pump and model of autopilot, control your pump (turn on/off) based upon the scheduling in the unit itself. This allows for it to also provide freeze protection (turn on system with temperature drops near freezing).

While I have no personal experience with Jandy or Hayward, I love my Autopilot and would definitely replace with another when that day comes.

BTW, if you go with Autopilot, I highly recommend Josh (tfp member) at Salt Pool Guys. He will answer any questions.

Gary

Hi Gary, I'm on the fence between hayward & auto pilot. Research shows majority of pool owners seem to favor hayward. Are you able to hook-up your vs pump to auto pilot? i have both single speed & vs pumps. Does the auto pilot generate the right amount of chlorine depending on just the outside temp? ty.

 

[JoshU]

Does the auto pilot generate the right amount of chlorine depending on just the outside temp?

The AutoPilot will look for you to set a purifier % periodically based on testing the chlorine level of the pool. From there the unit increases or decreases the amount of chlorine produced based on water temperature.

How many gallons is your pool?

Hayward certainly makes a good product. Support is okay. AutoPilot support is second to none.

 

[binrocha]

The AutoPilot will look for you to set a purifier % periodically based on testing the chlorine level of the pool. From there the unit increases or decreases the amount of chlorine produced based on water temperature.

How many gallons is your pool?

Hayward certainly makes a good product. Support is okay. AutoPilot support is second to none.

hello sir. Just pulled the trigger on the pool pilot set with ppc4, for my 30k L shape pool. I have yet to read manual so idk all features. What is the most accurate test kit out there?

 

[aadams1278]

The AutoPilot will look for you to set a purifier % periodically based on testing the chlorine level of the pool. From there the unit increases or decreases the amount of chlorine produced based on water temperature.

Josh,
I just bought a nano+ system from you. I'd like to ask you a further question about the autopilot when used with a pool heater. I didn't see anything about this in the manual. If the autopilot is installed downstream of the heater, and automatically adjusts chlorine production based on water temperature, when the heater is running it will detect temperatures much higher than the actual pool temperature, 100+ degrees I would expect. Won't this cause the autopilot to go into overdrive unnecessarily? What should be done when using a heater in this way?