EasyTouch Freeze Protection Conundrum

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Flybriz

Flybriz

0
Bronze Supporter
Apr 18, 2010
59
Tulsa, OK
Hello! I built a DIY on-ground pool earlier this year complete with a waterfall, two inlets (one near the surface, and one near the bottom) and these are controlled by an EasyTouch 4 and automated valves. Temps are getting colder in the mornings here, and I was excited to see that our waterfall was on this morning for freeze protection, just as I had intended. However, I'm now concerned that I have a new potential problem with the way I've laid out my valves. Brief description with a really awful drawing:

Out of the pump, heater, SWG, the incoming line meets an automated valve (valve #1) set to actuate back and forth from 75/25 percent. One line out goes to the inlet at the surface level, and the other line out continues to valve #2. Valve #2 is set to actuate 100% to either the waterfall, or to a second inlet toward the bottom of the pool. With this combo of valves, I can use primarily the top inlet (to stir the water and catch surface debris), or send more to the bottom wall inlet (to mix up water at the bottom so I'm not simply circulating the top 1' of water, also does a great job mixing in heat when the heater is on), and finally turn on the waterfall but lower the output of the top inlet nice waterfall at low RPM. This may have been a ridiculous way to set it up, but it works great for what I was wanting to do.

Now the problem - I have valve #2 set to actuate during freeze protection, so the waterfall turns on. The top inlet has water running through it as well. However, the bottom inlet (which is on the other output of valve #2) is completely shut off, leaving a significant amount of idle water in the PVC running from the equipment pad to the pool. If we get some really cold temperatures, I'm concerned that this pipe could freeze and crack. It's worth noting that all three PVC lines coming from the equipment to their respective returns are 20+ feet long with many turns, and are above ground (under a deck)

Finally, to the question: Is it possible to setup a freeze cycle so that valve #2 will actuate (waterfall) and run for X minutes, then rotate to turn on the bottom inlet and run for X minutes, and repeat? I've seen posts where behavior like this can be done with a Pool/Spa combo, but this is Pool only.

If that's not possible, I'd love to hear what the next best option would be. Modify the valve configuration so that valve #2 will never fully turn off the bottom inlet? Wrap the pipes in insulation and hope for the best? Work out a way to drain the pipes to the waterfall during the winter so that they don't need to run?

values.jpg

Thanks for any advice on this!

TL;DR; - Can EasyTouch's freeze protection parameters cycle a valve on and off to keep water from freezing in two separate long PVC runs?
 
Great idea - might cause me to have to run a higher RPM in the summer to get the waterfall going strong enough. Or wait, were you thinking to manually set it to 50/50 and just turn it off for the winter so Easytouch won't move it? That would probably work great!
 
You can use the switch on the actuator to get the valve setting you want then place the switch in the 'off' position so the ET will not move it. Then in the spring reset the switch to the proper setting. That way you do not mess with your cam settings in the actuator.
 
Update: After manually setting the valves and switching them off, things worked sort of well, though I lost some water due to the fountain not projecting far enough to clear the pool edge. I made some adjustments to pump speed on the freeze protection circuit, and I’m pretty confident that a solution has been found. Thanks for the assistance!
 
Well, freeze protection has been working well through December. However, Tulsa got hit with a pretty bad cold snap over New Years, 3 degrees or less overnight. Unfortunately, I was out of town. New Years Day afternoon, I returned home to find that the entire pool was iced over, with a nice plumage of ice in front of the waterfalls. The pump was still running, but laboring as it was unable to draw sufficient water from the skimmer. In a panic, I shut everything down and decided to wait for temps to warm up to assess the damage. Things are starting to thaw now, and the first casualty is the salt cell, which is cracked along the bottom. So far the pump seems fine as does the filter. It looks a little wet under the heater, which could indicate some damage, but that could also be runoff from the salt cell leak. I'm really hoping that none of the PVC under the deck is harmed. Shutting everything off on Monday was a tough decision. I suspect that the salt cell freeze didn't occur until AFTER I shut things down, but with the pump straining for water and the ice sheet in the pool getting thicker by the hour, I didn't feel like keeping the system running was an option.

Just a cautionary tale for all my friends here that things can still go casters up even if you have freeze protection.

I ordered a salt cell bypass tube from Amazon which will go in place for now so I can start things up. I'll get a new cell closer to spring, but has anyone here successfully repaired one of these things with epoxy, or is it a total loss?

IMG_0391.jpg
 
I don’t think epoxy will hold it together and you really don’t want it to spring a leak while running. Can you put in a claim with your Homeowner’s Insurance?

As a future note, if you ever need to shutdown your equipment pad because of a hard freeze, it’s best to drain the equipment as much as possible. Throw the breakers to kill all electrical power then open and drain the pump (two drain plugs), drain the filter and, if necesssary, drain the heater to protect the header and heat exchanger. The IC couplings should only ever be on hand-tight so it’s easy to pull that out of the plumbing. All the water will go below ground into the pipes and likely will not freeze. Of course, you can only drain this way IF your equipment pad is above the waterline.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Thanks Matt - my homeowners doesn't cover the pool as they consider it to be above ground, which technically it is. I also appreciate the equipment pad advice. I'm going to have to rethink some things in the spring - the pad is below the waterline, and while I to have shutoffs to all the inlets and skimmer, that traps water in a pretty significant pipe run. Busted pipes are certainly an easier fix than busted equipment though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply