Had a 30 minute power outage this morning. When the outage happened, pool was in spillover mode. When power came back on, the schedule should have been on spa mode. Happened to look out window and pool waterfall was going with auto cover on. Water was pumping from spa and out waterfall! I do not have the waterfall turning on with any schedule. Just turn it on and off with app when we want to use it. When there is a power outage, what settings should easytouch revert to upon restart? Any programming I can do to ensure auto valve for waterfall is closed when power outage ends?
Easytouch settings after power outage
- Thread starter Ablaw1102
- Start date
- May 3, 2014
- 62,707
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Please add your Easytouch to your signature.
My Easytouch reverts to existing progamming after a power outage.
How old is your Easytouch? Is the time correct after the outage?
My Easytouch reverts to existing progamming after a power outage.
How old is your Easytouch? Is the time correct after the outage?
Easytouch is 3 years old and yes, the time is correct. I will add it to the signature.
Never had a problem like this with power outages before. One thing to mention, the valve actuator for the waterfall is an Intermatic and all the others are pentair.
Never had a problem like this with power outages before. One thing to mention, the valve actuator for the waterfall is an Intermatic and all the others are pentair.
- May 3, 2014
- 62,707
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The actuator brand should not matter. They all work the same.
Odd. How did you recover? You might try using Reset on the ET box.
Odd. How did you recover? You might try using Reset on the ET box.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,657
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Sorry, can't advise on this particular problem either, as my ET always reverts to it's normal programming when power is restored. In fact, it resumes any schedules that might be going on.
Couple thoughts:
Know that there are two resets for an ET. The reset button is supposed to be like rebooting a computer. Programming is maintained.
The other reset is a factory reset which wipes your programming and restores the ET to factory defaults.
I've done both, and this is just a reminder, when you get everything working again, to go through every window and option dialog box of your ScreenLogic interface and take a screenshot of it. Stash it away for future reference. I had remembered to do this before reseting my ET, but there were a few settings that are only available via the ET display, so I had to recreate those myself. But at least the ScreenLogic snapshots will get you most of the way there.
The factory reset did solve some very odd bugs I had always had, so while it's drastic, it does work.
Couple thoughts:
Know that there are two resets for an ET. The reset button is supposed to be like rebooting a computer. Programming is maintained.
The other reset is a factory reset which wipes your programming and restores the ET to factory defaults.
I've done both, and this is just a reminder, when you get everything working again, to go through every window and option dialog box of your ScreenLogic interface and take a screenshot of it. Stash it away for future reference. I had remembered to do this before reseting my ET, but there were a few settings that are only available via the ET display, so I had to recreate those myself. But at least the ScreenLogic snapshots will get you most of the way there.
The factory reset did solve some very odd bugs I had always had, so while it's drastic, it does work.
when I saw the waterfall running I quickly turned power off to the easytouch, stopping pumps. I then had to pump and bail water off the cover quickly as the spa was drained and cover sinking quite a bit. Lucky I caught it after only about 20 minutes. I then switched the toggle on back of the actuator to the opposite position which closed waterfall valve(odd). Turned on easytouch and then waterfall valve started opening. Switched the toggle back to original position and valve closed as it should. Noticed the easytouch screen was blank so pressed reset and display came up. All good since then. If I had not been here when this happened, things would have been a lot worse. Seems like the valve actuator for waterfall went to the opposite direction than it should have for the position of the switch on back for unknown reasons.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,351
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,351
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Power went out around 11:20 am and back on at 11:55am. Noticed waterfall and shut off pump at 12:15 pm. Toggle on back of valve actuator functioned opposite of Normal until easytouch reset button pressed.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,351
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
That is an interesting clue but I am not sure where it leads. Need to noodle on it.
Would you be willing to do a test and flip off the CB to your EasyTouch someday about that time and then restore power around the time it came back on and see if the problem repeats?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,351
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
When you turn it back on watch the waterfall valve and see if it moves.
Ok - shut of power and restored power at same time as yesterday’s outage. Everything Reverted to correct settings and waterfall did not come on. Only difference is yesterday the easytouch screen was blank when power was restored and I had to press reset to get it into auto mode. Today, screen was on and easytouch was in auto mode when power restored. Also yesterday my app would not connect to the system until the reset was pressed. I may try shutting of power a few more times and see what happens
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,657
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
While this is good troubleshooting, you may not be able to recreate what actually happened. You're using a breaker to simulate the outage, which "severs" the power instantly. And restores it instantly. But that's not always the way outages happen. They may brown out slowly (still very fast, but slowly in terms of electricity), or flicker some before going all the way dark. Or go off, then on for a bit, then off again. And similarly as it restores. It might ramp up a bit, or flicker a bit, etc. All of which would play havoc on a computer system, either when dying slowly, or getting interrupted in mid-boot.
Your ET's reaction might have been a one-off. Or might happen again if the next outage occurs in a similar (or even different) manner than last time. Is what it is.
There are systems that can email you when power is restored. And more elaborate ones that can even email you when it dies. You could then check your pool when that happens while you're away. Which is why I installed pool and pad cams. They won't work (for now) during an outage, but will report upon restoration. It's good peace of mind, too, even when nothing is wrong. Being able to check on my water level, or if my pump is running, or that my pad hasn't sprung a leak, allows me to focus on my gin and tonic without worry!
Your ET's reaction might have been a one-off. Or might happen again if the next outage occurs in a similar (or even different) manner than last time. Is what it is.
There are systems that can email you when power is restored. And more elaborate ones that can even email you when it dies. You could then check your pool when that happens while you're away. Which is why I installed pool and pad cams. They won't work (for now) during an outage, but will report upon restoration. It's good peace of mind, too, even when nothing is wrong. Being able to check on my water level, or if my pump is running, or that my pad hasn't sprung a leak, allows me to focus on my gin and tonic without worry!
Good point. The power seemed to flicker a bit before going off.
Yes, I was looking into that. It would provide some peace of mind!
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,657
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I learned this the hard way. I lost a furnace control board because of a slow blackout. Just unplugging the furnace wouldn't have done that. It was the brown out. PG&E, of course, wouldn't cover it. They didn't see my point of view. Sure, I don't pay during a blackout, but when the power is on, I pay for 120V. Not 90V, or 40V, or varying volts.
This was a battle I chose not to fight. The new board was less than the small claims filing fee!! Best to leave it to Erin Brockovich.
The good news is, your ET survived and lives to fight another day!!
- Nov 12, 2017
- 12,657
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I can do all sorts of crazy things with my pool cam. And I've yet to do my write up here about my new pad cam. Check out this goofiness:
What did you do to your pool today?
I also emptied the skimmer, and Wu-Tang the robot is running. You can never get rid of this robot, Wu-Tang Forever
www.troublefreepool.com
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,351
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
As @Dirk pointed out when voltage varies as the power flickers during a power failure it can cause timing problems that confuse electronics as it boots up. I have lost AC compressors that were running during a power event and tried to restart with dirty power.
We will see more of these problems as the power grid in the US becomes more fragile and unreliable.
We will see more of these problems as the power grid in the US becomes more fragile and unreliable.