I recently installed some solar panels (DIY). I thought I had everything up and running correctly, but now not sure. The valve to divert to solar appears to work correctly and turns on/off based on the solar temperature setting. However, I noticed today that when the pool gets close to the pool setpoint temperature, the controls/valve keep cycling in and out of solar mode as the water temperature fluctuates slightly around the set temp. I have the Start and Run in the solar settings at 6 deg and 3 deg. I believe these are the deadbands for when solar starts/stops (for example when there is cloud cover and solar temperature drops). Is there another desdband setting somewhere for the actual pool temperature setting so that the solar doesn’t keep cycling on/off when it reaches setpoint? Thanks.
Easytouch Solar Programming
- Thread starter smthomas7
- Start date
Your signature says EasyTouch but your title says IntelliTouch. Probably doesn't matter.
I don't have a solution for you, but strangely enough, my ET is doing the same thing this year, which it never did in past years. I did have to install and calibrate a new solar sensor this year, but that's the only thing that's changed. So I'm also baffled by this behavior.
I guess I will play with increasing the Start and Run parameters and see whether that helps.
I don't have a solution for you, but strangely enough, my ET is doing the same thing this year, which it never did in past years. I did have to install and calibrate a new solar sensor this year, but that's the only thing that's changed. So I'm also baffled by this behavior.
I guess I will play with increasing the Start and Run parameters and see whether that helps.
Thanks for pointing out the error in my posting title…corrected. I guess I will also try to play around with the Start and Run parameters too, but my understanding was that those settings were only related to the solar temperature sensor compared to water temperature. And those are already set at 6 and 3 degrees, so it would seem they have no effect on the water temperature setpoint. Yesterday I had the temp setpoint at 90 degrees and when it reached that setpoint the valve kept opening/closing and the pool temperature was only fluctuating by 1 degree or less (89-90).
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,961
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
ET and solar here. I had something similar going on. My solution was suggested by a nincompoop pool guy, and somewhat rejected by a solar installer, who hadn't heard of it, so logic should dictate that it was a questionable idea. But it did work.
The pool guy explained that when the temp reading on the roof is very close to the "hot enough - not hot enough" threshold, any inconsistent wind on the sensor would affecting the reading, first pushing it a little above the threshold, then cooling it a little below. This would cause the ET to react, first engaging the solar, then pausing it, back and forth as the gusts affect the sensor reading. He suggested a glass container mounted over the sensor would not affect the temperature reading caused by the heat from the sun (or the roof), but would negate the fluctuations caused by the wind.
I've been running it like that for years now, the on-off-on-off problem vanished, and the system seems to be working as intended. This may or may not be a solution for you, but it's easy and cheap, so might be worth a try. Just remember, this is not a standard solar installation technique, but rather an anecdotal trick, made up by who-knows-who.
I used a small pickle relish jar, including the lid. I hacksawed a small slit in the lip of the metal lid, just wide and long enough to allow the sensor's wire to pass through into the jar. Then I mounted the lid to the roof, using a screw and some roofing sealant, inserted the sensor into the jar, routing the wire through the slot in the lid, and then just screwed the jar, upside down, into the lid. It's all pretty simple. I considered using a plastic container, but then decided to use glass because it would withstand wind and rain and UV, and minimize any interference between the sun's rays and the sensor. I think I wrapped some layers of tape on the wire, where it would have contacted the hacksawed metal, just to give the wire a little extra protection against any abrasion from the sharp metal edge.
The logic behind this makes sense, blocking the wind from the sensor. But I never experimented to determine if the temperature sensing is affected by the jar. Is it hotter in the jar? Or cooler? And if either, does that matter? All I know is that the system works fine, and the on-off-on-off issue stopped happening.
The pool guy explained that when the temp reading on the roof is very close to the "hot enough - not hot enough" threshold, any inconsistent wind on the sensor would affecting the reading, first pushing it a little above the threshold, then cooling it a little below. This would cause the ET to react, first engaging the solar, then pausing it, back and forth as the gusts affect the sensor reading. He suggested a glass container mounted over the sensor would not affect the temperature reading caused by the heat from the sun (or the roof), but would negate the fluctuations caused by the wind.
I've been running it like that for years now, the on-off-on-off problem vanished, and the system seems to be working as intended. This may or may not be a solution for you, but it's easy and cheap, so might be worth a try. Just remember, this is not a standard solar installation technique, but rather an anecdotal trick, made up by who-knows-who.
I used a small pickle relish jar, including the lid. I hacksawed a small slit in the lip of the metal lid, just wide and long enough to allow the sensor's wire to pass through into the jar. Then I mounted the lid to the roof, using a screw and some roofing sealant, inserted the sensor into the jar, routing the wire through the slot in the lid, and then just screwed the jar, upside down, into the lid. It's all pretty simple. I considered using a plastic container, but then decided to use glass because it would withstand wind and rain and UV, and minimize any interference between the sun's rays and the sensor. I think I wrapped some layers of tape on the wire, where it would have contacted the hacksawed metal, just to give the wire a little extra protection against any abrasion from the sharp metal edge.
The logic behind this makes sense, blocking the wind from the sensor. But I never experimented to determine if the temperature sensing is affected by the jar. Is it hotter in the jar? Or cooler? And if either, does that matter? All I know is that the system works fine, and the on-off-on-off issue stopped happening.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,961
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The other possibility, is where the roof sensor is mounted. I was never crystal clear on whether the roof sensor was supposed to be mounted on the panel, like almost touching an exchanger element (small tubing on my panels), or mounted on the roof. Directly in the sun? Or kind'a hidden in the shade of the panel? I didn't experiment with that, nor get a definitive answer from researching it. The best I could determine is that it is supposed to be in full sun, measuring the available heat on the roof, not measuring the temperature of the panels. It's in the jar in full sun now. That seems to work. But where that sensor is mounted matters to the system performance, I would think. If it's mounted on the panel, I think it would be affected by the cooling effect of the water running through it. The water on the roof is going to be a lot cooler than the roof itself. So that's something else you could experiment with if you don't like the jar idea.
I suspect you're right, @Dirk, that sensor placement is more critical than I thought. I wrote above that I had to install a new sensor and that was the only change. Wrong! I did not put the new sensor in the same place as the old sensor (which was originally placed by my professional installer). I put it in an easier to reach location for convenience. I think I will try moving the new sensor to the old position.
My sensor is on a poolside pergola, so I don't want any glass up there. Hoping relocation of the sensor solves the problem. Thanks for the clue.
My sensor is on a poolside pergola, so I don't want any glass up there. Hoping relocation of the sensor solves the problem. Thanks for the clue.
- Nov 12, 2017
- 11,961
- Pool Size
- 12300
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Yah, I had the same thought, which is why I considered some sort of plastic. But I was more worried about the sun hazing it, or otherwise degrading it. Mine is far enough away from the pool so glass wasn't as big of a deal.
Ah ha! So there may be something to my unorthodox wind solution. At least to the extent that a manufacturer is acknowledging that wind on the sensor could cause some issue. Their instructions are a little vague, though. I wonder how exactly that's supposed to be done with silicon? Like just attaching it to the roof? Or kind of embedding it? Or what?