HOWTO: Add more than 2 valves to EasyTouch 4/8 Panel

[ClemsonJeeper]

Hi all. I have an Easy Touch 4 panel (single body) and needed control over 3 valves (one for diverting water from returns to water features, one for tanning deck bubblers, and one for deck jets). The Easy Touch 4 Single Body panel can only control 2 valves (A & B).

I ended up finding some threads here regarding this and just thought I'd write a HOWTO on a nice self-contained SPDT I found on Amazon and getting it to work with the actuator.

You will need a free relay port (AUX1-AUX3 if EasyTouch 4, AUX1-AUX7 if EasyTouch 8), although you don't actually use the relay itself.

I bought this:

Functional Devices RIB2401B. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LEUJU6

It is a nice self-contained SPDT that works with 24VDC which is what the AUX port puts out from the board. Plus a single one fits nicely in the low voltage area under the fuses.

Here's what you need to do to get it hooked up:

1) Find a free AUX port and connect the left black wire on the relay to the YELLOW/WHITE (Common) wire on the RIB2401B. Connect the right black wire on the relay to the BLUE/WHITE (24VDC) wire on the RIB2401B. I ended up just keeping them hooked up to the relay (you don't use the relay outputs), but you can also cut the wires and splice them together.

2) Cut the end of the pentair valve actuator off. You will see a BLACK, WHITE, and RED wire.

3) Find the wire bundle connecting the fuses in the upper right of the panel to the board. You're going to need to cut two of the wires and splice into them. You will be cutting the RED wire and the RED/WHITE wire.

4) Splice the BLACK wire from the valve actuator to the RED wire coming from the fuse box. Also be sure to wire splice the RED wire back to the control panel as well.

5) Splice the YELLOW wire coming from the RIB2401B to the RED/WHITE wire coming from the fuse box. Also be sure to wire splice the RED/WHITE back to the control panel as well.

6) Splice the RED wire coming from the valve actuator to the BLUE wire coming from the RIB2401B

7) Splice the WHITE wire coming from the valve actuator to the ORANGE wire coming from the RIB2401B

You're done!

Now when you turn on the AUX relay, it will cause the SPDT to feed 24VAC to the actuator one way, and when you turn it off, it will feed 24VAC to the actuator the other way. You may need to switch the actuator switch to get it turning the correct way when you enable/disable the AUX relay.

Hope this helps!

 

[Jimrahbe]

cj,

Very nice...

At one time I also added an extra valve driver, but I used a separate step down transformer and an expensive Pentair DPDT relay.. it works, but your idea is better and much cheaper.

Thanks for sharing,

Jim R.

 

[ClemsonJeeper]

No problem. Thought it may help.

What I'm wondering now though is how I could maybe wire my system to eliminate the need for one of the manual controls on these actuators.

Basically, I have a 180 degree actuator (Valve A) that controls water going through the return or directed to water features.

I have 2 water features, one of them tanning deck bubblers (Valve B) and one of them Pool deck jets (My aux relay I hooked up above).

I have:

FEATURE 1 -> WATER FEATURE/RETURN actuator
FEATURE 2 -> TANNING DECK BUBBLERS actuator
AUX3 -> DECK JETS actuator

Obviously I have to turn FEAT 1 on if I enable either FEAT2/AUX3 otherwise no water would get diverted to the water features and it would only go to the returns.

So I wonder if its possible to set up a circuit where if I turn on BUBBLERS *or* POOL JETs, it will automatically trigger the WATER FEATURES actuator without me needing to manually trigger it. Anyone tried this before?

Its a simple logic diagram...

Bubblers OFF, Jets OFF -> Water Features OFF (Returns ON)
Bubblers ON, Jets OFF -> Water Features ON (Returns OFF)
Bubblers ON, Jets ON -> Water Features ON (Returns OFF)
Bubblers OFF, Jets ON -> Water Features ON (Returns OFF)

Trying to see how wiring this up would be possible thus eliminating the need for having a separate control for FEATURE 1 and it be automatic to diver water to features when necessary. Anyone do this before?

 

[jdomke1]

[emoji106]

 

[KC_C]

Good morning...

First off, @ClemsonJeeper, thank you for figuring out how to do this. I've now added a motorized valve to route water to my pool cleaner when I turn on the Polaris circuit on the ScreenLogic app. Very happy with the results.

Secondly, and not to be overly critical (please don't get upset), your directions could be a bit clearer. I'm a fairly decent DIY'r but I spent an appreciable amount of time deciphering which wires to cut and splice. This installation provides the desired functionality at a substantial cost savings and I'm sure many people would want to do this to their systems. I'll be posting an edit to your instructions with some additional pictures that I think will be helpful for the average hacker to get this job done with a bit less worry about cutting wires.

Again, THANK YOU for the post.

KC

 

[bradpinkston]

If I'm understanding the way you did this, the relay you added is controlling the valve, but the main relay in the control panel is still active and functioning, correct?

I have a situation where I want to control two valves to open, plus turn on a 120VAC pump all at the same time. From what I understand on how you did this, the relay you added would control the valves while the stock relay remains active and can control my 120VAC pump.

Any thoughts or regrets on using the built in 24VAC transformer? I was thinking about adding a second one and mounting it where the Intellichlor transformer usually is.