Intellicenter does not recognize heater is idle

Jump to latest Follow Reply
M

mwalker85

Member
Feb 28, 2024
5
Las Vegas, NV
Pool Size
15000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hi all,

So I have an intellicenter automation panel with a IntelliFlo3 VSF pump and MasterTemp 400 HD gas heater. Both the pump and heater are controlled via RS485. When I turn the heater on(via the intellicenter) the heater will accept the set point specified, and also the pump will ramp up to the specified speed. This is all as expected, however when the pool heater reaches the set point the heater turns off(also as expected) but the intellicenter does not recognize that the heater has shut off(still shows it in heating mode). As a result the intellicenter does not show the heater as idle and will not ramp the pump back down to its normal speed. The heater and the pump are both clearly communicating with the intellicenter so I am not sure why the intellicenter is not recognizing the heater as idle which leaves my pump running at the higher speed setting intended for heating mode. I am thinking about flashing to the newest firmware to see if that may correct this issue. Any thoughts?
 
Welcome to TFP.

What temperature do you set the pool heat to and what water temperature does the IntelliCenter show when the heater turns off?

I suspect the IntelliCenter water temperature is displaying a bit lower than the heater temperature.

The IntelliCenter uses its own water temperature sensor separate from the MasterTemp heater.

You can adjust the displayed value of a temperature sensor by going to SETTINGS-GENERAL SETTINGS-ADVANCED SETTINGS and scrolling down to Calibration. Adjust the IntelliCenter so its temperature reads the same as the heater.

Let us know if that fixes the problem.
 
ajw22 said:
Welcome to TFP.

What temperature do you set the pool heat to and what water temperature does the IntelliCenter show when the heater turns off?

I suspect the IntelliCenter water temperature is displaying a bit lower than the heater temperature.

The IntelliCenter uses its own water temperature sensor separate from the MasterTemp heater.

You can adjust the displayed value of a temperature sensor by going to SETTINGS-GENERAL SETTINGS-ADVANCED SETTINGS and scrolling down to Calibration. Adjust the IntelliCenter so its temperature reads the same as the heater.

Let us know if that fixes the problem.
Click to expand...
Hi,
I don’t always use the same temp setting , but usually somewhere around 88 degrees. The intellicenter had been reading about 2 degrees cooler than the heater reading. I had already adjusted the calibration of the intellicenter to match the temp of the heater previously.

However, I believe the issue I have been experiencing is independent of the discrepancy between the temp reads. I am not sure, but I had read somewhere that when connected via rs485 the temp set point is sent to the heater and then the thermostat of the heater is performing the temp regulation, not the intellicenter (which seems logical to me). This is also supported by the fact that the LCD of the MasterTemp will show whatever temp setting I input into the intellicenter (as well as the current water temp).

So when the heater shuts off, it needs to report its status back to the intellicenter which would then show as “idle”, then it would ramp the pump back down to its normal speed.

All this being said… my intellicenter finally went back to idle and ramped my pump down. I have not changed any settings yet so… I don’t know what was going on. FM? Perhaps I had not waited long enough and the heater cool down timer was still active?

Anyway, I truly do appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thank You! I will report back if the system exhibits this behavior again.
 
mwalker85 said:
Hi,
I don’t always use the same temp setting , but usually somewhere around 88 degrees. The intellicenter had been reading about 2 degrees cooler than the heater reading. I had already adjusted the calibration of the intellicenter to match the temp of the heater previously.

However, I believe the issue I have been experiencing is independent of the discrepancy between the temp reads. I am not sure, but I had read somewhere that when connected via rs485 the temp set point is sent to the heater and then the thermostat of the heater is performing the temp regulation, not the intellicenter (which seems logical to me). This is also supported by the fact that the LCD of the MasterTemp will show whatever temp setting I input into the intellicenter (as well as the current water temp).

So when the heater shuts off, it needs to report its status back to the intellicenter which would then show as “idle”, then it would ramp the pump back down to its normal speed.

All this being said… my intellicenter finally went back to idle and ramped my pump down. I have not changed any settings yet so… I don’t know what was going on. FM? Perhaps I had not waited long enough and the heater cool down timer was still active?

Anyway, I truly do appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thank You! I will report back if the system exhibits this behavior again.
Click to expand...
I had this issue and I made the Intellicenter temp 1 degree higher than the heater temp. The lag difference in the two readings is likely why it took a while to shut down.

I agree with your operational narrative, but unfortunately that is not how Pentair programmed it to operate. Call Pentair and complain about the operation and advise them that the Intellicenter should read the Mastertemp temperature for it's control point.

--Jeff
 
Hi Jeff,

So are you saying that the Intellicenter temp reading is what triggers the heater to show “idle” in the Intellicenter (as opposed to the actual heater status)?

-Mike
 
mwalker85 said:
So are you saying that the Intellicenter temp reading is what triggers the heater to show “idle” in the Intellicenter (as opposed to the actual heater status)?
Click to expand...
Yup, when the IntelliCenter sees through its own water temperature sensor the heater has completed its assigned task.
 
mwalker85 said:
Jeff,

Just out of curiosity, with that calibration(Intellicenter 1 degree warmer than heater), does your pump ramp down to normal speed prematurely then too?

-Mike
Click to expand...
I haven't noticed it prematurely. Pretty sure once the IC stops the call for heat the heater will shut down. But if the heater reaches that temp prior to the IC, it will also shut down. but the IC still calling for heat will keep the pump at the heater speed.

--Jeff
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply