Intellicenter / ic60 combo

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mitch08

mitch08

0
Jun 30, 2008
405
Suffolk County, NY
Hey all,
Things to all of your help Im just about ready to pull the trigger on the intellicenter / ic60 combo.

I just have a few general questions and concerns before I make the purchase this week.

All of my equipment is from different manufacturers. My pool is about 25,000 gallons.
Spillover Spa with 2 multi valves.

Other than that I'm looking to automate the on off of the single speed pump, heater, pool light, and landscape lighting.

Is there a specific version of the intellicenter I should be looking for? It is hard for me to find much information. I was quoted at $2,600 for the Automation and the ic60 together.

Another $1,200 from my pool guy to open the pool, Install the salt system, and set up all automation.

So all together it is a pretty expensive job so just want to make sure I am not missing anything I will need. My end goal is to be controlling everything from my cell phone :)

Thanks a million!
 
Mitch,

What needs to be from the same manufacturer is the Automation, the VS pump and the SWCG.. This is because these units need to "talk" with each other over an RS-485 communication bus.

Any automation system can control a single speed or two speed pump, and Jandy style valves... Filters just don't matter.

Make sure you are getting a system for a Pool AND Spa with built in SWCG power center plus SWCG... Not Pool OR Spa, which will not work for you..

What pump(s) do you have.. You say single speed, but your signature says multi-speed????

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thanks. It is a Hayward pump. I only use the fastest speed and I let it run 24/7 :)

I don't want to change that because I have had great success that way for over a decade.

So I will need to figure out how to configure the salt system for a system that is running 24 / 7.

Will 5 relays be enough?
 
Mitch,

For most people five is plenty... It just depends on what you want to do with them.

You will need one (pump/filter) relay to control the SWCG..

You will need one relay to turn your Hayward pump on/off if you want... Sorry, but running a VS pump at full speed is a totally silly idea... It is your pool and your rules, but I can not think of any reason to do that.. :scratch:

The other things you normally need a relay for...

Pool light
Spa Light
Pad Light,
Landscape light
Spa Blower
Anything that runs off of 120 or 240 volts that you want to control.. Except heaters that are wired direct and controlled by a low voltage system..
Booster pump
etc...

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Ha. Yeah I know it is crazy. But I've never had an issue with keeping the pool crystal clear so I just go with it. I don't really see a significant difference in cost. Or at least I am ignorant to it :)

Thanks for your help. I will probably be putting it in within 2 or 3 weeks so I will have a lot more questions.
 
mitch08 said:
Ha. Yeah I know it is crazy. But I've never had an issue with keeping the pool crystal clear so I just go with it. I don't really see a significant difference in cost. Or at least I am ignorant to it :)
Click to expand...

Your signature does not say what HP or model your pump is. You are probably spending around $200 - $250/month to run your pump 24/7. About .35 cents/hour. Running the pump at 1500 rpm can reduce that cost by 80% - 90%.
 
Jimrahbe said:
Mitch,

For most people five is plenty... It just depends on what you want to do with them.

You will need one (pump/filter) relay to control the SWCG..

You will need one relay to turn your Hayward pump on/off if you want... Sorry, but running a VS pump at full speed is a totally silly idea... It is your pool and your rules, but I can not think of any reason to do that.. :scratch:

The other things you normally need a relay for...

Pool light
Spa Light
Pad Light,
Landscape light
Spa Blower
Anything that runs off of 120 or 240 volts that you want to control.. Except heaters that are wired direct and controlled by a low voltage system..
Booster pump
etc...

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

Silly question.

I closed late last year and the pool is going to be a disaster when I open. Should I open first, get it all cleaned out and perfect, and then have the swg and automation installed?

Or is there no reason for that and I should just have it all done at the same time?

Thanks again
 
Mitch,

Not sure it really matters, the SWCG and automation will not help clear your pool... I would not add salt until after the pool is clear and up and running..

Another thing.. Make sure you test your salt with a Taylor K-1766 test kit before adding any salt.. You may think you have zero salt but that is not likely.. You need to know what you have now so you only add the right amount..

Thanks,,

Jim R.
 
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Ditto Jim on testing BEFORE adding salt! I came very close to messing up because my water had over 1000 ppm salt from years of treatment... I would never have guessed and I would have had almost 2 bags of salt too much!

My $.02 is to get extra channels if can afford it. You'll have your automation for many years and you could find things you want to add over that time, or even more importantly things your wife wants.

Hope this helps.

Chris
 
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guinness said:
I believe that you can upgrade at a later date by adding an expansion card. Your best bet would be to call Pentair and discuss your options.

https://www.pentair.com/content/dam/extranet/product-related/product-replacement-parts/pool-and-spa-equipment/IntelliCenter Part Number List - Availability.pdf
Click to expand...

I would check to be certain of this. I saw the expansion board on the Jandy list also so I assumed I could always upgrade later. When I spoke with them I found that the less expensive base board could not be expanded and future expansion would require a new system board plus the expansion.I've already used 2 of the extra slots. One to replace the worthless "puff one" control for my spa bubbler and a second to control my salt cell that is 3rd party. That said., each of these manufacturers are different. So I would want to have somebody knowledgeable say they were certain. I believe Jim is an expert on this stuff. I'll defer to him on this.

I hope this helps.

Chris
 
setsailsoon said:
I would check to be certain of this. I saw the expansion board on the Jandy list also so I assumed I could always upgrade later. When I spoke with them I found that the less expensive base board could not be expanded and future expansion would require a new system board plus the expansion.I've already used 2 of the extra slots. One to replace the worthless "puff one" control for my spa bubbler and a second to control my salt cell that is 3rd party. That said., each of these manufacturers are different. So I would want to have somebody knowledgeable say they were certain. I believe Jim is an expert on this stuff. I'll defer to him on this.

I hope this helps.

Chris
Click to expand...

It definitely does thanks. They told me the version I will be getting is upgradable but I think I will call back and ask for more specifics. Thanks a lot.
 
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