Intellicenter Purchase Question

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GMCfourX4

0
Jun 28, 2017
15
MA
We have a 28,000g gunite IG pool with PCC2000 in floor system, a broken Jandy AquaPure SWG, currently running on 2 pumps. Originally both single speed running on a timer. A couple years ago I replaced the filter/heater pump with an Intellipro. Now we're looking to install a slide, and I'm considering replacing the floor pump (still an old single speed) with a VSF Intellipro, and setting it all up with Intellicenter. I have the following questions:
1) Since the Jandy salt cell needs to be replaced, does it make sense to switch to Pentair and Intellicenter now?
2) I'm thinking I would plumb the slide to the floor pump using a Jandy valve - good idea?
3) Since I need to run the pump at high flow for the floor system, I'm wondering if it would make sense to put the heater on this side instead of the filter side (which would then allow me to run the filter longer & slower for filtering and SWG). Would this cause a problem with the heater since it's unfiltered, or is the pump basket good enough?
4) if I try to run 2 Intellipro pumps from the Intellicenter, do I need the dual equipment personality card, or can I get away with the less expensive options? The only other thing I'd like to control is a basic pool light.

Anything else I'm missing?

Thanks!
-Chris
 
Chris,

The stock IntelliCenter can control two VS pumps..

I would never run the heater using unfiltered water.. I would think about installing an automated bypass system.

I believe it foolish to buy an IntelliCenter and not use the IntelliChlor SWCG.. If you do this, get the IntelliCenter with built in SWCG power supply.

I like the idea of running the slide off of the in floor pump.

Keep in mind that the stock IntelliCenter can only control 4 valves.. Two of them can only be used for switching between the pool and spa modes. That only leaves you with two user programmable valve drivers..

How well does your In-floor system work? If not well at all, it might make sense to just shut it off and use a Robot..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jim,
Thanks for the replies. The reason I was thinking about running the heater off of the floor pump is twofold - first the heater and floor system both require high flow to work, and second the floor system distributes the heated water very nicely throughout the pool. This would allow me to run the filter pump at slower speeds over a longer time for lower energy consumption while filtering and running the SWG. The water wouldn't be totally unfiltered, but would only have the benefit of a skimmer and pump basket to trap the larger items - it would seem like anything big enough to cause a problem would be caught in the pump before it ever got to the heater, but I could certainly be missing something.

I submitted my list to PolyTec Pools for review, and included the valve expansion module in the list, so that should deal with the number of valves.

I generally find that the floor system does work (the pool gets noticeably dirtier when the floor system valve modules need to be replaced. I suspect that with automation I can get better results be running for shorter periods with the filter pump set to pull from the floor drain only and running at a higher flow rate for better suction.

-Chris
 
Why do you need two pumps?

How much flow does the slide require?

How much flow does the in-floor cleaner require in gpm?

I suspect that you can do everything on one pump.
 
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@JamesW I have 2 pumps because of the Paramount floor system. The pool was installed by a prior owner, but I have read posts from multiple installer and pool builders who say that a dedicated pump significantly reduces problems related to keeping sufficient flow to the heads without having to be concerned about filter restrictions and other types of variables. It seems simpler to keep it configured that way.
 
You need someone who can come out and diagram your system and design a custom design to make sure that everything works correctly and does what you want.

I would not send unfiltered water through a heater or an in-floor cleaner.

You need to make sure that the suction is sufficient for each pump and the pressure and flow is correct for each feature.
 
The existing system has been running well for the past 13 years, and the in floor was designed by Paramount for the pool builder. This is how most of their systems are designed (two pumps) and it requires around 50 gpm I believe (I've tried to read up on them since I inherited this system). I'm basically just looking to add a slide that requires 20-25 gpm. The new pump is partially because of the noise (the Intellipro is SO much quieter than the single speed it replaced), plus the fact that the VSF sounds like it will make it easy to get the right balance between required flow and energy usage.

Thanks,
Chris
 

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GMCfourX4 said:
The existing system has been running well for the past 13 years, and the in floor was designed by Paramount for the pool builder. This is how most of their systems are designed (two pumps) and it requires around 50 gpm I believe (I've tried to read up on them since I inherited this system). I'm basically just looking to add a slide that requires 20-25 gpm. The new pump is partially because of the noise (the Intellipro is SO much quieter than the single speed it replaced), plus the fact that the VSF sounds like it will make it easy to get the right balance between required flow and energy usage.

Thanks,
Chris
Click to expand...

Chris, take a look at this thread, I talked to another member about your same type of configuration.

Variable Speed Pump sizing

Pool noob in search of the invisible water (something I read and got a kick out of). Bought a home and both pool pump motors need replacing (corroded, locked up). I have two seperate circuits. One for the in-floor cleaning system (Paramount PV3) and heater (Sta-rite Max E-therm). The other for...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

I have an IFCS and really like it, but I’ve done some work on mine and understand it really well. It’s great that your system has seemed to work well over the last 13 years. But, because I am very familiar with IFCS efficiency (I’ve done a lot of experiments on mine), I am EXTREMELY surprised that Paramount has designed these IFCS systems to use two pumps as implemented in your system. It’s costing you almost twice as much to use your IFCS as it should, not necessarily because there are two pumps...but because there are not TWO filters.

I don’t believe yours is standard Paramount design, they probably only do (?did?) this on larger pools (mine is half the size of yours). I would be surprised if they are still recommending this configuration for new pools...frankly it is a bad design. Sure, it may work if you don’t mind spending the money to run your pumps, but in today’s ECO-aware world....

Anyway, take a look at that other thread...

In addition here are a few additional comments:

1) I think you would be unhappy with your IFCS performance if you went to one pump, your pool is much too large for it to work effectively. It’s a challenge to get IFCSs to work on very large pools. IFCSs rely on a certain “turnover” rate to do their cleaning. NOTE: the “turnover” accomplished by your current IFCS pump is useless since the only thing it is filtering is some of the larger debris in your pump basket or debris container. That is why you must run your “filtering pump” at the same time as your IFCS in your current confiiguration.

2) Introducing a heater into your IFCS circuit will negatively impact the pressure on your IFCS heads. If you do that, you will want to put in an automated heater bypass as well so that when you are using your IFCS, you bypass the heater.

3) Automation and VSPs are a key to making an IFCS work efficiently and effectively. You want to run your IFCS as few hours a day as possible because it costs a lot, relatively, to do that (full suction from main drain, filter as much as possible WHILE the debris/dirt is being stirred up by the popups). The rest (bulk) of the time you want to do your skimming/chlorinating at very cost-efficient low RPMs (full suction skimmers, returns through wall only)...with only your filtering pump...try to capture the debris/dust BEFORE it sinks.

4) The good news is, despite the fact that I would never recommend a two-pump installation system for IFCS (and I may catch some flak for this recommendation, haha), you actually could optimize YOUR IFCS performance (effectiveness and efficiency) by simply adding another filter into your IFCS circuit...oversize it so pressure loss is at a minimum. This would allow you to run your popups at their optimum pressure (high, costly) while filtering through it...AND run your filtering system at the same time at an efficient RPM to aid with the turnover requirement needed by IFCSs. With that configuration, you should be able to run your IFCS for fewer hours a day, possibly close to half the time you do currently, and still clean as effectively as your current configuration.
 
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