Intellicenter Users - Freeze Protection warning

[DB-Cooper]

Are you using the "Homebridge Alexa Plugin" as well? If so, how do you like it?

Not using that one, no Alexa stuff in my home.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

@DB-Cooper confirmed earlier that a reboot of the panel maintained the freeze protection on.

I have just confirmed that a power event also maintains the freeze protection. It no longer turns off freeze protect on the pool/spa circuits as it was doing before.

--Jeff

 

[DB-Cooper]

@DB-Cooper confirmed earlier that a reboot of the panel maintained the freeze protection on.

I have just confirmed that a power event also maintains the freeze protection. It no longer turns off freeze protect on the pool/spa circuits as it was doing before.

--Jeff

Huge update, they must've felt the need to get this out ASAP given how many people probably got screwed by that bug...

 

[Dirk]

Huge update, they must've felt the need to get this out ASAP given how many people probably got screwed by that bug...

I'd like to think that post #26 of this thread had a hand in it. Hardware/software companies that make their customers do their quality control, and then wash their hands of the consequences, maybe need to come up with a better MO.

 

[mzuniga]

Are you using the "Homebridge Alexa Plugin" as well? If so, how do you like it?

Hey. I'm using the Homebridge Alexa Plugin plus the Intellicenter Plugin to be able to control my system via voice when I don't have njsPC device close. It work flawlessly.

Btw, have you tried 2.006 with njsPC yet? I see that you had lots of issues with an earlier beta.

 

[MyAZPool]

Hey. I'm using the Homebridge Alexa Plugin plus the Intellicenter Plugin to be able to control my system via voice when I don't have njsPC device close. It work flawlessly.

Btw, have you tried 2.006 with njsPC yet? I see that you had lots of issues with an earlier beta.

No way. Not yet. v2.06 appears to be "buggy"... I learned my lesson the hard way last year.
Fix one thing and then two more things get broke. IOW... One step forward, two steps back.
r.

 

[PdInc]

Got a call from Pentair today informing me they’ve received my complaint. Seems they are wanting to address the issue and indicated it’s unfortunate it wasn't handled before taking action.

Progress

Filed
View attachment 466805

 

[Dirk]

Got a call from Pentair today informing me they’ve received my complaint. Seems they are wanting to address the issue and indicated it’s unfortunate it wasn't handled before taking action.

Progress

Squeaky wheel gets the grease!

 

[Turbo1Ton]

@DB-Cooper - I think you are one of the ones who did not roll back FW 2.006. I just realized that they changed the freeze protection to turn on at 35 degrees F, instead of 37. Or am I crazy and it's always been 35 F?

--Jeff

 

[Dirk]

@DB-Cooper - I think you are one of the ones who did not roll back FW 2.006. I just realized that they changed the freeze protection to turn on at 35 degrees F, instead of 37. Or am I crazy and it's always been 35 F?

--Jeff

I don't know about the IntelliCenter, but 35° is the default for both the EasyTouch and the IntelliFlo. Both are user configurable, I expect the IntelliCenter is, too, buried in some obscure settings panel somewhere, if you happen to need a different threshold.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

I don't know about the IntelliCenter, but 35° is the default for both the EasyTouch and the IntelliFlo. Both are user configurable, I expect the IntelliCenter is, too, buried in some obscure settings panel somewhere, if you happen to need a different threshold.

Thanks Dirk. I always thought it was 37 for some reason. If they have used that for the EasyTouch and the IntelliFlo pump, I doubt they changed anything. I must just have never checked for freeze protection at 36 or 37 degrees before now.

--Jeff

 

[Dirk]

From the manual:

Note: Freeze protection is activated when the air temperature drops to 36°F. If the spa is running a schedule or operated manually, this will override freeze protection. During freeze protection, FREEZE PROTECT ACTIVE is displayed on the Home screen.

Another excerpt is slightly different:

Freeze Protection: A circuit with freeze protection circulates water to protect pipes from freezing, if the outdoor air temperature sensor detects the temperature is getting close to freezing (below 36° F). When active "Freeze Protect Active" displays on the Home screen.

So it's either "drops to 36°F" or "below 36° F" (which I take to mean "on at 35°").

Nothing popped up for adjusting the threshold, but theoretically you could manipulate the temperature monitoring calibration to fool it, if you really had to.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

Nothing popped up for adjusting the threshold, but theoretically you could manipulate the temperature monitoring calibration to fool it, if you really had to.

That's how I figured out it was 35. Manually adjusting the temp so I could make sure freeze protection was still working. The other night I happened to be in my daughter's room and I guess the air temp thermistor was fluctuating between 35 and 36, because I heard it ramp up and down a few times, before it finally maintained the freeze protection on. I was trying to make sure that nothing was screwed up with the new FW.

--Jeff

 

[Dirk]

Odd. Typical systems that respond to temp thresholds ramp on to one temp, but turn off to a different temp (in this case it'd be a higher temp), so it won't do what you describe. It'll come on at 35, but go off at 37, or something like that. My EasyTouch does that for my solar heater, so that it won't keep going on and off at the threshold. And if I remember right, both temp settings are configurable. The point being, Pentair knows to do that, and how it's supposed to work. So it's odd that they don't do that for Freeze Protection. I've never studied my EasyTouch Freeze protection to see if it does that or not.

 

[Turbo1Ton]

May be a completely bizarre issue with the FW 2.006 release. Never noticed it before.

--Jeff

 

[colonelkirby]

That's how I figured out it was 35. Manually adjusting the temp so I could make sure freeze protection was still working. The other night I happened to be in my daughter's room and I guess the air temp thermistor was fluctuating between 35 and 36, because I heard it ramp up and down a few times, before it finally maintained the freeze protection on. I was trying to make sure that nothing was screwed up with the new FW.

--Jeff

My IC is doing the same thing. I'm on 2.006 but this behavior was ocurring prior to the upgrade. Temperature floats between 36-35 and freeze protect is on and off with each temp swing. Can't be good for pumps. Has happened with intervals of seconds....

 

[Dirk]

I misspoke, though again, about the EasyTouch not the IntelliCenter, but it may indicate Pentair's mindset. The EasyTouch's Freeze mode kicks on around 35°. That temperature doesn't appear to be adjustable, so that aligns with the IntelliCenter. It's the IntelliFlo that has the adjustable threshold, although that feature is called "Thermal Mode," not "Freeze Protection." Interestingly, the threshold adjustment range is 40° to 50°, so not 35° or 36°. Though I'm pretty sure my pump doesn't come on at 40°, but rather at 35°. So it's possible the IntelliFlo allows the EasyTouch to override its Thermal Mode setting in favor of the EasyTouch's Freeze Mode setting. The IntelliFlo's Thermal Mode can be turned off (bypassed). The EasyTouch's Freeze Mode cannot, although you assign which circuits respond to Freeze Mode, so that in effect could bypass Freeze Mode. It may be that I have my IntelliFlo's Thermal Mode turned off (though I don't remember doing that, nor would I), but I can't check it because my IntelliFlo's display no longer works!

The EasyTouch manual has similar inconsistencies, in that it sometimes says "at 35°" other times "below 35°" or "below 36°", etc. So they can't seem to get that together for either product line.

The EasyTouch's solar heater control does have a different threshold temperature for on and off. They call that setting "Temperature Differential," which controls the difference between when solar heating will engage vs when it will cut off, to avoid the pump and solar valve from going crazy right around the thermostat setting. So like I said, Pentair knows to, and how to, avoid this problem, but doesn't seem to provide that nicety for Freeze Mode (or if the EasyTouch does that, it's not adjustable as it is for solar heating control).

Not much help for IntelliCenter I realize, but it might explain why you can't find control of settings that you might want to adjust.

 

[DB-Cooper]

@DB-Cooper - I think you are one of the ones who did not roll back FW 2.006. I just realized that they changed the freeze protection to turn on at 35 degrees F, instead of 37. Or am I crazy and it's always been 35 F?

--Jeff

Ironically, it hit 31F overnight in Austin. I’m not home, it I went to check the pool app and lo and behold, freeze protection wasn’t on despite my pool saying air temp 36. My pad is trapped, so it reads a bit high. I’ve manually adjusted it, but basically it wasn’t on. It was 37 before and that’s sort of how I configured the air temp override as I don’t want it on at 37. My sensor reads 3F higher than actual.

Regardless, I adjust the sensor override and to your point, 35 is now when it kicks on. So you are right!

 

[PdInc]

I wanted to close out my experience with Pentair regarding the freeze incident. Once notified of my complaint, Pentair reached out immediately to resolve the issue. I can report that they have since agreed to my requests and I am completely satisfied with the final outcome.

Sometimes it just takes an additional nudge to reach an agreeable resolution, and I’m happy to report that Pentair has since handled the situation amicably.

(I’ll still keep an eye on the Intellicenter during freeze events!)

Case closed.

 

[Dirk]

Very glad to hear that. Pentair customer service has always been square with me, too.