IntelliPh Control Panel Not Turning On

[Tydani1619]

Hello,

My new house came with a pool (woot!) that runs the Easy Touch Intellichem system with an IntelliPh. Through the help of TFP community and many, many youtube videos I've figured out most of how to program/setup my IntelliChem system.

My problem is I can not for the life of me figure out why my IntelliPh control panel wont turn on.. on the EasyTouch panel it says 'Com Link Lost' .. but the intelliPh panel should still have power.. right? My understanding is that the com link would not let the salt cell communicate with the IntelliPh and so no acid is being pumped out (correct me if i'm wrong, please!) but i thought that the control panel itself would still have power..

Does anyone have any useful links or advice on how to get power to the IntelliPh panel???
Thanks in advance!
Danielle

 

[Tydani1619]

@Dirk .. any insight??

 

[Dirk]

Hi Danielle!

I might be able to help a little. Though I know almost nothing about the InteliChem system (I don't have one). I do know a lot about IntellipH, however. First things first. Can you provide a picture, or pictures, that show the various components, all the controllers especially?

As far as I know, the IntelliChem controls the acid tank/pump combo directly, and does not use the IntellipH controller. So either I don't yet understand your setup, or you are calling out things incorrectly. So let's sort out exactly what you've got, then we can work on your signature and fill it in properly. We're shooting for something like mine, so myself and others we might call in to help know exactly what array of equipment you have.

My guess is that you actually have an IntelliChlor, not an IntelliChem.

And welcome to TFP! We'll get you sorted out right quick.

 

[Tydani1619]

Hi Dirk,
Thanks for the prompt reply!

You're right, I haven't filled out my signature as I'm not 100% sure what I'm working with yet. There was no info whatsoever left about the pool. I've estimated based on some simple calculations that its only about 35,000 litres. The 'blue' control panel that says IntelliChem is the one I'm looking to get working so we can see all our chem readings. I'm also not sure if this controls the Muriatic acid pump. Here are some photos of the setup.. Also, as far as I can tell all the wiring seems to be in top shape.. no corrosion/build-up etc. as the system is indoors and is only about four years old.


Thanks!
Danielle

 

[Flying Tivo]

That is an intellichem setup which controls both LC and Acid, but it seams it has only been setup to control acid and the SWG to crate FC. The good news is that the difficult part of the Intellichem is the ORP(Liquid chlorin)additions and its not being used. Im not an expert on Intellichem so someone will chime in on that soon. If after all you just find it too confusing, we can help you setup the acid tank with a schedule on the ET without the Intellichem, but lets wait on that.

 

[Dirk]

Thanks for the images!

OK, so you do have an IntelliChem. And you have an IntelliChlor (IC) as well. But you don't have an IntellipH. You have the Pentair acid tank and pump, which is similar to the acid tank and pump that comes with the IntellipH system, but the one you have is sold separately to work with IntelliChem. The IntellipH includes it's own dedicated controller, which you don't have.

Which means I will be of little help, because I don't know much about IntelliChem. In fact, Felipe seems to know more about it than I do!

Felipe (@Flying Tivo), what makes you say the "the ORP(Liquid chlorin)additions and its not being used"? Because the IC is showing 40%? Are those LEDs off when the IC is being controlled by IntelliChem? I wonder if the IC reverts to working normally when it loses comms with the IntelliChem. I'm guessing that's what has happened.

So, Danielle, there is a thick black cable coming out of the IntelliChlor. Where is that plugged in?

There is also a power cable coming out of the acid tank pump housing. Where is that plugged in?

And to what are you referring when you write "...the intelliPh panel..."? Do you mean the IntelliChem display? Have you ever seen the display of the IntelliChem with anything on it, or any other indication it has power?

When you wrote "the EasyTouch panel it says 'Com Link Lost'", where did you see that? On the small LCD display on the control panel of the EasyTouch?

Do you have ScreenLogic?

Do you have a pool chemical test kit? If so, which one (model number please).

Beautiful pool and yard, by the way. And you have some excellent equipment, obviously cared for by the previous owner. (Nice labels!) You can start filling in your signature with what you know so far. The longer this thread gets, the more important that is. Thanks!

 

[Dirk]

@OTPirate, @duraleigh, does TFTestkits.net ship to Canada?

 

[Tydani1619]

Hi All,

Thanks for the info! Updated my signature with what I know so far.

The power cable coming out of the IC is plugged into the EasyTouch. (Photo1)
The power cable coming out of the acid tank housing is plugged into the IntelliChem. (Photo2)

When I was referring to the IntelliPh panel previously, I was actually referring to the IntelliChem display, yes. (oops!) This is what I'm trying to get working. It has never showed any display or indication is has power.

The Message 'Comlink Lost' appears on the EasyTouch display when I select Setting-> IntelliChem-> Status. (Photo3)
The Message 'No Comm!' appears on the EasyTouch display when I select Settings-> Pump -> Status. (Photo4)

I don't have a test kit.
I do have ScreenLogic (i just discovered this- thanks!) I Included a photo of what I see in the app.

Thanks,
Danielle

 

[Dirk]

Ah, the clouds have parted and now I can see!! Excellent job on the siggie, and all the answers!! So what you've got is what I was picturing. Please lift the lid on your IntelliFlo and take a picture of that.

I was first suspecting your IntelliChem has gone kaput. The EasyTouch would report "Comlink Lost" because it has a setting that tells it there is an IntelliChem present. So it would "look" for one, and not being found, would report all that it knows, which is "Lost."

But the worrisome part is this new bit of info, that your pump is also reporting a lost COMM. That might mean more of a problem. Or a second problem. Almost like your system was subjected to a power surge, which might explain why you lost COMMs on your pump and also have a dead IntelliChem. Just a guess.

You say you've checked all the connections. That's always my go-to: inspect, disconnect, polish and reconnect can solve a lot of problems (you'd have all the circuit breakers off before doing any of that). Where is the IntelliChem's power supply? I would check to see if that's outputting anything. (Are you handy with a volt meter?) Those are the only two things I can suggest. With a dead IntelliChem display, I'd have to guess a bad power supply or a dead IntelliChem. If it were me, and it was out of warranty, I'd take it off the wall and open it up and see what there was to see. Maybe a blown internal fuse? Or look for charred circuitry or connectors. That sort of thing. I'm pretty certain that IntelliChem display wouldn't be dead if it was only a problem with the EasyTouch COMM port.

Once you report back about the pump interface, then we can maybe troubleshoot the COMM problem. And by "we" I mean Jim, our resident EasyTouch/IntelliFlo expert. Now that we've got a clear picture of your gear, @Jimrahbe can weigh in.

 

[Dirk]

By the way, whether you get the IntelliChem working or not, you need a proper test kit. You can't rely solely on an IntelliChem to monitor your pool's chemistry. And if the IntelliChem is dead, you're going to have to switch to an alternate method of chemistry maintenance, which also requires a proper kit. I would order one TODAY. In can take only a hot day or two to turn your pool south (GREEN) if your FC is too low. You need to immediately know what your FC level is (how much chlorine is in the water) and pH, too. We recommend one of only two kits, and you'll need the salt test kit, too. You can't properly maintain a pool with a $15 Walmart special. With today's chlorine prices, battling a green pool can easily cost more than the cost of one of these recommended kits. Seriously, order one today and thank me later. You'll also want a SpeedStir. You won't know you needed one until after the first time you use one. I swear!

Do yourself a favor and read this page while you're waiting on Jim:

Swimming Pool Test Kits Compared

What pool test kit should I buy? Why not use test strips? Our recommended test kits will pay for themselves in no time!

www.troublefreepool.com

Sorry, I'll be tied up the rest of the day, but I'll check in later.

 

[Dirk]

Also, you might edit the title of your thread to read "IntelliChem Control Panel Not Turning On" in hopes that might attract someone in the know about IntelliChem (there aren't many here that run an IntelliChem, however).

 

[Jimrahbe]

Danielle,

Most of us here don't know much about the IntelliChem as it is something that we do not recommend, but I'd be glad to help if I can.

Your signature says that you have an IntelliFlo pump, but what you have looks to me like a SuperFlo VS. The problem is that unless this is a very new pump, that it can't be controlled by the EasyTouch. I also see no signs of a control cable from the pump to your EasyTouch. But then again, maybe I just can't see it.

Please see if there is a control cable plugged into the side of the pump's control head and if possible, show us a pic of the MFG date of the pump.

I'm asking because of the "No comm" issue.

As far as your IntelliChem, I can't see any place that your IntelliChem panel is getting an AC input.. I see the probe outputs, the RS-485 cable going to the EasyTouch, and the cable to the acid pump. But where is the AC input? It has to have one, so I assume it is coming from the wall into the back of the panel.

The AC going into the IntelliChem is required to be wired to the load side of the pump filter relay. So should your IC40.. If the pump/filter relay was bad, then neither the IC40 nor the IntelliChem would have lights.

The first thing we need to do is find out where the power to the IntelliChem is coming from.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dirk]

Please lift the lid on your IntelliFlo and take a picture of that.

Ugh, sorry, I spaced out. You already did that. And Jim is on the case about the pump COMM issue...

 

[Flying Tivo]

Felipe (@Flying Tivo), what makes you say the "the ORP(Liquid chlorin)additions and its not being used"

Because the intellichem is capable of working 2 Tanks, one for LC and the other MA.
In this particular setup they used SWG which is great as the use of the intellichem Via ORP readings to control LC dosing is not very predictable due to the CYA interferance. Now this being said, i have no idea if the intellichem is capable of telling the SWG how much chlorine to produce(which i doubt) based on the ORP readings. Pentair is not known for being SMART.

 

[Flying Tivo]

@Tydani1619
In this picture i see 2 metal conduits leaving the pump. Can you let us know where they come from and lead to? More pictures if you can.
@Jimrahbe On the panel of the pump there is a led that says Ext. Control Only maybe this pump can be controlled by the ET.

https://www.troublefreepool.com/attachments/jpeg-image-6-jpeg.416229/

 

[Dirk]

Because the intellichem is capable of working 2 Tanks, one for LC and the other MA.
In this particular setup they used SWG which is great as the use of the intellichem Via ORP readings to control LC dosing is not very predictable due to the CYA interferance. Now this being said, i have no idea if the intellichem is capable of telling the SWG how much chlorine to produce(which i doubt) based on the ORP readings. Pentair is not known for being SMART.

Actually, it can use an SWG to adjust chlorine level. The IntelliChem can make use of either a chlorine injection system OR an SWG to adjust chlorine level. But how that reconciles with CYA is beyond me. The manual spec's CYA to be at 30 or below, which I guess minimizes the CYA/ORP issues, and the IntelliChem will just run the SWG hotter to make up for the chlorine loss. It can also run an acid injection system OR a CO2 injection system for pH. The IntelliChem is a great idea in theory, but I think the weak link is the ORP. That, and it's overall complexity. That's just my hunch based on what I've gathered here and there on TFP.

 

[Jimrahbe]

I don't plan on doing anything unless the OP comes back...

Jim R.

 

[Dirk]

I don't plan on doing anything unless the OP comes back...

I'll stick around, if only just to trade jabs with Filipe! Heh, heh, heh...