Looking for help with iAqualink and light wiring

[Yarzy]

Hi everyone,
When my pool was built, they wired the two lights we have separately in iAqualink which I think I would like to change. The issue is, if I want them both synced, I need to first, switch to the color scene I want on both, shut them off for a min or two, then turn them back on so they change color in sync. I got thinking it would be much easier to just wire them together so they both show the exact same thing all the time. The issue is, I am not clear what to do. I have attached a picture of what my iAqualink wiring looks like. Could someone explain what I need to do to accomplish this? If you need more pictures or info, please let me know. Thanks!

Thanks!

 

[1poolman1]

Hi everyone,
When my pool was built, they wired the two lights we have separately in iAqualink which I think I would like to change. The issue is, if I want them both synced, I need to first, switch to the color scene I want on both, shut them off for a min or two, then turn them back on so they change color in sync. I got thinking it would be much easier to just wire them together so they both show the exact same thing all the time. The issue is, I am not clear what to do. I have attached a picture of what my iAqualink wiring looks like. Could someone explain what I need to do to accomplish this? If you need more pictures or info, please let me know. Thanks!

Thanks!

Be sure to remove power by turning the breaker off, looks to be the bottom breaker on the right which is off in the picture.
Move the wire from terminal 4 on the relay at the bottom right (it is connected to the "Pool Light 2" socket) to terminal 4 on the the relay to the left (that is connected to the "Pool Light" socket). That way both will be powered simultaneously. "Pool Light 2" will no longer do anything other than click.

 

[Yarzy]

Thank you so much for getting back to me, but where is terminal 4? Are you talking about the smaller red and black wires or the larger power wires. I know I am close to understanding, but want to be 100% sure I am clear. Thanks!

 

[1poolman1]

Thank you so much for getting back to me, but where is terminal 4? Are you talking about the smaller red and black wires or the larger power wires. I know I am close to understanding, but want to be 100% sure I am clear. Thanks!

Second terminal from the left on each relay. Look very closely above the silver screws and you will see the terminal number.

 

[Yarzy]

Ahh, I see what you mean now with the numbers. Still one question. You mention to move the wire from #4 from the relay in the lower right, which I THINK is the black wire running towards the GFCI outlet. Is that the one you mean? The lower right relay I think you are talking about has two black wires running towards it. Just to make sure I am clear on this. Thanks again!

 

[1poolman1]

Ahh, I see what you mean now with the numbers. Still one question. You mention to move the wire from #4 from the relay in the lower right, which I THINK is the black wire running towards the GFCI outlet. Is that the one you mean? The lower right relay I think you are talking about has two black wires running towards it. Just to make sure I am clear on this. Thanks again!

Number 4 terminals are the "load," in this case the light. Number 2 terminals are the "line," power in. Power coming from the GFCI is on terminal 2 of the left relay and then jumped to terminal 2 on the right relay (that jumper can be removed when the other wire is moved). When you push the "Pool Light" button now, the relay connects terminals 2 with 4 (and 6 with 8, though not used) completing the circuit and powering the lights. The same thing happens with the "Pool Light 2" button, but with nothing connected by moving that 1 wire it will only click.

If you try pushing the other auxiliary buttons, the small LED above them will light but nothing else will happen (no click) because they are not plugged in to a relay socket.

 

[Yarzy]

First off, thank you so much for helping me, I really appreciate it. I feel like I am dense, but I do really want to understand how this works. So could line could be considered "power in" and load be consider "device"? Meaning, #2 is the power in and #4 is the light which completes the circuit, correct? I actually thought that bottom right #4 actually went to the GFCI outlet but after looking at the pictures, it looks like that is the wire to the light itself, right? Seems like it dives down into the box, my mistake. So with that said, if I move bottom right #4 to bottom left #4, we get "power in" on bottom left #2 and then both lights fire up because the load (device) circuit is complete. Do I have this correct? One other question? Where is the grounding happening? Is there a common main ground that I am missing?

Hope this makes sense. Thanks so much!!!!

 

[WGpoolnewb]

In my system, if I put more than one lighting circuit into the same color changing pattern, those circuits will then reset and cycle in sync back to that program. This way they do change color in sync. Yours does not do that? I wonder if it's because they are not Jandy lights.

 

[1poolman1]

First off, thank you so much for helping me, I really appreciate it. I feel like I am dense, but I do really want to understand how this works. So could line could be considered "power in" and load be consider "device"? Meaning, #2 is the power in and #4 is the light which completes the circuit, correct? I actually thought that bottom right #4 actually went to the GFCI outlet but after looking at the pictures, it looks like that is the wire to the light itself, right? Seems like it dives down into the box, my mistake. So with that said, if I move bottom right #4 to bottom left #4, we get "power in" on bottom left #2 and then both lights fire up because the load (device) circuit is complete. Do I have this correct? One other question? Where is the grounding happening? Is there a common main ground that I am missing?

Hope this makes sense. Thanks so much!!!!

You are correct. Conventionally those relays are wired line(power in)/load (power out), line/load, 2/4, 6/8. It really doesn't matter until someone else has to work on it. If it was wired load/line, load/line, 4/2, 8/6, it would still work. When the relay actuates it just connects the two terminals internally.
You can remove that jumper to the lower right relay as it will not be used or leave it there, doesn't matter.
Moving the wire from #4 on the right to #4 on the left will power both simultaneously.
Ground has nothing to do with what you are trying to do. It is the green wire at the bottom of the box.

 

[Yarzy]

Thank you so much for helping me out! I will give this a shot later today and see how it works. I will be sure to mark the wires so if I ever want to go back I can but again, thanks so much for taking the time to explain it all!

 

[Yarzy]

In my system, if I put more than one lighting circuit into the same color changing pattern, those circuits will then reset and cycle in sync back to that program. This way they do change color in sync. Yours does not do that? I wonder if it's because they are not Jandy lights.

Yes, it does do that (I think), but for example. Lets say I have a color pattern (not solid color because that would be easy) running and both lights are currently in sync. The only way I know how to change the pattern to a new pattern on iAqualink is to go to the 3rd screen on my phone app under Equipment where I see both my deep end and shallow end light with a little arrow on the side indicating there is a submenu. From there I need to select the light (deep or shallow) and click on the new pattern name (which I needed to create a conversion chart because the names don't match up - meaning clicking "Afternoon Skies" actually results in "Emerald" on my lights which is a pain in itself) on each light. Since I cant click them at the exact same time. I need to wait for each light to cycle through to get to the pattern (or color), turn off the lights, wait a few seconds and then turn them both on from the middle app screen labeled "Lights" as this toggles the lights on and off and remembers the last scene/color. This turns them both on at the same time which syncs them up correct. Sometimes this works, sometimes I need to wait a little longer before turning them both on. Now if I want to change the pattern while they are currently on, I need to then do the entire dog and pony show, shutting them off, go to the pattern for each light, etc. before they are synced again to the new pattern.

Does this seem correct to you or am I doing something wrong? Ideally if I could "combine" the Deep/Shallow lights on the 3rd screen so that they both change to the pattern at the same time, this would not be an issue with the wiring and I whatever I selected under the combined lights would change in tandem.

Again, I hope this makes sense and PLEASE let me know if there is a better way.

 

[Yarzy]

Yes, it does do that (I think), but for example. Lets say I have a color pattern (not solid color because that would be easy) running and both lights are currently in sync. The only way I know how to change the pattern to a new pattern on iAqualink is to go to the 3rd screen on my phone app under Equipment where I see both my deep end and shallow end light with a little arrow on the side indicating there is a submenu. From there I need to select the light (deep or shallow) and click on the new pattern name (which I needed to create a conversion chart because the names don't match up - meaning clicking "Afternoon Skies" actually results in "Emerald" on my lights which is a pain in itself) on each light. Since I cant click them at the exact same time. I need to wait for each light to cycle through to get to the pattern (or color), turn off the lights, wait a few seconds and then turn them both on from the middle app screen labeled "Lights" as this toggles the lights on and off and remembers the last scene/color. This turns them both on at the same time which syncs them up correct. Sometimes this works, sometimes I need to wait a little longer before turning them both on. Now if I want to change the pattern while they are currently on, I need to then do the entire dog and pony show, shutting them off, go to the pattern for each light, etc. before they are synced again to the new pattern.

Does this seem correct to you or am I doing something wrong? Ideally if I could "combine" the Deep/Shallow lights on the 3rd screen so that they both change to the pattern at the same time, this would not be an issue with the wiring and I whatever I selected under the combined lights would change in tandem.

Again, I hope this makes sense and PLEASE let me know if there is a better way.

Just wanted to bump this in case someone has an idea and can confirm this is the proper way to do this. Thanks!

 

[WGpoolnewb]

Here's how my Jandy lights work with the RS panel and iAqualink 3. Let's say I have my pool lights on "Fast Color Splash", and I want to turn on my spa light to the same pattern. I go to the spa light, select "Fast Color Splash", and both circuits will start cycling together. They will go through the reset process, and then cycle *in sync* until they get to the right program. This only happens when changing the lights to the same sequence. It's horribly annoying, but I guess that's about the best Jandy (and others?) can figure out how to do in 2023.

I don't have a One Touch program (on what I think you're referring to as your "middle screen") set up for the lights as a group. I only access them through the Equipment screen.

You could try changing the light type to Jandy WaterColor ("JL"), and then see what happens. You would need to switch to one of the sequences to see it happen.