We just had our pool constructed here in the Philippines and needless to say, its a completely different experience than the one I had in Southern California 15 years ago. No shotcrete, no pebble tech, no jandy controls.
So now comes the task of trying to automate in steps. Needless to say, this will be a challenge due to either the lack of parts or cost of importing. Also, pool automation here is almost non-existent as labor is cheap and you can just tell someone to do your bidding. LOL!
Here's what I'm dealing with.
1. Turn on equipment using smart phone
2. Add ability to control pump speeds from Phone.
2. Install new valves and actuators to automate plumbing flow.
Step 1. I think I will just use smart plugs to be able to control all the equipment to turn on/off. This includes the two Hayward MaxFlo VS pumps, 1 Hayward 400FDP heater, two light transformers, and 1 silencer blower. I have great success with these so adding it to each equipment should be easy right? Should i be worried about burning these out and not being able to handle amperage/load?
Step 2. I'm not sure about this. Will I need Hayward's Omni to be able to control speed or is there a third party solution. Again, main issue would be procuring the Omni..so far, the distributors here are not keen on carrying such items as there's not a big market for these. It will likely be more of an indent order at about a 50% markup on US prices.
Step 3. This one will be a challenge as you can see from the plumbing setup. The pipes here are in metric while US equipment are in standard sizing so blow torch is needed to make the fittings fit. Second, I will need to review if a three way valve is more appropriate. Again, for control of the actuators, will that require a hayward/pentair/jandy solution or is there a third party way (rs raspberry?) or others.
Any insights and advice would be appreciated and I hope to update this thread for others who maybe in similar situations.
So now comes the task of trying to automate in steps. Needless to say, this will be a challenge due to either the lack of parts or cost of importing. Also, pool automation here is almost non-existent as labor is cheap and you can just tell someone to do your bidding. LOL!
Here's what I'm dealing with.
1. Turn on equipment using smart phone
2. Add ability to control pump speeds from Phone.
2. Install new valves and actuators to automate plumbing flow.
Step 1. I think I will just use smart plugs to be able to control all the equipment to turn on/off. This includes the two Hayward MaxFlo VS pumps, 1 Hayward 400FDP heater, two light transformers, and 1 silencer blower. I have great success with these so adding it to each equipment should be easy right? Should i be worried about burning these out and not being able to handle amperage/load?
Step 2. I'm not sure about this. Will I need Hayward's Omni to be able to control speed or is there a third party solution. Again, main issue would be procuring the Omni..so far, the distributors here are not keen on carrying such items as there's not a big market for these. It will likely be more of an indent order at about a 50% markup on US prices.
Step 3. This one will be a challenge as you can see from the plumbing setup. The pipes here are in metric while US equipment are in standard sizing so blow torch is needed to make the fittings fit. Second, I will need to review if a three way valve is more appropriate. Again, for control of the actuators, will that require a hayward/pentair/jandy solution or is there a third party way (rs raspberry?) or others.
Any insights and advice would be appreciated and I hope to update this thread for others who maybe in similar situations.
