Mystery... Breaker on Automation Panel

[randys]

The last two mornings I woke up to find the breaker on the automation panel was switched off.

The first instance both the main breaker and the pump breaker were off, but oddly I also found the automation box unlatched and the door wide open. I never leave the box open and I was confused. I am also OCD about checking the latch. I NEVER unlatch it.

The second instance the box was unlatched again and only the main breaker was off, not the pump breaker.

The pump runs at night (freeze protection). Because the pump is on the side of my house, between another.. I'm starting to think maybe a neighbor is hearing it at night and flipping it off. It seems crazy though, because the neighbor it would be had every opportunity to mention the noise when walking around our new pool and looking at it. They had nothing but praise of how nice it looked.

Tonight, I put a machine screw and nut through the latch. We'll see what happens this time. Anyone have any other ideas?

 

[Texas Splash]

Time for a camera. Catch the culprit in action.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Randy,

Maybe set the pump speed for freeze protection down to 1500 RPM or less..

I can't think of anything that would open the door other than human intervention..

Please let us know how this mystery ends up..

Jim R.

 

[Arizonarob]

This may be a little far fetched, but maybe someone is planning on stealing your pump.
Just thinking.....

 

[randys]

I just interrogated my kids... and the five year old ratted on the 3 year old. I still find it odd that my 3 year old would be able to open the box and flip the switches. Now I worry he'd mess with the filter valve and switch to waste, only to drain the pool while we are all sleeping and freeze protection kicks in! I wonder if I can lock that valve.

 

[Texas Splash]

I just interrogated my kids... and the five year old ratted on the 3 year old.

Holy smokes! Never would've guessed that one. Good catch. Yes, now to secure everything for safety. Can never be too careful. Glad you cracked the code on that one.

 

[ajw22]

3 year old? He is going to be Trouble starting this early.

 

[Arizonarob]

I just interrogated my kids... and the five year old ratted on the 3 year old. I still find it odd that my 3 year old would be able to open the box and flip the switches. Now I worry he'd mess with the filter valve and switch to waste, only to drain the pool while we are all sleeping and freeze protection kicks in! I wonder if I can lock that valve.

Put a padlock on the box and call it a day!!

I would sleep with one eye open from this point on though. ??

 

[JamesW]

Don't be so sure that it was the 3 year old. Maybe it was the 5 year old.

In any case, either one should advise you if they know that the other is doing anything that might be dangerous, such as messing with electrical controls.

 

[randys]

The three year old admitted it this morning. I asked what he did once he opened the box and he said he pressed the buttons.

Lock is in place now, but really there is a greater concern. There is no way to lock the valve on the filter. If someone set that to 'waste' while the pump was off, then the pump turned on via schedule or freeze protection, we'd have an empty pool and probably a lawsuit on our hands from flooded neighbors.

 

[PoolGate]

Do the kids have unrestricted access to the pool?

 

[santacruzpool]

Might be able to use a zip tie to lock the handle in the right position...

My son at one point somehow damaged our irrigation controller - he was showing it to a younger friend for some reason. Whatever he did fried the transformer which is still hard for me to figure out - could have been a coincidence but he put it in a a strange programming mode or something (I forget now) and left it there until I noticed it a few days later...

 

[Texas Splash]

I'm glad my parents didn't have this type of stuff for me to get into when I was a kid. Boy, I would've been grounded a LOT.

 

[tstex]

Take both the kids to the equipment pad and tell them that if either one of them ever gets near it or touches it, they are both going to have their butts lit-up and no pool use for X weeks. If those kids went to the breaker box w no shoes and wet hands, etc, could be bad w or w out GFCI breakers. I am sure the main breaker is not GFCI.

Again, you need to impress upon them the significance of the potential dangers...