New pool and need advice - Intellicenter

[Dave722]

So I'm having a pool built and decided to go with the Intellicenter Controller. Unfortunately due to where I live (USVI) there aren't any Pentair experts I can speak to about this, so I thought I'd ask here and based on my searches I have a basic understanding and potential answer, but wanted to be 100% sure as I'm about to purchase the Intellicenter.
I'm trying to decide which unit I need based on the equipment I'm buying. Should I get the i5PSIC40 kit or the i8PSIC40 kit. (control box, actuators, ic40 cell kit, intellivalves with scg transformer.
I plan on purchasing:
Pent air Ultra Temp Heat pump 110 (460932)
Intelli Flo VS flow pump (022056)
3 pentair LED lights (still deciding on which) as we will have one main light and a pad area for loungers where we will have 2 bubblers

Future purchase and add on - low voltage lighting for the deck area.

So based on my limited knowledge I believe I'll only need to use two relays for the lights as I want them seperately controlled and a relay for the low voltage lighting. Is this correct, as that will leave me with two more relays for future use with the i5PS kit?

Thanks for your help. There's a lot of good info here, but a bit overwhelming at times.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

@Jimrahbe <---The Intellicenter Guru. Lets see if he wanders in tonight.

 

[Jimrahbe]

More of a stumble than a wander...

Dave,

One of the five relays is dedicated as the Pump/Filter relay and can't be used for anything else.. It is needed for controlling the SWCG, so it will not go to waste.

You will need a separate relay and a separate transformer for each light or set of lights you want to individually control.

You will need a relay to control your landscape lights.

I suggest a light over the equipment pad.. that would be another relay.

I started with an EasyTouch 4 and upgraded to an EasyTouch 8..

I would go bigger than you think you need because you never know for sure what you might need in the future..

Since you are going with a saltwater pool, make sure you get the package deal where you get an internal SWCG's power center, plus the cell, and valve actuators.

Here is the one I suggest..

Pentair IntelliCenter i8PSIC40 Kit - Pool and Spa with Load Center and IC40

Are you sure of the pump P/N??

Pentair IntelliFlo VSF Variable Speed & Flow Pool Pump

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dave722]

@Jimrahbe <---The Intellicenter Guru. Lets see if he wanders in tonight.

Yes was hoping he would answer...

 

[Dave722]

More of a stumble than a wander...

Dave,

One of the five relays is dedicated as the Pump/Filter relay and can't be used for anything else.. It is needed for controlling the SWCG, so it will not go to waste.

You will need a separate relay and a separate transformer for each light or set of lights you want to individually control.

You will need a relay to control your landscape lights.

I suggest a light over the equipment pad.. that would be another relay.

I started with an EasyTouch 4 and upgraded to an EasyTouch 8..

I would go bigger than you think you need because you never know for sure what you might need in the future..

Since you are going with a saltwater pool, make sure you get the package deal where you get an internal SWCG's power center, plus the cell, and valve actuators.

Here is the one I suggest..

Pentair IntelliCenter i8PSIC40 Kit - Pool and Spa with Load Center and IC40

Are you sure of the pump P/N??

Pentair IntelliFlo VSF Variable Speed & Flow Pool Pump

Thanks,

Jim R.

Jim,
Thanks for the reply. 2 of the lights will be on the same relay as they will light up the shallow pad area inside the bubblers. The other light will be for the pool. As for the a light over the box, good suggestion, as this will be an all concrete structure raised 9' in order to meet my current deck as my house is built into a hill and the pump room will be below the concrete deck. The reason I wanted to know about the 5 or 8 as I'm not sure if I can get an 8 in the next 10 weeks, due to covid and lack of production and there is a 5 available now so, I wanted to snatch it up, unless you think I'll be ok in 10 weeks. Yes I plan on the getting the package deal. The links are the actual site I'm planning to buy from and yes, yours is the correct part number as I mis-typed it. LOL

I don't plan on adding anything else due to where the pool is being built, so based on what you said, I should have 1 relay left? Thanks for your help.

Dave

 

[Dave722]

Also does anyone know if the i10ps (521908) have the SCG transformer, the Pentair brochure says no, but think this may be a misprint as the other packages with the intellichlor have it? See attached. First attachment has headers, 2nd shows the unit info.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Dave,

The load center comes with and without an internal SWCG power system.. Just depends on the P/N or SKU (not model number)

Do you have a Spa?? If not, you do not need the "PS" model, you could use just the "P" model.

Pentair IntelliCenter i10PSIC40 Kit - Pool and Spa with Load Center and IC40

www.polytecpools.com

Keep in mind the cell needs to be rated for at least 2 x the volume of your pool... a 20K pool needs a 40K cell..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dave722]

Dave,

The load center comes with and without an internal SWCG power system.. Just depends on the P/N or SKU (not model number)

Do you have a Spa?? If not, you do not need the "PS" model, you could use just the "P" model.

Pentair IntelliCenter i10PSIC40 Kit - Pool and Spa with Load Center and IC40

www.polytecpools.com

Keep in mind the cell needs to be rated for at least 2 x the volume of your pool... a 20K pool needs a 40K cell..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks,
I don't have a spa, but we are having a 12-18" lounge chair type pad area put in with bubblers and that's why I was going with the PS model. Am I thinking correctly? Truly appreciate your help.

 

[dianedebuda]

I don't have a spa either, but do have spa-type air jets in my pool, so I went with the PS flavor also.

Do check on your pool size vs IC model. If it ends up that an IC60 meets you needs, that is not a normal Pentair package, but Polytec does sell it - they just replace the SWG and charge the price difference.

 

[Dave722]

I don't have a spa either, but do have spa-type air jets in my pool, so I went with the PS flavor also.

Do check on your pool size vs IC model. If it ends up that an IC60 meets you needs, that is not a normal Pentair package, but Polytec does sell it - they just replace the SWG and charge the price difference.

Thanks, an ic40 will be more than enough, concrete here is 195 a yard, so we are making a relatively small pool. Have a great weekend

 

[Jimrahbe]

Dave,

I can't think of any reason that a Spa mode would help at all.. Unless your plumbing is set up like a Pool and Spa, so that you could switch between the pool mode and the spa mode.

If you don't plan for it in the plumbing it won't make any difference.

That said.. I can't hurt anything, you just don't "need" it.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dave722]

I have a Pentair i8ps about to be installed by an electrician and all communication piece is being completed by me.
I will have the following an think I need the board for additional com ports and hopefully I'm understanding this all correctly.
1 pump
2 heater
3 intellichlor
4 actuators - 3 total

So I need the board to have additional com ports for the above and will this board be enough? Thanks for your help.

I'm over-reading things in the book and on this site, so I'm honestly starting to confuse myself.

Dave

 

[Jimrahbe]

Dave,

There is really only one com port. You can have several devices connected to the same connector.

If you have an IntelliFlo pump, it will need to be connected to the com port
Depends on what heater, but if it has RS-485 control, it will need to be connected to the com port
The IntelliChlor will need to be connected to the com port

The valve actuators do not use a com port. The Stock IntelliCenter has 4 valve connections. Two are dedicated to the Intake and Return actuators. The other two are user programable.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dave722]

Jim,
Thanks for the quick reply, it's showing two com ports. The heater is a Pentair Ultratemp, and the rest of the equipment is all pentair as well. So are you saying I can have the pump and intellichlor on J4 and if I want put the heater on J5? I assumed each unit would need it's own com port or am I over thinking it.

 

[Jimrahbe]

Dave,

J4 and J5 are physically different connections points to the same communication bus.

You can have everything connected to J4 or J5, or any combination of using J4 and J5.

Think of it like your home address. Everyone lives on the same street, but each house has its own address, so that FedEx knows what packages to deliver to each house. Each piece of equipment has its own internal "address", but they are all connected to the same communications bus.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dave722]

Jim thanks, that truly helps.