New Pool Equipment List

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uvavi8r

uvavi8r

Gold Supporter
Aug 8, 2020
177
Falls Church, VA
After much hand wringing, we are pulling the trigger and putting in a pool...along with some other exterior renovations. My PB is allowing me to source the equipment and they will install. I live in Northern Virginia (DC suburbs), the pool details are:

Pool Leisure Reflection 27 (approx 12K gallons based on straight line volume computation, I was getting varied answers from different websites)
- The pool will not have any additional water features​
- (1 skimmer, 3 returns, 2 main drains)​

The equipment I would like to use is as follows:

We will not use the pool that far out of the swimming season, and do not have a spa. I just want to make sure I am not missing anything or shorting anything. Thanks for the assistance and advice.

If there are any glaring omissions, please let me know...
 
Hi and welcome to TFP. You've come to the right place with your pre-build questions. I just have time for a few quick comments.

I have a 12K pool and am glad I have the IC40. Your IC20 is border line, but could be too small. The larger the output, the less you have to run the main pump. That filter might be a tad too small, too. The bigger the filter (within reason), the less you have to clean it. Mine is the 320.

Mind how and from where you buy your Pentair gear. Pentair warranties vary from 60 days to three years, and are based on who sells you the equipment, who installs it, and how much of it you buy at once on the same invoice. Be sure to understand fully all the warranty implications before you buy anything.
 
UV Aviator,

Sorry, but I have a copyright on that Avatar... :mrgreen:

Great pump..

I too would go with the IC40.. Not that much difference in overall price.

I have several EasyTouch systems and love them, but without ScreenLogic, they are not much fun.. ScreenLogic allows you to use your PC, Phone or Tablet to program and control things..

If I were to build a new pool today, I would go with Pentair's new IntelliCenter... Check out these guys.. Polytec Pools

I personally like bigger cartridge filters..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Thanks, and that is exactly the kind of info I needed...I was just sort of crossing what the PB had on his work up sheet...and figured it was going to be on the "just barely" side. WRT the Pentair warranty, I am familiar, I am bundling and will have a "licensed professional install" to get the longer warranty. My brother used to own pool company in Indianapolis (I think the name was IPM) and he was sort of getting me smart on some of the stuff.

One question...I was looking at integrating the screenlogic, but is it necessary with a SUPER simple system...i.e. heater, pump and lights...

Thanks and keep the recommendations coming...
 
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I have a simple pool, but I use the automation all the time:
- adjust SWG settings a few times a month
- check on pool temp on the way home from somewhere
- control the pool light
- adjust pump and heater and SWG settings for each season
- observe nice graphs of pool and air temperature
- turn my solar heater on and off
- turn on special pump runs (for vacuuming or high-speed skimming)
- I'm sure there are others.

There's two things to consider:
- how often you're willing to go out to the equipment pad (rain or shine) to do any of those things, instead of doing them from your couch or outdoor table, or while away from home, AND
- more importantly (I think Jim would agree) is that the little tiny screen on the ET, and the endless button pushing to get to the right tiny little screen for what you're trying to adjust, is obnoxious and very user-UN-friendly. And, for me, difficult to read. There are a few functions that are available as push buttons on the control panel, but for everything else, it's the tiny little screen. ScreenLogic can be used from a phone, iPad or laptop or desktop computer. Full disclosure: SL no longer works on Apple's latest OS (Catalina). Pentair seems to be silent on if it ever will. SL works great on all the other Apple products (as an app). I can't speak to what Windows OSes and mobile devices it does or doesn't work on.

I think the IntelliCenter has a much nicer screen, but I have no experience with that. I think that unit also offers web browser support, so it's supposed to be a vast improvement over the ET alone. ET with ScreenLogic is close to the IntelliCenter in function, but maybe not quite as nice? Sorry, no direct experience with that, just a FYI that it would be worth your while to look into it before you decide on no automation or which automation.

What I can tell you from experience is that I would not want to have to deal with the ET without ScreenLogic, or my pool without automation.
 
Dirk said:
I have a simple pool, but I use the automation all the time:
- adjust SWG settings a few times a month
- check on pool temp on the way home from somewhere
- control the pool light
- adjust pump and heater and SWG settings for each season
- observe nice graphs of pool and air temperature
- turn my solar heater on and off
- turn on special pump runs (for vacuuming or high-speed skimming)
- I'm sure there are others.

There's two things to consider:
- how often you're willing to go out to the equipment pad (rain or shine) to do any of those things, instead of doing them from your couch or outdoor table, or while away from home, AND
- more importantly (I think Jim would agree) is that the little tiny screen on the ET, and the endless button pushing to get to the right tiny little screen for what you're trying to adjust, is obnoxious and very user-UN-friendly. And, for me, difficult to read. There are a few functions that are available as push buttons on the control panel, but for everything else, it's the tiny little screen. ScreenLogic can be used from a phone, iPad or laptop or desktop computer. Full disclosure: SL no longer works on Apple's latest OS (Catalina). Pentair seems to be silent on if it ever will. SL works great on all the other Apple products (as an app). I can't speak to what Windows OSes and mobile devices it does or doesn't work on.

I think the IntelliCenter has a much nicer screen, but I have no experience with that. I think that unit also offers web browser support, so it's supposed to be a vast improvement over the ET alone. ET with ScreenLogic is close to the IntelliCenter in function, but maybe not quite as nice? Sorry, no direct experience with that, just a FYI that it would be worth your while to look into it before you decide on no automation or which automation.

What I can tell you from experience is that I would not want to have to deal with the ET without ScreenLogic, or my pool without automation.
Click to expand...

Okay...I am convinced...the other question...lights...if I go Pentair Intellibrite 5G (low voltage), does a transformer fit into the load center referenced above? And if I have the screenlogic system, do I need another controller for the light?

I am pretty sure it will be one light (unless you guys convince me I need more...)...
 
UV,

The EasyTouch or IntelliCenter is the only actual control center you will need for everything.. ScreenLogic is just an add on to the EasyTouch. The IntelliCenter comes with a built-in ScreenLogic-like system..

In both systems, the light transformer is an external box... One light should be plenty..

I am not a fan of color changing LED lights just because the TBF or Time Between Failure is about half an microsecond... ☹ Or it sure seems like it based upon all the failure reports we have seen here at TFP..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
I am not a fan of color changing LED lights just because the TBF or Time Between Failure is about half an microsecond... ☹ Or it sure seems like it based upon all the failure reports we have seen here at TFP..
Click to expand...
NO, this is blatantly false. I'm getting close to 3/4 of a microsecond!! 🤪

It's pretty bad. I'm on my second light in three years and I'm pretty sure the 2nd is on its way out. To be fair, they identified a problem with gen 1, which I started with. This gen 2 light has lasted much longer. But neither has lasted anywhere near enough when the total hours of use is considered. If I have 100 hours total between the two I would be very surprised. It's not the LEDs, it's the cheap electronic drivers that blow up.

I like the color changing, or rather color choices, but beware of light physics. This is true of all colored lights. Red cannot penetrate water like green, and blue is slightly better than green. So not all of the colors will light up your pool equally. I don't like the kids swimming in red in my 12K pool, because it doesn't illuminate nearly enough. The end opposite the light is especially dark when red is on. The other colors are better, but still iffy from a purely safety point of view. White is decent. But the kids like the color-changing scenes. They insist on "Party" mode, even though I suspect it has more to do with the name than the color sequence. That mode cycles through all the colors, including red for a few seconds at a time. I just have to watch the pool better when that is going on.

Just be prepared to be disappointed with a 5G, but maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones...
 
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