Pentair EasyTouch4 Spa Feature Circuit

[PalmParrot]

New pool, first time post, thanks in advance.

I just had pool/spa redesigned with all new Pentair equipment; EasyTouch4, Intelliflo VSF, Mastertemp 400, Intellichlor IC40, two Hayward PSVs. I wanted my pool contractor to add a Spa Low feature circuit but nothing he has tried works; the valves stay in the Pool position when I select Spa Low. A Spa and Spa Low button both show in the Spa Group in iPhone ScreenLogic. The valves move to Spa position if I select Spa. If I select Spa Low the pump comes on low but the valves stay in Pool position. That doesn't seem right. A second button in the Spa group should move the valves to Spa position. Is this a limitation in EasyTouch? Only one Spa feature circuit?

He originally set up a Spa circuit for low speed and had a second Spa High circuit. The Spa High circuit had the same problem, valves stayed in Pool position. It would only give me high speed spa if I mashed Spa and Spa High, which kept valves in correct Spa position. Not optimal because the Spa-Side Spa button would not turn off the pump, it would leave the pump on high and the valves would move to Pool position.

I have two Pool feature circuits that correctly have the valves in Pool position. I have a Spillway circuit that positions the valves correctly. Why can't I get a second Spa circuit that correctly moves the valves to Spa position when I select only that circuit?

I had him delete the Spa Low circuit for now and will schedule filtering the spa on my one Spa circuit which runs high.

I wish to have two circuits so I can schedule low speed spa filtering, and mash one button for high speed when I use the spa.

My contractor got on the phone with Pentair. I don't know what they told him but the outcome was only one Spa feature circuit that moves the valves to Spa position correctly. Is there something he is missing?

Apologies if I don't have the Pentair terminology correct. I have a Mac, no PC so I can't make any changes unless I do it through the panel or iPhone SL Config.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Post a pic of what your EasyTouch panel looks like so we can see exactly which model you have.

 

[Jimrahbe]

PP,

You are either in the Spa mode or Pool mode. The EasyTouch does not have circuit groups like the IntelliTouch and the new IntelliCenter.

Pump speeds are determined by the circuit that is on. You can't have two speeds for the same circuit. Highest speed always wins when 2 or more circuits are on.

So, you can be in the Spa mode (Spa circuit on) and the pump will run at whatever speed is assigned to the Spa Circuit. You can then have a Feature Circuit that can change the speed of the pump, but it will not change the pool or spa mode.

Here is a list of my speeds, just to give you an idea of how the EasyTouch works. You can see that when I'm in the pool mode the pump will run about 1200 RPM, if I turn on the Skim Low circuit, the pump will run at 1500 RPM, if Skim High is on, the pump runs at 2000 RPM and if my waterfall is on the pump runs at 2800 RPM.

I'm pretty sure you will need to push more than one button. One to run the Spa at the assigned "Spa speed" and plus a second to run at any other speed.

Set up page 4.JPG

• Jimrahbe
• Apr 19, 2019

I am not sure I fully understand what you want, so maybe I just don't "see" it yet.. If I am missing something obvious, talk to me like I am in first grade and explain what it is that you want to do.

Also, please show me a picture of the control panel on your EasyTouch, I want to make sure I understand which one you have.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PalmParrot]

It is an EasyTouch4.
Waterfall is separate pump and piping

 

[mknauss]

I believe you would have to set up your main Spa function with the low rpm, and then set up a Feature with a higher RPM, with Circuit Function Spa. The heater will run unless you not tie it to Spa, and have to select it to run in Screenlogic. So turning on the Spa to use, would take multiple selections in Screenlogic.

I think Jim implied the same above.

 

[Jimrahbe]

It is an EasyTouch4.

PP,

There are several different versions of the "EasyTouch4"... We just wanted to make sure that you did not have the "lite" version, which you do not.

Another thing to keep in mind.. The EasyTouch comes with a fixed set of Circuits.. You can "Name" these circuits anything you want, but that name does not make the EasyTouch do anything. As an example.. You can name Aux 4 "Spa" but it could be named "Jim"... it still will not turn the spa on.

Glad to try and help, but need to know exactly what you need.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PalmParrot]

I want to add a Spa Low, I guess you call it, Feature Circuit that I can schedule to filter at low speed. The two valves will be in the Spa position and it will run at a low speed. When my pool contractor tries to do this, I get a button in the Spa group in iPhone ScreenLogic that is named Spa Low, but when I click it the pump runs but the valves stay in Pool position. The Spa Low button is in the correct Spa Group, not in the Pool group so I would think it should move the valves to Spa position. I have a Spa button in the Spa group that turns the valve to Spa position and runs the pump high like it should which is fine. In my Pool Group I have a Pool and Pool High buttons that work correctly with valves in Pool position. I also have a Spillway circuit that positions the valves correctly. It seems like if he entered a new circuit incorrectly by choosing the Pool group (Circuit Function?) but naming it Spa Low it would be in my Pool group in ScreenLogic. That is not the case, it is named Spa Low and it is in the Spa group in ScreenLogic but valves are wrong. I started looking at YouTube videos on how to program via the panel. SL Config is a non-intuitive user interface. The MacOS version does not run on Big Sur (they should put that on the download page) so I can't use what seems like the the best tool for checking and configuring myself.

 

[Jimrahbe]

PP,

If the Pool circuit is on and you push the Spa icon, the system will switch to the Spa mode and the pump will run at whatever speed you have assigned to the Spa circuit. Let's say it runs at 3000 RPM.. If you then turn on a feature circuit (let's call it "Spa Low" setup to run the pump at 1000 RPM), nothing will happen, because the pump will always run at the highest speed when it receives two speed requests.

You could just set the speed for the Spa Circuit at 1000, and then setup a feature circuit (name it anything you want, but let's say "Spa High" for 3000. You would have to put the pool in the Spa mode where it would run at 1000 RPM, until you pushed the Spa high icon, and then the pump would ramp up to 3000 RPM.

Keep in mind that if you were in the pool mode and turned on Spa High, the pump would ramp up to 3000 RPM, but the system would NOT change into the Spa mode.

You are trying to make the system do something is not designed to do. One button will not do what you want.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PalmParrot]

I have a Pool and a Pool High button on my Pool tab in ScreenLogic. Somehow, hidden to me but programmed into the EasyTouch4, it knows to put the valves in Pool position when. I click on them. I also have a Spillway Feature button that somehow knows to move the valves to Spillway position. I have one button in the Spa tab named Spa that runs the pump in high speed and somehow knows to move the valves to Spa position. I want one more button in the Spa tab called Spa Low that runs the pump at low speed and also knows to turn the valves to Spa position. I wish to use Spa Low for my filtering schedule, not the Spa button that runs at high speed. Then I should have two buttons in my Spa tab: Spa for when I want to jump in the spa and Spa Low for filtering schedule that both know to move the valves to Spa position. I don't get this. I get a Spa button that moves the valves to Spa position as expected and one Spa Low button that does not, unlike the Pool tab where both buttons work the way I expect.

I apologize again if I am getting the nomenclature wrong. The manual helped a little in understanding, the YouTube videos not so much. Might you know of any good training videos you could point me to? I'll go dig an old Windows computer out of the closet and see if I can get ScreenLogic 2 running.

 

[Jimrahbe]

PP,

One of the reasons that I volunteer here at TFP is that I like to learn new things.

Trying to solve your problem, I went back into ScreenLogic setup today and discovered something that I had never seen before when using Pool or Spa modes.

I am not sure why you are having the problem you are, but it does appear what you want to do should work. My plan is to program my system and run some tests. Unfortunately, I'm scheduled to do some work on a rent house today, so won't be back until after 5 pm.

In the meantime, if you can post some screenshots of your SLConfig pages showing the set up for your IntelliFlo pump. I'd like to see the Circuits and assigned pump speeds.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[PalmParrot]

PP,

One of the reasons that I volunteer here at TFP is that I like to learn new things.

Trying to solve your problem, I went back into ScreenLogic setup today and discovered something that I had never seen before when using Pool or Spa modes.

I am not sure why you are having the problem you are, but it does appear what you want to do should work. My plan is to program my system and run some tests. Unfortunately, I'm scheduled to do some work on a rent house today, so won't be back until after 5 pm.

In the meantime, if you can post some screenshots of your SLConfig pages showing the set up for your IntelliFlo pump. I'd like to see the Circuits and assigned pump speeds.

Thanks,

Jim R.

Spa has Spa circuit function and Show On Spa Section. If I try to make a new Spa Low feature circuit it allows me to Show On the Spa Section but it does not let me choose Spa for Circuit Function like my Spa circuit has. I just noticed that my Pool High has Show On as Pool Section but has Generic circuit function. So I can't create more than one feature circuit for a circuit function? Pool High works as expected because Generic circuit function doesn't move the valves, it leaves them in Pool position. New Spa Low feature circuit cannot choose Spa circuit function, must choose Generic which doesn't move the valves, to Spa position where I want them.

 

[Jimrahbe]

PP,

I learned that what I thought this morning was wrong.

I screwed with this for an hour or so and found that you can only have one Pool Circuit and one Spa circuit. You can name them anything you want, but only one of them can have a Circuit Function of Pool or Spa.

The default is that the Pool Circuit has a default Function of "Pool"
You can Name the Pool Circuit "Pool high" but the Function is still "Pool"
If you Name a Feature Circuit "Pool Low" or Pool High" it will not let you change the Function to "Pool".

I am not sure how your Pool high and Pool low works, but I'm pretty sure it is not working like you think it is.

If you had a PC, with ScreenLogic loaded, we could solve this issue in a few minutes.

This set up page ties everything together and make programming very easy.

Set up page 2.JPG

• Jimrahbe
• Jun 8, 2020

Sorry, wish I had better news..

Jim R.

 

[PalmParrot]

That is the deal, only one Pool and one Spa feature circuit that use Spa and Pool circuit function. Thanks for helping me dig into it. I will probably be back with more square zero questions.

 

[mknauss]

Set up your low rpm spa as your main spa function. You will likely want to not have the heater tied to that. That will be your base. Then set up a feature with the higher rpm as a generic function. To run the spa as a spa, you would engage the Spa function, then the high rpm feature, then turn on the heater.

I am not sure why you would want this versus just running a Spillover function.

 

[PalmParrot]

Thanks, I understand the choices now. For me it is desirable to have the spa-side remote have a Spa button that turns off the spa when I climb out. I don't think I can do that with a generic Spa High as the spa-side button can only turn off one of feature circuit. The spa-side button doesn't turn off the heat, still have to do that on ScreenLogic. On the other hand, having a low speed Spa feature circuit would allow me to schedule low speed spa filtering. Will try both schemes and see which works best.

 

[mknauss]

Using the spa side remote will limit you to using the Spa function as the normal high rpm, heated system.

 

[Jimrahbe]

PP,

Within reason, you can program the pool-side remote to turn on or off any circuit you want.

Jim R.