Pentair VSF and Ultratemp heater shut off at same time
- Thread starter Lbem25
- Start date
Check the capacitor, contactor and all wiring for any signs of damage.
Ask the HVAC service person about a hard start or soft start kit.
Ask the electricians about the voltage drop.
Ask the HVAC service person about a hard start or soft start kit.
Ask the electricians about the voltage drop.
So electricians came out and changed a wire and it ran for two days and then started doing it again. I went ahead and wired in a hard start capacitor and it started right up. Will watch it.
Is there a chance my voltage varies out here and that’s why it’s hit or miss?
You need to measure the voltage with no load, during startup and during operation.
I suspect that the wires are too small causing a voltage drop.
The pump errors out when the voltage drops too low, but it probably has a delay and starting the heat pump faster might help reduce the duration of the voltage drop.
Are the electricians not checking the voltage and giving you a report?
What exactly are they doing?
Seems like they should be able to tell you what's up.
Are they licensed master electricians or just unskilled helpers being sent out to try random things with no real idea what they are doing?
They are a licensed firm and reputable. They said they had good voltage to the unit the entire time but again, it happened to start after they ran a new wire that day. It’s been hit or miss the entire time I’ve had it. Sometimes power flickers in the house when I try and turn it on and sometimes it kicks on and no issue at all. So far the hard start kit has worked and it’s kicked it on a couple times since I’ve installed it. I am going to have a different electrician look at it and get a second set of eyes, primarily looking at wire size.
Not sure if they are master electricians but I am going to find a different one. Service anymore is a joke.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,225
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You need to connect a voltage data logger to your circuit...
dataloggerinc.com
Find an electrician who has one.
AEMC L562 TRMS
1 Voltage input 0-600 VAC with banana connectors 1 Current input for 0-1 VAC output current probes with BNC connectors 64 Samples/cycle Storage rate of 8x per second to 1/day Store up to 240,000 measurements USB communication interface Simple LED status display Battery powered
dataloggerinc.com
Find an electrician who has one.
That indicates a bigger issue.
Maybe a damaged neutral or some sort of problem causing low voltage.
Your pump is indicating low voltage and the flickering is also indicating voltage problems.
Definitely need to get a licensed master electrician to check it out.
There might also be a problem with the compressor and you can have that checked by an HVAC tech, but I would make sure that the voltage is staying good first.
Definitely need to get a licensed master electrician to check it out.
There might also be a problem with the compressor and you can have that checked by an HVAC tech, but I would make sure that the voltage is staying good first.
Last edited:
Ok. In the meantime, could I be doing damage using the hard start kit?
I would refer you to an HVAC technician to evaluate the need for a hard start kit.
As long as it is the correct one and installed correctly, it should be fine.
Maybe check with Pentair to see what they recommend and what the correct part is.
I would be concerned about the voltage being too low or fluctuating outside of the specifications on the label.
You need a good electrician who can evaluate the power supply and let you know if it is good or not, and if not, why and what options you have.
As long as it is the correct one and installed correctly, it should be fine.
Maybe check with Pentair to see what they recommend and what the correct part is.
I would be concerned about the voltage being too low or fluctuating outside of the specifications on the label.
You need a good electrician who can evaluate the power supply and let you know if it is good or not, and if not, why and what options you have.
The wiring color scheme inside the box is odd. A wire that is wrapped with white tape is inserted into the load side of the breaker. White is reserved for neutral. If you wanted to distinguish between the 2 wires going into the 50 amp breaker on the left, balck and red would be the most common color choices. You should remove any white tape on both ends. If you want to keep track of which wire is which - not necessary on 220V circuits, but not prohibited, you should wrap both ends with red or a color other than white, green or gray. This is not the source of your issue but it is a safety issue. White and gray wire colors are reserved for grounded coonductors (aka neutral) and are expected to be tied into the neutral bus bar (at the top) and green colored wires are reserved for equipment grounding conductors (aka grounds) and are expected to be is tied into the ground bus bar (on the left).
Which hard start kit did you use?
How was it wired in?
Does it start better, worse or about the same?
SUPCO SPP6. Sized for up to 120k BTU / 230/1. The problem has gone away and I can tell it’s a lot smoother start when the compressor kicks in. Wired to Herm and compressor on capacitor, that’s all that was required
Ok, I suspect that the power might have an issue causing a voltage sag.
The compressor might be beginning to fail causing excessive amperage, which can cause excessive voltage drop.
It might be a different issue with the heat pump making it hard to start.
Maybe have an HVAC technician check it to make sure that it is running properly with the right pressures etc.
The hard start kit can help get around issues, but they are usually not necessary, so it might be an issue that needs to be fixed.
I would have the voltage and current checked out to see what's up with that.
Below is a good meter you can get if you want to do some tests yourself.
The compressor might be beginning to fail causing excessive amperage, which can cause excessive voltage drop.
It might be a different issue with the heat pump making it hard to start.
Maybe have an HVAC technician check it to make sure that it is running properly with the right pressures etc.
The hard start kit can help get around issues, but they are usually not necessary, so it might be an issue that needs to be fixed.
I would have the voltage and current checked out to see what's up with that.
Below is a good meter you can get if you want to do some tests yourself.
Last edited:
It should be under warranty, but it can often be a pain to try to work through that process.
Maybe contact Pentair to see what they recommend.
Maybe contact Pentair to see what they recommend.
Last edited:
@Lbem25 did you ever figure this out? I have the exact same setup as you except both the UltraTemp and Intelliflo are on the same breaker. But I have what sounds like exactly the same problem: Pentair heat pump and pump not working well together
I have also tried getting Pentair to fix this for a year and they have only given me the run-around.
I have also tried getting Pentair to fix this for a year and they have only given me the run-around.