Pool Feature Oddities When Using ScreenLogic

y2kdread

Member
Aug 31, 2023
9
Dallas, TX
Hi Everyone -

I am new to pool owning life and had some questions about the ScreenLogic automations and issues with the functionality.

Pool Heater:
I am in Texas, and it is that time of year where I can run the heater for a few hours to get the pool to a nice temperature. I can get it to run, but it is a bit quirky. For example I had to do the following today to get it to run...
  • Turn on the heat and specify the temperature (phone app)
  • Turn off the cleaner circuit (phone app)
  • Turn off the medium circuit (phone app)
  • Turn on the pump's main circuit (I named it low)
  • Press the heater button on the EasyTouch panel
  • Turn on the medium circuit and cleaner circuit
There has also been a couple of times where the heater will run fine with no intervention but turn off whenever my pump speed changes from Low to Medium based on my specified schedule. Is it possible to configure things where the correct circuits turn on whenever I tell the pool to heat instead of having to mess around with the settings?

Cleaner:
My pool has a Pentair Legend with a booster pump installed. Any time I turn the cleaner on manually, it takes 5-10 minutes for it to start up. I was looking through the settings and noticed that there is a section called "Circuits Needing a High Speed Pump" but the cleaner is not listed. Is this normal and would it impact the startup time of the cleaner?

1715634672575.png

Also - if anyone has tips that would be much apricated! I am an IT guy and using this software has been interesting, it is not very user friendly and seems to be very buggy. I've actually found that controlling the pump through the home assistant is much easier than dealing with the pentair software.

Thanks!
 
Y2,

The only oddity is you.. :mrgreen:

When you turn on the cleaner, there is a delay to make sure the main pump is running first. This is because you have the cleaner Circuit Function set to Master Cleaner.. Kind of how it works..

All you should have to do to heat your pool is.. use the app in the pool mode and turn on the heater and set the temp you want.

I suspect that any issues you are having is due to how you have the EasyTouch configured...

Please show me your Pump Speeds, Circuits, and all your Schedules.. Like this..




Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Hi Jim -

I had a hunch that something was configured wrong, the pool builder didn't do a great job with the startup side of things after the pool was built. Here is my configuration. Just to note the "low" circuit is my main pool circuit.

Schedule:
1715698234410.png

On the two entries for the low circuit, I have it set to not change heat and the set point is manual.

Circuit Setup:
1715698293980.png
1715698320660.png
1715698362283.png
 
Y2,

Ok, here is the deal... Most of the time, your system should be in the Pool mode or Spa mode.. This is because the Pump/Filter relay will only close when in one of those two modes.. Normally, as in your case, the Pool circuit (low) is scheduled and the Spa is just manually turned on as needed.

The normal install will not power the Cleaner (Aux 1 relay) unless the Pump/Filter relay is closed. The heater will not run unless the Pump/Filter relay is closed. Often, the AC power to the heater is also wired to the Pump/Filter relay.

When I look at your schedule, your Pool mode is only on 6 am until 1 pm and 4 pm until 11 pm. This is why your cleaner will run in the morning but not run at 4 pm, without a delay..

Your Med and High Circuit do NOT turn on the Pump/Filter relay..

You are currently running 24/7, which is something I also do, but at a low slower speed. So, the fix is pretty easy...

Schedule Pool (Low) 8 am until 8 am and this will keep your Pump/Filter relay closed 24/7. Remove the other Low schedule.. Everything else will work kind of ok, as is

The thing you need to understand about pump speeds is that they are "additive".. When the pump sees two or more speeds it will always run the fastest one.

So.. here is what will happen.. after you Schedule Pool (Low) for 8 am until 8 am...

From 6 am until 9 am the cleaner will be on and the pump will run at 2000 RPM (Because Low and Cleaner have the same speed)
From 9 am until 1 pm the pump will continue to run at 2000 RPM
From 1 pm until 4 PM the pump will run at 2500, because your Med circuit is on
The cleaner is on from 2 to 4 pm, but the pump speed will still be 2500, because it is faster than 2000
From 4 pm until 11 pm, the pump will run at 2000
From 11 pm until 2 am the pump will run at 2500
From 2 am until 6 am the pump will run at 3000, but only god understands why you are running that fast.. :mrgreen:

Try it and see if all the oddities go away..

Also.. Since your pool builder did you no favors, you really need to see if your pump is wired to constant AC power and NOT to the load side of the pump/filter relay..

You can test this by going into the Service mode at the main panel. Wait about a minute, and then go look at the display on your pump and see if it is blank, or if it shows an RPM screen. It should not be blank.

Please let me know how it all turns out.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
From 2 am until 6 am the pump will run at 3000, but only god understands why you are running that fast.. :mrgreen:

LOL - this is just based off me attempting to figure out the optimal schedule for turning over the water 2x in a day (I think). I used my FlowVis flow meter to determine the GPM and based it all on that. I did lose my spreadsheet where I did my calculations, so I don't remember the exacts.

Is there a TFP guide that can help with determining the optimal schedule?

Thanks!
 
Y2,

There is just no truth to the old myth about X turnovers being required to have a clear and sanitized pool..

Chemicals keep your pool water clear and sanitized, the filter is just there to capture the things that fall into the pool each day and float.

By the time that algae starts collecting in your filter, you have already lost the algae war... :mrgreen:

If you keep your FC (chlorine) and your CYA (stabilizer) at the proper relationship, you don't need to worry about turnovers, or adding Pool Store shock packets to your pool, ever again.

There is no optional schedule as all pools and pool owners are different..

As an example.. I have no heater, so I can run at 1200 RPM most of the time.. I have a Saltwater Chlorine Generator (SWCG), so 1200 is where I need to run to generate a little chlorine all the time, and skim all the time. I also like the look of my water when it has a little motion..

People with heaters have to run faster.. Some people only want to run their pumps for the shortest time possible, etc..

If you run into any other ScreenLogic/EasyTouch issues, just let me know.

Thanks,

Jim R.