Schedules/Manual OP Priority

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MyAZPool

MyAZPool

Gold Supporter
Jul 3, 2018
2,296
Arizona
Pool Size
20500
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
BACKGROUND: So last night, I was heating up the Spa for the first time since integrating my new Pentair automation. During the spa "heat-up", my scheduled (cleaning) program "kicked-in" and of course switched the "bodies of water" or "POOL(s) from SPA back to POOL, and of course causing the INTAKE and RETURN valves to rotate back to their normal (Home) positions and turning the heater off. Good thing I caught it within just a couple of minutes of the schedule activating, so I did not lose too much heated water to the pool.

All along, I thought by "checking" the "Manual OP Priority" box in the general settings, that any manual operation would take priority over any "schedules". This was not the case however. Am I confused about how this MoP feature is supposed to work? This is what the User's guide has to say about it (trying to understand "Pentairgalese' is frustrating at best). :rolleyes:

"PP 44, IntelliCenter User’s Guide. Manual Operation Priority (General) - Manual OP Priority: ON: This feature allows for a circuit to be manually switched OFF and switched ON within a scheduled program, the circuit will continue to run for a maximum of 12 hours or whatever that circuit Egg Timer is set to (see page 56), after which the scheduled program will resume. This feature will turn off any scheduled program to allow manual pump override. The Default setting is OFF."

Can some TPF members who own Pentair automation systems and who have experienced this issue or similar, jump in and "school" me on what the whole deal with the "MoP" is and what if any "work-arounds" or advice can be shared to prevent the above scenario from occurring?

Thanks in advance.
r.
 
On my Easytouch the SPA setting overrides all other schedules as it has the highest pump speed assigned to it.

Not sure about your IntelliCenter.
 
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mknauss said:
On my Easytouch the SPA setting overrides all other schedules as it has the highest pump speed assigned to it.
Not sure about your IntelliCenter.
Click to expand...
Marty, Thanks much. One thing I have learned, is that the IntelliCenter utilizes many of the same features, settings, configurations, etc. as the other two major Pentair automation systems.

Hmmm, yea that might be one way to do a "work-around". Currently my default "SPA" pump setting is 45 GPM and my default "POOL" pump setting is 50 GPM. I guess I could adjust these pump settings to make the SPA pump setting higher than the POOL pump setting. Curious though, I wonder if doing so would also prevent the INTAKE and RETURN valves from rotating and the heater from shutting down (in otherwords, preventing the "Body of Water" from switching back to "POOL"? :unsure: Is that the case with your ET? An experiment on my end, may be in order regarding this point.

Good point and thanks again. (y)
r.
 
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r.

I don't think it keeps other programs from working... Here is an example of how I "think" it works...

With my EasyTouch let's say a program is supposed to start at 7 am and run until 7 pm.. But, if I manually turn it on at 6 am and shut of off at 8 am.. it will not go back to the 7am to 7pm until the next day.. It sounds to me like this "Manual OP Priority" is a way around this type of issue..

Or maybe a better example is a circuit is scheduled to come on at 7 am and off at 8 am.. If I turn it on at 6 am, it will run for whatever the egg timer is set for and not shut off at 8am.

I know we have had members who have manually started or stopped their pumps during a normal schedule and have had issues with the pump then running for 12 hours and /or not starting again, until the next scheduled time.

I think the key is "Within the Program"..

I find it easier to read ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, then Pentair manuals, so your guess is as good as mine... :mrgreen:

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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Jimrahbe said:
r.
I don't think it keeps other programs from working... Here is an example of how I "think" it works...
With my EasyTouch let's say a program is supposed to start at 7 am and run until 7 pm.. But, if I manually turn it on at 6 am and shut of off at 8 am.. it will not go back to the 7am to 7pm until the next day.. It sounds to me like this "Manual OP Priority" is a way around this type of issue..
Or maybe a better example is a circuit is scheduled to come on at 7 am and off at 8 am.. If I turn it on at 6 am, it will run for whatever the egg timer is set for and not shut off at 8am.
I know we have had members who have manually started or stopped their pumps during a normal schedule and have had issues with the pump then running for 12 hours and /or not starting again, until the next scheduled time.
I think the key is "Within the Program"..
I find it easier to read ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, then Pentair manuals, so your guess is as good as mine... :mrgreen:
Thanks,
Jim R.
Click to expand...
Jim,
Ah, okay. I think a got ya reference the "MoP." No one says it better than you, regarding your interpretation of Pentair Technical Writing styles. :laughblue:
Thanks much!
r.
 
bdavis466 said:
There should be an option under that circuit that says "make priority". I'm only familiar with ScreenLogic/ET/IT though not this newfangled witchcraft you have...
Click to expand...
Brian,
Thanks! What you are referring to makes perfect sense. So I just scoured the IntelliCenter settings. in AUX-CIRCUITS, there is only "Show as Feature", "Freeze Protection" and "Don't Stop" (which pertains to EGG TIMER, I think) check boxes. In the FEATURE CIRCUITS, the same. In CIRCUIT GROUPS (macros), only the "Don't Stop" check box is available.

I also ran a search for "Make Priority" in the electronic versions of both the IntelliCenter User's Guide and the IntellliCenter Quick Reference Guide. NOTHING.

So I guess no "Make Priority" checkbox in IntelliCenter that I can find. Can you please tell me where (what part of settings or configurations) in the ScreenLogic, systems are the "Make Priority" checkbox located, that you are referring to? Maybe a "screenshot" if you have time or don't mind? The reason: I will send that along with my detailed information to Pentair Tech Support and nicely advise them that they "left something out" :p.

Thanks Brian...
r.
 
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bdavis466 said:
You know what, I was wrong. The priority isn't what I thought it was after reading through the manual.

The pump speed works for sure though so try changing that to suit your needs.
Click to expand...
(y) Thanks, but you are still on to something. There should be some kind of "option" that allows for the user to determine CIRCUIT priorities. Here I go again. "Wishing". I'm still going to pass this issue along to Tech Support. If Pentair sincerely wants to make "improvements", to their "Premier" automation system, I'm hoping they will listen to suggestions from the actual product "users".
Marty, came up with a good work-around. I'm hoping there are some other users who have also experienced this "issue" and maybe have some others as well.
Thanks!
r.
 
I've been pretty surprised to read your description of the intellicenter and finding out that it really is just an updated version of the intellitouch with the same programming. There's nothing new with it.

When you do talk to Pentair can you ask them if they can add I heater macro to an AUX circuit for people with heater bypasses? As of now the only way to initiate a demand for heat is through the pool or Spa circuit and there's no way to customize that.
 
Why would you want your POOL circuit pump speed so high? I do not do flow rates, just set the rpm to do what I want. So my POOL is set for 1500 rpm (that is needed to close my SWCG flow switch) and the SPA is at 3000 rpm so the jets work correctly.
 
mknauss said:
Why would you want your POOL circuit pump speed so high? I do not do flow rates, just set the rpm to do what I want. So my POOL is set for 1500 rpm (that is needed to close my SWCG flow switch) and the SPA is at 3000 rpm so the jets work correctly.
Click to expand...

50GPM is probably around 1500 rpm. Where did you see the Pool circuit speed? If anything the SPA speed is low
 
mknauss said:
Why would you want your POOL circuit pump speed so high? I do not do flow rates, just set the rpm to do what I want. So my POOL is set for 1500 rpm (that is needed to close my SWCG flow switch) and the SPA is at 3000 rpm so the jets work correctly.
Click to expand...
Marty, good question.
Because, currently, I am not as fortunate to enjoy the advantages of a dolphin robot cleaner (I'm jealous :mrgreen:). Instead, I am still using an "old school" suction-side cleaner (which still works great though) and which requires that much flow-rate, in order to be effective, along with providing enough minimum suction for two skimmers at the same time. If I were using a robot for side and bottom cleaning, I would certainly be using the same technique that you are currently employing. :goodjob: Thanks much! r.

UPDATE: Also, I have a separate SPA JET PUMP, for spa "action". That way, my spa speed/flow setting for the IntelliFlo is based on only the requirement to provide (I hope), the correct flow rate for proper "heat exchange" from the heater.
 
bdavis466 said:
50GPM is probably around 1500 rpm. Where did you see the Pool circuit speed? If anything the SPA speed is low
Click to expand...
Actually,
Currently, 50 GPM results in nearly 2200 RPM (based on my filter load presently).
2019-01-27_14-25-49.jpg

Based on advice above, I have reset my SPA setting for 55 GPM which results in a pump speed of just over 2500 RPM, I have made this adjustment to the SPA setting just so I can test whether the higher speed (flow) for the SPA setting, will prevent the pool cleaning schedule from interrupting my SPA activities. More to follow on my test.

2019-01-27_14-20-25.jpg
 
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A robot cleaner might pay for itself pretty quickly. My setup closes the SWCG flow switch at 1500 rpm which equates to ~180 watts.
 
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Interestingly enough, I just found this thread from back in 2016. Intellitouch Question. This thread is based on the same exact issue that I am experiencing here. Information within the thread does suggest setting the SPA speed higher than the PUMP speed as a work-around. One (in the industry) member suggested that the Manual OP Priority setting will override other programs when key presses are made (not sure if that applies to key presses in the iOS app or just at the control panel). A work-around is fine for a temp fix but I feel Pentair should sort of "fix" this issue once and for all and provide a "solid" means to prevent scheduled programs from interrupting temporary pool and spa settings. r.
 
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@Pool Clown is a knowledgeable fella and he would certainly know.

I'm confident that the pump speeds will fix your issue and really there's no reason why your spa speed should be lower than pretty much any of your other circuits.

Is your filter dirty? That seems like a relatively high speed for such a low flow.

@mknauss is very correct about the robot. Another option that's a little less expensive is automating your pool cleaner valve so that that's the only thing open when you're pool is in cleaner mode... you may have already done this because I recall seeing your pool equipment setup and you had a gaggle of valves all over the place but I don't recall at the moment
 

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