Spa Drains After Power Outage

[gmichal]

I have Pentair equipment controlling my raised spa and pool. Three times in the past year, in the middle of the night, we have lost power for several hours, every time the power returns we have found the pool pump, led lights, waterfall pump on and an automatic valve switched to where the spa drains into the pool. Of course we are asleep and we don't find it till the next morning running like this. We try to turn the equipment off with the phone app (screenlogic2) but the app is not communicating with the Pentair EasyTouch Control System controls. The only way we found to stop the spa from draining is to turn the main panel breaker off to the Pentair control box. Following each of these occurrences, we contacted the pool builder service company. They have been unable identify the cause and they have no idea except to say it is not the Pentair equipment. Anyone have any suggestions to what is causing this to happen?
I know this is hurting the pump because I think it is running dry. The pool was completed last summer.

 

[mknauss]

Your signature shows all Jandy equipment. Can you update that?

So a power cycle of the ET is causing this. I would consider recreating it during the day when you are there. But lets get @Jimrahbe and @ogdento in on this discussion to see what tips they have.

 

[gmichal]

A manual power cycle by turning off the breaker does not create the same issue; only happens after a power outage.

 

[Jimrahbe]

G.

Does not make logical sense... Turning off all the power to the ET is exactly the same as having a power outage...

I suspect it has to do with the mode you are in when the power outage happens.

Or maybe how the power comes back on.. maybe initially intermittent.

Let's pick an easy one and see what makes sense.. You say the LED lights are on.. The only way the lights would come on is for the Aux relay that powers them to be on. That relay is only going to come on if the EasyTouch tells it to come on... Either someone has to push a button, or the ET "thinks" the light is scheduled to to be on.. What schedules do you run, if any, for the lights, the waterfall pump and spa mode???

Let's see if Tom has any wild ideas on what could cause the system to do what you have described... Calling @ogdento

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[ogdento]

That is bizarre... I have no idea what would cause that - or why a power outage is different from manually shutting off the breaker (are you shutting off ALL the breakers? i.e. system breaker, pump breaker etc?)
I feel like I recall somebody else reporting a similar issue with weird startup after power outage a few months back... does this ring a bell for anyone?

 

[gmichal]

G.

Does not make logical sense... Turning off all the power to the ET is exactly the same as having a power outage...

I suspect it has to do with the mode you are in when the power outage happens.

Or maybe how the power comes back on.. maybe initially intermittent.

Let's pick an easy one and see what makes sense.. You say the LED lights are on.. The only way the lights would come on is for the Aux relay that powers them to be on. That relay is only going to come on if the EasyTouch tells it to come on... Either someone has to push a button, or the ET "thinks" the light is scheduled to to be on.. What schedules do you run, if any, for the lights, the waterfall pump and spa mode???

Let's see if Tom has any wild ideas on what could cause the system to do what you have described... Calling @ogdento

Thanks,

Jim R.

Jim:

I'm no electrical expert but thought I knew enough to draw the same conclusion: shutting down the breaker from my main house panel to the Pentair control panel should yield the same situation as a power outage. All 3 power outages have been for several hours in the middle of the night so no schedules were running nor due to run for several hours. Upon the return of power, the Pentair control panel has 4 outputs on (as seen in the attached photo) and it is locked up. No buttons on the panel work nor can it be accessed by the app. While it is "locked up", the spa drains itself into the pool, LED lights on, waterfall on, pool pump on. The only way to resolve the issue is the turn off main power to the control panel and it seems to act normal except that the spa is short 500 gallons of water.

Is it possible that the electrical line installation to the control panel is faulty, needs a filter, etc or the control panel is lacking a filter of some kind? My neighbor had a pool installed by the same builder and same equipment 2 months after mine and, with the same power outages, has not had the same problem. I worry that the next time it happens I might not be home to turn off the system to reset it.

 

[Jimrahbe]

G,

Do you have to reset the clock on the EasyTouch after the power outage?

I can't think of anything that would cause the problem.. Obviously, your system has the problem, but I have no idea what it could be..

If you show me some pics of the relays and wiring, I can look for anything that does not look right..


Thanks,

Jim R.