Upgrade or Replace?

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redmenace20v

redmenace20v

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May 22, 2020
44
Jacksonville, FL
Pool Size
12000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
Doing an in-home remodel, and we want to replace our AquaLink All Button with the iAquaLink app on a dedicated tablet and our phones. Should we upgrade our existing outdoor control panel to work with wireless, or should we replace the entire outdoor unit with the latest and greatest.

I think we currently have an RS6, and I assume it's about 20 years old. Everything works fine, I would just hate to upgrade it to support wireless just to have something else break in the near future which would make a complete replacement necessary.
 
redmenace20v said:
Doing an in-home remodel, and we want to replace our AquaLink All Button with the iAquaLink app on a dedicated tablet and our phones. Should we upgrade our existing outdoor control panel to work with wireless, or should we replace the entire outdoor unit with the latest and greatest.

I think we currently have an RS6, and I assume it's about 20 years old. Everything works fine, I would just hate to upgrade it to support wireless just to have something else break in the near future which would make a complete replacement necessary.
Click to expand...
An upgrade is the better option, unless you want to change manufacturers, as it won't require removing the existing system and then installing the same thing back if you want to stay with Jandy. All you would get with an entirely new Jandy would be new box, relays, circuit breaker base, then it would all have to be rewired. Relays and breaker panels last a very long time and don't need replacing very often.

The iQ30-RS upgrade is a new board that would replace the existing RS6 board with and RS8 board. Just unplug all the existing wiring to the board, remove the board from the bezel, re-plug in the various relays and you can even just remove the large RS-485 terminals with the sensors and attach it to the new board if you want.

You can remove the indoor control and patch the hole, remove the wiring from the red RS-485 terminal and use one of the two new ones, on either of the sockets, for the iQ30 antenna. You could leave the indoor control in place and plug it into the new board and use if as always, I've done that for customers as well. It will continue to function, though it will still only control six relays.

You will need to completely re-program the system, which can be done from the app.
 
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1poolman1 said:
An upgrade is the better option, unless you want to change manufacturers, as it won't require removing the existing system and then installing the same thing back if you want to stay with Jandy. All you would get with an entirely new Jandy would be new box, relays, circuit breaker base, then it would all have to be rewired. Relays and breaker panels last a very long time and don't need replacing very often.

The iQ30-RS upgrade is a new board that would replace the existing RS6 board with and RS8 board. Just unplug all the existing wiring to the board, remove the board from the bezel, re-plug in the various relays and you can even just remove the large RS-485 terminals with the sensors and attach it to the new board if you want.

You can remove the indoor control and patch the hole, remove the wiring from the red RS-485 terminal and use one of the two new ones, on either of the sockets, for the iQ30 antenna. You could leave the indoor control in place and plug it into the new board and use if as always, I've done that for customers as well. It will continue to function, though it will still only control six relays.

You will need to completely re-program the system, which can be done from the app.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much! It was really unclear on what you would actually get with an entire new system, even after lots of reading. How hard do you think it would be to do the iQ30-RS upgrade myself? I have no experience with automation besides using my current system but I am pretty handy and technical with a background in computer science/engineering. Completely reprograming the system is what I'm concerned about...making sure it recognizes and controls the heater, turns the actuators the right way, etc. Just trying to figure out if I should hire someone to do it instead.
 
redmenace20v said:
Thank you so much! It was really unclear on what you would actually get with an entire new system, even after lots of reading. How hard do you think it would be to do the iQ30-RS upgrade myself? I have no experience with automation besides using my current system but I am pretty handy and technical with a background in computer science/engineering. Completely reprograming the system is what I'm concerned about...making sure it recognizes and controls the heater, turns the actuators the right way, etc. Just trying to figure out if I should hire someone to do it instead.
Click to expand...

Can you assemble a stereo system, replace a light switch, and read and follow manuals?

Sit down with the Aqualink Installation Manual and see if you can follow it...

 
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redmenace20v said:
Thank you so much! It was really unclear on what you would actually get with an entire new system, even after lots of reading. How hard do you think it would be to do the iQ30-RS upgrade myself? I have no experience with automation besides using my current system but I am pretty handy and technical with a background in computer science/engineering. Completely reprograming the system is what I'm concerned about...making sure it recognizes and controls the heater, turns the actuators the right way, etc. Just trying to figure out if I should hire someone to do it instead.
Click to expand...
The only "hard" part is the programming and getting the system to link with your router (sometimes very easy, sometimes not). If you have done it with your existing system, you can do it with the upgrade. It can even be done from your existing wall panel if you leave it installed. Everything that is now attached to the old board will go to the same place on the new. As mentioned, the sensor/heater wiring does not need to be changed unless you want to. The longer plug with those small wires will just come loose and can be placed on the new board

Take a few pictures with a phone to have a reference. Be sure that the relay wiring goes back as it is now. Draw a quick diagram because it is not unusual for installers to run the connection from a relay that is in one spot to a socket number that doesn't match. Relays in the panel are, from left to right starting at the top left, Filter, then auxiliary 1-5 in your system (RS6) but the socket may not match. It doesn't matter except for Filter, so if that is the case with yours, just follow the wiring and be sure it goes back to the appropriate socket.

The rest is just a few screws and plugs. Get a very small flat-blade screwdriver to attach the cable from the antenna to the RS-485 (red) terminal. Be sure to follow the colors in the instructions.

Be sure that all the power is off, both to the equipment and to the Jandy (turn all breakers off) as you will have both the high-voltage and low-voltage cabinets exposed.
 
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