Which Intellicenter do I need?

[smcdonald001]

Hello everyone, my wife and I are in the process of having our pool built. The shotcrete was just sprayed about a week ago. I have decided to go with pentair intellicenter for automation, I'm just trying to figure out exactly which model I need. Unfortunately my pool builder seems to have very little knowledge on automation. They have been building pools since the 80s and have an awesome track record for quality pools at a reasonable price where we live, but they really seem to lack when it comes to anything related to controllers and automation. Our pool, is only a pool, but does have a spa-like bench built into one corner of the pool with 4 jets.

Here is what we will have:
intelliflo variable pump (not exactly sure which model)
ultra temp 140k heat pump heater
automatic pool cleaner with dedicated suction line(not exactly sure what this means)
ic40 swg with the intellicenter as a kit
water features:
water slide 35-40gpm
3 bubblers on sunshelf
4 deckjets spraying into pool
4 "therapy" jets on corner bench

almost forgot, we will have 4 lights inside the pool, not sure exactly what brand, but i know they change colors
eventually we will be adding some lighting on the screen enclosure to light up the deck around the pool. We want to be able to control these and possibly a few other things that we don't yet know about from the controller.

I told the pool builder that I want to be able to effectively run all the water features at the same time if we choose too and I want to be able to control each feature independently of each other. They replied with a recommendation of adding a second variable pump for the "therapy" jets as they say they will need the most flow. They stated that everything else will be able to run off the primary pump. This is also when they made the recommendation of an easy touch system, and then they seemed to get confused when I told them that the easy touch can only control 2 valves.

I found polytecpools.com and for the 5pic40 kit is $2140 or the 8psic40 kit is $2860 difference of $720, but includes 2 intellivalve actuators at $180 a piece, so its really only a difference of $360 between the 2 kits if i added 2 actuators to the 5pic40. Also if needed the 10psic40 is only $40 more, but its on backorder for 1-2 weeks.

1 other question I have is about the heater. Having 2 pumps and only 1 heater, I assume the heater is going to be plumbed into the primary pump to heat the pool, is there a way with the intellicenter and some valves to have the ability to run the heater with the bench jets when I want to? We really only have the heater for the bench "therapy jets" for my wife as she's not a big swimmer, but wants to be able to enjoy her time with us, and we opted away from a seperate spa for the money (it was $20k more). if not would I be crazy to only hook the heater up to the 2nd pump?

 

[Teald024]

Hello and Welcome to TFP!
Exciting times ahead.
The SWG should be rated for at least 2x the pool volume. This will allow you to run the pump when you want to and still make enough chlorine.
Second, consider forgoing the suction side cleaner. Get a robot instead. A couple more dollars upfront, but better in the long run. Again, it will decouple the pump and allow you more flexibility in pump run time. Modern robots are better suited for the task.

 

[smcdonald001]

not exactly sure how many gallons our pool will be, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 17,000-18,000 gallons, the ic40 is for up to 40,000 am i correct? Sorry if this is a stupid question, but what is the difference between a robot vacuum and what I'm getting. and what do you mean decouple the pump?

 

[Teald024]

not exactly sure how many gallons our pool will be, but somewhere in the neighborhood of 17,000-18,000 gallons, the ic40 is for up to 40,000 am i correct?

Yes, the IC40 is rated up to 40k gallons. This would be a good size for your 18k gallon pool.

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but what is the difference between a robot vacuum and what I'm getting. and what do you mean decouple the pump?

When you are buying and installing a pool, there are no stupid questions!!!

A suction side cleaner is a device that will use the pump suction to provide power to do it's cleaning. For an inground pool, many have a dedicated port to plug the hose into. Depending on the model, they can work well. The down side is that you have to run the pump to get the cleaner to work and the cleaner diverts flow away from the skimmers and drain. Depending on the setup, they can be difficult to balance flows properly.
A pressure side cleaner typically uses a booster pump to provide the power for the cleaner. This requires a separate pump typically.
A "robot" is a stand alone unit that does not attach to the pool's plumbing system. It plugs in to an electrical box and just has a wire to power the cleaner. This is the most expensive type though. A robot does not require you to run the pool pump for it to work (hence the decouple comment) and can recoup some $ savings there. You can run the pump to do the job of skimming, filtering and making chlorine. Then run the robot whenever you want, even when the pump is off. The robot is also "smart" in that you can program a cycle and it will do it's job and then be done.
Automatic pool cleaners. There is a section of the forum for members to talk about pool cleaners if you want some additional information.

 

[smcdonald001]

I see, thanks for the explanation. Do you think I really need to spring for the better cleaner if my pool is going to be screened in? The cleaner that I'm getting is the pentair dorado.

 

[kevinskii]

FWIW, I bought a Hayward suction cleaner on the advice of my former pool guy. It was about the same price as the Dorado. I regret it, and wish I had spent the extra money on a robot. It does a decent enough job cleaning, but running it is a hassle for the reasons mentioned.

 

[smcdonald001]

So i ordered the 10psic40 kit, along with the valve expansion, com expansion, 2 extra valve actuators for a total of 4, and an indoor control panel. Do I need anything else? I know I have to hook the com ports to the various equipment that I will be getting with the pool builder, do I need to get wire to do this or does the equipment come with the wire I need?

 

[kevinskii]

I would add the Pentair ScreenLogic2. It lets you control everything from your smart phone or PC. The user interface is much nicer than the control panel, and if you're like me it will save you lots of trips to the equipment pad as you make periodic tweaks to pump speed and SWG output.

 

[smcdonald001]

i believe the intellicenter has something similar to screenlogic built in. It's supposed to be able to control from computers and smartphones/tablets out of the box. i only added the indoor panel, because 2 days a week both my wife and I are both working and my mom and grandma come baby sit for us and I want them to be able to turn on the water features easily if they want to let the kids swim.

 

[smcdonald001]

also update polytec pools called me and said that the 10ps is on backorder and will most likely be a while longer then originally expected and the price will go up by $90 when they return to stock, but they had the 8ps model in stock for the original price. I believe the 8ps should do everything I need anyway I was only going for the 10ps because it was only $40 more, but for $130 more and possibly having to wait a month or more, I didn't think it was worth it.

 

[MyAZPool]

also update polytec pools called me and said that the 10ps is on backorder and will most likely be a while longer then originally expected and the price will go up by $90 when they return to stock, but they had the 8ps model in stock for the original price. I believe the 8ps should do everything I need anyway I was only going for the 10ps because it was only $40 more, but for $130 more and possibly having to wait a month or more, I didn't think it was worth it.

smcdonald001
With 2 pumps and 4 lights (individually controlled), that will eat up 6 circuits, so with an i8PS, you will have two spares for future expansion and so you should be good.

BUT, if you think there is a chance that you may want more than 2 additional circuits (Power Relays) in the future, than $130.00 and an additional wait of a month, may be worth it. Only you can decide that. If you have to buy the i10PS daughter card "a-la-carte" in the future, that card will set you back about $900.00 (probably more in the future).

Just something to consider, but I honestly think you will be fine if you don't start thinking of too many additional items to power and control from the IntelliCenter (landscape lighting transformers, gazebo lights, party lights or other additional lighting, etc., etc.)

Good luck with your new build
r.

 

[smcdonald001]

we are going to have the 4 pool lights run together, so we went with the i8ps. I do plan on adding deck lights in the future and a light for by the pumps, but still I should have 2 or 3 relays to spare.

 

[MyAZPool]

we are going to have the 4 pool lights run together, so we went with the i8ps. I do plan on adding deck lights in the future and a light for by the pumps, but still I should have 2 or 3 relays to spare.

Sounds good. You should be good to go...