Re: Pool Valve Control

[Wayne <wayne@xxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Bruce.  What (if anything) do you do for pool & spa monitoring?
I am a new owner of a house with a pool/spa combo and want to monitor
& control it.  The existing old Jandy based controller is dead and
replacement/repair seems overpriced for an HA guy.  Temperature
monitoring is obviously desired.  I think I would like to monitor the
pump running and the pressure output to avoid running the pump dry
somehow.  I would like to monitor the water level.  I would like to
monitor how much the solar panels are being used, both monitoring the
actuator and the temperature difference between panel input & output.

Monitoring pH and chlorine would be great, but those sensors seem to
be expensive, so that may not be justifiable.

Anything I missed or any advice?

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 03:16:52 GMT, "BruceR" <brNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

>Thanks. You've got it exactly right - right down to the part numbers!
>The green board was removed from its case (as was the blue board) to put
>it all together in the surplus Primestar case.  The setup is about 2
>years old now and hasn't missed a beat. The high power relays (aka
>contactors) are European and mount on a short section of DIN rail.
>They're normally quite pricey but I only paid ~$5 apiece on ebay and the
>guy through in a piece of DIN rail for a couple extra bucks.
> The RS485 output on the Stargate controls the relay board. I can send
>an X10 command to activate a macro to turn things on and off.  In my
>case, P7-On first turns on the spa pump, waits 3 seconds and activates
>the valve actuator to send water from the spa through the heater and 20
>seconds later turns on the heater. Finally, after a 10 minute delay to
>allow the water to warm up, the spa jets turn on. There are a couple
>ofhter commands in the macro too.
> When we're done, P7-Off shuts off the jets and the heater, delays 1
>minute then closes the valve and shuts off the pump.
>
>
>
>From:Wayne
>wayne@xxxxxxxx
>
>> So the green board is similar to this power dist board, just to neaten
>> the wiring.
>> http://www.pimfg.com/product_detail.asp?master_desc=&secondary_desc=&part=PIDB-1224-ACDC&web_desc=9+CAMERA++DISTRIBUTED+POWER+SUPPLY&price=16.88&html=PIDB-1224-ACDC.GIF&inventory=22&text_spec=PIDB-1224-ACDC.TXT&web_spec=
>>
>> The blue board accepts RS485 commands to control the high power
>> relays?
>> http://www.resconsys.com/products/relay/8CRXR.htm
>>
>> The first 4 functions listed on the lid are controlled by the high
>> power relays (numbered 1-4) and the other functions (5-8) are directly
>> controlled by the low power relays on the blue board?
>>
>> Very nice!
>>
>> On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 03:59:03 GMT, "BruceR" <brNOSPAM@xxxxxxxxxx>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> The Goldline actuators are interchangeable with Jandy and Hayward and
>>> probably made by one of them. $150 is a good price and you can find
>>> them on ebay even cheaper.
>>> The Pool Controller in my picture is homegrown - I built it myself
>>> using DIN mounted contactors I found on ebay for the high voltage
>>> stuff, an RS485 controlled relay board connected to my JDS Stargate,
>>> and a low voltage power distribution board from www.pimfg.com. The
>>> case is a surplus Primestar enclosure.
>>>
>>> From:Mitch
>>> sumcoolgai@xxxxxxxxx
>>>
>>>> I got the Goldline actuators thru a pool guy here for $150 US.  Not
>>>> a lot better price than you got.
>>>>
>>>> So, please tell me more about the pool controller you have in the
>>>> pics...
>>>> Many thanks,
>>>>
>>>> Mitch
>>>>
>>>> Paul wrote:
>>>>> How much did those goldline actuators cost you?
>>>>> I priced one out (24v) at a place here, the total came to about
>>>>> $250 CDN! I'd love to find a less expensive solution..
>>>>>
>>>>> "Mitch" <sumcoolgai@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
>>>>> news:AMtOe.4819$HR5.3448@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>>
>>>>>> Very Nice!!!
>>>>>>
>>>>>> What is the pool controller you have?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Also, have you done anything to get into your spa/pool heater?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I'd like to use the Elk M1 to switch the heater between spa and
>>>>>> pool mode (at least) and change the temperature setting if
>>>>>> possible.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> BTW, I'll almost certainly go with the relays.  I can't seem to
>>>>>> get the 12V actuators here (La Jolla, Ca).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> thanks,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Mitch
>>>>>>
>>>>>> BruceR wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> DOH!  http://community.webshots.com/user/brobin111
>>>>>>> See the Pool Controller album there and feel free to enjoy all
>>>>>>> the other pictures.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> From:Mitch
>>>>>>> sumcoolgai@xxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Cool... But, you left off the url for the pics/wiring.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Mitch
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> BruceR wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> You have a couple of choices. You can replace the actuators
>>>>>>>>> with 12 volt models - Goldline offers them as well as others
>>>>>>>>> but they're not that common. Or, you could use the 12 volt
>>>>>>>>> outputs to drive the coils of DPST relays to operate the
>>>>>>>>> actuators you have. This would be the cheaper method by a long
>>>>>>>>> shot since $8 relays from Radio Shack should do the job
>>>>>>>>> nicely. Goldline, Jandy and Hayward actuators are
>>>>>>>>> interchangeable. Basically, you want to run the three wires
>>>>>>>>> from the switch (you may have a cable attached already) to the
>>>>>>>>> DPST relay. Common goes to the center, open to one pole and
>>>>>>>>> close to the other pole. When the relay is energized the valve
>>>>>>>>> will open and it will close when you turn it off (or vice
>>>>>>>>> versa depending on how you wire it). If you have 2 valves that
>>>>>>>>> need to operate att he same time - always - you could use a
>>>>>>>>> DPDT switch. I built a pool controller to use with my JDS
>>>>>>>>> Stargate. A picture of it is here and a wiring diagram is
>>>>>>>>> available: From:Mitch sumcoolgai@xxxxxxxxx
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Well, I just spent a fortune on a pool/spa.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I was hoping to control the valves with my Elk M1-Gold.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> I've got Goldline Control valve actuators (GVA-24).
>>>>>>>>>> Unfortunately, they are 24VAC and the Elk outputs are 12V.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Anybody used their Elk to control their spa/pool?  Any
>>>>>>>>>> ideas/inputs? Many thanks in advance.
>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> Mitch
>