Re: Pool Heat Automation Suggestions

[Richard Kaplan <rkaplan@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On 2007-09-22 15:21:37 -0400, "Robert L Bass" <RobertLBass@xxxxxxxxxxx> said:


> Hayward heaters have, among other things, an on/off/on rocker switxh
> which allows you to manually switch between pool, spa or none.  Talk to
> the contractor or retailer if you're installing the Hayward yourself to
> see if you can't parallel this with relay outputs from your own
> controller.  If you do it this way, provide a second switch or relay
> that will interrupt control from your HA system in the event the HA is
> down.


Yes, the Hayward heater does have a digital interface with these
controls as you mentioned.

Can you suggest finding someone to help selecting/specifying components
to achieve this?  I am very knowledgable about
engineering/electronics/networking but I have very little pool-specific
knowledge.  I have lots of confidence in my pool contractor but he has
not done any HA projects in the past and I really doubt there are any
other contractors with that experience in my area.  What I want to try
to avoid is self-selecting components and then not having thought of
some pool-specific issues such as you mentioned here.

Free free to reply to me via email if that is easier.  Does your
company only do installations or do you sell components as well?

> Some of these can be triggered with a contact closure.  If you can get
> the make/model that would help.  Upgrading to digital might be a waste
> if you plan to operate the system using an HA system which will provide
> all the necessary logic.


It is an SX5HP - See here:

http://www.heatsiphon.com/2006website/pickyourmodel/5model.specs.html


> Yep.  Also, make sure the pump will run continuously during
> sub-freezing temperatures in case the heating systems ever fail.


Maybe this is a dumb question - but why?   Wouldn't I wind up lowering
the pool water temperature in that case and making the problem worse?


On the other hand, another concern I do have is what happens if the
valves fail and I am stuck with say the inflow going into my gas heater
but the outflow coming from the heat pump.  Might that result in a high
pressure situation on the inflow side and burst the plumbing?  What
sort of high-pressure fail-safe can I install which works either
electronically or mechanically?


> Have you looked into an auxiliary solar heater?  While Pennsylvania
> gets less sun than Florida it may still more than pay for itself,
> especially with rising fuel/electricity charges.


It is a good idea but the pool has a northern exposure with lots of
shade from a 3.5 story house - solar effects will be negligible.

> Again, this is trivial to control with almost any HA system.  I don't
> want to sound like a broken record about ELK Products, but their
> ELK-M1G system has an advantage over several other popular lines.

OK I am all ears - what does this do that others don't?  How can I
review the documentation to get a sense of what the interface looks
like from which I can program the operating logic of the system?




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