Remote thermostat for Hayward pool heater.

[RayYoung]

Hi all, I've tried looking everywhere I could think of to find out if it's possible to control a gas heater with a remote thermostat. The only thing I've found are control systems that do everything including backyard lighting. My heater is on the outside of a fenced yard and to change the temperature requires a long walk and remembering the keys to a locked gate. The heater is a Hayward Universal H series 150000 and all I need is the ability to change the temperature from the deck.

Thanks in advance for any and all help
Ray

[PoolDoc]

. . . membership upgraded.

I don't think that's possible without a full pool control system . . . or some electronics hacking skills. You could install a remote control power switch, but that would only allow you to switch between a heater that was off, and a heater that was on. It does retain the temp setting during power off, however.

You can always call Hayward and ask.

[RayYoung]

Thank you PoolDoc,

I did contact Hayward and they advised me that I would need a full pool control system to control the temperature only. I'll see what else I can find out and post any info here for anyone who may be looking to do the same thing.

Ray

[PoolDoc]

I heard back from Poconos (former moderator) -- the system he built for Watermom wasn't too expensive and was quite reliable. But, he is a former space engineer, and the wiring and setup he found easy would be over the heads of most electricians.

[RayYoung]

I did manage to find a way to control the temperature remotely. There are thermostats available that use remote temperature sensors instead of having the sensor in the unit. While browsing Ebay I found one from the X10 home automation system that uses a remote sensor. I'm not sure what other companies make thermostats that use remote sensors.

All I had to do was drill a hole in one of the pipes between the pump and heater and push the sensor in and clamp it with a hose clamp. That wire connected to the thermostat inside and with the heater in bypass mode the thermostat temperature can be set and sends an on signal to the heater which turns it on. When the set temperature is reached the signal is stopped and the heater turns off.

This is so much more convenient than running around and through gates just to check the temp. Hopefully this will help others.

[PoolDoc]

Thanks for posting the follow-up.

That's a fairly obvious solution that I totally overlooked!