Autopilot dimensions and pump control

[jacksonlui]

hi Guys,

I have two questions I hope you can help with. I'm thinking about replacing my aquarite with an autopilot 48:

1- The diagram shows the manifold assembly goes inline after the filter. Can someone please provide the length of the base where I need to insert into my piping. I need to see if there is room for one.
(my autopilot was installed before the filter)

2- My 1-speed pool pump is controlled with a Jandy control unit. Wouldn't I lose control of my pool pump if I wire it to the Autopilot? Which is recommended?

thanks all
Jack

[PatL34]

Jack,

You will need at least 2 feet of pipe immediately before the return jets, and after everything else, i.e. filter, solar panels, heater, etc.

Check with Autopilot Systems, (Sean Assam) at 800.922.6246, and he will give more accurate information regarding the base cell assembly length, and the Jandy control unit for the pool pump.

Hope this helps.

Pat

[jacksonlui]

thanks for the reply. I've sent a pm to Sean.
I'm hoping I can place the manifold where my existing aquarite T-cell is without having to modify the pipes. (I already have a pvc slip union on each.) That's why I was asking about the length of the manifold, I was hoping it's the same length as the T-Cell from aquarite.

I'm thinking one of my main problems is that my flow is too high going through the cell, I like the idea of the autopilot minimizing flow to maximize efficiency. I have a 1.5hp sta-rite dyna-glas pump with about 20ft of head.

Nevertheless, I just bit the bullet and bought one off ebay for a little over $900 for the dig-48. I'll have to make it work since I'm convinced the autopilot is that much better than the aquarite. I was even offered a new aquarite system for $610. I hope the $300 difference is worth it.

I read somewhere that the plating on the autopilot cell is thicker, therefore should last longer. And since the flow is less, it wil further increase the life of the cell.

Jack

[PatL34]

The cell life is based on the actual time it is in operation and not on the flow. It does however have a low-flow cut-off switch to prevent excessive chlorine concentrations within the cell.

I have the same pump type as yours but rated at 1.8 HP and have had no problems with flow, apart from vacuuming and trying to run the solar panels at the same time.

Pat

[semenzato]

thanks for the reply. I've sent a pm to Sean.
I'm hoping I can place the manifold where my existing aquarite T-cell is without having to modify the pipes. (I already have a pvc slip union on each.) That's why I was asking about the length of the manifold, I was hoping it's the same length as the T-Cell from aquarite.

I'm thinking one of my main problems is that my flow is too high going through the cell, I like the idea of the autopilot minimizing flow to maximize efficiency. I have a 1.5hp sta-rite dyna-glas pump with about 20ft of head.

Nevertheless, I just bit the bullet and bought one off ebay for a little over $900 for the dig-48. I'll have to make it work since I'm convinced the autopilot is that much better than the aquarite. I was even offered a new aquarite system for $610. I hope the $300 difference is worth it.

I read somewhere that the plating on the autopilot cell is thicker, therefore should last longer. And since the flow is less, it wil further increase the life of the cell.

Jack
I am sure Sean will reply to this as soon as he is back from his
business trip or vacation or whatever. The guy is incredibly helpful.
But in the meanwhile, a few comments.

1. Did you mean that your aquarite was installed before the filter?
That seems like a bad idea, with all kind of stuff from the pool
(hair, for instance) being caught in the cell. If your cell life is
lower than expected, that could explain it.

2. It's true that Autopilot should publish the dimensions of
their parts. The inline part of the manifold is exactly 13".
The long dimension (the U part with the cell) is about 20",
including the inline part.

3. You don't have to use the PoolPilot to control the pump.
I would wire the PoolPilot in parallel with the pump. so that
it runs when the pump is running, and keep using the
existing controller. It doesn't matter how long the pump
is running (beyond a minimum time) since you can adjust
the output level of the PoolPilot.

Good luck! (By the way, my PoolPilot works just fine.)

[cwstnsko]

The cell should definitely be after the filter. The Autopilot manifold does contain a screen to stop any large debris from making it to the cell itself, but I haven't seen that feature in any other SWG. My temporary plumbing for my solar is coming off between the pump and the filter and the amount of junk the screen in that line catches is surprising, I can't imagine any other solar cell surviving for very long in-between the pump and the filter.