Autopilot Pre-sales Questions

I am in the market for a Salt Water Chlorinator and have a few questions about the DIG-220. My choices are narrowed to the Autopilot, Intellichlor and Aqua Rite.

I has been leaning toward the Intellichlor because it seems to be the simplest to install, although the replacement cells are more expensive. That could be an advantage in that any system improvements would be realized without a re-installation. Also when it breaks, you can be pretty sure what you need to replace. I also like the simple interface. I am concerned about the problems with the salt sensor that some have had.

Many on here seem to lean toward the Autopilot. It appears to be a bit more complex to install, but that is probably because the manual leaves some unanswered questions.

1. If I purchase the model with the smaller cell for my 20,000 gal pool, when the cell needs replaced, can I replace it with any of the three sizes? Or does the control box only work with the size it's sold with?

2. What are the dimensions of the control box?

3. Does the contol box need to be protected from the sun and rain?

4. Does the unit wire into an existing time so that it switches on and off in parallel with a single speed pool pump? It appears so by the wiring diagram, but if that is the case, how does the control box clock retain the correct time?

psclone, i'm not the rep, sean, but i'm a happy owner of an autopilot. i feel comfortable answering a few of your questions..see answers below by them:

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Originally Posted by Psyclone

I am in the market for a Salt Water Chlorinator and have a few questions about the DIG-220. My choices are narrowed to the Autopilot, Intellichlor and Aqua Rite.

I has been leaning toward the Intellichlor because it seems to be the simplest to install, although the replacement cells are more expensive. That could be an advantage in that any system improvements would be realized without a re-installation. Also when it breaks, you can be pretty sure what you need to replace. I also like the simple interface. I am concerned about the problems with the salt sensor that some have had.

Many on here seem to lean toward the Autopilot. It appears to be a bit more complex to install, but that is probably because the manual leaves some unanswered questions.

1. If I purchase the model with the smaller cell for my 20,000 gal pool, when the cell needs replaced, can I replace it with any of the three sizes? Or does the control box only work with the size it's sold with?

you can use any of the cell sizes available. piping size etc are compatible

2. What are the dimensions of the control box?

21 x 12 x 9

3. Does the contol box need to be protected from the sun and rain?

i would say so. there are eletrical wires coming out of the bottom and a gap in the top in my soft touch that i wouldn't want exposed to water. can't speak to the sun issue

4. Does the unit wire into an existing time so that it switches on and off in parallel with a single speed pool pump? It appears so by the wiring diagram, but if that is the case, how does the control box clock retain the correct time

i believe the digital has it's own timer that can control pump etc. my soft touch i believe, does not. i have an intermatic timer that controls my pump, heater and autopilot. the timer switches the heater and poolpilot off first, then between 1 and 12 minutes later, switches off the pool pump. it has a switch that i can set between those times. the timer continues to run so it does not lose any time. the clock on the timer doesn't stop..the switch in the timer goes off, but i have a secondary switch in a relay box that the pump runs to. purpose of this is so my heater is turned off 12 minutes before before the pump so it doesn't potentially melt my pumps. this was an aftermarket custom solution and likely not what you're looking for but, information is power:)

i'm assuming you believe it difficult to install relative to the wiring of it, not the plumbing? the plumbing is simple as can be to plumb it in. 2 features i really like that others may not have are: temperature compensation (it self adjusts output of chlorine when the water temp is colder or warmer. much more efficient use of the chlorine output. you barely need any when the weather is cold for example at start of the season if you live in a climate subject to major temp changes like i am. and it has a check valve in it for the flow control of your water.

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Thanks for the prompt response. It sounds like I should look at the Soft Touch as I'm not planning on replacing my Intermatic timer. My timer has a separate microswitch to shut down the heater before the pump is shut off, so it sounds as if I could wire the Soft Touch model in parallel with the pump.

I'm not real fond of having to protect the unit from the elements, but from looking at the picture I was a bit concerned about the sun fading the control panel. I guess I would have preferred it to have a cover much like my timer. I suppose it needs some means of keeping the electronics cool to extend the reliability. Maybe that's not an issue with the Soft Touch.

The Intellichlor may have the advantage of using the pool water to cool the electronics. I'm not sure if it designed to take advantage of that, or if it even needs cooling, but that would be one more advantage of a combined unit.

Actually I'm an electrical engineer, so I'm not too concerned about the electrical wiring if the instructions are clear. I do believe the simpler the better to keep the installation clean and reliable. And it doesn't sound like the Autopilot plumbing is much of an issue either with the completed subassembly that comes with it.

I live in a volatile weather environment also. The Intellichlor also has a temperature sensor, but I'm not sure if it meters the chlorine output or just shuts the unit down. I'll have to look into that as it would be a big plus.

the softtouch has a small fan that runs the moment you turn it on..it's your basic small computer type fan you can replace at radio shack if it ever goes. there is a slot above it and that i assume is for venting any heat. it never seems to get hot at all. i've got it in a pool shed and even in 32 degree weather never a problem and it gets pretty hot in there (2 plastic vents mounted on the wall for air intake for my heater, manual whirly bird on the roof. your timer rig sounds virtually the same as mine and the same concept. i don't know a lot of electrical wiring but i know that it works very slick. neat to see the timer switch click off and shut down my heater and pool pilot, and the pump going on for 12 minutes:) i also have separate switches on the wall of my shed for each of the pump, heater and pool pilot so then i can shut down the pool pilot manually when i want to backwash my pool. not that i think it's necessary to do so..all i get is a flashing no flow red light until i switch it back to filter. the best thing about the check valve and no flow switch is if there is debris in the system anywhere clogging things up (i.e. when i was vacuuming spring crap this past weekend and the basket was full and my pump lost most but not all flow, it was trickling enough that the no flow light came on and basically, the autopilot shuts down the cell operation until the flow is restored. i also suspect the check valve works in keeping heavy chlorinized water from going back into the heater on shut down which is a tad of a concern apparently:) probably one of the best things , to be honest? the customer support from poolsean. he is incredibly helpful and patient..here and if you need to communicate with him privately. i've caught him on his laptop in a hotel room after his workday is done and if he's around, he'll help..he's just the best. i bet i emailed him about 15 times last year and he always seems to be able to help, whether about the unit itself, plumbing or electrical. great degree of knowledge and availability and that my friend, is priceless:)

Thanks for the kind words Terry. Not out of town today, but in Sacramento next week...

Psyclone,
To repeat what Tenax has answered,
1. If I purchase the model with the smaller cell for my 20,000 gal pool, when the cell needs replaced, can I replace it with any of the three sizes? Or does the control box only work with the size it's sold with?
--> They are interchangable, but I would recommend that you consider the SC-48 or SC-60, as the SC-36 may be borderline sized for your 20,000 gallon pool. When we (not just AutoPilot, we all do this) advertize that it's good for up to XX,000 gallons, that's usually with the pump running 24/7 and ideal conditions. A recipe for short cell life. My recommendation is to start of with the largest cell you can afford. You will get longer cell life and a longer warranty (prorated).

3. Does the contol box need to be protected from the sun and rain?
--> Although it is recommended, it is not required as the control box is approved for indoor or outdoor installation. There are vents on the unit, so it does need to be protected from any water penetration (read sprinkler system) from below or behind the unit (mounting it on a wall or board will protect it as opposed to mounting posts).

4. Does the unit wire into an existing time so that it switches on and off in parallel with a single speed pool pump? It appears so by the wiring diagram, but if that is the case, how does the control box clock retain the correct time?
-->As Tenax said, you can wire EITHER the Digital or Soft Touch to operated off your existing time clock. It should be wired to the same terminals that power your pump. The Digital does come with an internal relay and programmability to operate your circulation pump, but does not need to be used. The Digital has some benefits over the Soft Touch (and is the more desired of the two -sorry Terry). The Digital display gives you all the diagnostics on the digital display as opposed to flashing lights. The Digital provides salt ppm AND salt addition amounts (in lbs), based upon the pool volume programmed into it. The Digital allows more programming and inspection of the system that is most helpful when troubleshooting issues.

Thanks again Terry for answering these questions. And thanks Psyclone for considering Pool Pilot.

welcome, sean:) glad i got most of it right:) and the next time, if there ever needs to be a next time, i'll get the digital version..what can i say? i got a heck of a deal on the soft touch at the time and it works great for me:)

Thanks for the info.

1. Whoops. I must have had the Pool Pilot cell size on the brain. My pool size is 14,000 gallons, so I'm guessing the smaller size would work if I chose to go that route.

3. My mounting location would be on the side of the house next to the timer, so it should be okay although I may consider some options to protect it. I assume I would need to maintain adequate air flow if I shielded it somehow.

4. I suppose I would replace my timer since it has that capability. But does it have also have a switch to shut the heater off to allow it to cool prior to shutting down the pump?

Again thanks for the info. This is really making my decision tough. The Intellichlor looks like it would take almost no time to install. The Pool Pilot appears to be technically superior, but the installation is a little more involved. The PoolPilot has a field track record; the Intellichlor not so much. Advantage PoolPilot on cell replacement cost. Advantage Intellichlor on initial acquisition cost.

Having someone on this forum is a big plus for the Pool Pilot. On the other hand, prior to posting these questions yesterday, I sent emails to both Intellichlor and AutoPilot. I got a quick response today from Intellichlor, but have yet to hear from AutoPilot. (Having you here to answer questions beats email anyday, but I thought you might want to know that.)

more of a user's opinion of the autopilot below..hope you don't mind:)

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Originally Posted by Psyclone

Thanks for the info.

1. Whoops. I must have had the Pool Pilot cell size on the brain. My pool size is 14,000 gallons, so I'm guessing the smaller size would work if I chose to go that route. fyi, i have a 12,000 gallon pool and even in the hottest weather , i've never had to use it's full capacity. it's simply how much chlorine output that each cell has. i considered a bigger cell but i factored in as well that i need to run my pool pump 10 hours a day (or 2 -5 hour cycles is what i do) to get 2 turnovers of the water in hot weather. i find running my cell for one of those 5 hour cycles puts out enough chlorine to maintain the chlorine level i want (3 to 5ppm at 60 cya level). i also considered if the life of a cell is 3 to 5 years under normal condition and given my pool season in canada is only 4 months, i bet that cell will last a good long time! i use chlorine for shocking..you can use the cell to do so, but it of course shortens cell life relative to never using for shocking. 99 cent jugs of chlorine work fine for the 1 or 2 times a season including startup that i need to shock

3. My mounting location would be on the side of the house next to the timer, so it should be okay although I may consider some options to protect it. I assume I would need to adequate maintain air flow if I shielded it somehow.

i have mine mounted to 2 -2 x4's which allows ventilation behind it. 1 x 4's would give ventilation space as well and be more pleasing to the eye possibly. if a person could figure out some kind of "hood" that would work. what i considered when i was thinking of mounting it outside was about a 10 inch wide kind of hood (like a metal or plastic outside dryer hood but wider as the slot is say 2 inches less than the width of the unit. easy to prefab.

4. I suppose I would replace my timer since it has that capability. But does it have also have a switch to shut the heater off to allow it to cool prior to shutting down the pump? can't confidently speak to that given the way my system is wired

Again thanks for the info. This is really making my decision tough. The Intellichlor looks like it would take almost no time to install. The Pool Pilot appears to be technically superior, but the installation is a little more involved. The PoolPilot has a field track record; the Intellichlor not so much. Advantage PoolPilot on cell replacement cost. Advantage Intellichlor on initial acquisition cost.

Having someone on this forum is a big plus for the Pool Pilot. On the other hand, prior to posting these questions yesterday, I sent emails to both Intellichlor and AutoPilot. I got a quick response today from Intellichlor, but have yet to hear from AutoPilot. (Having you here to answer questions beats email anyday, but I thought you might want to know that.)

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1. Whoops. I must have had the Pool Pilot cell size on the brain. My pool size is 14,000 gallons, so I'm guessing the smaller size would work if I chose to go that route.
-->Yes, the SC-36 will work, as will any of the three cell sizes. In addition, as you mentioned, you can always upgrade down the road to a larger size if needed.

3. My mounting location would be on the side of the house next to the timer, so it should be okay although I may consider some options to protect it. I assume I would need to maintain adequate air flow if I shielded it somehow.
-->Air flow would be good. It's got it's own internal cooling fan so that it will force ventilate any hot air out of the system. Just don't enclose the box so there's no air exchange.

4. I suppose I would replace my timer since it has that capability. But does it have also have a switch to shut the heater off to allow it to cool prior to shutting down the pump?
--> The Digital does not allow for a "firemans switch", which is the gas heater shut off delay that is probably built into your external time clock. Most newer gas heaters and all heat pumps do not require this firemans switch. IF you're looking to use the Digital, check with the heater manufacturer to see if it requires the shut down delay.

Having someone on this forum is a big plus for the Pool Pilot. On the other hand, prior to posting these questions yesterday, I sent emails to both Intellichlor and AutoPilot. I got a quick response today from Intellichlor, but have yet to hear from AutoPilot. (Having you here to answer questions beats email anyday, but I thought you might want to know that.)
--> I appreciate that Steve. Your feedback is most important, especially if we're not able to respond to your e-mails promptly! I will address this with customer service... how long ago did you send in the e-mail?

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Originally Posted by Poolsean

Having someone on this forum is a big plus for the Pool Pilot. On the other hand, prior to posting these questions yesterday, I sent emails to both Intellichlor and AutoPilot. I got a quick response today from Intellichlor, but have yet to hear from AutoPilot. (Having you here to answer questions beats email anyday, but I thought you might want to know that.)
--> I appreciate that Steve. Your feedback is most important, especially if we're not able to respond to your e-mails promptly! I will address this with customer service... how long ago did you send in the e-mail?

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I'm not Steve, but I did get a response today. Two days isn't bad, but one day by your competitor was better.

WOW..where did I get Steve from? Sorry.