Autopilot Pre-sales Questions

[Poolsean]

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.

[tenax]

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

[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.

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.)

[tenax]

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

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.)

[Poolsean]

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?

[Psyclone]

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?

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

[Poolsean]

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