Intelliflow pump with Autopilot Digital

[gkosin1]

I am putting in the new Intelliflow pump which requires to be powered all the time. The digital controller turns on and off the pump at programed times as well as adjusts the flow. I need to know the best way to wire up the Autopilot in this configuration. I have the manual timer that I could use to turn on and off the autopilot if I need to. Can I have the Autopilot powered all the time as well and if there is no flow the chlorine is not generated?
Thanks
Greg

[brent.roberts]

I second that .... the question that is. I would like to get one of these high efficiency pumps but is seems like you need to spend a few hundred dollars more on a controller to hook it all up.

The Autopilot retains its settings when the power is off. Ours kept the correct time all winter and was all dialed in when I turned it on this spring. If the Intelliflow pumps have the same feature then the Autopilot could cut the power to the pump and when the power is restored by th Autopilot, the pump would know what time it was and what speed it should run at. That's IF it has a battery backup. Reading the manual, I have not found that referenced yet.

Anyone know ???

[Poolsean]

The Pool Pilot has a back up battery located on the top control circuit board. It's a CR-2025 button battery that's suppose to last about 5-7 years before it needs to be replaced.
You have to remove the circuit board to see the battery.

[brent.roberts]

thanks Sean, that's what I expected.

Can I have the Autopilot simply turn the Intellifllow pump on and off that same as a normal pump. If the Intellifow has a clock/timer the same as the Autopilot then I could set the pump "on" time just before and "off" just after the Autopilot on / off times and it would start and stop it as a ordinary motor. Then I would have the benefit of manually starting the Autopilot and manually setting the Intelliflow at higher speed when I wanted to backwash, vac, or re-coat the the DE filter.

Sound like it would work to you ???

[gkosin1]

I ended up wiring the Intelliflow pump to my manual timer but have no stops on the clock. That way I can shut off power with the switch if I need to but the pump is powered all the time as recommended by tech support at Pentair. The computer control turns on and off the pump per my program. I connected the Autopilot the same way to power and it stays on all the time but only generates when the cell detects water flow. I have had the system running about 2 weeks now and every thing is working great. I have 20k gal pool and I put a 60 cell on it. I am running power level 1 at 45% and my chem levels are great. I set the intelliflow to turn the pool 2 times a day and set 2 run times 6am to noon and 6pm to midnight. I have a kreepy pool cleaner so for 2 hours in the morning filter I ramp up the gpm to 80 to run it. The intelliflow calculates that 2hours at the higher flow so the first turnover in the morning is done about 11am or so but the pump controller knows the flow rate and knows when the first water turn is done. The pump runs at about 890 watts during the filter mode and goes up to 1400 watts during my 2 hour cleaning cycle. My old pump was running at about 2600 watts for about 7 hours per day. I am definitely saving on the electric bill and getting more filtration time and a more even chlorine generation. I am very happy with the setup.

Brent-Roberts the intelliflow has all the controls needed in it. no extra controller needed unless you want to control things from inside the house or spa side. It has backwash and Vac modes and special feature modes. I set up 2 features so I can hit the feature 1 button and it will run the pump at the flow rate I determined I liked and shut off after 30 minuets. The second feature I programmed runs my spa one hour and shuts down. It took a little trial and error to setup but it was pretty easy. I calculated my payback to be about a year after counting in a 200 dollar rebate from the power company.
Greg