AlanF

I know the problem, do you live near a zoo? Pool level dropping?

perfect! i found the heater instruction manual on the web and it shows the fireman switch hookup. i already have a spare 24hr dial timer (from the old pool pump) in electrical box in the pool shed, so i will just switch that out with a 7day, wire to the heater and should be set. this should be cheap and pretty easy! thanks for the info.

thanks, that's what i figured. something like this seems to be what i need.... Grasslin Timer

I have a variable speed pump that I am running about 16 hours/day at a low speed. It's all working just great. However, I have a heater that does not have any type of timer (just a temp control), so if it is on, it will fire whenever the temp drops below the threshold. Ideally I'd only like the heater to run Friday, Saturday, Sunday mornings so am looking for the cheapest way to automate this. I can find a whole bunch of fancy pool controllers that will control the pump, sweep and heater but I don't really want to spend $100's of dollars. Can I just get a simple 7 day timer and wire that into the heater electrical supply? So the heater simply wouldn't have any power except for Fri/Sat/Sun morning. Seems like this should be something I can get for $50 from any hardware store VS getting a complex pool controller. Anyone done this? Any gotchas? Any recommended timers? Heater is a Sta Rite Max E Therm SR400NA thanks!

thanks. i was just looking at the OnCommand controller on the hayward website. it looks like the one I need as I already have a subpanel installed. from the installation/owner manual it says it will handle the VSP fine. I'll call tech support just to double check - thanks, for the number!

given that i only have a pool it looks like i can get by with the base Goldline controller, the Pro Logic PL_P_4. I only need to control the pool pump, the booster pump, the heater and the pool light (which i could live without if that meant needing to go to the more expensive controller). Seems like the only reason to go with the next model up (PL_PS_4) is that it allows me to use the wireless in house remote, whereas the P4 only supports the wired in-house remote.

Thanks! yes, it does have the AQL.... I'll look at the goldine prologic stuff. thanks, Alan

Hi - I am wondering what sort of controller I should look at adding to my pool system. Last year I didn't have the variable speed pump, so just turned the pool heater on in May and turned it off in October. I ran the filter for about 5 hours, set the heater thermostat to 85 and forgot about it. Now with the added variable pump I have a lot more opportunity to save some $$$ on gas, but think I need to have something to control the heater if I want to get the most energy savings. Here's the equipment list and what I would like to do..... Pool Pump & Controller - Hayward Tristar Energy Solution Variable Speed Pump Control - Hayward SP322063EEV 2.7 THP 3 Phase pump Pool Heater - Sta Rite Max E Therm SR400NA Filter - Pentair Clean & Clear Plus CCP420 Pool Sweep - Polaris 380 Pool Sweep Booster Pump - Polaris PB4 3/4 HP Pool Sweep Timer - Standard 24 hour dial Pool Details - 27,000 Gallons, 40' x 15' x 3-8', Gunite in-ground rectangular(ish) pool, no spa, no cover, Northern California Requirements - pool heated May thru October - pool temp 85 degrees Fri/Sat/Sun afternoons - pool temp 75 Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu (this is to avoid wasting $$$ heating a pool that's not being used in the week) - ability to easily (i.e without complex reprogramming) get pool to 85 on Mon/Tue/Wed/Thu with one-day's notice - doing this remotely would be a nice feature, but not mandatory - pool sweep to run in the morning - no significant pump noise during afternoon (i.e. pump on low setting only) - easy winter setting (i.e. filter, sweep but no heat - Nov thru April) thanks, Alan