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Pool heater programming

mitch236

By mitch236
in ISY994

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mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
Posted

I have a programming question. I have a pool pump which has to run every day for around four or more hours in order to keep it clean and to run the salt generator that keeps my pool's chlorine level correct. This is what I wrote:

 

If

From 11:20:00AM

To 4:20:00AM (same day)

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

 

I have my pool heater on a seperate Insteon device. I want to be able to run my pool heater at different times based on when my family wants to swim. Problem is that the heater needs the pool pump to be on also. I would want the heater to run for a different and maybe longer time frame than the daily pump program. How would I do this? Say I want to run the heater from 4am to 1pm on Friday.

 

Thanks

mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I came up with this solution, please let me know if this will run properly.

 

First I created this Folder program:

 

Folder Conditions for 'Pool Heater On'

Add conditions to limit when programs in this folder are allowed to run.

 

 

 

If

Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' is On

 

Then

Allow the programs in this folder to run.

 

Then inside the folder:

 

If

From 3:00:00AM

To 4:30:00PM (same day)

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' Off

Wait 10 minutes

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

 

 

I also created the daily folder:

 

Folder Conditions for 'Pool Pump Daily'

Add conditions to limit when programs in this folder are allowed to run.

 

 

 

If

Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' is not On

 

Then

Allow the programs in this folder to run.

 

And inside:

 

If

From 11:20:00AM

To 4:20:00PM (same day)

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

 

 

So if I turn on the pool heater's device, it should run the first folder. If the heater device is off, then the second folder should run. The good thing is the heater will not run without the pump being on so I used that to my advantage.

mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
  • Author
Posted

It seems to be working so I have only one additional question about this topic. When a Folder is true, the program contained within the Folder will run. But what if the program is running while the Folder becomes false? If you read my Else statement in the Heater program, it tells the heater to turn off first, then wait 10 minutes then turn off the pump. Once the heater is off though, the Folder becomes false. Will this cause the last line (or any line after the heater off command) to not run?

Sub-Routine Advanced

Sub-Routine

Posted
Posted

Hi Mitch,

 

You are correct, when the folder turns false the programs are aborted.

 

You may wish to consider not using folders for these programs, it shouldn't be an issue to have multiple conditions in each program.

 

Do you want the pump to run from 1120 to 1620 everyday whether the heater is on or not? And then be sure the pump comes on when the heater is running outside those hours?

 

Rand

 

It seems to be working so I have only one additional question about this topic. When a Folder is true, the program contained within the Folder will run. But what if the program is running while the Folder becomes false? If you read my Else statement in the Heater program, it tells the heater to turn off first, then wait 10 minutes then turn off the pump. Once the heater is off though, the Folder becomes false. Will this cause the last line (or any line after the heater off command) to not run?
mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
  • Author
Posted

What I was trying to do was to have the pump run at least 4 hours a day. On the days that I want to heat the pool, I don't need to run the pump on its daily program since it will run with the heater. I wanted to turn off the heater before the pump so the heater will cool down. I guess I could write programs this way:

 

Daily program:

 

If

From 11:20:00AM

To 3:20:00PM (same day)

And Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' is not On

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

 

 

 

Then the heater program:

 

If

From 4:30:00AM

To 4:30:00PM (same day)

And Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' is On

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' Off

Wait 10 minutes

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

 

 

 

Will that run or will the program abort again?

mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced I can't write the program the way I am trying to. I am using a member of the program as a condition of the program and then changing the status of the member before the program ends. I think I need a surrogate device to run the program. Like a KPL button or something similar.

 

Is there a way to create a phantom device in the ISY? If not, I would ask for the ability to create phantom devices as controllers for programs. The device wouldn't necessarily need any load, it would be used to make a statement true or false.

mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
  • Author
Posted

For now, I think this will work but it does create some issues.

 

To turn the heater/pump on (since the heater will not turn on without water flow):

 

If

From 4:30:00AM

To 9:30:00AM (same day)

And Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' is On

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' Off

 

 

 

To finish cooling the heater after the heater has been turned off:

 

If

Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' is On

And Time is 9:40:00AM

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

 

Else

- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

I know this will work but it isn't as clean as I'd like.

Sub-Routine Advanced

Sub-Routine

Posted
Posted

If you always want the pump to run from 11:20 to 3:20 then have a program do that.

 

When the heater wants to turn on use a program to turn on the pump and run it 10 minutes longer than the heater.

 

If you want the pump to run no more than 4 hours a day we will need extra programs to keep track of how long it has run with the heater.

 

This should work but do you want to limit the time when the program runs? Don't you always want the pump on if the heater is on?

 

If

From 4:30:00AM

To 4:30:00PM (same day)

And Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' is On

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' Off

Wait 10 minutes

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

 

Rand

mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
  • Author
Posted

When I turn on the heater, it doesn't actually start heating unless there is water flow, so the pump also has to be on for the heater to activate. When the heater turns off though, I wanted the pump to continue for 10 or so minutes to cool off the components of the heater. So if I turn on the circuit to the heater the night before, it will activate when the pump turns on. But once I turn off the heater, the program aborts and the pump continues. To do what I want, I have to write multiple programs.

 

To activate the heater:

 

If

Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' is On

And Time is 4:30:00AM

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

 

Else

- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

 

 

To turn off the heater:

 

If

Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' is On

And Time is 9:30:00AM

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' Off

 

Else

- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

 

 

Then to turn off the pump 10 minutes later:

 

If

Status 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' is On

And Time is 9:40:00AM

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

 

Else

- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

 

 

 

This seems complicated. If there were a way to create a phantom device, I could use it to define the state of my program and then the program would run to its end. I think this is a great idea and I will post it on the request forum.

 

How would I write a program to keep track of the pump? I would love to limit the time it runs!

mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Ok, thanks to Michel, I am trying a different approach. I have the following programs, please let me know if they should work.

 

First, I created a program that sets a variable either true or false:

 

If

Time is 4:00:00AM

 

Then

- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

Else

- No Actions - (To add one, press 'Action')

 

The program is disabled by default. I would enable it if I want the heater to turn on. Here is the heater on program:

 

If

Program 'Heater Variable' is True

And Time is 4:30:00AM

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

Wait 5 minutes

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' Off

Wait 15 minutes

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

Wait 5 minutes

Disable Program 'Heater Variable'

 

 

 

 

So I would enable the Heater Variable program and it should run the heater program and then disable the Heater Variable program at the end.

 

Does this look right? Is there an easier way? I want to be able to activate the pool heater program from my iPhone the day before.

mitch236 Experienced

mitch236

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Well the solution was so simple!! I tested it and it appears to be working!

 

Here is the program:

 

If

From 7:30:00AM

For 6 hours

 

Then

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' On

Wait 5 minutes

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' On

 

Else

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Heater' Off

Wait 15 minutes

Set 'Outdoor / Pool / Pool Pump' Off

Wait 5 minutes

Disable Program 'Overnight Heater On'

 

 

 

To run the program, I just enable the program from my iPhone (or the admin console). When the program finishes, it disables it so it won't run again until I enable it again!

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