The 9 blink is voltage overload OR underload. So the electrician checked 242. Did he actually clamp on for the full 15 minutes to see what is happening when it turns off or just do a probe and say it's good?

Could you have too small of a wire run? Might be getting hot....

repair-guy,

Good thought. He didn't check it when it cut out. But if it was an underload situation wouldn't there be a spike in the amps? He did measure that as it shut off. Nothing gets hot and the wire run to the control panel is pentair supplied. I may have to get the guy out here again.

Thanks for the help.

Waterouzel

You do not have a bad drive or it would not turn back on. Repair Guy is right on... also Repair Guy if you are looking for a job I would be interested in talking to you. The drive will alert and shut off if it goes below 170 volt or over 260 volt since this range is to much for the caps in the drive to baffle the charge to the motor safely. The IntelliFlo is designed to only work at 230 volt from the drive to the motor using what is called pulse width modulated three phase voltage. There are capacitors in the circuit that baffle this charge to make sure the motor always recieves 230 volts from the power module of the drive. This accomplishes several tasks but namely it gives you the best electrical efficiency for the motor and keeps all the hardware safe from too little or too much voltage... this is the number one killer of pool pumps in the world. Keep in mind that standard induction motors run on whatever voltage given... a brown out or excessive voltage will kill a electric motor in short order. Please also note that this is not your electricians fault...especially in coastal Texas and Florida... voltage spikes and dips are common and this issue resides solely with your utility company. They can come out and log your voltage but ultimatley they need to correct it with a transformer... in your case most likely a step down transformer.

Productmanager,

Thanks for the help, much appreciated. I never considered the quality of the electricity. I'm in Northern California and have been unaware of voltage problems. I'll get PG and E out here right after Thanksgiving to check it out.

I've adjusted the first three pump speeds downward and the pump will run continuously at all three. fine. I'm guessing the rpms are between 900 and 1500 but I really don't know as I haven't set up the Easy Touch controls yet. At any rate they are close to the default speeds that won't run for more than 15 minutes except in speed #1. The #4 setting cuts out in less than a second as it has from the beginning. If this were a spike or dip in the voltage would I be experiencing this kind of constant behavior? Why would a slightly lower speed run continuously when at a few hundred rpms higher it shuts down in 15 minutes?

Pentair still hasn't gotten back to me and it's been almost a week now.

The slower speed is drawing less amps. For that pump to cut out at the higher rpm, it is drawing more amps at that rpm. 242 volts has got to be the issue.

Are you sure your pressure gauge is not sprung? Make sure it goes to zero when the pump goes off. A higher rpm on an improperly sized system may cause the overload too. But, your pressure would have to be up at 30 or so on a sand filter.

productmanager

What's the job offer?

Repair guy,

The pressure gauge on the sand filter never gets above 10psi and drops to zero the moment the pump shuts down. Gauge tests out fine when pressurized with tap water at a known 40 psi.

I believe the system is properly sized. Suction side from pool and spa are 3 " as well as the return lines. The plumber did install a 45 el within 7 inches of pump intake and about a foot of 2 inch pipe total from pump to the Jandy three way for pool/spa suction. I'm considering replacing that short section of 2 inch with 2 1/2 inch or 3. Not sure if it really matters though.

Electrician is coming back on Monday to check amps/voltage.

Thanks for your help.

Waterouzel,

Is this pump hooked to a GFCI? The current IntelliFlo can not operate with a GFCI for the reasons described above and does not have to by NEC 2002 to which California presently uses (they are voting on NEC 2005 this year). The national electric code does not require a permanently installed pool pump to be hooked to a GFCI... GFCI is only required when running a plug installed pool pump. This could be your problem.... or do you have multiple electrical devices hooked to the same breaker and if so what and what size is the breaker? The IntelliFlo draws more current as it speeds up and can get into the 15 to 16 amp range on a well plumbed pool.

Repair Guy,

We are always looking for talent... send me a resume or PM me if you are interested

productmanager,

Pump is not hooked up to a GFCI breaker but a standard 4 pole unit--a 20 amp, 240 volt Cutter-Hammer breaker. The other two poles go to the control panel. Is that a possible problem?

I had a second electrician out this morning and the pump now only cuts out on speed #4. I just ran it for 2 hours on speed 3 just fine. That's an improvement over last week when it shut down on #2 and #3. Unfortunately I don't see any reason why it would improve. The voltage measures 243 and drops to 238 when the pump cuts out on speed 4. This is far from the 170 volt lower limit. Amps are 13 at the moment it cuts out. The electrician was of the opinion that it couldn't be a spike or dip in voltage that the power company would be responsible for. He also bypassed the Easy Touch controls and the pump behaved just the same. He suggested I bump the speed up slowly from #3 to determine the rpms when it quits.

I would like to solve this mystery but it may be academic as I can't see ever running the pump at the highest speed for my situation. My concern is that there is some flaw in the pump that should be fixed.

Here are the particulars of my pool/spa in case its helpful.

Thanks for your help.

waterouzel

17,000 gal lap pool, 9'x54'x 4'
500 gal spa
solar
Pentair equipment:
Easy Touch controls
160 x 4 pump
Tr-60 sand filter
250 Btu heater
Intellichlor 40
3 inch suction and return lines
one skimmer

Yes this is the problem. You want a dedicated breaker to the Intelliflo only!!!

productmanager,

I'm not an electrician but I always thought that a 4 pole breaker was just a way to conserve space. The intelliflo and the Easy Touch panel are not wired to the same breaker.

After lengthy telephone conversations with Pentair a technician said it sounded like a bad drive and is sending someone this week to check it out.

Another problem occurred last week when we had our first cold snap. First night below 40 F the pump came on at a low speed just as it's supposed to. On the second night it shut down giving me a two blink alarm which indicates pump overheating. The ambient air temperature was 34 degrees and the pump was stone cold. Could that be caused by an electrical problem?

Thanks for the help.

Waterouzel

Waterouzel
I have had this happen to two of these pumps this year. I do not know if there was some bad ones from the factory or what but after I replaced them we no longer had any issues. The 4 X 160 is under warranty and Pentair will repair or replace it.

After several lengthy phone conversations with the Pentair tech people they determined that indeed the drive was bad. They sent out a service man who replaced the drive and now the pump runs fine at all default speeds. However, just as before, it still won't run for more than a few hours at the speed it uses for temperature below 40 F and then it stops giving the two blink code for excessive drive temperature. I never find the drive even warm let alone hot. The entire equipment pad is exposed so ventilation can't be a problem. Is that low temp speed adjustable? Could this be a problem in the Easy Touch panel? I'm a little concerned as here in N. California we get nights where the temperature gets down around 30 F.

Thanks again everyone for your help.

Waterouzel

Happy New Years,

just installed and turned on the power switch and get a continuous red flashing LED, and a single flash on the green LED. Pump does not start. any ideas??
thanks,
Ronsky1

Are you sure it's just one flash on the green LED? There is no alarm code in the user guide for one blink. I know very little about this pump except what I've learned from the knowledgeable members of this forum and a few conversations with Pentair tech so can't help you much. Perhaps repair_guy or one of the other very helpful folks will chime in.
Good luck.

Waterouzel