jfitz....I went through the same thought process a few years ago when we were building our pool. I was going to integrate with my existing home automation system. In the end, I decided to go with a dedicated pool automation system because of ease of interface with other pool-related equipment (chlorine generator, heater, valve actuators, etc). Plus the pool automation system had freeze protection and monitored other key temperatures critical to proper pool equipment operation. I eventually decided on the Jandy Aqualink 8 channel which handshakes nicely with all my other Jandy equipment....no problems after nearly 4 years. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the detailed reply. I am doing a pool with them now in NJ. I am still reserving judgment until I finish the whole process but so far I am frustrated with the rate progress. I had heard and read so many stories about how work is slow and delayed that I really grilled them on this. The sales/design guy said delays between phases of work were a "thing of the past" and that they build so many fewer pools now that it is a "non-issue." I even specifically said since the work will be done in spring when it rains a lot, I know we will have rain days but wanted to know if rain days led to getting re-scheduled to the back of the list and caused a lot of dry day delays. Again, "oh no, definitely not. Nothing like that." Bottom line he said even with typical rain delays I should get from dig to swimming in 8 weeks. Before the dig it could take "up to a month" if the Township holds up the permits� I signed in early March. They dug the hole 31 days later. The Township approved the permit within one working day of receiving it, except for the part A&S forgot to file (new employee I am told � I only found this out because I have a contact in the Township). A&S then took a week to file that part and then just mailed it. Township turned it over almost immediately again. But it took a couple weeks to get the dig scheduled. The hole was dug two weeks ago and counting. That�s where it stands. They did have the steel crew come out about a week later but some of the dirt had slid back into the site so they left and said the diggers had to return. They finally did and it took them and hour in-and-out and they were done very early that morning. Still no sign of the steel crew and from communicating with the scheduler it is definitely the case that I am at the back of a list again, despite being told it didn�t work that way. Of course if they wait long enough it will rain again and more dirt will slide back into the hole and we�ll just have to do this song and dance again. In the best case scenario now it will have been 19 days between the first day of actual work (which took half-a-day) and the next (which will likely take only half a day too). The bottom line is I understand rain delays but I have had more dry day delays than rain so far, and that goes directly against my asked-and-answered questions about how the process would work. BTW, to your other comments, at least where I am they seem to mostly use Jandy equipment. I wish they used Pentair because I wanted to use their control system that had the iPhone/iPad interface. They said they could only install the Jandy PDA system and wouldn�t even quote the Pentair. They use AquaCal for heat pumps, which they strongly pushed as the preferred heating method, and Raypak for propane heaters, Haward for LED lighting and Polaris for sweeps. And they strongly push the Nature2 Fusion system over doing a saltwater chlorinator. They reluctantly quoted a saltwater chlorinator after some prodding but it was ridiculously more expensive that just getting one installed after the fact and they offered zero credit to remove the Fusion system if you did it and were going to force me to sign something that basically indemnified them against any premature damage to the coping or the stone on the raised bond beam. They do use Jason�s as their servicing company. I don�t know if they do the plumbing too since I haven�t gone to that yet. They use Corbin for the electrical.

Any of the major pool equipment manufacturers have computer systems with wireless or wired remotes that would work for your system. Many of them do have the ability to utilize valve actuators, but you dont have to connect them. It would simply be a com port on the pc board that you wouldnt use. For your setup, just hard wire the pumps into the breakers, breakers to relays, and relays to the pc board. All of your equipment could be run this way. Typically lights are run on 110v, so you would run one hot, one neutral through a GFCI, and one ground. Heater would need com wire/firemans switch to the computer. The computer would be equipped with temp sensors and the heating control would now default to the computer. Set your physical/local thermostats on the heater itself to the highest setting (typically 104�), the computer will control the actual temp, cycling the heater to maintain whatever temp you program.

I would go with either option #2 or better yet find a circuit that you really don't need and free it up for solar. What are the other items do you plan on controlling?