Want to slave my pool pump to my chlorinator

[Al]

Hello All (From the land Up Over!)

Recently bought "Krystal Clear salt water system " Model 8110 with the Intex brand.

It's a salt water chlorinator.

Ok .....The unit is on 110 V mains and consists of some electronics including a
programmable timer that
switches itself on and off as programmed.

What I want to do, is to have the chlorinator control the on off switching of my 220
volt pump so that I do not have to turn the pump on and off manually or run a
separate timer.

I have a suitable 110 volt relay to switch the 220 volt current to the 1.5 horse
pump. I don't expect the coil in the relay would draw much more then 10 or 15 watts
so there should be no problem drawing power for it from the chlorinator.

Does anyone know exactly how to do what I want to do. I myself have a terrible
track record on these electronic things. I usually make them smoke and once
the smoke comes out they never work again! (O:

Thanks in advance!

 

[Trevor Wilson]

Hello All (From the land Up Over!)

Recently bought "Krystal Clear salt water system " Model 8110 with the
Intex brand.

It's a salt water chlorinator.

Ok .....The unit is on 110 V mains and consists of some electronics
including a programmable timer that
switches itself on and off as programmed.

What I want to do, is to have the chlorinator control the on off switching
of my 220
volt pump so that I do not have to turn the pump on and off manually or
run a
separate timer.

I have a suitable 110 volt relay to switch the 220 volt current to the 1.5
horse
pump. I don't expect the coil in the relay would draw much more then 10 or
15 watts
so there should be no problem drawing power for it from the chlorinator.

Does anyone know exactly how to do what I want to do. I myself have a
terrible
track record on these electronic things. I usually make them smoke and
once
the smoke comes out they never work again! (O:

Thanks in advance!

**A regular relay is a bad idea for an inductive load like a pool pump.
You'd be better using a solid state relay. Having said that, it is difficult
to explain how you should do it. I would connect a small plug pack to the
output of the timer and couple the output of the plug pack to the SSR.

 

[Al]

**A regular relay is a bad idea for an inductive load like a pool pump.
You'd be better using a solid state relay. Having said that, it is difficult
to explain how you should do it. I would connect a small plug pack to the
output of the timer and couple the output of the plug pack to the SSR.

Not much of an electronics guy but I was wondering if instead of trying trying
to mack a connection somewhere inside the unit: Could I not use something
that could sense the increase in current when the chlorinator switches on??

(Something "like" routing the load through the primary of a transformer and
having the pump relay coil wired across the secondary windings.)

Or something that could function like an ammeter shunt.

Cheers

 

[terryc]

Not much of an electronics guy but I was wondering if instead of trying trying
to mack a connection somewhere inside the unit: Could I not use something
that could sense the increase in current when the chlorinator switches on??

If you are not much of an electronics guy, the Trevor's suggestion is
easiet. It really is something external that senses power and turns on a
device that turns on your 240V motor.

 

[Al]

If you are not much of an electronics guy, the Trevor's suggestion is
easiet. It really is something external that senses power and turns on a
device that turns on your 240V motor.

Yes, that is probably true, but you have to know what to attach to, and then what
sort of
voltages you will encounter, then make something that will suit what you find. I can
make
guesses about all of the above but I don't really know. I do know I make smoke well.

Anyway I just like to stick with something that I think "I" can make work.

I have finally found the number for the company's tech help line and so I'll be
calling them on Mon.


Thanks terryc

Al

 

[Al]

Yes, that is probably true, but you have to know what to attach to, and then what
sort of voltages you will encounter, then make something that will suit what you
find. I can make guesses about all of the above but I don't really know. I do
know I make smoke well.

Anyway I just like to stick with something that I think "I" can make work.

I have finally found the number for the company's tech help line and so I'll be
calling them on Mon.


Thanks terryc

Al

Talking to the Intex tech staff was a lot like talking to the south end of a north
bound cow.


Well, Just for sport I tried a high frequency Variac. Appears to have a cast iron
core of about
5"diameter forming a toroid with a single layer of about No 14 wire wrapped 90 % of
the way around and a wiper acting as a variable center tap.

I routed one side the 110V mains line through about 20% of the toroid to a 3 speed fan
and I put my 110 volt relay across all of the toroid.

With the fan on low the relay remained open and on hi, the toroid snapped shot.
My biggest concern is that on low the relay remained open alright but it had a
bad 60 cycle vibration going on. I am sure that in time it would destroy itself.
And* of course the the 3 speed fan was not the chlorinator so I still really
don't know if anything will work.

I realize this is not really your hi tech electronics but I do appreciate any and all
help I can get.

 

[Andy Wood]

I have never owned a pool so I have never messed with such things.

However, with a bit of searching, I'm sure you will turn up
specifications for chlorinators, perhaps even for the one you have.
What I found suggests that the cells typically run on 7 to 9VDC with
currents in the tens of amps. You ought to be able to 'borrow' enough
power from that to energise a relay without the chlorinator breaking
into a sweat. You would need a relay with a 6 or 9VDC coil though.

Do you have a meter to measure the voltage across the cell when it is
operating (and maybe to measure the maximum voltage, say if the cell
got disconnected for some reason)?


Andy Wood
[email protected]

 

[Al]

I have never owned a pool so I have never messed with such things.

However, with a bit of searching, I'm sure you will turn up
specifications for chlorinators, perhaps even for the one you have.
What I found suggests that the cells typically run on 7 to 9VDC with
currents in the tens of amps. You ought to be able to 'borrow' enough
power from that to energise a relay without the chlorinator breaking
into a sweat. You would need a relay with a 6 or 9VDC coil though.

Do you have a meter to measure the voltage across the cell when it is
operating (and maybe to measure the maximum voltage, say if the cell
got disconnected for some reason)?


Andy Wood
[email protected]

Thanks Andy

Yes I do have a meter and I do have quite a few lo voltage relays around that I
could use to control the 110V relay for the pump.

I'll take a long look at that. Who knows the might even be switching the 110V
AC before the primary. I just haven't had time to look see.

Thanks again!!

 

[Trevor Wilson]

Talking to the Intex tech staff was a lot like talking to the south end of
a north bound cow.


Well, Just for sport I tried a high frequency Variac. Appears to have a
cast iron core of about
5"diameter forming a toroid with a single layer of about No 14 wire
wrapped 90 % of
the way around and a wiper acting as a variable center tap.

I routed one side the 110V mains line through about 20% of the toroid to a
3 speed fan
and I put my 110 volt relay across all of the toroid.

With the fan on low the relay remained open and on hi, the toroid snapped
shot.
My biggest concern is that on low the relay remained open alright but it
had a
bad 60 cycle vibration going on. I am sure that in time it would destroy
itself.
And* of course the the 3 speed fan was not the chlorinator so I still
really
don't know if anything will work.

I realize this is not really your hi tech electronics but I do appreciate
any and all help I can get.

**What's the point? You ignore good advice anyway. DON'T USE A RELAY TO
SWITCH A MOTOR! I can't make it any simpler than that. Quite frankly, given
your lack of knowledge and apparent willingness to ignore proper advice, you
are doomed to failure, in a possibly spectacular and dangerous fashion. I
suggest you get someone to do the job for you. You are clearly wilfully
ignorant of the risks and what is required to accomplish the task.

I suggest you adopt my initial suggestion, or pay someone to do the job for
you.

 

[Al]

**What's the point? You ignore good advice anyway. DON'T USE A RELAY TO
SWITCH A MOTOR! I can't make it any simpler than that. Quite frankly, given
your lack of knowledge and apparent willingness to ignore proper advice, you
are doomed to failure, in a possibly spectacular and dangerous fashion. I
suggest you get someone to do the job for you. You are clearly wilfully
ignorant of the risks and what is required to accomplish the task.

I suggest you adopt my initial suggestion, or pay someone to do the job for
you.

I guess it's time for me to bow out of this group. Thanks to all who took time to
respond.
It's appreciated.

Take care

 

[Trevor Wilson]

I have never owned a pool so I have never messed with such things.

However, with a bit of searching, I'm sure you will turn up
specifications for chlorinators, perhaps even for the one you have.
What I found suggests that the cells typically run on 7 to 9VDC with
currents in the tens of amps. You ought to be able to 'borrow' enough
power from that to energise a relay without the chlorinator breaking
into a sweat. You would need a relay with a 6 or 9VDC coil though.

**There is a potential problem with that suggestion. Two, actually.

First off, there are (at least) two different systems for pool chlorinators.
My chlorinator is the simplest system, where a steady DC current flows at
around the figures you mention. The other system swaps polarity every so
often. It is done to prevent salt buildup on the electrodes (which is a PITA
to remove) I have no idea how often, as I have yet to examine such a unit.
It could be at a low frequency, which may explain the result the OP received
when he connected the realy across the output. He would really need to place
a bridge rectifier across the output and follow it with a small cap.

The second problem, of course, lies with using a relay to switch a pool pump
motor. The idea is just daft. A SSR makes more sense.