DIYbanter - View Single Post

SMS

On 12/13/2012 8:14 PM, wrote:

That's pretty much my way of looking at it too. Instead of
screwing around with powering individual things, certainly
anything large like a pool pump, I think it's better to go with
the solar array back to the whole house/grid.

One other thing I noticed that's pretty insane is the cost of a 2 speed
timer controller.

The law basically says that the pump needs to run on low speed all the
time except you can manually turn it on high but when it completes the
cycle on high then the next cycle will be at low speed unless you again
manually turn it on high.

"The default circulation speed shall be the lowest speed, with a
high-speed override capability for a temporary period not to exceed one
normal cycle."

An existing timer could be used with the addition of one 240VAC DPDT
relay (Dayton 5X848 or equivalent,
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001GBNUR2) plus a momentary contact SPST
switch. When the relay is not energized the hot wire is connected to the
low speed terminal of the motor, and when you push the button the relay
latches closed and the hot wire is connected to the high speed terminal
of the motor and stays closed until the timer cycle is over.
http://i49.tinypic.com/2dbjms8.jpg.

The pool pump manufacturers, the timer manufacturers, and the pool
stores appear to view the new laws as a way to sell needlessly expensive
equipment.

But given the tendency for some people to always, automatically, choose
the highest operating speed, or highest temperature, I think that a
system that requires manually setting the motor to high speed each cycle
isn't a bad idea.