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domingos35

intelliflo VF

domingos35
11 years ago

My VF stopped working

There was a lightning strike nearby .

Do i need a new drive?

How do i test to make sure i need one?

could it be the motor?

thanks

Comments (12)

  • womanowned
    11 years ago

    A lightening strike can fry it. You would need to call out a Pentair warranty person to make an assessment.

  • domingos35
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    pump is out of warranty by 2 months
    where can i buy the drive?

  • just-a-pb
    11 years ago

    You didnt fill your pool till the middle of august 09, looking at your pictures. That is your start date for your warranty, so you are like weeks out of warranty. Your PB should have some clout with Pentair to get it handled, I know I would if it was one of my clients.
    I would go that route first.
    If you have never had Pentair out to your house on a warranty call they dont know the exact date you put it into service.

  • jscozz
    11 years ago

    Hmmm... does Pentair not start the warranty until it is in use? I just had all my equipment delivered (4 pumps, filter, IC60, IntelliTouch, etc.) but we will probably not be plastering and filling until Spring. So the equipment will not be turned on or have water in it until then. What do I need to do to make sure the warranty starts when the equipment is put in service?

  • domingos35
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    fixed my VF and it now up and running again.

  • trhought
    11 years ago

    domingos35....glad to hear you're up and running again.

    If you haven't already done so, you may want to consider a surge arrestor to prevent this from happening again. Eventually this will happen out-of-warranty and it'll cost ~$1,000 on your dime.

    I'm baffled why a design change on the drive has not happened that could prevent this. The design change is straightforward with minimal cost adder.

    Now, the burden is on the homeowner to pay for the out-of-warranty replacement drive or invest in a surge arrestor.

    Still happy with my 2-speed pumps. Going on 7 years of service and only had to replace a 2-speed relay in year 4 at a cost of $18....knock on wood! I think my other 2 speed relay may be close to needing replaced. It stuck in low speed yesterday until I tapped the relay, then it switched.

    Probably a good project for this weekend after the football games.

    Thanks for the update on your pump.

  • domingos35
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    how does a surge arrestor work?
    my VF was out of warranty .i bought the drive and installed it myself.total cost for the drive was $490

  • trhought
    11 years ago

    domingos...wow...you got an excellent price on the drive.

    The arrestor stops the high voltage spikes from reaching your drive. If the drive is not designed to withstand higher voltage spikes, then internal arcing happens which causes a component failure internal to the drive.

    Most homes in the US naturally arrest spikes above 5KV via arcing internal to the house.

    Apparently, this drive is not designed to survive 5KV which is why it failed.

    If the withstand voltage of the drive was known, an arrestor could be sized accordingly. That being said, most whole house arrestors by respectable names such as Square D and Schneider will arrest spikes well below 5KV and should protect the drive adequately.

    Hope this helps.

  • domingos35
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    where do u install the arrestor?

  • just-a-pb
    11 years ago

    We have always used the start up date for warranty purposes.
    Domingo, you are silly to have paid for that, but I am sure Pentair appreciates the $$

  • domingos35
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Just-a-pb

    my my VF was out of warranty .its 14 months old

  • trhought
    11 years ago

    domingos....the arrestor is installed in the electrical breaker panel box.

    Hope this helps.

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