Smart pool filter scheduling

Searched #wishlist and didn’t find this posted. I’d love to get something like the sprinkler controller for my pool filter. Something to replace the archaic mechanical scheduler that I’m sure we all have today.

Is this on Wyze’s radar?

What type of thing are you looking at? Does the filter turn on and off with switch? Swap in a smart switch and then you can setup whatever type of schedule you would want and not have to use the Mechanical thing.

Pool filters have different requirements and needs than that of a Sprinkler Controller.
You setup on your phone in the Calendar to remind you of things like cleaning the pool filter(s).

Make sure if you use like a Smart Switch, make sure it can handle the amp requirements of your Pool filter.

When I was growing up, we had a large Above ground pool and the filter was at the far corner in the back yard. There was an Switch next to it on a 4x4 post in a outside electrical Box. Have to go out there to turn it on and off manually. Could have put a smart switch there I assume. No such thing back then. No Smart phones even existed back then.

What we used to do back then after summer and the weather was cooling down and so swimming season was over, is to turn off the pump and stop dumping chorine into the pool and let it start going green. Then we would get a number of small Goldfish and dump them into the pool. They would eat everything trying to grow in the water. Come Spring or so, just before summer, we would run a net from one side to the other to catch them all. We knew how many we put it and so we knew how many to take back out. They grew a lot in that period of time to be pretty large. We would then sell them back to the Pet Store.

Then start dumping Chlorine back into the pool and running the pump. The pool would get less and less green as it cleared up where you could see the bottom again, as us kids couldn’t wait and jump into the greenish water. It didn’t take to long to clear completely up. We did that for many years. I’m in Northern CA where it doesn’t snow. Well a few times growing up it would get cold enough to snow a bit and then melt quickly. Why spend a bunch of money on chlorine and running a pump when no one is using the pool? The goldfish would keep the insects under control by eating them. We never fed them anything. We had like 8 or so in there.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I’d like to be able to control the filter timer - essentially replace an Intermatic mechanical timer (https://www.intermatic.com/en/pool-and-spa/mechanical-controls/t101p201).

I’ve got a Rachio (sorry Wyze - you didn’t have a product years ago) and am not looking for anything smart like that (though it would be nice). I’m simply looking to be able to set a schedule for my timer from my phone…

This is why I suggested a Smart Light Switch or a Smart Plug. If you can turn on and off your filter one of those ways and just leave your current timer always on. Then you can schedule on/off times with the smart switch or the smart outlet. Also, control it by voice.
How you go about that for either smart device, you’d have to figure that one yourself as it’s going to depend on your setup. The pool when I was growing up with, you turned the pump on and off with a switch. So swapping that normal switch with a smart switch would have been a snap. Now it’s smart and I can schedule on/off times with my Smartphone or Smart Tablet or turn on/off with voice control.

If the pump plugs into an outlet, then a Smart Plug would work. But Check for how many amps that pump is using and what the smart outlet can control. If you have neither, can you add one or the other to your pump? Like it’s directly wired to power and there’s no power switch other than the timer. Myself, I could figure this out pretty easily if I was there. Not a big deal to be. But again, if you’re not sure seek outside help as you don’t want to be electrocuted or overload a smart device and have it melt and short out.

I also am looking for WYZE to create a “smart timer” or even just an outdoor smart plug that can handle 220V for a pool pump.

This is where a relay could come in. You use low voltage to turn on/off a higher voltage. In this case, turning on/off 220-240 volts using 110-120 volts. Then use a smart switch to turn on/off the low voltage that turns on/off the relay that is handling the 220-240 volts to the pump. So it’s a little more work and a little more complex. You mount it in a Metal Box. You have power going in and power going out with a relay in between and a Smart Light Switch on the front of the box to turn the relay on/off manually or using the Smart Part of it, which you can then control with your phone and set a schedule that way.

It’s figuring out how to wire that up correctly. It depends on what wires you have there. You’ll have your 2 power Legs of 110-120, generally a Black and Red Wire. White Common Wire and a bare or green ground wire. So using half of that, Black and White would give you 110-120 volts.

I’m not sure if you can split it off and power the smart switch to turn on/off the 120v powered relay? then black and red together you get 220-240 volts pass that through the other side of the relay? Will this cause issues with power traveling back into the smart switch in a bad way?

It seems doable, but I’d have to do more checking, draw a diagram out and it’s better than trying to picture it in my head and see if it makes sense. While I’m thinking relay, maybe even better is a Contactor.

A Motor Contactor. You have power going on on one side, and power out on the other side and then you power a coil with low voltage to pull the contactor IN to make the connection from power in to power out. You can get 120V duel pole contactors. I don’t know the HP for your pump motor.

You get one that you can use 120V for the coil, and then get one for the 240V and whatever HP you need. If you go higher than you need, that gives you a safety margin. You get one for 3 phase, but you’re only using 2 of them. Use the outer 2. So something like this.

So you have your 2, 120V power legs going in on the top, out on the bottom to your pool pump. A smart switch there to turn on/off the 120V to make that contactor coil charge up, pull in and make a connection. Now where you get that 120V? Get it from one of the 120v legs, black wire, and common, white wire, Plus green ground. Maybe try with a normal plain light switch first and see if you can turn it on and off that way. If that works, swap it with a Smart switch.

You would want to put it all into a big enough electrical box. Not sure if it’s inside or outside?!?! You don’t want water getting into it. It needs to be all mounted up correctly. In this case, I linked to a DIN rail version. Which you can get a small piece of DIN rale at the same place for cheap. Mounted to the backside of a Metal Box, which to mount this contactor. Metal Box you would want grounded. I know Home Depot also has some larger Plastic Sealed Boxes that would work good also. Easier to cut the top which mounted would be on the side for a Normal switch at first and then a Smart switch after. This shouldn’t be too hard to do with some skill. Make sure it’s wired right and doesn’t look like a spaghetti mess.

If you’re not really sure, maybe get an electrician to get to where you have a light switch to turn it on/off. Then you can swap it for a smart switch. Unless you want to just risk it’s right on the first try. Electricity can KILL YOU. Be extra careful and double-check that power is off. I like to use Voltage Testers as a double-check. You just touch the wire, even just the rubber coating of the wire and it’ll tell you if it’s live or not. I work with a lot of different voltages at work, but mostly 480V 3 Phase.

Again, I don’t know your wiring situation. I assume you have 4 wires. I think this is about how I would go and get around the problem. I doubt you’ll ever see a 240V smart plug for U.S. power. This seems like a simple solution to me.

I made a quick diagram. A normal switch you need the black power wire going in and then out to turn on/off the power that would go to the contactor coil side with the white wire on the other side to energize the coil. With a Smart switch, most also use a white wire. You need ground on both type of switches. Ya, I don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s not going to steal much power to charge a coil and run a smart switch on 1 of your 2 120V legs. Ya, really doesn’t seem like that big of a deal to me. A Box, a Contactor and DIN rail, a Smart light switch Switch and some wiring and a few other minor parts. Problem solved. It should work and do what you need it to do.

Phew! Thank you for this robust response!! Much appreciated, but no way I’m going to anything you’ve outlined as I’d likely get electrocuted.

Ya, for me, not a big deal, but ya, it’s not a simple thing to do, let alone right and safely. I work on 480V 3phase power at work all the time, and I have to work on live circuit breaker panels for things like adding a new circuit and breaker for a new Industrial Machine. I can’t just turn off the power in this Food Factory. I’ll pull the front of the panel apart, Put some Cardboard over the top of the breakers and tuck the top in as best as I can and tape in place. Allowing me to create a new hole on the top of the box so I can run conduit from there to the location I need to be in. Not long ago to be a little safer, I went and got a new all Plastic type Fisht ape role. It’s a Milwaukee Fish tape. This was I can fish from the one end into the LIVE circuit breaker box and not worry about the fish tape making contact with something I don’t want it to and kill me. Normally I’d use metal fish tape in the past, and have to get some help from someone and trust them to grab the tape when it pops out of the conduit so it doesn’t touch anything it shouldn’t.

I take by time, and know what I’m doing. The last thing I do is connect the new wires to the circuit breaker. I wire up the new Industrial machine first. Once it’s all done on that end, I’ll connect the wires to the circuit breaker and panel and Butten it all back together.

For you, you would need an electrician who knew what they were doing. That you want to wire in a Smart Switch to turn on your Pool filter that runs on 220V-240V while the smart switch is 110-120V. It’s not going to be cheap having someone else do it.

Hey, doing a little Googling, I found the perfect solution and it works with Alexa. This is what you need. Looks simple enough for at least any Electrician to install.

https://www.amazon.com/GE-Appliance-Required-Works-SmartThings-14285/dp/B00YTCZZF0

You may want to take a look at this one also which is cheaper but would also work. It just depends on what your needs are. For example there’s no lights or button on the front of this one. Still it’s not a bad option.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PP2KNNH/ref=emc_b_5_t

JB… “Thank you” for doing the legwork on this…very helpful and time saving!
Max :+1:

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