Your Old Pool Remote

 In the 70s, 80s and 90s there was a commonly used pool remote designed so the pool owner could turn on and off all the pool equipment using a hand held or plug-in controller. This remote, sometimes called a pool automation or management control system, was a reliable and inexpensive way to use the pool and spa equipment without having to go over to the equipment area to turn things on. There were sold under several names like Chardonnay, Reliance, and PoolPro.  They all used the same technology called X-10. This style of remote works by the pool owner pushing buttons on the controller that sends a micro-signal down the copper electrical wires to the house main breaker box, then out the pool equipment area to a module. This module would recognize the signal and turn on a relay that then turns on the pool equipment.
This style of remote worked well for many years, until there were changes in the kind of electronic equipment that we all use today.  Some of this new electronic equipment like a wireless cable modem, some big screen TVs, stereo systems, and variable frequency drives all cause “electronic noise”.  Electronic noise is a random fluctuation in an electrical signal, a characteristic of all electronic circuits.  Noise generated by electronic devices varies greatly as it is produced by several different effects.
The power company sends high voltage to a transformer that steps down the electricity and then sends the electricity out to about 40 houses. If any of the 40 houses have electronic equipment that is causing noise, this noise will show up on the copper wires on all 40 houses.  This noise interrupts the X-10 signal so your remote controller cannot send the signal out to the module to click the relay.  This means you can no longer turn on and off your pool equipment.  Oh, it gets even more annoying; sometimes your X-10 remote will turn on your equipment, but then a neighbor turns on their TV and now you can’t turn off your pool equipment.  Also, if a helicopter is flying over your house and the pilot talks on his radio sometimes the pilot’s radio frequency is close to or the same as your X-10 remote and all your pool equipment will turn on. Naturally the pilot flies away and you get up in the morning to find your spa bubbling and steam rising like a giant pot of pasta.
The pool industry has tried noise reducers or signal boosters to get the X-10 remotes to work without any success. The only solution for you is to replace your X-10 remote with a modern one.  Today’s remotes work like a cordless phone or cell phone. When I am standing in the backyard trying to explain this to a pool owner the most common statement I hear is “but it worked last week, why can’t you just fix it”.  After I leave most people think “that Ben does not know what he is talking about he just wants to sell us a new remote” and they go to Home Depot and spend a few hundred dollars and buy a new X-10 controller and receiver.  After programming the X-10, trying it out, putting it back into the box and making a trip back to Home Depot to return the X-10 we always get a phone call asking “ how much is that new remote and when can you install it?” Oh, by the way Home Depot got so tired of selling and returning X-10s that they stopped carrying the product.
For more information, call 661-263-7503 or visit www.poolsbyben.com.