- 1.1 Jandy Aqualink PDA
- 1.2 Aqualink Cabinet Configuration
- 2.1 VSP Setup and Scheduling
- 2.1.1 How to link a VS pump to a iAqualink Aux button
- 4.1 Cleaner
- 4.2 Spillover Mode
- 4.3 Automating a Water Feature Valve
- 4.4 Controlling a 2 Speed Pump
- 4.5 Timer AUX Cycles
- 4.6 In Floor Cleaning System (IFCS)
- 4.7 Factory Adjustment Mode - Display Solar Temperature
- 8.1 Aqualink to Heater “Smart” Communication via RS-485
- 8.2 Jumpering Jandy ePump RS-485 control
- 9.1 iAqualink 2.0 Replacement Antenna
- 9.2 iAqualink iQ-900 Replacement Antenna
- 9.3 iAqualink Working with Mesh Routers
- 9.4 iAqualink Connecting to EERO
- 9.5 iAqualink Hotspot Setup Connection with Android Phone
- 23.1 Fuse
- 23.2 High Voltage Relay
- 23.3 Relay Connector
- 23.4 Replacing the Aqualink Transformer
- 23.5 4 Pin and 10 Pin Replacement Terminal Blocks
- 23.6 Jandy Aqualink Cover Screws
Jandy Aqualink RS
Jandy Aqualink RS systems provide automation for your pool, spa, and backyard. Aqualink RS is the full featured version of the Aqualink product line. There are also the AquaLink PDA and Aqualink Z4 products that have different control devices, user interfaces, and functionality.
This Jandy Automation Selection Guide shows the family of modular components across the different Aqualink models - RS, PDA & Z4.
Aqualink RS can be controlled by two wired control panels [1] - All Button or OneTouch - each having different user interface logic to perform the same tasks. Web connected devices can control the Aqualink RS with the optional iAqualink 2.0 . Apps are available for devices such as Android®, iPhone®, iPad®, iPod Touch®, or any other HTML5 web browser device. [2]
Jandy Aqualink PDA
There is a world of difference between the Aqualink RS and PDA systems. [3] Namely, the RS system is internet accessible meaning you can access it from anywhere in the world from a web browser. Tech support can also take full control of your system if needed for troubleshooting or programming. It also allows Alexa control if you want (Alexa, turn on waterfall/light/heater, etc). In addition, with an RS system you program from a web browser interface.
With a PDA system, you program from the PDA, which is super clunky (you will hate life). It is very easy to upgrade the PDA system to the RS. All it takes is a daughter board (PCB) swap which is about a 10 minute job.
If you upgrade a PDA system you can keep or sell (or turn in for builder credit) the actual PDA and the PDA antenna (worth $500-$1000 on eBay). Either version of Aqualink should include the powercenter as that is where the system itself is located. Upgrading from the PDA to RS is around $1k. Depends if you have the IQ20/30 antenna already. A little under $1k if you have the antenna, a little over $1k if you don't.
Many builders do not know the difference between the IQ20a and the IQ20-RS upgrades. IQ20a is just the WiFi antenna. This does virtually nothing for you. You still have a PDA based system but now with the ability to turn things on/off with your phone. Big deal. The IQ20-RS is the full PDA based to RS based conversion which switches roles and gives you Internet access (and makes the web interface is your primary interface).
Quite frankly, the PDA based systems are totally obsolete and Jandy should discontinue them.
Aqualink Cabinet Configuration
The Jandy Aqualink physical cabinet comes in three different configurations. Two of the cabinets do not have a Load Center while the other one does. [4]
- 6612F = This is a small size power center that comes with 4 relays and has no more room to fit additional. It does not have high voltage breakers so this would only be used when a sub-panel is nearby already supplying power to the equipment.
- 6613 = This is a medium size power center that comes with 4 relays and has room for up to 8 (just purchase Jandy 6581 separately if you need more) . Just like the 6612F, it does not have high voltage breakers so this would only be used when a breaker box is nearby already supplying power to the equipment.
- 6614-LD = This is the most common load center you see for installs. It has a low voltage area on the left side to fit plenty of addon boards such as JVA relays and smart JVAs. There is a high voltage side that has 12 slots to fit Siemens breakers. It comes with 4 relays and can fit up to 8 on that side (just purchase Jandy 6581 separately if you need more). You'd wire all your high voltage into this box as it would be a sub-panel for your entire pool.
The smaller boxes are used when there is already a sub-panel out there with breakers already supplying power to the pool equipment and then that would wire into this box if you're doing a retrofit, but none of that has anything to do with it being an RS4/6/8. They may also be used as auxiliary power centers when you need to add more relays that do not fit in the existing power center. An RS4/6/8 can work with any 3 of these boxes.
The caveat here is if you get a 6612F then there's only room for 4 relays. If you need more, then you'll need a bigger box such as the 6613. Some people may not. For example, you can have an RS8 and use 4 relays, and use the additional Aux's on the RS8 to control valve actuators via relay boards, so you don’t need the extra 3HP relays. That means you could technically use the smaller 6612F box with a separate sub-panel but the best solution is a 6614-LD regardless of what RS4/6/8 is purchased.
If you have a sub-panel already by your equipment pad or your equipment pad is your main breaker box then 6612F or 6613 will work for you, with the smaller one with only 4 relay spots and the larger that can hold up to 8. Either of those will work with RS4, 6 or 8. You just need to decide how many 3HP relays you will use.
The recommended configuration, regardless of if you had a sub-panel already by the equipment pad or not, is the 6614-LD. If you already had a sub-panel then rip out the old sub-panel, and replace it with the Jandy one for a much cleaner install all in a single box. There’s not much work required to do that.
There are times when a 6612F or 6613 makes sense, such as if your pool equipment breakers are in a meter main on the outside of your house (local code may vary) and you do not need a sub-panel but that's rare since pool equipment is typically set back too far from the meter main combo panel.
Pumps
VSP Setup and Scheduling
In 2022 Jandy began implementing a change in the addressing of their VS pumps. The old way was to use dip switches to set one of 4 pump addresses. New pumps have a serial number the Aqualink pulls from the pump and up to 16 pumps can be supported on one Aqualink system. Aqualink firmware Version W or later is needed for the serial pump addressing.
Note that with serial address pumps the pump name includes the last four digits or the serial address. Anything that says pump 1863:name is a VSP speed setting and not a function. So pump 1863:spa is the spa pump speed, not the Spa function. Pump 1863: pool is a VSP speed setting. Don't schedule a pump name like that. [5]
You need to have iAqualink or the OneTouch controller to setup a VS pump. The All Button controller cannot do RS-485 control for a VS pump. [6]
For most functions you don’t ever have to mess with scheduling the VSP speed setting. You schedule the function(s) you want and the system automatically pulls the associated speed(s) from the VSP table. [7]
The functions of Cleaner, Spillway, and Spa Mode automatically turn on the filter/pump function so you don’t have to schedule the filter/pump as a separate entry with the same timing. Practically though you will want to have a filter/pump schedule item that spans the whole time the pump is on, and then add the cleaner, spillway, or other functions as a subset of the overall time. In the example above the filter/pimp is scheduled to run for 24 hours a day except for a 5 minute stop.
With version W or later pumps 1 through 4 are used for dip switch addressing and pumps 5 and beyond are for serial addressing. If you have a serial address pump it will be at pump 5 and not 1.
The VSP Speed Setup table has eight entries and entries 1 through 6 are automatically associated with a function:
- When the filter/pump function runs it automatically uses Speed 1 - Pool
- If the Spa mode is enabled it uses Speed 2 - Spa
- Likewise when the Cleaner function is active it uses Speed 3 - Cleaner
- and so on with the spillover, pool heat, and spa heat functions.
- If you have a Solar system you can have Speed 7 named Solar Heat and the system automatically changes the pump speed when the Solar Heat is on.
The default VSP Speed table labels are shown in the manual and vary with the type of system you have and the dip switch settings:
With the Pool Heat, Spa Heat, and Solar Heat it should be noted that the pump only changes it’s speed setting when the heat is active. If one of the Heat settings is enabled but off because the pool / spa has reached temperature the pump will switch back to the Speed 1 (pool) or speed 2 (spa) if that mode is active.
In general you really never should have to add separate VSP speed items to your schedule unless you are doing something special. Most of the operating functions already have one of the eight speeds associated with them, so when you enable the function the Aqualink pulls the associated VSP speed automatically.
When any of the schedules are running you can also manually select the VSP speed and choose any of the eight speeds, or enter a custom speed and the pump will go faster or slower when you set the speed. In the case of the manual entry the “fastest active speed rule” no longer applies and the pump will go to the speed setting you enter and stay there until the schedule next changes a function that affects the speed.
One exception to this is when any of the Heat modes are running. If the Pool Heat is on and you try and manually change the VSP speed you may increase the speed but you may not go lower than the associated heat speed setting. This is to protect the heater from operating with to low of a water flow.
Another reason for not using VSP speed settings in your schedule directly is that they can be confusing. Let’s say that I run the Cleaner function for an hour and later in the day I want to run the pump at Cleaner Speed but with the cleaner off. To enter this you would put the Cleaner function and a VSP speed of Cleaner in the schedule for the time you want each to run. Now you will have two Cleaner items in the schedule, one that runs the cleaner, booster, and JVA valve if you have it with the pump running at the cleaner speed, and the second cleaner item which just changes the pump speed. These both look the same in the schedule, they each show up as Cleaner, and this can be real confusing as they do two different things.
If you do want to run a different speed in a schedule for some reason then I would use Speeds 7 and 8 which are not associated with anything and name them uniquely. You can just use a name of Speed 7, or in my case I have named speed 8 with the name of Speed 2100. Then if this VSP speed is added to a schedule the name is unique and won’t be confused with any associated function.
How to link a VS pump to a iAqualink Aux button
Go to the edit speeds screen for the pump, then pick one speed you want to be linked to the Aux output, then assign that speed to an Aux output. That output will then show as “on” when the pump is on, and selecting that button will turn the pump on to that speed. [8]
Controlling Pentair Intelliflo Pumps
Note that if you are replacing one Intelliflo VS pump with another pump you need to change the pump to ePump and then change it back to Intelliflo VS to get Aqualink to recognize the new pump. [9]
Jandy Aqualink Installation Manual [10] section 3.2.7 describes how to connect a Pentair Intelliflo pump to the Aqualink. You need to match up section 3.3.4 in the Aqualink manual.
