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Author Topic: Newbie - Sprinkler pump control  (Read 4720 times)

ronr

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Newbie - Sprinkler pump control
« on: April 24, 2011, 09:07:41 AM »

I purchased my home a couple of years ago and it had some X10 hardware installed to turn the 2hp water pump pulling water from a creek to the lawn sprinkler system.  It's set up so that the low voltage signal from the sprinkler control triggers a relay which sends 110 to an X10 transmitter which then turns on an X10 receptacle at the opposite end of the house.  This receptacle is wired to another relay where the 110 from the X10 receptacle brings in the 220 contacts for the pump by the creek.  Something like this:

Sprinkler control -> low volt to 110 relay -> X10 transmitter -> X10 receptacle -> 110 to 220 relay -> pump

There is a couple hundred feet between the sprinkler control and the 110-220 relay (which is probably why they chose to use the X10 in the first place) and then another several hundred feet of buried wire at 220V from the relay to the pump.

What I'm hoping to do is put a faucet out by the creek pump for a fish cleaning station.  I want to use the sprinkler pump to send the water to this faucet.  In order to do this I need a way to turn the pump on from out by the creek.  At some point in the future I'll probably run a water line from this pump out to my garden also so that I don't have to use my well for watering the garden.

Can I put a switch out by the pump where the only wiring is the 220 on the back side of the 110-220 relay that will cause the x10 receptacle to turn on to bring in the relay and turn on the pump?  If so, what hardware do I need?

Thanks in advance.
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dave w

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Re: Newbie - Sprinkler pump control
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2011, 02:41:36 PM »

Seems like simplest solution would be a TM751 transceiver and a RF switch such as Palm Pad, or Slim line switch at the cleaning station. The Palm Pad or SL Switch would turn On and OFF the X10 receptacle. What is distance from cleaning station to the house?
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ronr

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Re: Newbie - Sprinkler pump control
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2011, 08:25:15 PM »

It's about 250' to the creek pump.  Will the RF reach that far?
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dave w

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Re: Newbie - Sprinkler pump control
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2011, 09:04:10 PM »

It's about 250' to the creek pump.  Will the RF reach that far?
No. But RF from the Palm Pad or Slim Line Switch may not have to.

How far is it from the cleaning station to the closest 120V outlet? The TM751 will convert the RF switch signal to PLC signal on the powerline and the PLC signal can be boosted by a single phase amp like Booster Linc from Smarthome.com.
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ronr

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Re: Newbie - Sprinkler pump control
« Reply #4 on: April 27, 2011, 09:14:37 PM »

The nearest 110 outlet is the same distance ~250' (it's in the same panel as the 110-220 relay).  There is a 220 outlet right next to the cleaning station.
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dave w

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Re: Newbie - Sprinkler pump control
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2011, 11:49:36 AM »

Don't know if BoosterLinc will push X10 250 feet or not. Maybe a XTBIIR repeater wired in the 220V circuit(?) AFAIK you are in unchartered territory.
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