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Run Pool pump on Off Peak - 3 Hour Timer

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Here is a timer I designed for a friend. He wanted to have a fan run for 1, 2, 3 or 4 hours.

The precedure is - press the button to start. Fan runs for the preset time then the relay is released & the power is switched off.

I have attached the circuit & the PIC software. Hope this helps.
 

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This is what you need, I have one on my pool. In the winter I set it at minimum time about 1 hour. In the summer i set it at 2 hours. I have mine start at 1pm every night. It works great. I have an on/off switch in series with the time so I can turn it off and it stays off. I also have an on/off switch in parallel with the time so I can turn the pump on any time i need to without changing the clock timer.

These use to be a lot cheaper on ebay. I think sellers have realized their prices are too cheap so prices have gone up. Shop around you can find these for $30. Sometimes you see cheap ones on ebay. Like I always say, if its not on ebay to day it will be next week or so. I recently bought 2 of these $10 each.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/INTERMATIC...464?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item336de75210
 
Mate thanks for the thought but how will these work on OFF-PEAK only power ? When off-peak is off they won't run will they?
 
Mate thanks for the thought but how will these work on OFF-PEAK only power ? When off-peak is off they won't run will they?

Example. If peak is between 12 noon to 7 pm set the timer NOT to come on during that time. Buy a 24 hour timer and set it to come ON at 12 midnight. You move the pointers on the dial to any location you need. ON at 12 midnight, OFF at 3 am. Every night at midnight pool pump comes on for 3 hours OFF PEAK.

I have my pool pump set to come ON at 12 midnight and OFF at 2 am during the summer. In the winter I move one pointer, ON stays at 12 midnight, OFF gets changed to 12:45 am. My electric rates are 1/2 price off peak so I never want my pool pump to run during peak. I can turn the main power switch OFF the timer continues to run but the pump will not come ON. In the winter the pump can stay off for a few weeks at a time, timer still runs. If I want the pump to come ON for some reason I can turn on the ON switch this bypasses the timer but does not change the timer. The timer motor runs all the time 24 hours a day, it never shuts off and it only uses about 2 cents worth of electricity for a whole month.
 
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does your power provider have a web site and can you post it? I'd like to ask them how their on/off peak system works, there have been lots of guesses, but I wonder how they really do it.
 
Example. If peak is between 12 noon to 7 pm set the timer NOT to come on during that time. Buy a 24 hour timer and set it to come ON at 12 midnight. You move the pointers on the dial to any location you need. ON at 12 midnight, OFF at 3 am. Every night at midnight pool pump comes on for 3 hours OFF PEAK.

I have my pool pump set to come ON at 12 midnight and OFF at 2 am during the summer. In the winter I move one pointer, ON stays at 12 midnight, OFF gets changed to 12:45 am. My electric rates are 1/2 price off peak so I never want my pool pump to run during peak. I can turn the main power switch OFF the timer continues to run but the pump will not come ON. In the winter the pump can stay off for a few weeks at a time, timer still runs. If I want the pump to come ON for some reason I can turn on the ON switch this bypasses the timer but does not change the timer. The timer motor runs all the time 24 hours a day, it never shuts off and it only uses about 2 cents worth of electricity for a whole month.

That works just fine assuming peak and off peak hours don't change. My understanding in this thread is that in Australia where they have Peak, Off Peak and also Shoulder that the times aren't always know and subject to change day to day depending on demand. The link is an interesting Energy Australia read. They also apparently have AGL Energy In Action and the link clearly defines Peak, Off Peak and Shoulder. So if the Off Peak is well defined and the same time every day using a simple 24 hour timer is a great solution but if the peak and off peak are subject to change daily and occur more than once daily then things become more complicated.

Ron
 
**broken link removed**
http://www.ergon.com.au/retail/residential/tariffs-and-prices/economy-tariffs
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Tariff 31

Tariff 31 is known as the Super Economy Plan and is the cheapest off-peak tariff available for water heating.

However, tariff 31 is only available at low electricity-demand periods, such as at night when generators would otherwise be idle.

Electricity supply is made available for a minimum of eight hours per day at times set by the network owner (Energex or Ergon, depending on where you live) at their discretion, typically between the hours of 10pm and 7am . On some days electricity supply may not be turned off at all. This tariff is about 59% cheaper than your normal domestic tariff.
Tariff 31 is best suited to water heaters and can be a great way to reduce your power bill.

Tariff 33

**broken link removed** is known as the Economy Plan and is ideal for medium sized electric storage water heaters, solar-electric water heaters and heat pump water heaters. This tariff is also appropriate for other domestic loads such as swimming pool filters, water bed heaters and some freezers, provided they are permanently connected.

This tariff is up to 40% cheaper than your normal domestic tariff. Electricity supply is available for at least 18 hours per day and is switched via load control equipment supplied and maintained by the network provider. The times of supply are completely up to the network provider, but are generally outside of the hours of 5-9 pm.




Gary350 - You seem to be talking about a simple day timer without battery backup
Such a timer needs a battery backup I think to do what you say if used in Australia. . Power is not connected to the power point all the time . A special meter supplies power to it when the company decides .See above. It is OFF at all other times



General -Spurred on by this thought of a battery backup on a timer I see this unit on ebay and I think it might do the job .
**broken link removed**
 
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Thanks b.James for the links and explanation. Between what you provided and the other information I found I am learning more about the Australian power grid than I will ever need to know. The timer you linked to with the rechargeable battery backup should do what you want to do. There are plenty of such timers out there with battery backup, that one will work. This assumes you know when your Off and On peak times are. As long as you know the times and the times remain a constant that will work fine.

Truthfully I would go out of my mind if I had to worry about all that stuff.

Ron
 
Would there be any catastrophic consequences, if the off-peak power were occasionally not active during the time that the timer was switched on?

It seems to me that a timer without battery backup could be used, if the timekeeping and switched outlet circuits can be isolated. I.e., run the timer part from always-on power, and use it to switch the off-peak power to the pump at a time of day when the off-peak is most likely to be available. A simple mechanical 24-hour timer and a separate relay can be used to accomplish this, if you're unable or unwilling to modify an existing timer to use separate sources like this.
 
switchon.vic.gov.au
**broken link removed**
**broken link removed**
Yes Ron, more knowledge about Australian power than I need, but still interesting, looks to me that running your pumps at night would be sure to get the off peak rate, from what I read, I assume you have a 'smart meter', how they work is interesting too.
 
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