Pool Automation in Scottsdale, AZ

Smart Pool Control

Pool Automation
Installed and Programmed Right

We install, upgrade, and repair automation for all major brands. You get a clear quote up front and full programming before we leave.

What We Install & Service

• ✓Mobile App Control
• ✓Control Panels
• ✓Scheduling & Timers
• ✓Valve Actuators
• ✓Lighting Control
• ✓System Upgrades & Repair

Our Installation Process

Common Automation Issues We Fix

• App not connecting or losing communication
• Control panel blank, frozen, or showing error codes
• Valve actuators stuck or not rotating on command
• Schedules not running or running at wrong times
• Pump speed not responding to automation commands
• Heater not responding to temperature setpoints
• Relay board failures and wiring faults
• Upgrading old mechanical timers to smart systems

About Pool Automation in Arizona

Mako Pool Solutions has been installing pool automation in Arizona since the first Pentair IntelliTouch panels shipped in the early 2000s. A modern automation system turns your equipment pad into something you actually control from your phone: pump speeds, heater setpoints, lighting scenes, water-feature schedules, salt chlorinator output, and valve actuators all in one app. Done right, you stop thinking about the pool except when you want to use it. Done wrong, it adds a layer of complication you didn't need and a system that fights you instead of helping.

The hardware is the straightforward part. Wiring, programming, and getting the load-side relays talking cleanly to a variable-speed pump's RS-485 bus is where most installs go sideways. We see a lot of half-finished automation jobs on equipment pads in the Valley: panels installed but never programmed, mobile apps configured but never linked to the right account, schedules running in conflict with manual overrides. Whatever shape your system is in, we can troubleshoot it.

Platforms We Install and Service

Pentair IntelliCenter is the current flagship Pentair platform and what we install most often. It pairs cleanly with IntelliFlo variable-speed pumps, IntelliChlor salt cells, MasterTemp and ETi heaters, and Pentair LED lighting (IntelliBrite, GloBrite). Older Pentair installations are on EasyTouch or the legacy IntelliTouch panel. We service all three and can usually upgrade older panels to IntelliCenter without rerunning conduit, since Pentair kept the relay-board form factor compatible.

Hayward OmniLogic is the equivalent Hayward platform, paired with Hayward TriStar VS pumps, AquaRite salt cells, and Universal H-Series heaters. Jandy AquaLink RS and the newer iAquaLink are the Jandy/Zodiac platforms, paired with Jandy ePump, JXi heaters, and TruClear salt systems. We're equally comfortable on any of the three brands. If you have a mixed-brand equipment pad (Pentair pump, Hayward heater, Jandy lights), we'll recommend the automation platform that integrates best with what's already there or quote the cost of swapping the holdouts to a single ecosystem.

Mobile App, Voice Control, and Smart-Home Integration

Most automation systems now include a mobile app (Pentair ScreenLogic and the newer Pentair Home, Hayward OmniLogic, iAquaLink for Jandy) and many integrate with Amazon Alexa or Google Home for voice control. We configure all of this as part of an install: account setup, network connectivity (most panels need wired Ethernet or a WiFi adapter), firmware updates, scene programming (e.g. "Spa Mode" rotates valves, brings up the heater, switches lights to amber, kicks pump to high), and remote-access testing. Before we leave, we walk through every feature with you on your phone so you're not learning the app from a PDF after we're gone.

When Automation Issues Are Actually Equipment Issues

An automation system that's "not working" sometimes turns out to be working perfectly. The problem is the equipment it's commanding. A pump that won't respond to a speed change might have a failed drive board (an issue for pool pump repair, not the panel).

A heater that won't fire on command might have a tripped pressure switch from a clogged filter (a job for filter service). A salt cell that shows zero output on the app may just be scaled. We always check the downstream equipment before recommending board-level work on the panel itself. Often the fix is a $50 sensor on the equipment, not a $400 control board.

New Install vs Upgrade vs Repair

If you're starting from a mechanical timer (the old "click-click" Intermatic boxes still on many older Valley pads), going to automation is a meaningful upgrade. You'll save electricity by running a variable-speed pump on smart schedules, you'll heat the pool only when needed, and you'll never come home to a cold spa again.

A typical IntelliCenter install on a residential pool with existing Pentair equipment runs $1,800-$3,500 depending on how many actuators and accessories you want controlled. If you have an old EasyTouch and want IntelliCenter features, the upgrade panel is roughly $1,200-$1,800 installed. Repairs to existing systems are usually under $500 unless a relay board has failed.

There's no diagnostic fee, no service-call charge, and no obligation. We come out, look at what you have, and write you a clear quote. We service Scottsdale, Cave Creek, and Carefree.