NexPool SystemBack to site
Blue Torrent

Blue Torrent Variable Speed Pumps

Read this one before quoting a job. Blue Torrent's own manuals describe no external control interface of any kind, and the RS-485 people find on these pumps is not a control port — it is the pump's internal keypad bus.

What the manuals actually document

Blue Torrent publishes installation and operation manuals for their in-ground variable-speed range. Across both of them there is no mention of RS-485, Modbus, digital inputs, dry contacts, an automation system or an external control interface. Not a missing diagram — the capability is not described at all.

FeatureDetail
Onboard scheduleFour speeds, SPEED 1 highest priority through SPEED 4 lowest
Schedule limit24 hours total; raising one speed's duration takes it from lower-priority speeds
Freeze protectionOn by default, 1000 RPM default, settable 750-3450 RPM, trigger 40-50 F
Supply230 V single phase, permanent connection, dedicated circuit
External controlNone documented
What the pump does have, from Blue Torrent's manual. All of it is local to the pump.

The RS-485 people find is the keypad bus

That is a different proposition from every other pump in this documentation. On a Pentair, Jandy, Raypak or Nidec the manufacturer publishes an interface, names the terminals and expects a controller on the other end. Here there is no published interface, so anything on that connector is undocumented behaviour that Blue Torrent has not committed to.

  • The protocol is not published, so it can only be reverse-engineered.
  • Nothing obliges Blue Torrent to keep it stable between production runs, and these pumps are built on a platform sold under several brand names.
  • Occupying the keypad's connector risks E-16 faults and leaves the customer without a working local display.
  • Opening the drive to reach it is very likely a warranty question, and the drive carries residual voltage for five minutes after isolation.

The method Blue Torrent does sanction

The manual states the pump should be permanently connected to a circuit breaker, a two-pole timer, or a two-pole relay. That last option is the supported route to external control: switch the pump's supply and let its own schedule decide speed.

A module dry contact driving a two-pole contactor that switches the pump's 230 V supply, with a warning that removing power also disables the pump's freeze protection.
On or off, with speed still owned by the pump. Use a contactor rather than switching the pump load through the module's own relay.
  • Drive a two-pole contactor from H1, H2, AUX1 or AUX2 using COM and N.O so the pump rests off.
  • Do not switch the pump's mains load through the module's relay directly — use a contactor rated for the pump and let the module's dry contact operate its coil.
  • The pump must stay on a dedicated circuit with no other loads, and a dedicated GFCI breaker if GFCI protected.

A lead worth following up

What to tell a customer

They askHonest answer
Can the app control my Blue Torrent's speed?Not through anything the manufacturer supports. Speeds are set on the pump.
Can the app turn it on and off?Yes, by switching its supply through a contactor — with freeze protection moved to the module.
I saw someone do it with RS-485 onlineThat is the pump's internal display bus, not a control port. It works until it does not, and it is not something to build a warranty around.
Should I change the pump?If full speed control matters, a pump with a published interface will cost less in the long run than working around one without.

Sources