Aquarite T-15 quit producing

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S

SilverJK

Well-known member
Jul 31, 2013
114
NW Louisiana
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I have an Aquarite T-15 Salt Cell that is showing some signs of failure. It give a current active salt reading of - 0 and the average is 2500 (was 3000 2 days ago). The temp does appear to be working (it fluctuates when water passes thru it), the readings do not change when the panel 'clicks' to indicate the cell should be producing Chlorine. After a brief period the lights kick back to check salt and inspect cell. The cell is less than 3 years old and its current (and unchanging) stats are:

73
30.3
0
100P
-0
AL -0
r 1.40

What type of troubleshooting would be recommended first?

Thanks
 
Here's what the numbers correspond to;
1. Pool temperature (xx degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius)
2. Cell voltage (typically 22.0 to 25.0 volts when chlorine is being generated, otherwise 30-35V)
3. Cell current (typically 4.50 to 7.80 amps when chlorine is being generated, otherwise 0 amps)
4. Desired Output % ("0P" -- "100P" depending on knob position or input from remote pool automation controller)
5. Instant salinity ( -xxxx ppm or -x.xx grams/Liter)
6. Product name sent to the pool automation control display ("AL-0" which signifies "Aqua Rite")
7. Software revision level (r1.xx)

I see that it's set to 100%, and if that's how it normally runs it is most likely at the end of its life. 3 years at 100% is a pretty long life.

What's your CYA?
 
I have been running it at 40% and only turned it up to trigger the cell to attempt to produce Chlorine. My CYA is at 50 as I've slowly bring it up.

I did speak to Hayward yesterday and they suggested taking the cell to Leslies' Pool to see if it is defective, the warranty replacement didn't come up since he wasn't convinced that it was defective (suggesting it could be the board). I do know for a fact that it is 34 months old as the previous owner replaced it right before we bought our house in June of 2013. So I don't have a receipt of a place of purchase, does that matter to Hayward?

Thanks again
 
How does the inside of the cell physically look?
When was it last cleaned?
How many hours per day does it usually run at 40%?
What is the actual salt level of the pool independent of the SWCG?

Taking it for testing sounds like a good idea. Add bleach to keep the FC up until it's fixed.
 
I do not see any calcium on the plates, they look fine to me. I pulled it out last time the inspect cell came on (3 months ago) and it looked the same, so I did not give it the diluted muratic acid treatment. I can post a picture of it if it helps (I have it with me).

I have been running it 8 hours at that rate this spring and usually go up to 65% at 12 in the summer; winter time I take it to >30% at 3-4 hours.

I have not tested the salt outside of the SWG; however I truly believe it to be correct as I had to lower to water multiple times due to flooding in our area (about 12-14") and the salt level dropped from 3000 to about 2400. When adding bags back to it, I felt that it was responding accordingly. I will grab some test strips today at the pool store when I see if they will test it for me.
 
UPDATE:

I took the cell to Leslie's Pool Suplies and it passed the test. So that only leaves the board as the culprit, right?

Last year I replaced the current limiter on the board since It was giving symptoms described in these forums (limited lights and display problems). However I'm not expirencing those same issues at this time. I do have another current limiter that I can try if you guys suspect that could be related to my problem.

Please let me know what to look for next. If it's a new board, please point me where to look as I'm not sure which ones would be compatible (firmware and all).

Thanks
 
I just had to have both of my boards replaced on mine. I called Hayward and they put me in touch with the local Hayward repair company and they came out and replaced. I didn't have to provide a sales receipt. I learned on here that the serial number corresponds to the year the unit was manufactured!
 
New Update:

Here are pictures of the board and I do not believe that it is repairable. When I spoke to Hayward to tell them about the burnt area on the back of the main board, they gave me the part number GLX-PCB-RITE and stated that board with that part number will work with my SWG, even if the board is the newer blue one. Do you guys believe that as well? Also, in looking at the burnt marks, do you guy feel that something malfunctioned with the system to damage the board or just a typical failure of the board\capacitors\etc (I don't want to fry the replacement)?

Thanks



 

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Good troubleshooting. I'd say you've found the problem. My guess would be something on the board fried itself and that you'll be fine when you replace it. That's just a guess however. Looks like the burn mark is under a switch that probably blew.
 
Yep, that's what I figured I needed and I just ordered it. The burn mark is directly under that switch\relay on top of the board. Even though my board is an older (green) model, the newer one is blue and Hayward stated it was backward compatible; which I hope it works with my older display board and doesn't cause issues with the transformer (I didn't specifically ask that)?

Yes, I would much rather be steered in the right direction from this site and learn how to resolve these things myself. Troubleshooting (and documenting them here) only furthers the education of others as well as myself.

This forum is incredibly awesome and has a great community of people willing to offer advice!

Thanks again!
 
The replacement board came in and she's back in business. I was so quick to blame the cell and if I would have pulled the board complelely out first, the answer would have been exposed. Thanks to everyone for the guidance!
 
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