Aqua Rite High salt but no chlorine

[TE619]

I have a unit that I believe is just over 5 years old. I know that it is at the tail end of its life expectancy, but of course would like to squeak out more time rather than paying $800 to replace the system.

I have had problems off and on with the unit not generating. The salt read out was showing about 300 ppm under what the pool store was showing. I just kept it high enough to produce.

About 2 weeks ago, we had about 10 inches of rain. I checked the salt after, and it had dropped to between 1500-2000. It bounced back and forth for a few days not producing. About three days ago, it started getting green.

I had the pool store check it. I had 4200 ppm of salt. On Thursday, I used shock and a yellow remover. The pool water looks better but still not generating.

I pulled of the cover and replaced the fuse and looked for any burn marks. I didn't see anything that looks disconnected or damaged. I moved the off/auto/super switch a few times hoping to reset it. I probably shouldn't have as now the numbers are bouncing between 100-700 ppm.

The cell was checked at the pool store and is functional. The store said that I needed a motherboard replacement for $300 or a new system for $800.

The store checked my water. It showed:
Chlorine- 0.00
pH-7.8
Acid demand- 2
Total alkalinity- 120ppm
Calcium Hardness- 260 ppm
Stabilizer- 50 ppm I ADDED 2 POUNDS after the reading
Salt- 4200 ppm

My current numbers are reading as:
700
81
31.9
0.00
99p
-0
AL-0
r 1.40

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

All of the salt readings, both from the SWG and from the pool store at +-400, so small differences between readings are not important.

A SWG can not usually fight algae on it's own,. When you have algae, the algae will wipe out the chlorine much more quickly than the SWG can produce chlorine. Because of this, it isn't always possible to tell if the SWG is working or not while you have even a tiny amount of algae. One thing you can do is to make sure the control panel says the cell is turned on and then loosen the union on the output side of the SWG cell just enough to get a slow stream of water coming out, and then measure the FC level of that water, before it gets into the pool.

You are going to need to shock the pool manually until the algae is completely gone, and then see how the SWG does.

 

[zea3]

Hi, welcome to TFP! Has the production been spotty in the past because the board was going out or has it had problems since day 1? One of the equipment experts will be along to let you know if it is worth it to replace the board. You can also use the google search at the bottom of the page to see if this problem has been addressed in the past.

 

[TE619]

Thank you for your quick response and great website!

Is there a way to know if there was no chlorine because of the algae or was there no chlorine which caused the algae?

The pool has been shocked. I did 3 bags (1 pound each) on Thursday and 2 more bags on Friday.

The store said my salt count was high at 4200 but my box is now only showing 700. The power, check salt, and inspect cell lights are all solid. The generating light only lights for a few seconds when I move the switch from auto/off/auto.

Is there a way to "reboot" the box to take a new reading?

 

[TE619]

We bought the house about a year ago. The numbers displayed on the board have varied in the past, but nothing quite so drastic and never with algae in the pool. We had been concerned in the past because the light did not say generating, but when the water was checked at the store the chlorine was always at an acceptable level.

I live in Florida. We have had a lot of rain and a significant amount of pollen this year. Last year I had a barracuda circulating through the pool. It had been broken this year and on my to-do list. I don't know if maybe the lack of being stirred up with all the pollen could have caused an issue as well.

 

[JasonLion]

The test I suggested, getting a water sample straight from the SWG cell while the cell is active, can tell you if the SWG is producing chlorine or not. The other approach is to completely kill off all of the algae and then see how the SWG does at maintaining the FC level.

You haven't really shocked the pool. Shocking is a process that needs to be continued until it is complete, not something that you toss into the pool once or twice and say you are done. There are directions on how to shock the pool in this article in Pool School.

 

[TE619]

Thank you for all your help. Since I added some shock, should I wait a certain amount of time before getting the water tested, or will the shock alter the numbers?

 

[JasonLion]

By far the best thing to do is to get your own test kit. Nothing else gives you nearly as much control over what is happening as having your own reliable water test results when ever you need them. I recommend the TF100 from TFTestKits.net. The Taylor K-2006 is also good.

Assuming that you last added bags of "shock" yesterday, then getting the water tested today is a good idea. If you added more "shock" already today, then it might be best to wait.