Aqua-Rite flow sensor not working again!

[dwink2u]

Just opening the pool here in Nashville. I replaced the Aqua-Rite flow sensor last fall before closing (thanks to Leslie's for getting part under warranty). Now, it is not working again! I'm thinking there must be another problem. Is there a way to reset the unit?

Also, I took the sensor out and water DOES NOT gush out of the opening - should it be? Others said cork it after taking it out. There is slow but very little. Goldline told me it only takes 11 gpm so that's not a lot.

Please help - need a clean pool and DON'T want to spend lots (more!) money on it! Where do I find the black "thing" (current limiter?) to check?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Deb

 

[waste]

Welcome to TFP!!

With the pump on and the sensor out, it should look like a whale spouting off.

What kind of pool do you have?

With the pump on and the sensor in, can you feel water moving at the return(s)?

I'm sorry for all the questions, but need to know what sort of setup we're talking about

 

[dwink2u]

Pool is approx. 40,000 gallon inground. Have a Hayward sand filter and pump. Any suggestions MUCH appreciated! Got pool relatively clean but cloudy and needs the chlorinator to work.

TIA!

 

[Yiquanone]

My flow switch has been working poorly since day one. Aqua boys gave me same B/s and would not send me a new switch under warranty.

Last time I buy one of their products.

The flow switch seems to be a problem spot, must be a bad design. Plenty of water, some seasons it works others it doesn't.

Take it out and mess with it and re install, some times it works.

 

[waste]

My flow switch has been working poorly since day one. Aqua boys gave me same B/s and would not send me a new switch under warranty.

Last time I buy one of their products.

The flow switch seems to be a problem spot, must be a bad design. Plenty of water, some seasons it works others it doesn't.

Take it out and mess with it and re install, some times it works.

Welcome to TFP!!

Is your flow switch within 1' of a pipe elbow? (they can be balky if they don't have a n even flow and elbows tend to 'churn' the water near them).

Deb, If the water doesn't gush out of the sensor hole when the pump is on, you've got a flow issue (clogged pipe, pump or filter) rather than a flow sensor issue. As long as the sensor is out, use your hand to close the switch, cover the sensor hole and turn on the pump and see if the 'no flow' light stays lit or starts flashing (if it flashes, the switch is good).

If I went a little to quickly or was unclear in what I said, simply ask for clarification.

 

[Aquatica]

is the flow switch installed right? with arrows pointing downstream?

if filter is clogged you will get no flow on the panel. I had one the other day when we installed an ecostar which was running at 1,000rpm. swg was working prior to install. we backwashed filter and everything is working now. really hard to see a flow switch going bad but I guess some do.

 

[maxepr1]

If it passes the test by manually closing it with your hand then I would have to say that block on your board has got corrosion in it. Get a hold of Hayward and get the resistance value and shoot out the sensor. Hayward will tell you that the block is corrosion proof but I had some in my water temp sensor and on the 5th sensor I finally took over and found that the block had intermittent cutouts of power. There ok with $45 sensor changes every 6 months! Hey there money! I would have to say the same thing is happening to you! Sounds like the same problems I had!

 

[dbressler]

I actually found a way to override the salt level reading on the AquaRite box so that it forces the chlorinator to produce chlorine. Not sure if this will help or not, and it's a manual task you have to run every day after your pump kicks on... but here's what I do since my sensor is out of whack:

Turn on the Aquarite and wait for the lights to show that there is a flow of water and the chlorinator kicks on.
Then turn the black switch to OFF.
Turn it back on to the normal position.
Press the black button (that changes your digital display) five times until you see the salt sensor reading. It should be at 0 at this point.
When you hear the "click", that number should shoot up high very briefly and then start to decrease quickly.
If you see it get to a level of 2800 or more, flick the black switch up to SUPER CHLORINATE very quickly, and then back down to the normal position. This actually locks in the number and forces the AquaRite to produce chlorine at the level you locked in.

If the number did NOT reach above 2800, try it again. Sometimes it takes about 5 or 6 attempts to get that number up above 2800.

This effectively works on a temporary basis, depending on how high the salt level reading was locked in when you performed this task. So I keep checking it every few hours to see if the number drops below 2600. Once it drops below 2600, the AquaRite quits producing chlorine.

I'm doing this every day until I can get enough money saved to replace the entire salt chlorinator.

 

[waste]

I actually found a way to override the salt level reading on the AquaRite box so that it forces the chlorinator to produce chlorine. Not sure if this will help or not, and it's a manual task you have to run every day after your pump kicks on... but here's what I do since my sensor is out of whack:

Turn on the Aquarite and wait for the lights to show that there is a flow of water and the chlorinator kicks on.
Then turn the black switch to OFF.
Turn it back on to the normal position.
Press the black button (that changes your digital display) five times until you see the salt sensor reading. It should be at 0 at this point.
When you hear the "click", that number should shoot up high very briefly and then start to decrease quickly.
If you see it get to a level of 2800 or more, flick the black switch up to SUPER CHLORINATE very quickly, and then back down to the normal position. This actually locks in the number and forces the AquaRite to produce chlorine at the level you locked in.

If the number did NOT reach above 2800, try it again. Sometimes it takes about 5 or 6 attempts to get that number up above 2800.

This effectively works on a temporary basis, depending on how high the salt level reading was locked in when you performed this task. So I keep checking it every few hours to see if the number drops below 2600. Once it drops below 2600, the AquaRite quits producing chlorine.

I'm doing this every day until I can get enough money saved to replace the entire salt chlorinator.

This works, but only for 100 minutes (1 cycle) It will trick the unit into producing, but there is something else wrong and you might be harming the unit by overdoing this trick If the unit thinks the salt is low and you add some and want it to produce, this trick is great - but it doesn't solve a system problem!