Mineral Springs Power/Generating Sanitizer lights not on

[blackburnmb]

I have a Mineral Springs system installed in 2005. We opened the pool about 3 weeks ago; when we first turned on the filter the 'inspect cell' light came on, we cleaned the cell with acid as per instructions, and afterward the power and generating sanitizer lights came on. The cell looked completely clean. Last Wednesday, the lights were still illuminated and our FC was about 2.5.

I noticed yesterday that the power and generating sanitizer lights were no longer lit. When I turn on the filter, the 'no flow' light blinks for a bit then goes out, and then none of the lights are lit. I tested the water yesterday evening and the FC was near zero. Salt has been ~3600 since opening the pool--no change. The water is crystal clear.

Can't afford a new cell right now, so if the cell is bad, we'll have to transition to liquid chlorine. Before doing so, though, I want to make sure that is the problem. Could there be anything else causing this?

A few other possibly relevant things:

Our CYA is probably nil; the lowest possible reading in my test kit is 30, and it is definitely lower than that.

Also, last year we were still having our water tested at a pool store. Each time they checked, they told us our FC was zero, but the water stayed clear all summer long.

 

[blackburnmb]

A couple of updates/corrections...

The salt reading above should read 3200, not 3600. Oops.

Chemistry as of today:
FC: 0
TC: 0
pH: 7.8
Alkalinity: 80
CH: 150
CYA: <30
Salt: 3000 (we added 2 or 3 inches of water yesterday though)

I just turned off the filter and flipped the switch on the circuit breaker. When I turned the filter back on, the generating light came on for about 3 seconds. Now none of the lights are lit again.

Does anyone have any troubleshooting ideas I could try? The salt system is set on 'auto' and 20%. Should I switch to sanitizer boost or raise the %? (sorry if that is a stupid question...our pool dealer didn't give us a manual or explain this stuff to us, so I've just left it where they set it when it was installed) Could the problem be in the control box, or is it absolutely a cell problem? I am just confused by the fact that everything seemed to be working properly just a few days earlier. Any help or advice would be appreciated!

 

[Bama Rambler]

The first thing you should do is raise the FC using bleach to about 3 ppm. and add 3 ppm FC each evening until you can figure out what's going on and get some CYA in the pool. I'd raise the CYA to 30 ppm and then run an OCLT to make sure you don't have a problem.

Your pool store should be able to test your cell.

 

[blackburnmb]

Hi, thanks for the input. I'll post an update as soon as I get the CYA reading up.

Is there any way to test or troubleshoot the cell ourselves? Or, perhaps, could an electrician do it? The closest pool store that handles SWGs is 30 minutes away, and they are notorious for selling us things we don't need. Especially with the age of our cell, I suspect they will tell us we need a new one whether this one works or not. They were insisting on selling us a new cell last year, when it turned out (by doing our own research) we just needed a new flow indicator. If there is anything we and/or our electrician could do in terms of troubleshooting, please let me know. We just don't have a pool store we trust.

 

[JasonLion]

The simplest way to test the cell is to make sure it is on and then measure the FC level of the water coming from a return and compare to the FC level of water elsewhere in the pool. The water coming from the return should have an FC level 1 or 2 higher.

Your low CYA level pretty much guarantees that no matter how much chlorine the SWG produces, you will lose it to sunlight almost instantly (any time the sun is up).

 

[blackburnmb]

That's just it though--the 'power on' light isn't illuminating either. That's what makes me think the problem might be in the control board, because if there is no power going to the cell, it wouldn't work regardless...is this correct? The water I've tested has, unfortunately, come from the jet...and still has an FC of ~0. But I guess that would make sense if the cell isn't getting power...right? (I hope it doesn't sound like I'm being rude, I am honestly just clueless about electrical stuff!)