Hayward aquatrol burned out pump plug

[mjnorman]

Hi all! So a little late opening the pool this year. Went out and installed all my gear, Aquatrol RJ, pump etc. Pump wouldn't power on, and noticed a flickering on the display, half characters showing up, just generally all screwed up looking. So I started testing.

Noticed that if I put any pressure on the display board, it would go ballistic, lights flickering etc. Took it off, found no issues with any of the electrical diagnostics in the guide. So I put everything back together and couldn't reproduce it.

Got everything hooked back up, and sadly the pump wouldn't turn on. So round 2, open it up and the power going to the pump output is completely melted. The wire coating just crumbled off. Obviously going to replace the board, but anyone have any ideas on what could have caused this?

I've attached some pictures, and the board looks all fine except for the path from the last relay to the pump. Any input is welcome, thanks all!

 

[ajw22]

See if B&L Enterprises will repair the Hayward Aquatrol board.

 

[C0d3Sp4c3]

Hi mj, if I am not mistaken the mainboard is less than a year old. This is usually the result of loose connections or prolonged high resistance electrical connections. The burnt blk and wht wires carry the AC power to the motor pump via the AC socket mounted at the bottom of the cabinet.
If you can solder, scrape the burn marks off the male spade connectors and the solder pads on the board. If necessary, use acetone, a sharp object and/or fine sand grit. Apply fresh solder to the solder pads of the Male connectors on both sides of the board. Make sure to establish a firm solder joint. Buy some 14-16 AWG insulated Female spade connectors (see pic) from your local auto supply and a Crimper tool. Splice the wires and crimp new connectors.

 

[mjnorman]

Hi mj, if I am not mistaken the mainboard is less than a year old. This is usually the result of loose connections or prolonged high resistance electrical connections. The burnt blk and wht wires carry the AC power to the motor pump via the AC socket mounted at the bottom of the cabinet.
If you can solder, scrape the burn marks off the male spade connectors and the solder pads on the board. If necessary, use acetone, a sharp object and/or fine sand grit. Apply fresh solder to the solder pads of the Male connectors on both sides of the board. Make sure to establish a firm solder joint. Buy some 14-16 AWG insulated Female spade connectors (see pic) from your local auto supply and a Crimper tool. Splice the wires and crimp new connectors.

Hey man how's it going? Yah this was last year's board. I was concerned about what caused the scorching in the first place, and wasnt sure if i should try repairing since it looked like there was damage to the path from that last relay.

What could cause something like that? It makes me think a short of some kind the way the display was glitching out. I noticed when I checked that outlet at the swg, it is getting 119.5 not 120+ like in the house, but looks like that is ok from what I read.

 

[C0d3Sp4c3]

As mentioned, the blk and wht wires carry the 110-120 Volts AC supply to the motor pump via the AC socket mounted at the bottom of the enclosure. The black K3 relay on the board act as a on/off switch and is energized by the built-in timer. The high Amp load running from loose wiring connections causes heat, scorching and fire issues. The circuit trace on the board does not look bad at all. Scrape off the burn marks around the solder pads. Apply a thin coat of fresh solder. If you are not able to save the existing soldered male conn, jury rig from your old mainboard and replace it. Or make a pigtail butt connections. Solder one end of the wires directly to the board and use a butt connector or quick disconnect.