Sta Rite sr200 lights and runs then stops

Jump to latest Follow Reply
T

Turbosnow

Member
May 10, 2020
14
Central NY
Hi all, thanks in advance for any help or advice you can provide. I have a sta rite sr200 “MAX-E-Therm” that is driving me nuts.
Short version: heater turns on and fires up but stops after 5 sec and shows an
AFS error.

It has been working consistently since we bought the house about 1.5 years ago with our indoor pool. It started giving me trouble when I turned it off for several hours on a cold day. It then didn’t want to fire back up, but by turning it on and off a bunch I got it to work. Then I installed a WiFi pump and heater timer. This took a long time between family needs etc. After this the heater would fire and run for about 5 seconds then show an AGS error underneath. I pulled the thermal regulator and the spring was broken, bent and rusty. So I ordered a replacement. This came in, and I hopefully fired up the heater. Only to have it do the same Dang thing except now it shows an AFS light. When I jump the AFS the blower runs super slow and the heater never fires. I’m stumped. Wondering if I’ve got a bad control board or something or if I should just get a new heater.
 
Remove one of the bottom manifold bolts to see if water comes out.

The corrosion on the thermal regulator spring indicates bad chemistry.

It's highly likely that the heat exchanger is leaking.

If water comes out when you remove one of the bottom manifold bolts, then the heat exchanger is leaking and the heater is ruined.

What is the manufacturing date from the sticker with the barcode?

Is there a tab feeder in the system?
 

Mastertemp 400 humming (already replaced the "run" cap) still humming

Hi my tfp friends I have a Mastertemp 400 and its blower humm when pool or spa are turned on (humms like a pump motor with a failed cap), and "service heater" led turns on, i already replaced the cap (8uF-250vac), but still the same failure. Problem starts when working (last weekeend) there...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com

Here is a thread about the blower operation and testing.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Your getting the air flow fault because the blower shut down, probably from the blower motors thermal cutoff. Sounds like the blower motor is failing. You cant always tell from listening, or from the amount of air that is passing through the exhaust, until of course, you replace the blower. It will be noticeably more, especially with a 200. One great diagnostic tool i use is an IR temp gun. You can get one on Amazon, starting at around $25.00, and after you diagnose your heater, you can shoot at hot things around the house. When the motor is running normally, you can touch the blower motor with your hand without a problem, but since yours is in question DONT TOUCH IT even after it shuts down, shoot it with your new toy.
 
A58DB189-941F-45AC-A823-74CF4FAA0AC4.jpeg
the bolt I took out was the bottom left bolt in this picture. There are 114.9 volts going to the heater.
the blower does not get hot at all when it’s been running. In a strange twist of fate, when I checked the voltage and then looked at the control board error, it was indicating an AGS fault again, as opposed to an AFS fault.
 
300px-Pentair_MasterTemp_Firemans_Switch.jpg


You can see the voltage selector plug on the left. It has red wires or black wires. Which plug is installed in your heater?

If the voltage matches the plug, check out the thread that I linked to earlier for some diagnostic tests for the blower.

What color are the wires that bring power to the heater?

What switch controls power to the heater?
 
You mentioned that you replaced the thermal regulator spring but didn't say about the thermal reg itself. The regulator in that picture needs to be replaced. If the blower is running slow, that would explain the AGS fault. Is it running slow as in it takes longer to "spin up" to speed? Or does it just run slow? Or both?

I know this sounds creepy but, when the unit is cold, smell the blower motor and see if it smells burnt. Also, take a flashlight and look at the windings through the vents. If you see nice copper colored windings AND some darker colored ones, you have lost a leg of the windings and the motor (blower) will need to be replaced.
 
I definitely replaced the regualator, spring and plug for good measure.
the super strange thing is now I‘m intermittently getting the AGS error rather than the AFS one. I have never messed with the voltage switch so I can’t see
Why it would be wrong but I’ll check it.
I made a video of the startup
Sequence to show what happens, it’s on YouTube here:
please don’t judge my messy pool
Room:)
 
I'm questioning the voltage in case it is 240 and something happened to the supply that you're only getting 115 volts.

There might be an issue with the exhaust ventilation causing the exhaust to be trapped in the heater.

When the heater turns on and fires, press and hold the "Pool On" button until the exhaust temperature shows on the display.

You can check the blower as described in the earlier reference that I linked to.

Check where the exhaust exits the building to see if you're getting good airflow.

Maybe there's a clog or obstruction in the line.
 
From watching the video i would say the Fenwal. Blower seems to be spinning up quickly, so don't think it's that. AFS only comes on after the blower winds down. The shut down is not happening correctly. You will normally get an AFS upon startup until the blower moves enough air to close the switch. But when the heater normally shuts down, that circuit gets turned off at the same time the blower shuts down so you wont get an AFS light as you lose air flow. IOW, the board isnt shutting the heater down, the blower relay in the Fenwal looses current and shuts off the blower, the AFS opens, and the board then completes the shutdown under an AFS trip.

My guess...
 
The Service Heater LED is blinking intermittently. So, that seems odd. Maybe it's picking up an intermittent error that's just on the verge of tripping.

It does seem like the heater actually ignites for a few seconds.

The software revision is 1. So, I would guess that the heater is super old. It looks like it's in good condition, but it's inside, which helps.

It would be interesting to watch the back of the board from startup to see which LED is tripping and causing the intermittent Service Heater LED.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply