Aqua Rite not generating - only the power light is on

[SteveNJ]

My Aqua Rite stopped generating chlorine a couple days ago. The power light comes on, but no other lights are on. The no-flow light doesn't blink when starting the pump as it normally would. Here are the numbers-

2500
82
30.2
0.00
50P
0
AL - 8
r1.40

The chlorine ppm display was reading 2900 the day before it stopped working.

The AL-8 seems weird since it's only supposed to range from AL-0 to AL-5. It's usually on AL-0 since I don't have any automation. I tried changing it back to AL-0 by switching between auto and super-chlorinate, but it stays on AL-8. The switch itself seems to be good, as I can switch the temperature between Fahrenheit and Celsius.

My T-15 cell is 2 years old. I tried swapping it with a known working cell, but it didn't make a difference. The fuse looks good. With the fuse out, all lights and the display are off, so I'm assuming the fuse is good.

We had some thunderstorms in the area lately but I don't see any obvious signs of burning inside the control box or on the PCB board. The varistor seems to be completely intact, but it's cold to the touch. I'm wondering if that could mean it's failed, even though from what I've been reading, the power & generating lights usually come on briefly then go out when the varistor is bad.

Any ideas what else I can do to troubleshoot this? Does it sound like a bad PCB board?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[tim5055]

I wish I had an answer for you, but it does sound like a board problem.

Remember to manually chlorinate with bleach until you get it sorted out.

 

[SteveNJ]

That's the way I'm leaning. Fortunately the price of a new board isn't as bad as I thought.

And thanks for the reminder to chlorinate with bleach. It should go without saying ...but I already forgot today!!

 

[JamesW]

Based on the voltage, the thermistor is probably good. Try resetting the display. Then try resetting back to AL-0.

 

[SteveNJ]

JamesW, I had tried resetting AL-8 back to AL-0 but it wouldn't change. But I didn't try resetting the display first. How do I reset the display?

Thanks,
Steve

 

[JamesW]

You remove the display board and reinstall it. I have seen this happen only once before and I couldn't get it to reset. If it won't reset, you'll probably need a new board.

 

[HQPools]

You said the tcell was two years old. Is the control panel the same age. If so, Aqua Rite warranties are usually 3 years. You can find out by looking at the serial number on the door. The first number (usually 3) is the warranty years. Anyway, if the lights aren't working, the problem won't be in the display board, it would be the pcb. It won't accept the changes your trying to make because the pcb is bad.

 

[JamesW]

Note: The system is more than six years old. So, it wouldn't be under warranty.

 

[SteveNJ]

JamesW, I tried removing the display board and reinstalling it. Worth a shot but unfortunately it didn't help, so I'm guessing the pcb is shot.

HQPools, The cell is 2 years old, but the system is about nine years old.

I just ordered a replacement pcb. It didn't cost as much as I thought it would, and after nine problem-free years I really can't complain.

Thanks for all the advice. Hopefully I'll follow up in a couple days saying it's working again!

-Steve

 

[SteveNJ]

Well I replaced the pcb and it's generating chlorine again! As an added bonus, it's dead silent when running now. The panel used to vibrate when it was generating and you could hear it from 20 feet away. It's done that since the day it was installed. With the new pcb it's so quiet that I had to check the returns for bubbles to make sure it's actually working.

-Steve

 

[JamesW]

Thanks for the update.