Autopilot SWG - high volts, low amps

[Jerdog]

Hey all,
I've just bought a house with a salt water pool and all is going well until this week. I am getting a check/clean cell alarm and wanted to see what someone had to say about my test results.
As for water chemistry:
CL 2
PH 7.6
CH 225
AL 80
CH 30 but will rise
Salt - 3400

SWG settings:
Software V4.4
Cell SC-48
Power level 1
Voltage 230 vac
1.5 A

SWG test result:
3200 Salt
89 Deg
32V 2.8A
35835 amp hrs

While cleaning the screen out a few weeks ago I noticed that the fins are clean but I wasn't really inspecting them at that point so I still need to get a good eye on the cleanliness and lengths of the fins in relation to each other. I will be cleaning the cell before the holiday weekend just for good measure.
This morning I turned the pump and unit on and the alarm didn't show up at initial start up. The purifier output level reached 30% or so and the alarm still did not come up. I had to leave so I can't say at what percentage it triggers the alarm but from yesterday i dropped the output to from 90 percent to 50 percent and the alarm was still active.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[rcenturion]

from my experience, low amps can be caused by a bad cell, low salt, or a bad power cord

since the salt level appears good, I would check and clean your cell and check the power cord. On the power cord, also check the connections to the cell are clean and dry and also that the banana plugs which connect to the control panel are in good shape,

 

[JoshU]

This morning I turned the pump and unit on and the alarm didn't show up at initial start up. The purifier output level reached 30% or so and the alarm still did not come up. I had to leave so I can't say at what percentage it triggers the alarm but from yesterday i dropped the output to from 90 percent to 50 percent and the alarm was still active.

When you're setting the purifier % you are essentially setting a timer of how often the cell cycles on to produce chorine. So at 30% the cell would be actively producing 30% of the time and idle 70% of the time. During this idle time the system is not trying to produce chlorine therefore you may not see a cell related error message at that time.

How old is the cell?

 

[Jerdog]

When you're setting the purifier % you are essentially setting a timer of how often the cell cycles on to produce chorine. So at 30% the cell would be actively producing 30% of the time and idle 70% of the time. During this idle time the system is not trying to produce chlorine therefore you may not see a cell related error message at that time.

How old is the cell?

Hey Josh - The cell is 4 years old. How long should a cell typically last? I have yet to clean it being that I was out of town for Memorial Day weekend. That'll be a project for tomorrow. As for the purifier settings...do I adjust based on my readings and is there a typical range that it should be in? Honestly I though the system adjusted itself because once i kicked the heater on it ran up to 98%.

 

[Jerdog]

So here's an update. Cleaned the cell with muriatic acid/water mix. There was a little bit of bubbling but not much. There was no visual buildup of calcium. The fins lengths looked pretty equal. End fins may have had less than 1/32" difference to them. So little that it was difficult to see any difference. Checked all connections with the power cord. All metal components looked very clean. There was a little discoloration on the upper part of the plastic connector but it doesn't extend anywhere near the actual connection points.
Again salt levels are good at 3500 ppm and the test reveals 32V and 2.8-3.0 amps.
Looking at the breaker box I noticed that the pool equipment is hooked up with a split breaker. Excuse my inability to explain what that is in electricians terms but this guy is a machinist. Electricity is like magic to me. Anyway judging by the specs posted in my first post should I also look at power supplied to the unit or am I looking at replacing a 4 yr old cell?
Thanks for the help fellas.