Aqua Rite Salinity drops to Zero: new Main Board Needed?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
J

jbailey895

Well-known member
Apr 25, 2016
144
Carlsbad, CA
Mentioned this in another thread, but think I need to replace my main board on my Aqua Rite. Replacement Tcell-15 is clean, just added salt, and when I power on the SWG, takes a moment to read the salinity, then goes to 2700-2800 for a couple minutes, then I hear a "click", and the salinity drops to 0 and the check salt light goes on. I do have the K-1766, so I'll check my level, but I think its the generic board I bought a few years back.

Just to confirm, is this the right board?
Amazon.com: Hayward GLX-PCB-RITE Replacement Main PCB Printed Circuit Board for Hayward Goldline AquaRite Salt Chlorination Systems: Patio, Lawn Garden

There is a more expensive one, but I think the above is correct, and its OEM.
Here is what I've got right now:
 
With those boards, the thermal limiter is always a suspect. Pretty easy to replace if you have a soldering iron.
 
Thanks Mark, I've replaced it before, I don't think that's the issue this time, but will look closely at it tonight. New board is on its way with Amazon same-day, crazy to order this am and get it by tonight (Florida to San Diego, wow)
 
OK, so thanks to Amazon same-day, I got the new board, and installed it, making sure it was set for t-15. Here were the readings:
AL-0
r 1.59
t-15
2100
84
26.2
6.49
57p

After approx 2 mins, I hear a click, flashing chk salt and Inspect cell, then salinity drops to 0, and no generation.

This was essentially the same symptomology with the prior PCB board. The cell is less than 6 mos. old (its an OEM warranty cell from Hayward), I checked/cleaned it again today, clear fins.

Quite frustrating, any suggestions?

Thanx,
Joel
 
I would imagine you paid top $ for same day shipping.
Salinity of 2100 is way too low. Did you test salt level using K-1766? If your salt level is within the recommended range (2700-3400) then most likely your T-Cell is the culprit.
Check the connector for any signs of deterioration and make sure it sits properly. Else, replace the cell.
 
Free same day shipping on Amazon Prime. yes, I used the K-1766, I have 3000 ppm salt. I guess I'll pull the cell and have it tested again, but its about 4 months old, almost unused (the pool was resurfaced and drained for almost a month) i have a bad feeling I didn't need the $200 board I just bought. . . .

The Orange and yellow wires coming out of the box did look a little discolored, wonder if there's any other replaceable component to consider. . .
 
yeah, thanks, I thought the cell was my constant, known value since it is fairly new, but not playing nice. The Orange and Yellow wires coming from the box, anyone know what they do, and where they go? The were discolored, so wondering if that could be a point of failure, but the easiest next step to check the cell again. . .
Cheers
 
The yellow and orange wires come from the transformer. The transformer steps the voltage down from 120/240 to 24vac at the orange and yellow leads. Those then feed the rectifiers and the red and black leads at the top should be 24vdc.

If you are hearing a click before the 0 ppm salt, it is likely the relay is tripping for some reason. You can put a volt meter on the various leads and see if the voltage is cutting out somewhere.
 
Thanks Mark, I'm electrically-challenged, would that mean it may not be either the cell or the board, but the transformer? I definitely hear a "click" before the #'s fall to zero, so something "trips", but I'm too clueless to verify exactly what it is, or what to do. I do have an analog voltimeter, but honestly don't know how to use it. . .

If you have a sec to 'splain, would be appreciated :)
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
It is hard to say but since you tried two boards, I would suspect it is either the cell or transformer or rectifiers. But to tell for sure, you need to measure the voltage and see where it is cutting out. But testing the cell can eliminate that as a cause.
 
OK, no worries. For some reason, I fired it up this am, and its reading 3100, and I used the "superchlorinate" entry method to force the default up to 3100. This causes the 'click' and fall to zero, which it did this am, but then restarted itself with the default at 3100, and the current reading -3200, but it seems to be working, for the moment.

Not sure why the "superchlorinate" button causes the fall to zero, but now that I have a workable default, it seems to be holding. I'll keep watch today, but thanks for for your patience and time :)

Joel
 
Did you recalibrate the average salt reading to the current instant salt reading? What is your instant salt reading? Sounds like a similar issue I had with mine. One polarity on the tcell was fine, the other polarity was shot.
 
Calibration of the AquaRite doesn't affect operation at all. It only changes the average salt level readout.
 
Sliding the selector to "superchlorinate" from the instant salt reading forces the new default level. Yesterday that caused the levels to drop to zero, but this am it worked, and allowed the cell to montane a constant level for generation.
So far, so good. . .
 
As an update, the cell works for most of the day, but each morning when I turn my pump on (Pentair intelliflo LCD panel doesn't work, but the buttons and pump work fine), the cell reads zero or very low salinity. I have to turn it off, then "force" the actual salt reading (usually about -3000), and it seems to work for the day.

Any suggestions? I bought a brand new OEM Hayward PCB, and the T-15 is only 4 mos old. . .
 
jbailey895 said:
As an update, the cell works for most of the day, but each morning when I turn my pump on (Pentair intelliflo LCD panel doesn't work, but the buttons and pump work fine), the cell reads zero or very low salinity. I have to turn it off, then "force" the actual salt reading (usually about -3000), and it seems to work for the day.

Any suggestions? I bought a brand new OEM Hayward PCB, and the T-15 is only 4 mos old. . .
Click to expand...

Hi! I'm having the exact same issue... did you figure it out? If so, would you mind sharing? Thanks...
 
Hey Gman, no, so far I haven't figured it out. I still need to have the cell commercially checked, but it's frustrating as it will work most of the day, but I'll come home to check cell and check salt lights. Next day, I force a salt level Reset, and it seems to work most of the day, and fail sometime before shutoff. . .
 
It might be one side of the cell is failing while the other side is fine. When the cell switches the polarity it will either work or stop working if this is the case. I suggest to have the cell tested to eliminate the cell as the cause.
 
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