Zodiac Clearwater LM2-15 problems...

[Kikerumbo]

Greetings!

I come to you for some help since my chlorinator made a cloud of smoke that came from the toroidal transformer. The insulation was completely destroyed, so I decided to look for a replacement.

I tried to read the sticker on the old one and I think it was 230v to 2x 17.5v and 6A. As I understand, electronics work with DC power, but the original one didn't show DC anywhere nor I could find a toroidal transformer 230AC to 17.5DC or any other DC voltage, so I supposed the conversion to DC was made inside the power board (where the relays are).

The closest replacement I found was 2x 18v 6.25A. I thought it was close enough, but of course it is 230AC to 18AC. When I hooked it to the power board, one of the secondaries' wires started to heat up until the point the insulation burnt.

Did I buy the wrong transformer and in doing so did I destroy the chlorinator PCB by connecting a step down AC to AC transformer? If not, can anyone tell me the exact replacement for the toroidal transformer (found the W130591 but it isn't like mine)? What can I test to check if the chlorinator is still "alive"?

Thanks for any help in advance.

 

[domct203]

Welcome to the forum.

ALL transformers are AC to AC, there are no AC to DC transformers. How transformers work

You are correct that the AC voltage is rectified to DC in the circuit fed by the transformer. Also, not every electronic circuit works at DC only, in fact, many complex circuits have both AC and DC sections, especially in audio equipment.

If the old transformer was truly a 230V primary X two 17.5V at 6A, the replacement you sourced at 230V primary X two 18.0V at 6.25A should not have been an issue. I would suspect either installation error, or a problem downstream in the circuit like a blown or shorted component.

Is there no circuit protection (fuses) in the chlorinator? That should have prevented the overcurrent situation that melted the insulation.

I recommend that you have the circuit checked by a repair service before you attempt this again. What you describe sounds like a short somewhere, and this could be a potential fire hazard. It is especially troubling that there is not some type of fuse or circuit breaker to prevent this type of failure.

I hope this helps.