Autopilot Check Flow and 0 SALT cleared

[poolSWG]

This is my 3rd year (first season only used 1.5 months) using the autpilot dig 220 and in general it has been working pretty good - although the temp reading was always 4-5 degrees high. I added some salt a few weeks ago, and I had a reading of 3300 - everthing good. Today I noticed that a CHECK FLOW was flashing so I check the strainer, but it was pretty clear so I gave it a rinse and put it back in place. Turned pump on - same problem. Checking out some of the other posts, I thought it may be a stuck valve so I opened and closed a couple of jets to change the pressure and the error cleared. Now I am getting an error to add 562lbs of salt due to a 000 ppm salt reading. I unplugged/plugged in the cables, but still getting the same error. I did a salt test reading using an AquaChek strip, and it indicated about 3800.

I decided to unplug all the cables, remove the tri-sensor, and remove the cell. Everything looked OK with clean, even fins so I hosed out the cell and put it all back together again and now it is working! Maybe it was a flakey cable connection. :?:

I am getting the same 3300 reading again, but that is way off of the 3800 from my strip test. It seems like a pretty big drift in the sensor reading. My strips are a couple years old, but I have kept them sealed and dry - do they go bad? Finally, is the high temp reading something I should be concerned with? What kind of accuracy have other users experienced?

I am going to take a sample to the pool store to get a salt reading, but I not sure how reliable that will be.

Thanks

 

[mofoism]

strips are flaky when testing for ANYTHING, so that's no surprise there.

sounds like your cell was a little scaled and all she needed was a good hosing. soaking it for 20 mins in a 10:1 water-to-muriatic acid solution will get it really clean if you ever have problems again.

i'd say as long as you can see that it's producing chlorine, then it's not too low...and as long as your water doesn't taste like the ocean, then it's not too high.. and it's all good!

i get similar temperature variances as well.

 

[JasonLion]

Some variation in salt readings is normal. The salt test strips are +-200 and the meter in the SWG is +-400, so differing by up to 600 is normal.

It sounds like you have a lose tri-sensor cable and removing it and reinstalling it got the connection going again.

 

[donaldm823]

I have had similar issues when running my heater. If the heater cycles at too high a temp (my wife sometimes changes the heater to 89F), the autopilot may alarm and shutdown. My autopilot is connected after the heater.

The last time it happened, I cleared it by turning off the blasted pool heater, removing and reconnecting all of the cables as well as power cycling the autopilot.

 

[yamilrx]

I have a similar issue where mine keeps saying low salt, 1900ppm reading, add 112lbs of salt. I had added 80lbs a couple of days back and nothing. I added another 40lbs today and initially it read 4400ppm, then 2800ppm and it was running. Half hour later back to the same error. My reading yesterday was 21v 5.6amps and this afternoon I replaced the entire manifold with tri sensor as recommended by tech support. I had a spare one that came with system. I also added the 40lbs after I replaced the manifold. My reading now is 1900 or 2000ppm and 17v 5.2amps. I have the dig 220 since 2003 and replaced the cell less than 2yrs ago. Any help would be greatly appreciated.