Aqua Rite SWG Not Chlorinating, No Power LED but Power OK, Unit Acting Odd

[RetiredGuy]

Problem:
AquaRite SWG is not generating chlorine and LED lights working but indicating unusual pattern
Diagnostics are:
89 Temp
0.0-17.0 VDC increments in tenths to 17 and then starts over
0 amps
60P Desired Output %
- 0 Instant Salt Reading
r1.09 Revision

Salt reading is 0 on display

When the unit gets to 17 VDC the Power and Generating LEDs turn on for a second and then back off. And it repeats the cycle again.
The actual salt level measured independently is ~3200ppm

I have replaced the salt cell with a Hayward T-15...I initially thought the cell was done since it was a few years old
I have replaced the transformer (BTW the diagnostics manual says the resistance should be around 2 ohms on each of the primary inputs, mine was around 8-9, so I figured it was bad. However, the new transformer I received and installed yesterday tested at ~9 ohms too, so there is a discrepancy with the diagnostics manual I suppose)
I have checked the thermistor I replaced a couple of years ago and it seems to be ok both visually and resistance wise...changes resistance with temp changes, similar resistance values as a spare thermistor I have. I also checked continuity between the thermistor leads and board and all good.
Voltages primaries/secondaries transformer good
Voltages to/from rectifiers good
Fuse is good
New rectifiers arrive today so I may swap those out....
All LED and display lights are functional but....no power except for a second when the generating LED comes on...

Im down to the main controller board? Could a relay be bad? or is it time to replace the board?
Any good sources for a Goldline AquaRite board with the Jandy AquaLink RS interface?

ps...called Hayward and after waiting over an hour got a tech who only wanted my email address and told me to reference the on-line support repository...zero guidance or help....nothing like the fantastic support I got several years ago from Goldline...frustrating...


Any ideas?

Thank You!

 

[JamesW]

Probably a bad thermistor.

 

[Meadow]

The symptoms you are describing correlates to a bad thermistor. But first, your multimeter if not properly calibrated will throw you off the charts.

Tips for you:
1. make sure the incoming AC power is configured properly and check for any loose connections. Bad crimped will throw you off as well.
2. set the multimeter to measure AC and measure the incoming AC
3. disconnect the 2 yellow wires coming out of the transformer and confirm 24V AC across (true = proceed)
4. disconnect the red wire from the board, (leave the black wire intact)
5. set the DVM to measure DC, probe across the red wire and black terminal on the board. You should read 20-23 VDC (false = check the fuse or bad rectifier, true = proceed)
6. visually inspect the board for any signs of cold solder or burnt marks, focus on the thermistor & K1 relay. Sometimes, it is difficult to spot a crack on the thermistor but it should read 2 ohms without load.
7. if in doubt, temporarily bypass the thermistor by soldering a jumper link across and test again.

Let's stop here and post the results before we go any farther.

 

[JamesW]

99.9% chance that it's a bad thermistor.

 

[RetiredGuy]

Good News...Just replaced the Thermistor with the spare I had and chlorination system appears to be WORKING normally again. Lights are behaving and diagnostics look more normal.

Follow-up questions:
1. The new Thermistor seems to be very warm after turning on the chlorination system, too hot to touch. Is that normal?
Im concerned I fixed a symptom and not the root cause problem?

2. Recall when troubleshooting this problem, the transformer resistance on the primaries on both the old and the new transformers ran 8-9 ohms vs, the Troubleshooting Guide range of 2-3 ohms. I have a decent Fluke multimeter, and suspect it is correct. What is correct? 2-3 or 8-9 ohms?

Again, many thanks to experts with prompt replies. Wish I would have discovered this forum a week ago!

 

[JamesW]

The thermistor gets hot. That's normal.

Resistance between the Blue & White wires and the Violet & Gray wires should be 2.0- 2.9 Ohms.

I suspect that the multimeter might off calibration.

Check the resistance of touching the leads together. It should be zero.

 

[RetiredGuy]

Well bad news experts.....after replacing the thermistor Thursday the chlorinator worked for 2-3 days and then is back to the original state of no power led and no generating led. The diagnostics show 0 for voltage and current.
Rechecked voltages on input power, input/output of transformer, input output of rectifier and all are normal.
board looks ok and thermistor looks ok......

i did order and receive some heavier duty thermistors and also have replacement rectifiers, but im thinking something on the main board is causing the thermistor to fail....and troubleshooting components on the board may be above my pay grade...;-)

so do i need to replace the main board and be done with or?

Ps thanks JamesW ...the ohm meter was off by 6 ohms on resistance readings

 

[JamesW]

It seems like the thermistor has failed again. I don't know why it keeps failing. If the volts and amps are good in diagnostics and the solder points are good, then it should not fail that fast.

What thermistor are you getting?

 

[RetiredGuy]

I have been replacing with SL32 2R025 which was the part number on the original OEM board
That was the part number I used for the Thursday repair


the ones I received Friday are AS32 2R025, which are supposed to be heavier duty per this forum, i got for future spares

 

[JamesW]

The AS32 ones are more heavy duty but the legs don't line up with the holes and the legs aren't flexible like the SL32 legs.

The SL32 legs will work with the AS32 holes because they can be bent to fit.

 

[RetiredGuy]

So should i try replacing thermistor again with AS version ( i will bend leads or attach jumpers or something safe), try something else or just replace main PCB board? Im leary of just replacing thermistor at this point cause i think there is something else which is marginally working/failing that then causes the thermistors to fail....but Im not an EE...just a retired software/Systems engr...��
again thanks so much for your time and expertise!

 

[JamesW]

If you feel better replacing the board, then that's probably the best thing to do.

 

[RetiredGuy]

Update..hopefully final....

replaced main PCB (Hayward GLX version) yesterday and salt chlorination is working thus far.
so basically everything except for the display board has now been replaced wth the system.
it appears as if some component on the main PCboard marginally failed and caused thermistors to fail after a day or so.
maybe i can get one of my smart EE friends to isolate the component and we can repair it for a spare board

again thanks to all on this post for your help!

 

[JamesW]

Good job. Thanks for the update.