Pool Pilot Digital DIG-220 question(s)

[colbymack]

I am a newbie to this site, and, in general, to pools. We recently bought a house with a pool that had this system already hooked up (the 220, that is).

What I have noticed...sometimes (in fact, usually) there is nothing displayed on the display...not even the "walking dot."
The 2 times I have seen it on, which may be a function of normally not being able to see anything due to the bright daylight, it displayed information that was not meaningful.

Last night, I believe it said something like Pool Pilot 4.2 or something like that. No other readings or flashing or anything.

Tonight, it did not come on when I turned on my pool initially. I shut it off, and turned it back on about 10 minutes later, and this time it came on and just said Pool Pilot Digital.

To add insult to injury, my pool is starting to accumulate the junk on the bottom that produces the greenish "rolling cloud" when you use the broom. I assume this is algae, as I have attempted to sweep it to the drain, only to notice it was back again the next day.

1)Does anyone know what would cause the display to intermittently work/not do anything?
2)Does anyone know the warranty period for the DIG-220? My previous homeowners did not leave anything pertaining to the auto pilot/pool pilot.

I have pool guy coming to take a look and give his opinion on Thursday, but figured I would start here.
I believe the pool is roughly 14 X28, and is 3 feet in the shallow and 6 in the deep. Roman style.

I added 1 gallon of chlorine to it yesterday evening and ran the pool for about 2.5 hours. It ran all day today as normal, but still has the algae.

Any help would be appreciated. I also do plan to call the pool pilot guys.

Thanks,
colbymack

 

[Bama Rambler]

Welcome to TFP. Some of the Pool Pilot experts will be along soon to help with that but lets start on getting rid of the algae problem.

My first suggestion is to read Pool School especially the section on getting rid of algae.

Then post a good set of test numbers.
FC
CC
pH
TA
CH
CYA
especially CYA and FC.

Having said that, adding 1 gal of 6% bleach will only raise your FC 5.1 ppm. If your pool is set up normally for a salt pool your CYA should be in the 60 to 80 range and therefore you didn't add nearly enough chlorine to kill the algae. Also keep in mind that store bleach doesn't come in gallons they're either 96 or 182 oz. You need to hit 21 ppm FC as shock level to kill the algae and that'll take 4 gallons of 6% bleach. And you MUST hold it there till the algae is gone. Reading Pool School you'll find out that shock is a process and not a product.

 

[JasonLion]

The DIG-220 goes through a startup sequence when it is first powered on that says something like you describe. If it is working, it should then show a screen that says something like:

Purifier       100%
12:00P 80F	ON

The percentage, temperature, and ON/OFF will vary, but 99% of the time it should look more or less like that.

I would try power cycling the unit while you are watching the display and noticing what the sequence of messages is. If it gets stuck displaying one of the initial startup screens then something is broken internally. On the other hand it might display a useful error message somewhere in the sequence that could indicate where to look for a more easily fixed problem.

 

[Poolsean]

Your description is not normal. On the side of the unit is a serial number, that will indicate the date of manufacture. This should provide an idea of what your warranty is.