Aquarite Not generating - lights not on

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west1745

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Apr 20, 2008
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Hi to all

My Aquarite is now in its 5th year of use. It is on its 2nd computer board and 2nd fuel cell. The fuel cell was replaced over the summer after it kept reading very low for the salt - and putting in a new one fixed it.

Just came back from a trip and the pool is green. Apparently there is no chlorine.

The "no flow" light comes on then goes off. The generator life goes on for 30 seconds and goes off and then there are no lights at all.

The amps are reading 0 and the voltage is low at 14.4.

I have read online from others who have had this and they have replaced the board. But before I go and buy one I want to see if anyone else has had this problem.

We tested the fuse and it is fine. We also tested the flow sensor with a phone line and it is not that. The thermistor does not look cooked. The board is just about 1.5 years old - it was replaced in the summer of 2008 and it was under warranty.

If you have any advice or experience please help.



I
 
west1745 said:
My Aquarite is now in its 5th year of use. It is on its 2nd computer board and 2nd fuel cell. The fuel cell was replaced over the summer after it kept reading very low for the salt - and putting in a new one fixed it.

Just came back from a trip and the pool is green. Apparently there is no chlorine.

The "no flow" light comes on then goes off. The generator life goes on for 30 seconds and goes off and then there are no lights at all.

The amps are reading 0 and the voltage is low at 14.4.

I have read online from others who have had this and they have replaced the board. But before I go and buy one I want to see if anyone else has had this problem.

We tested the fuse and it is fine. We also tested the flow sensor with a phone line and it is not that. The thermistor does not look cooked. The board is just about 1.5 years old - it was replaced in the summer of 2008 and it was under warranty.
Click to expand...
You didn't say which model - is this an Aqua Rite standard? Mine is a bit different, but manuals for all of the models are available at the Hayward site. As you know, the problem could turn out to be something as trivial as a loose connection or a repeat of your past troubles - a second flawed circuit board, for example. It sounds like you've already done more than a bit of troubleshooting. But hopefully you’ll find one or two things in the list below that you hadn’t considered. Would recommend the following.

Prepare to add liquid chlorine to pool (don’t wait!)

Check water temperature – normal operation > 50 degrees F.
Check salt level - normal range ~2400–3500 ppm
Inspect salt cell plates – clean with acid dilution if calcium deposits evident
Verify water balance: pH, Calcium Hardness, Alkalinity -- adjust to Recommended Levels
Clean cell with diluted muriatic acid if any of the following are true:
  • pH > 8.0
    Calcium Hardness > 450
    Saturation Index > .5
Check proper wiring configuration for specific cell model
Check line power
Check faulty indicator light
Check fuse
Cycle through controller diagnostics (note values)
Verify software revision
Visually inspect circuit board mounts and connections (flow & temp sensors; cell)
Check continuity/resistance, voltages on board electronics, resistors, capacitors, varistors
Check transformer
Check thermistor sensor
Check flow switch sensor for current (with pump running); remove & reinsert tee
Verify strong flow out of pool returns

If unsuccessful, consider swapping out less expensive parts - flow sensor etc before replacing the board and/or cell once again.

Common Problems and Solutions

1. "Power" LED not on
Check to make sure either 120VAC or 240VAC input power is connected to the proper
screw terminals at the Aqua Rite control. Verify input voltage with a voltmeter. If there
is input power, the fuse may have blown. The Aqua Rite is protected by a 20 amp mini
ATO fuse located on the circuit board above the cell connector.

2. "Generating" LED flashing
The temperature of the pool water is too high or low to operate. You can override this by
switching the main switch to SUPER CHLORINATE. The Aqua Rite will run at maximum output for the remainder of the current pump cycle or 24 hours, whichever comes first.

3. "No Flow" LED illuminated
The Aqua Rite has sensed a no flow condition and has stopped generating chlorine.
Check that the flow switch is plugged into the connector on the bottom of the control
unit and that the wire is not cut or damaged. Make sure you have at least 12" of straight
pipe before the flow switch. If there is adequate flow and the LED is still on, check that
the arrows on the flow switch (on top of hex) are pointing in the direction of flow.
Click to expand...
 
I ended up replacing the board - but it was the black round thing that got burned out - you can resolder a new one - in my case I am keeping the old board and repairing it for the next time. I noticed that they put metal around the black thing. Sorry - don't know the name of the black thing but it is round and the size of a quarter.
 
West, you are my hero! Just checked for the "black thing" and sure enough...it is cracked and it looks like burn marks around it! I am ordering replacement part from Digi-Key Corp., the part# is 570-1062-ND, for 2.42 each. I am ordering two! Thank you!!

Peggy
 
My pcb is also bad. The "black round thing" looks fine, not cracked and no burn marks. Does it make sense to replace this first, before buying a new board? Or, if it was the problem, is it always cracked and burned? Has anyone ever replaced an apparantly normal one, and that fixed the problem?
 
I had the same problem as others here: green pool, no power light or power light on but very low voltage, replaced fuse, etc. Nothing helped. I did as ykcpeggy suggested and purchased two resistors from DigiKey. They came in a couple of days. My old resistor did not look bad until I unsoldered it and turned it over. Big crack down the back of it. I am no electronic repairman, but I unsoldered the old resistor, soldered in a new one, and my AquaRite is generating again! Amazon has an entire board for about $250 and my pool company wanted $683 (!) to replace the entire board and display unit and wall box! Thanks to all for sharing.
 
The black component about the size of a quarter is a current limiter. Mine was not cracked or broken, but when I touched it, it crumbled. Ordered new component from DigiKey soldered in and now back in business for about 4 bucks with shipping. I am now considering venting the aquarite box due to tremendous heat build up. Even running at 50% you can feel tremendous heat on the faceplate. This may be leading to the demise of the current limiter which by design runs hot anyway . .Maybe releasing some of the 'sealed in' heat will extend the life of the limiter as well as other components. Has anyone already vented their box? Any suggestions?
 
Bistro said:
The black component about the size of a quarter is a current limiter. Mine was not cracked or broken, but when I touched it, it crumbled. Ordered new component from DigiKey soldered in and now back in business for about 4 bucks with shipping. I am now considering venting the aquarite box due to tremendous heat build up. Even running at 50% you can feel tremendous heat on the faceplate. This may be leading to the demise of the current limiter which by design runs hot anyway . .Maybe releasing some of the 'sealed in' heat will extend the life of the limiter as well as other components. Has anyone already vented their box? Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Just be careful with the size and the placement of the holes, as mice, bugs, rain, etc. like to get in there and do their own damage.
 

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Speaking of the component, can be ordered from Digikey.com as component 570-1062-ND for $2.64, ,BUT, when I ordered one they were on a 30 day back order and my pool was turning yellow, so ordered in stock 570-1019-ND. The 1062 limiter has a tolerance of +-15% , ,the 1019 has a tolerance of +-25%. Seems to be working fine.
 
KNIGHTCAP said:
My pcb is also bad. The "black round thing" looks fine, not cracked and no burn marks. Does it make sense to replace this first, before buying a new board? Or, if it was the problem, is it always cracked and burned? Has anyone ever replaced an apparantly normal one, and that fixed the problem?
Click to expand...

Thanks to the guys here I just fixed my system with the same repair. The current limiter looked fine. I pulled the board and the back side under the limiter was slightly brown. I used a soldering iron to pull the old one and install the new one with no issues. The old part had no visual damage or difference form the new one, but was bad.

I want to thank all of you for your info, support and knowledge. Not only did you guys save me alot of cash but the wife thinks I am a genius. :cheers:
 
TFP comes through once again! Local shop wanted $350 to replace the board...$8 for the resistor from digikey, 5 minutes with the soldering iron, and I'm back in business. I can't see how this is anything other than planned failure on the part of the designer.
 
I had the exact same problem; "The "no flow" light comes on then goes off. The generator life goes on for 30 seconds and goes off and then there are no lights at all.
The amps are reading 0 and the voltage is low at 14.4."
Great forum, great info. Count me among the folks enjoying the inexpensive, quick, and easy fix by replacing the Current Limiter ordered from Digi-Key. :whoot:
 
Hey from Georgia:

Not much to add, but since I have a problem and just joined this August Forum, I thought I would throw my nickel problem in.

Opened pool 1st April, done by the local pool service company.
They added all the stuff they normally do and we waited a week before taking the urine sample in.
Got the report, purchased what we did not already have put it in the pool and cranked everything up two days ago.

Display says "No Flow"

Display readings are:
Temp: 74
Volts: 31.7
Current: 0
Output: 79
Salt: 0
AL-0
RL 4.0

Based on information from this forum, a few other tips forums and the owner's manual, did the following.

Rebooted the cell twice.
Acid cleaned the cell twice.
Made darn sure there were no obstructions in the skimmer baskets, the pump basket and backwashed/rinsed the sand filter twice.

Didn't change a thing on the readings.

From there on, I am a complete klutz when it comes to electrical things.

I have alerted my long time electrical whiz handyman that we may need his help (I will not name the pool service company I use, but they are less than helpful and generally want to replace whole components at severall hundred bucks a pop) and if anyone has any input as to what he should look for it would be greatly appreciated.

BTW, nice bunch of folks here. I belong to a number of vehicle enthusiast forums and many, many history forums and it is nice to see people being civil and really trying to help rather than making fun of newbies or klutzes.
Cheers
Bill
 
Bill

Check the flow switch and the cable connecting the controller to the flow switch.
Unscrew the flow switch from the port and temporarily plug the port. Turn on the pump and manually activate the flow switch to determine if the switch is faulty. Note the direction of the arrow on the flow switch so you can replace it correctly.
 
Hi PSG:

Sorry for the tardy reply and thanks for the tip.

Did as you said (I think). Unscrewed the flow switch, plugged the hole with a cork and tried to figure out how to turn on the flow switch. All it is is a sort of probe with no moving parts (switch) that I could find. Anyway, turned the unit back on with the plug in place and nothing changed.

Removed the plug and replaced the switch as you said to do and still nothing.

My electrical guy is supposed to drop by Saturday and I will have him check some of the other stuff mentioned above as well as run an electrical check on the switch.

Bill
 
Hi PSG:

Very interesting.........

The thing I unscrewed has the "probe" but not the switch on the side as shown in your attachment.
I am going to try to download whatever I can from the aquarite site in terms of hardware to see if something is missing from my probe.

Edit: There is no switch on the side of the probe thingie, I just took it apart again. The aquarite site shows the same photo yours does and it just is not there.

Fudge..........




Again, thanks for your help.
Bill
 

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