2018 Jandy Aquapure - 'No Flow' Issue

[Thegatorvault]

Hey guys.......
So this post stems from another post I had when my FC levels would not stay level and kept dropping about a month or so ago. When I originally noticed my FC levels off, I started checking things and noticed my SWG was showing 'no flow' so it was not making chlorine. I called my builder and he recommended I remove the flow/temp/salinity sensor and clean it. I did and when I restarted the system, it was fine and working again.

So I did an overnight chlorine drop test and determined I had an FC consumer in my pool. I started and completed my first SLAM successfully (took about a week) while keeping my SWG shut off. After the SLAM, I let my FC level drift down (with my SWG still off) to the appropriate level. Once there, I turned my SWG back on and all was good........for a day!

My FC levels again started drifting further down than they should. I went in to the iAquapure app to adjust the SWG % up, figuring maybe the high temps and pool use required more chlorine, and noticed the 'no flow' indication again. I stopped the system and restarted it, and the 'no flow' indication went away. I checked it for the rest of the day and all was good. Next day, I checked it first thing after startup and all was good. However, when I checked it again later that day, the 'no flow' condition was back. Another stop/restart and it went away.

Over the next week, I kept tabs on it. Basically, after a few hours of operation, the SWG would go into the 'no flow' condition. But once the system was manually stopped and restarted, it would go away and run fine the rest of the day. I phoned the builder and he sent his technician out. He determined the flow/temp/salinity sensor was bad and replaced it with the cable. That seems to have fixed the problem. He also informed me that my SWG was installed upside down; apparently the sensor needs to be orientated on the bottom of the SWG so the sensor is always flooded and in water. For whatever reason, the installers orientated my SWG with the sensor on top and I never questioned it since it was originally built that way. Not sure if that was the reason for the failure after 2+ years of operation (my pool is circa 2018) but thought it worth a mention here.

I also wanted to post this since my pool is newer and I don't have the 'daughterboard' reset fix, which I found while researching a fix for the problem. There may have been another resolution other than the replacement of the SWG sensor/cable, but since my pool was still under warranty, the replacement was free for me (nice!). Anyway, maybe this info will help someone with newer Jandy equipment, should they have the same problem in the future.

 

[mknauss]

Thank you for the information.

 

[Thegatorvault]

Well, despite a brand new sensor/cable, the issue has cropped up again. Basically if the system starts in auto, the 'no flow' condition occurs. When I stop and restart manually, it works fine for the rest of the day. I think this is either a board issue or something in the logic.

My builder and his techs are looking into it, so whatever the resolution is, I will post here.

 

[Thegatorvault]

Well, I got it working correctly, but to be honest, not sure exactly how.

Finally got my builder's tech on the phone Wed of last week. The tech thought maybe the schedule was causing an issue (not really sure how) so he had me use my phone app to delete my schedule and create a new one. I set the schedule to start at 8a and stop at 7p with a pump speed of 3000rpm. The next day, the system started and ran fine. At around 9a, the system went into 'no flow' and ran like that for about an hour, and then it went away. Next day, same thing. So the system was still not right, but at least it was producing FC most of the time it was on. This seemed to be the new 'abnormal' schedule for the system.

Not satisfied, I decided to redo everything again on Sunday. Late in the day, I turned off all the breakers in the panel. I deleted the schedule using the phone app. I deleted the phone app and then reinstalled it. I created a brand new schedule (same everything) and just for giggles, changed the pump speed to 2995rpm. Unit ran fine for the rest of the day.

Following day, on Monday, I took a kayak trip with the family so did not have my phone on me to check it. I returned home at 4:30p and when I checked, it was in 'no flow'. I tried the manual stop/start trick, but that was not working now. With the system still on, I shut off the SWG breaker for 30seconds and turned it back on. It seemed to be working but it went to 'no flow' after the pump primed. I tried the stop/start trick a bunch more times but still 'no flow'. I stopped in frustration and just let the system finish using the scheduled stop time at 7p.

Tuesday morning, before I phoned the builder and the tech, I checked the status on the phone app and all was good. Checked it all day long.....all was good. Wed same. Thurs (today) same. I'm not sure what the problem was or what I did to 'fix' it, but it seems to be working like it is supposed to. I'm still not convinced my gremlin is gone though; only days and weeks without the 'no flow' condition will make me feel better.

I would also add that I attempted to call Jandy tech support again today. Kind of a joke although they were able to get into my system remotely. Of course all was good, so I may go through that process again if there is a 'no flow' next time, just to see if they can pick up any error on their end. I also tried to call BP Electronics (board designer) out in Cali, but could never get anyone to pick up or reply to my voicemails. So I feel good it is working 'so far' but it is an uneasy feeling since I still have no idea what the issue was or how I was able to remedy it. Anyway, I hope my journey is able to help someone else down the road. I will of course post any further updates as they arise.

 

[Thegatorvault]

The system has been working pretty consistently and properly since the last post (pretty much but see below).

Bob at BP Electronics did call me back a week ago on Friday. Unfortunately he was involved in the design of the original Aquapure boards/interface but at some point when the total integration happened after the company's consolidation, he was not involved. He agreed with my assumption that it was probably outsourced and no one at the factory has the knowledge to really troubleshoot anything.

I did have the 'no flow' problem crop up again late last Sunday but it returned to normal on Monday and has been good since. My builder went ahead and had the sensor board replaced this past Thursday just to be sure. It was a different tech this time and he didn't see how any of it was possible. Regardless, so far, the 'no flow' condition has gone away......as always, I will report back any updates.