No Flow indicator?

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restoman

restoman

Well-known member
Dec 24, 2010
168
Murrieta, CA
I have a Aqua Rite Electronic Chlorine Generator on my system (Pentair Intellitouch System i5), and was told that in cold weather the generator shuts off automatically. I'm not sure at what temperature this happens, but it does seem to be off lately. However, even if it's off, should I get a NO FLOW indication on the front panel?

Ed
 
Ed

Check the flow switch.

You may be able to get the switch for free :) or at a reduced cost.
Contact Goldline (Hayward) @ 888-921-7665 for warranty information.

If out of warranty, search for part # GLX-FLO-RP for the switch with the 15' cable.

Harwil corp, in CA, manufactures these flow switches. You may be able to purchase direct.

When temps decreases to 49 or colder, the unit will display COLD in place of the salinity reading and stop generating chlorine.

Not related to your current problem/question, but for best results, the Salt concentration should be @ 3200 ppm.
If the salt is diluted below 2500 (as displayed in the picture) then the "check salt" LED will flash and the unit will operate at a reduced rate.
 
The easiest way is, if you have a 4 wire phone jack. Unplug the flow sensor and insert your phone jack with the two wires twisted together. If flow error goes away, then your flow switch is bad. But I would fix your check valve first...
 
Wow. Cool tip. I'm not sure if I have one, but I can certainly find one in all the old phones I have around! Which wires do I twist together? The outer two or middle two?

And I'll fix the valve first. I have a feeling that part of my problems with the low flow indicator might be with the low flow!!

Ed
 
Ed

The phone wire bypass is a great trick. :goodjob:
However, in your case, it would not rule out the possibility that you really have low flow and the switch is performing correctly.

To check the water flow, remove the flow switch from the tee. When you quickly cycle the pump on and off, you should see a geiser of water from the flow switch port. If you see a trickle of water, then the check valve is suspect.

If the water flow is ok and you don't have a spare phone jack and wire, then here is another way to check the flow switch.
Remove the flow switch from the tee and then plug the flow switch port. With the pump running, you can then manually engage the flow switch. The "no flow" LED should flash for about 15 seconds and then turn off. Next, the green "generating" LED should turn on. If the "no flow" LED stays on, then the switch will need to be replaced. :(

When you replace the flow switch, be sure it is installed in the correct direction. :)
 
Okay Sal. I made my little test wire, but before I screw something up, let me verify a few things.

1. Should I turn the system off or reset anything before inserting the test connector?
2. Does the water actually have to be flowing when I insert the test connector?
3. If the light doesn't go out, I'm assuming I have a bad switch?

Ed
 

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SUCCESS!! After replacing the check valve and letting the plumbing sit for a few hours for the glue to dry, I started it up and viola, we now have a good waterfall spilling over the jacuuzi into the pool, and the "No Flow" light has gone out! So it looks like it was indeed that check valve. Now I just have to let everything sit for another 22 hours for the glue to completely dry before I can put it back online.

I'm going to assume that the flashing "Check Salt" and "Inspect Cell" lights are on because the system has been down for several days and the level is currently at 2400. The "Generating" light is also on, so I'm taking that as good, right?

I'd like to thank all that responded, especially Sal and Brian for all their help. You guys are great.

Ed
 
Ed

Fantastic that you found success with the check valve. Hope it was not too difficult to replace.

If the salt is diluted below 2500 (as displayed in the picture) then the "check salt" LED will flash and the unit will operate at a reduced rate.
Click to expand...

With the recent heavy rainfall on the West coast, the salt is very likely low. Add a bag and let it dissolve in the water while you are waiting for the glue to set on the valve repair. A 40 lb bag in a 25k(?) gal. pool should increase the salt by 200-300 ppm.

When you start up tomorrow, the "check salt" and the "check cell" LEDs should turn off after a few minutes of run time.

As temperatures increase, it is best to keep the salt concentration @ 3200 to keep the cell generating at peak performance.
 
Well, it's working, but I now have another problem?

I was gone all last week so I couldn't keep an eye on things, but last Sunday morning before I left, I checked the readings and everything looked okay. The salt was reading 2400 and the only lights that were on were the "power" and "generating" lights.

A few days later I got a call from my son saying the "low salt" and the "check cell" lights had come on, and the "generating" light was no longer on. The salt reading was at 300 (that's right - 300!)

I got home yesterday morning and we removed the cell and cleaned it out. It had two clogged passages, so I figured that was the problem. After cleaning with muratic acid (about a 2:1 ratio), I put it back on and turned on the system. After 15 minutes, the readings were still 300 and the "check cell" and "low salt" lights were still on. At that point I decided to completely shut off the system and reset, so I hit all the circuit breakers, waited 15 seconds and powered everything back up again. After that the "power" light and "generating" lights came back on and the "low salt" and "check cell" lights were no longer illuminated. The salt reading went up to 2800, so I ran the system for 3 hours and the only thing that changed during that time was the salt reading. It went up to 3000.

I took a sample of the water to the local pool place and they said the salt was at 3600, but everything else was perfect, so I figured the system had to be powered down and then back on to get it to work correctly, and didn't think anything more about it.

The pool cycled 4 hours this morning (it automatically turns on between 1:00AM and 5:00AM every day), and when I got up, I checked the readings again and all was okay. The salt read 3000 and only the "power" and "generating" lights were on.

Now, at 3:30PM (after watching the Chicago/Green Bay game) I went out to check it again, and now the readings are salt 300 (yep, I'm at 300 again), and the "check cell" and "low salt" lights are once again on!!

Edit: After I wrote this, I went back out to check the salt level (about 20 minutes later), and now it's reading 800!!

Edit 2: I went ahead and turned on the pump and after another 30 minutes or so, the salt was still reading 800. So I shut it down again and then after another 20 minute wait, the reading is now (4:40PM) at 2200. Is this normal to fluctuate so much???

Thanks
Ed
 
Ed, not sure why the readings are erratic. Remember, salt cells do not function all that well when water temp is below 60 degs. You can calibrate your system. Hit the diagnostic button until you get to instant salinity reading. Push your switch up to super chlorinate and back down to auto.

Now you know why I got rid of mine...
 
Now you know why I got rid of mine...
Click to expand...
Boy, no kidding!

Okay, I read the Pool School section on Generators, and it says:

Most SWGs provide a percentage setting that controls how much chlorine they produce. This setting controls the percentage, of the time that the pump is running, during which the SWG is producing chlorine. To produce more chlorine you increase the percentage, to produce less chlorine you lower the percentage. Because the setting is a percentage of the pump run time, you will need to readjust the percentage if you change the pump run time. In rare cases, you may need to increase the pump run time to be able to produce enough chlorine.
Click to expand...
Does this mean that the system should ONLY be "generating" when the pump is on? If so, I have a problem because I've seen mine "generating" when the pump is off! As a matter of fact, when the pump is off, I get higher salt readings than when the pump is running and the "generating" light comes on. I've not really paid any attention while the pump is running (middle of the night), but if I manually run the system, the "check cell" and "low salt" lights are usually flashing or on steady.

But you're right, the temp is fairly cold (around 55 or so), so maybe that's why I'm getting the strang readings.

Ed
 
Yes,

Should only be generating when the pump is running. That could be potentially dangerous. The flow switch should be stopping that from happening and it should be wired so it is powered by the same relays as your circ pump for safety.
 

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