Now that my water is warming up, my Aquarite SWG is back to work from its winter vacation. However, it's not getting back without some complaints. The unit is reporting low salt and warning me to "Check the Cell" all the time. I've confirmed my salt levels are just north of 3100 ppm using the recommended salt test strips and recalibrating the cell puts the readings on the controller well within the range of tolerance, usually 3000. The problem is that just a couple days later, the unit is reading 2600 or lower and it's reporting a low-salt condition.
I called tech support last week and the tech walked me through a few checks and calibrations to tell me there is nothing wrong with the unit and that it must be my plumbing. He said that the only way for the readings to drop that quickly is to get readings of zero as the reported number is a running average of the readings. This certainly makes sense. He said it could only happen if I have a blockage in my plumbing or there is no flow through the SWG cell. The problem is a) My cell is plumbed in-line with the only return line to the pool without any ability to bypass it, and b) The flow sensor is immediately after the cell in the plumbing and it's satisfied there is flow.
This is exactly the same plumbing I had last Summer when the unit functioned perfectly as I haven't changed a thing. It is indeed producing chlorine as confirmed by my regular chemistry testing. I just want all the flashing lights to go away and know that I'm not doing anything to shorten my cell's life. I just cleaned the filter two weeks ago, so I don't think it's a pressure issue. I asked if it could be bubbles trapped in the cell as a lot of air gets pushed through when the solar controller switches the valve to bring in water from the panels. He said the design of the cell prevents any air from getting trapped in it, so that "can't be it." I've inspected the cell and rinsed it and it still looks as clean and new as the day I got it. I checked the plug where it connects to the control box and it looks fine.
Can anyone offer any more advice on what to check? The Aquarite tech said I need to hire a professional service tech to come check my system, but I'm hoping this DIY pool guy can tackle to job with your help instead.
Thanks
I called tech support last week and the tech walked me through a few checks and calibrations to tell me there is nothing wrong with the unit and that it must be my plumbing. He said that the only way for the readings to drop that quickly is to get readings of zero as the reported number is a running average of the readings. This certainly makes sense. He said it could only happen if I have a blockage in my plumbing or there is no flow through the SWG cell. The problem is a) My cell is plumbed in-line with the only return line to the pool without any ability to bypass it, and b) The flow sensor is immediately after the cell in the plumbing and it's satisfied there is flow.
This is exactly the same plumbing I had last Summer when the unit functioned perfectly as I haven't changed a thing. It is indeed producing chlorine as confirmed by my regular chemistry testing. I just want all the flashing lights to go away and know that I'm not doing anything to shorten my cell's life. I just cleaned the filter two weeks ago, so I don't think it's a pressure issue. I asked if it could be bubbles trapped in the cell as a lot of air gets pushed through when the solar controller switches the valve to bring in water from the panels. He said the design of the cell prevents any air from getting trapped in it, so that "can't be it." I've inspected the cell and rinsed it and it still looks as clean and new as the day I got it. I checked the plug where it connects to the control box and it looks fine.
Can anyone offer any more advice on what to check? The Aquarite tech said I need to hire a professional service tech to come check my system, but I'm hoping this DIY pool guy can tackle to job with your help instead.
Thanks