Hey!
I'm new here and have lurked for a while. Thank you to all that share and help newbies like me.
Last summer, 2011 I got fed up with Bacquacil and installed the SWG. Used it for 4-6 weeks and closed for the wintered. Opened up here in June and all has been well. Comments from users about how clear the pool is and soft the water feels.
I make a habit of daily checking to see the temp of the water on the control box and Saturday was fine. Sunday no power, no lights. First thought was the fuse. Looked fine, but I know that can be decieving. Called local authorized Hayward dealer, no fuses. They will call me back on Monday with where to get one. In the meantime I go to auto store and buy a pack. Fuse is fine. Still no power. Power comes to the box, but does not go past. Put a few chlorine tabs in the pool to keep things clear. Start reading all the forums I can find. Take the cover off the box to check on the flow limiter (digikey brown thingie) and that seems fine. I have the faceplate off and just poking and touching things and the lights come on. Whoa! What did I do? A light push on the digital display activates all the lights. So now I know there is a loose somewhere. I remove the display board and look around. Everything is clean, no spider webs or nests. I put it back on. Nothing. Apply a little preassure and it's fine.
I send an email to Hayward. They tell me a service tech has to come out to determine which board is bad. The board will be covered under warranty. NOT labor or service call. Call the authorized dealer that is less than two miles away. $100 for the first 15 minutes and $100 for the remainder of an hour. $200 up front paid in advance by VISA, Mastercard or come in with cash. They will test and order the correct parts. $200 for the next service call to replace. I am not confident in forking over $400 to replace parts under warranty. Especially to a store that does not even stock a fuse!
I offered to send the boards or entire unit back to Hayward so their tech could look at it and replace the correct board. No go.
Next interesting thing from Hayward is the warranty starts upon the manufacture date and not purchase or install date. Mine was made in January of 2011 and purchased in July of 2011. Not really a big deal I guess as I know I will have to replace the T15 at 3 years and remanufactured boards seem to be less than a service call.
Has anyone else had this loose connection problem or offer a fix? It just takes a light touch on the display to connect. Once the faceplate is on, it takes more pressure and I can press the center of the faceplate to get a connection. I have removed the display board and slightly bent the connecting prongs coming off the motherboard without success. I have unplugged the cell connector after reading on another post that the faceplate was put on wrong and blocked a secure connection.
Next questions. The digikey replacment piece. Is it a better quality component than the origianl one? It seems like it has a 100% failure rate so is it worth replacing in the off season as a precaution? Has anyone done the replacement and not had to do it again after years of use?
In case it matters, I am in Southern PA. In ground 16k gallon pool. Hayward Superpump. Hayward largest sand filter. Also looking for a good pressure gauge. $19 at local store is no name and begins rushing after two weeks. Does anyone make a liquid filled one that lasts?
Thanks
Charlie
I'm new here and have lurked for a while. Thank you to all that share and help newbies like me.
Last summer, 2011 I got fed up with Bacquacil and installed the SWG. Used it for 4-6 weeks and closed for the wintered. Opened up here in June and all has been well. Comments from users about how clear the pool is and soft the water feels.
I make a habit of daily checking to see the temp of the water on the control box and Saturday was fine. Sunday no power, no lights. First thought was the fuse. Looked fine, but I know that can be decieving. Called local authorized Hayward dealer, no fuses. They will call me back on Monday with where to get one. In the meantime I go to auto store and buy a pack. Fuse is fine. Still no power. Power comes to the box, but does not go past. Put a few chlorine tabs in the pool to keep things clear. Start reading all the forums I can find. Take the cover off the box to check on the flow limiter (digikey brown thingie) and that seems fine. I have the faceplate off and just poking and touching things and the lights come on. Whoa! What did I do? A light push on the digital display activates all the lights. So now I know there is a loose somewhere. I remove the display board and look around. Everything is clean, no spider webs or nests. I put it back on. Nothing. Apply a little preassure and it's fine.
I send an email to Hayward. They tell me a service tech has to come out to determine which board is bad. The board will be covered under warranty. NOT labor or service call. Call the authorized dealer that is less than two miles away. $100 for the first 15 minutes and $100 for the remainder of an hour. $200 up front paid in advance by VISA, Mastercard or come in with cash. They will test and order the correct parts. $200 for the next service call to replace. I am not confident in forking over $400 to replace parts under warranty. Especially to a store that does not even stock a fuse!
I offered to send the boards or entire unit back to Hayward so their tech could look at it and replace the correct board. No go.
Next interesting thing from Hayward is the warranty starts upon the manufacture date and not purchase or install date. Mine was made in January of 2011 and purchased in July of 2011. Not really a big deal I guess as I know I will have to replace the T15 at 3 years and remanufactured boards seem to be less than a service call.
Has anyone else had this loose connection problem or offer a fix? It just takes a light touch on the display to connect. Once the faceplate is on, it takes more pressure and I can press the center of the faceplate to get a connection. I have removed the display board and slightly bent the connecting prongs coming off the motherboard without success. I have unplugged the cell connector after reading on another post that the faceplate was put on wrong and blocked a secure connection.
Next questions. The digikey replacment piece. Is it a better quality component than the origianl one? It seems like it has a 100% failure rate so is it worth replacing in the off season as a precaution? Has anyone done the replacement and not had to do it again after years of use?
In case it matters, I am in Southern PA. In ground 16k gallon pool. Hayward Superpump. Hayward largest sand filter. Also looking for a good pressure gauge. $19 at local store is no name and begins rushing after two weeks. Does anyone make a liquid filled one that lasts?
Thanks
Charlie