Intex SWG appears to be calling it quits.

[MikeInNH]

I have the older 2 button SWG and it's been working perfectly for a few seasons. Now the little guy will run for a bit then trip the breaker. It will trip after awhile even if it's not making chlorine. This type of thing always seems to happen when I'm going away for a few days. Just a bit over 3 years old, hmm.



Oh well, my wife or daughter will have to add the daily bleach shot for now until I can take the unit apart and see what is up with it. Should be lots of fun. I suppose it could be the breaker itself but I doubt it. More to come.....

 

[y_not]

Usually it's the electronics that go poof in these, assuming the cell and transformer are still good. Which it sounds like it, unless it's tripping the breaker because the cell needs to be cleaned so it's shorting out from bridged plates.
[youtube:3lacjarz]zpwi-03a7YA[/youtube:3lacjarz]

I have never done this, but it seems like a nice down and dirty way to bypass the electronics. Of course, go at your own risk.


Also this thread has some excellent troubleshooting tips in it as well.
my-intex-56601-is-dead-t26536.html

Lastly, if you take plenty of really good quality, high Res photos with close-ups good enough to read component labels, you can then post them to the badcaps.net forum and they can help you fix it. You'll have to have a soldering iron and a little bit of skill, mostly the desire to learn... just like TFP. I have the same username over there.

 

[MikeInNH]

I saw that video. Kinda comical. I have an electonics degree so am not afraid to dig in. It'll take some time to narrow down the issue. It happens when the unit is just idle so at that point I don't think the plates under under power unless it's cleaning them which could be. I measured the current use with an amp meter and it was quite low at idle but that was just a bench test, no water flow so I assume no cleaning cycle.

 

[y_not]

Yeah, I had some good laughs watching that video when I 1st found it. But hey, she doesn't really know anything, she was just full of enough curiosity and determination to fix it, so she stumbled upon a fix using good old Yankee Ingenuity. That's pretty stinkin' [/b]AWESOME!![/b] if you ask me. Kudos to her for using her brain.

Can't say that's a common set of traits to find these days with the average Joe, or Sue. Most people just throw it out and start over.

An el engineer, huh? Cool beans! I'm an IT guy, self employed.... nice to meet you!
What do you do?

Do keep us updated as to your findings. A video or at least photos /w commentary would sure be cool!

 

[MikeInNH]

Yep, can't fault her for trying. Just glad she didn't hurt herself, lol.

We'll see what happens with the SWG. I see Wally world has them for like 140 right now. May just get another one. Time is money.

As for me, I did board level repair out of college for a dozen years. The money was blah so I got my MCSE cert and moved on. Now I lead a small crew of guys that deal with all kinds of different hardware in a large data center. Pays the bills.