No flow error message

[flintstone]

I have a Goldline Aqualogic PS-4 SWG and am getting an error message that indicates no flow to the filter/pump. When starting the pump, I receive a message that the chlorinator will start in 30 seconds. Then an error message indicates there is no flow and the the chlorinator shuts down. The pump stops after about 15 minutes.

I have plenty of flow on startup. I suspect it is a flow sensor. I have a tendency to scale. Where do I start?

 

[mas985]

You should be able to unscrew the sensor from the pipe and have a look at to see if the spring is working and if the contacts will actually close. If you plug the hole, you could then run the pump and close the contacts manually to see if the SWG turns on. Also, sometimes the wire that connects the sensor to the controller breaks or has contact problems in the controller so check all connections and the wire itself.

 

[flintstone]

All the wires appear to be connected properly. I was able to install a plug, started the pump and held the contacts together. There was no change.

There appear to be two sensors. The one that is installed about 18 inches before the cell is about the diameter of a straw. It is installed through a 1/4 inch hole directly into the pipe with a band holding it in place. I cleaned that one. The second is installed between the heater and the filter. That is the one that screws in and has a relatively long metal band that looks like a contact. That is the one I held together.

So what now?

 

[mas985]

The first is the temp sensor and the second that screws in is the flow sensor. So if it looks ok but is not working then it is one of several things:

Contacts
Wire (internal)
Connection to the board
The control board

You can disconnect the sensor at the control board and if you have a continuity or Ohm meter, check that when the contact is closed, that there is continuity between the leads of the wire. If not, then it is the sensor/wire which you can replace. If there is continuity, then is could be something wrong with the control board that is not detecting the closed contacts. That could be more expensive to replace.

 

[flintstone]

I checked with a Goldline Controls rep at Wetmore Pools in Vallejo who walked me through the process of cleaning the cell to ensure that was not the problem, checking all the contacts, cleaning the flow switch. It wasn't until I was following the flow switch wire back to the box that I found a nick that I had missed before. Cut it and spliced it and now everything's groovy. I learned a lot about my equipment. One thing I noticed is that many of the wires are in pretty bad shape after only two summers. The rubber jackets are pretty fried.

Thanks for the help. You were right on the money.

 

[mas985]

Good to see you got things working.

 

[sleepingbeauty]

I checked with a Goldline Controls rep at Wetmore Pools in Vallejo who walked me through the process of cleaning the cell to ensure that was not the problem, checking all the contacts, cleaning the flow switch. It wasn't until I was following the flow switch wire back to the box that I found a nick that I had missed before. Cut it and spliced it and now everything's groovy. I learned a lot about my equipment. One thing I noticed is that many of the wires are in pretty bad shape after only two summers. The rubber jackets are pretty fried.

Thanks for the help. You were right on the money.

Sorry to resurrect an old post. Buuuuut, I was wondering what exactly is done to achieve this? I called Aquarite about warranty work on my pool and the guy I talked to (local warranty guy) said that Goldline normally does not extend warranty to the next homeowner , seriously??!!! He stated that he will contact the other warranty guy to find out more (the first guy is out of town until Saturday and left another number for the person that I spoke to). So, the in-town guy tells me that I can dice/splice the Flow Switch for now to get chlorine generated until he gets back to me tomorrow. He explained it to me (splice it, twist the wires together and put it back together??? huh?), but being a very visual learner, I am having a hard time understanding this. Do I need another phone jack thing OR am I bolting it down with the cover OR what exactly am I doing with it after I twist the wires together?

 

[flintstone]

Please understand that I am not an electrician, and my repair technique is simply "hammer and tongs" style. What you are trying to do here is reestablish the connection of the copper portion of the wire. No need to replace any parts. A good set of electrician's wire strippers and tape is all you need.

First, unplug the switch at the box. Then, cut the wire and get rid of any weak or damaged pieces. Carefully separate each end of the wire to a length of four or five inches, so you have essentially two wires from each end. You will need to strip about one-half inch of the rubber jacket from the ends of each of the four pieces of wire. The one difficulty with this repair is that the diameter of the copper wire is so small, it is easy to cut into the wire. Just make sure you have enough copper wire showing so as to maintain an appropriate contact when you twist them together. I simply wrapped each wire in tape with the best quality electrician's tape I could find, then wrapped the whole thing in tape again. Voila...hammer and tongs repair.

By the way, you may want to dump some bleach in the pool if your SWG is off too long. I hope this answers your question.

 

[sleepingbeauty]

Please understand that I am not an electrician, and my repair technique is simply "hammer and tongs" style. What you are trying to do here is reestablish the connection of the copper portion of the wire. No need to replace any parts. A good set of electrician's wire strippers and tape is all you need.

First, unplug the switch at the box. Then, cut the wire and get rid of any weak or damaged pieces. Carefully separate each end of the wire to a length of four or five inches, so you have essentially two wires from each end. You will need to strip about one-half inch of the rubber jacket from the ends of each of the four pieces of wire. The one difficulty with this repair is that the diameter of the copper wire is so small, it is easy to cut into the wire. Just make sure you have enough copper wire showing so as to maintain an appropriate contact when you twist them together. I simply wrapped each wire in tape with the best quality electrician's tape I could find, then wrapped the whole thing in tape again. Voila...hammer and tongs repair.

By the way, you may want to dump some bleach in the pool if your SWG is off too long. I hope this answers your question.

Thanks so very much for your help.

I checked all along the wire and could not see any unusual visual damage. I will find some really good electrical tape and try to do this. I remember the pool guy saying that I should do this as close to the box as possible. So, when the sun moves from the east side of the house, I'll give it a try.

 

[flintstone]

Mmmmm...I assumed you had already identified the damaged portion of the wire. If you will gently run the wire through your fingers you may be able to locate a nick, a bump or some irregularity in the wire and with close inspection determine that the wire has been damaged to the point where it is no longer able to carry the signal to the sensor. This is the portion you would have to cut out and then splice together the undamaged portions. If you cannot find any visible damage, you may have a completely different problem. Has the cell ever been cleaned according to the recommended procedure?

 

[sleepingbeauty]

Mmmmm...I assumed you had already identified the damaged portion of the wire. If you will gently run the wire through your fingers you may be able to locate a nick, a bump or some irregularity in the wire and with close inspection determine that the wire has been damaged to the point where it is no longer able to carry the signal to the sensor. This is the portion you would have to cut out and then splice together the undamaged portions. If you cannot find any visible damage, you may have a completely different problem. Has the cell ever been cleaned according to the recommended procedure?

Yes, the cell was cleaned in October/November. I have checked it once since then and it was fine then. I will do another check of it in a few minutes. I will also run my fingers on the line in a few minutes to see if I feel anything.

ETA: I checked the cell again and very little buildup was on it. The only thing that I found askew on the wiring is a small part that looked like it had been crimped between the control panel and that section where the wiring connects at above. Other than that crimped part, nothing really too out of the ordinary from my inexperienced eyes.

 

[rotornorm]

Just a tip to save a buck, when you replace the flow sensor, cut the gray cable about 18" from the phone plug, strip down the gray jacket about 3-4" and strip the red & black wires back and twist them together.
Next time you get a no flow indicator light, just unplug phone wire from sensor and plug in your shorted cable and you should get a flow light within 30 seconds.
This will confirm your flow switch is broken or defective.
Why buy a phone cable?

Norm

20X30 in ground with spa, goldline swg
In sunny West Palm Beach