Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading low

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chazas

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LifeTime Supporter
Jun 4, 2007
256
Northern Virginia
Pool Size
12200
Surface
Fiberglass
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
I have an old style Aquapure 1400, with the square cell and the threaded sensor. It started giving the sensor error codes so I replaced the sensor. The unit is an old style with the removable plastic cover and, apparently, the AKC 13 board attached to the front cover.

The tri-sensor adapter board would only install in a position that I would think was upside down, with the printed circuitry towards the cover. There's nothing in the instructions or diagram about this, so I assume that was ok. Correct?

I hit the calibrate button in the adapter board, but it's reading 2.8 salt, whereas test strips say it's 3.5. The old sensor read closer to the strip reading.

Should I recalibrate rate the salt sensor as per the troubleshooting manual, or just leave it alone?
 
Re: Aquqpure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

Did you remove the jumper(if needed)?
Did you wait 4 min before trying to(hold down the button) calibrate the unit?
Did you hold the button down for 5 sec, or until the flow light came back on?

You need to find out what the correct salt reading is. This is done by checking(the water) with a digital salinity meter. Then determine if the unit needs to be calibrated(different from the calibration steps above).
 
Re: Aquqpure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

Jumper was not required to be removed according to the firmware number.

Yes, I waited 4 minutes before holding down the button on the adapter board to calibrate. Yes, I held the button down until the flow light came back on, about 25 seconds. I actually did this step twice to see if it made a difference.

I'm not able to check salinity with a digital salinity meter. I have test strips for salinity.
 
Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

The strips are from last season, and I have known them to go bad before the expiration date previously, so I have ordered a Taylor K-1766 salinity test.

That still wouldn't explain the significant difference in salinity readings between the two sensors. The new sensor has now settled down at 2.6, whereas the old sensor before it croaked read at about 3.1, but I thought that failing sensor were supposed to read LOWER rather than higher. But if I have new test chemicals at least I can get a better handle on where things really are.

I'd appreciate any thoughts, including if anyone has any experience in recalibrating the salinity readout as per the troubleshooting manual.
 
Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

Pool Clown said:
If the unit had never been calibrated in the past, then it wont need to be calibrated. Don't do anything till you are able to get the water tested.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have no idea whether the installers re-calibrated it when the pool was built. I'll post when I get some new salinity numbers from the test.

I also re-built my Polaris 380 yesterday, so I am a little sick of pool stuff. :wink:
 
Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

OK, now I am really confused. The Taylor test kit came in the mail. Contrary to other opinions, I didn't find it hard to use - the change from yellow to salmon is very clear and precise. Unfortunately it's telling me that my salt reading is 4600 - 2000 higher than the Aquapure which reads 2.6, and 900 more than the test strips, which read 3500. I have no idea what to do.

I could just leave it alone, since it's happily generating chlorine - but next year on opening the salt I'd have to add to get it to work would, by the other tests, be unnecessary. I could recalibrate the Aquapure - but to what? 3500 would work. 4600 would cause the SWG to shut down, I'd have to drain and refill, and it would screw up my other measurements which are in great shape.
 
Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

Pool Clown said:
Run it without calibrating, but when it shuts itself off due to too much salt, you should then dilute. I would trust the Taylor kit above your other tests.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I guess that's my question - doesn't it decide whether or not to shut down based on readings from the sensor, which only shows 2.6? Am I going to have to add salt next spring to fool the sensor into thinking it has enough salt to run?
 
Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

chazas -
Sorry I can't help with your problem, but who are you using for your pool service? Are you happy? I'm looking to make a change from Anthony and Sylvan, but I don't trust my local pool store to do anything other than sell me chemicals.
 

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Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

Bart said:
chazas -
Sorry I can't help with your problem, but who are you using for your pool service? Are you happy? I'm looking to make a change from Anthony and Sylvan, but I don't trust my local pool store to do anything other than sell me chemicals.
Click to expand...

I take care it myself during the season. For opening and closing and repairs I can't handle myself, I use BJ Pool & Spa in Fairfax. I like them best of the folks I've tried locally - not perfect but show up on time and are good at communications. Sometimes I know more about things that aren't popular in the area (like the SWG, or like my solar heat system) than they do, though.
 
Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

Thanks! I do the same during the season, and have used Anthony and Sylvan (the builders) for opening and closings. This spring, after A&S closed it in the fall, my pool was covered in scale. They gave me some mumbo jumbo that basically said, "sometimes scale happens and sometimes it doesn't, there's no way to predict it." I knew that was a load of BS and they were just trying to cover their tracks for screwing something up during the closing so since then I've been looking for someone else to do the openings and closings.
 
Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

BlazeRegulator said:
You should be able to install it without the tri-sensor adapter. Usually the old systems don't need 'em.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Maybe I'll try it without, see if it impacts the salinity reading.

The sensor reading has crept up over the past week - seems to have stabilized at 2.9-2.9, while subsequent goes at the Taylor test have read 3800-4000, so the discrepancy isn't quite so worrying anymore.
 
Re: Aquapure 1400 - new sensor, adapter board, salt reading

Bart said:
Thanks! I do the same during the season, and have used Anthony and Sylvan (the builders) for opening and closings. This spring, after A&S closed it in the fall, my pool was covered in scale. They gave me some mumbo jumbo that basically said, "sometimes scale happens and sometimes it doesn't, there's no way to predict it." I knew that was a load of BS and they were just trying to cover their tracks for screwing something up during the closing so since then I've been looking for someone else to do the openings and closings.
Click to expand...

I don't think BJ's will provide that much better assurance against scale - I've had scaling on the ledge in my deep end the last three or so years. I talked to them about it last winter when they were closing, and they were more careful about the chemistry resulting from the closing, but as they noted, it can change over the winter. You may well get scale if you don't keep it roughly in check while closed.

For me the few white spots remaining after rubbing the step with pumice are worth not bothering to worry about pool chemistry during the winter. YMMV.
 
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