Aquarite 940 lights not coming on when they should

[tech135797531]

My contractor just finished installing a new 12,000 gallon fiberglass pool along with an enclosure and equipment. Part of the job was an Aquarite 900 and there may be some issues with it.
1) first they added too much salt. The level was 4900, way over the recommended level of up to 3400. I would have expected the high salt light to come on but it didn't.
2) and now I realized that the low flow light won't come on either when I lower the pump speed to the minimum (600rpm) or even turn it off. I would expect that with no flow at all, the light would come on. If unplug the cable from the box, the light does come on, so the LED is not burnt out.

I've looked online for answers but all I find is troubleshooting for when the lights are on, not about them not coming on when they should. And I'm trying to avoid asking the contractor until I know this is not something I'm missing. This project has been a very rocky road. Any ideas for what's going on?

 

[JamesW]

If the "No Flow" indicator is not coming on when there's no flow, then the flow switch is probably bad.

What are the diagnostic readings?

What is the model number of the box and cell?

 

[tech135797531]

JamesW, thank you for your response.The salt cell itself is a TCELL940 and the panel (for lack of a better term) is an AQR940. That was my first guess as well, that the switch was bad and it is stuck on open (thankfully) because the cell is running. But again, the installer initially dumped more salt than needed and raised the salt level to 4900 (rather than recommended 2700-3400. And despite the screen reading the high salt level, the LED never came on. Is there any troubleshooting I could do? I'm trying to avoid as much as possible going through the installer which has turned an promised 5 week job into a 5 month job and he's still not done with a few things. So I fear that if this is indeed a problem, he won't take care of it (yes, I know, biggest financial mistake of my life thus far despite all the research that I did).

 

[JamesW]

You need to replace the flow switch. Don't operate the cell with a bad flow switch because it can explode if the cell creates chlorine gas and hydrogen gas with no flow.

Use liquid chlorine until you can replace the flow switch.

What are the diagnostic readings when you press the little black button?

 

[tech135797531]

Without any doubt the flow switch is bad. With the pump off, after a few seconds, the low salt and inspect cell lights come on, but not no flow. Under regular operation, the values shown are: 3400/80/26.5/7.32/50p/-3500/AL-0/r 1.59 E 1.5. If the flow switch was bad out of the box, I'm losing my confidence in the long term reliability of the salt cell or their quality control.

 

[ajw22]

That was my first guess as well, that the switch was bad and it is stuck on open (thankfully) because the cell is running.

The Flow Switch is CLOSED completing the circuit when the cell is running.

How to Replace an Aqua Rite Flow Switch - INYOPools.com

How to Replace an Aqua Rite Flow Switch

www.inyopools.com

If you have a multimeter you should be able to check at the connector the continuity of the switch being OPEN or CLOSED.

 

[JamesW]

With the pump off, after a few seconds, the low salt and inspect cell lights come on, but not no flow.

If the pump is off, the no flow indicator should come on right away.

 

[tech135797531]

So would this behavior suggest that the no flow switch is bad or that there's a deeper problem?

I reached out to the contractor and was told that it will be served under warranty even if a board replacement is needed. Brand new pool and equipment and they want to start replacing parts. So I'm considering buying a new one on my own and subtracting it from the small balance I still owe them upon completion. But I'm trying to figure out what the issue could be.

 

[ajw22]

But I'm trying to figure out what the issue could be.

A multimeter will tell you if the flow switch is stuck closed.

 

[JamesW]

I think that it's just a bad flow switch.

Since the light comes on when you unplug the switch plug, it clearly points to a bad flow switch.

 

[tech135797531]

Thank you both very much. I'll check the switch and then determine next steps. It's my first pool so there will be some learning in the coming weeks

 

[JamesW]

Keep the SWG off until the flow switch is fixed. It could potentially explode.