iAqualink Jandy RS8 - debug booster pump

[BDB62]

I have a Jandy RS8 and iAqualink antenna (connected via an ethernet cable). This is a stable connection and I can always get the phone app or Web interfact through the phone or laptop at iAqualink.com

A recent lightning strike killed my RS8 board. It was replaced by a Jandy tech when I was not home.
I am now struggling to get it working, specifically the Cleaner.
I pushed the reset button on the board and also initiated a Clear Memory operation via the web interface.
No Aux assignements have been re-made yet, as I want to debug the cleaner independent of all that.
Before resetting the memory and clearing the Aux & JVA assignments, the cleaner button would also try to enable the lights I had connected to Aux2...that didn't make sense.

I traced the wiring in the panel as follows:
Pump Aux to the pump relay. This works!
Aux1 to the cleaner relay. DIP switch #1 is ON. The Cleaner does NOT work.
Aux2 to the pool lights (this works)
Aux 3 to the spa lights (this works)
Aux 4 to a spa air blower (this works)

All other DIP switches are OFF. So, no multi speed pump or spa waterfall.

When I push the Cleaner button on the control panel, the light comes on, the relay clicks, but the booster pump does not activate.
When I enable the Cleaner through the iAqualink app OR Web interface, it says it will turn on after a safety delay, but after that delay the booster pump does not activate.

In all cases when trying to turn on the Cleaner, the JVA that is assigned to 'Cleaner' does move that JVA. That connector is actually connected to a different JVA function, but when not assigned to that Aux it behaves as a Cleaner function I guess.

So I think the board is trying to activate the cleaner, and even though the Cleaner realy clicks, the booster pump does not turn on.
I verified 24V across the Cleaner relay inputs, and I guess I need to turn off all power and test the relay for connectivity.

If the relay checks out, I suppose the controls/motor in the booster pump itself could be bad.

Any advice on how to trouble shoot the booster pump itself? It's a Polaris.

Thanks!

 

[BDB62]

Update!

I was able to determine that the the 240V power for the Cleaner booster pump is only enabled when the Filter pump relay is activated. Makes sense as the main filter pump needs to be running for the booster pump to have a water supply.

And...the booster pump relay is NOT getting any power because the main filter pump relay is not turning on! Oddly, the power supply to the pump itself is wired from the hot side of the relay output (that may be wrong!) so it's always ready to turn on, assuming the controller somehow signals it to turn on - which happens directly from the board to the pump - so, although the Filter button on the controller CAN turn on the filter pump, since the filter pump relay is not working, the cleaner has no power source. I did verify that the cleaner relay is functional - ie, gets 24V input when turned on, with low impedance at the output terminals as expected.

So, why doesn't the filter pump relay turn on? Well...the other Aux output signals generate 24V DC when turned on to activate the relays. But the filter pump 'Aux' output is NOT 24V, it's only 3V when on (0V as expected when off).
So not enough voltage to activate the relay.

So...Why would the control board only drive 3V on the dedicated the filter 'Aux' output? Any ideas? This board was a replacement for the one that got killed by lightning, so I don't know that it ever worked properly. I assumed that the pump relay was working as the pump was running, but the filter pump relay is not activating.

ANyway, I will check with Jandy to see what they think, but has anybody ever seen this behavior?


Thanks!