IC60 not working (again)

[Luric]

Opened pool last month, but it was cold so we used LC. We're ready to use our SWG, but the red & green lights are flashing on the salt section, and the low flow light is on. We backashed yesterday as well as raising RPM to 1500 (worked well at 1200 last year), but no luck.

Also, perhaps on a related note, ScreenLogic is telling me 0 salt, but my taylor k1766 test is 3400 (which matches what I was aiming for using PoolMath. SC & cell are registering the same % output, so they are connected.

I'm a little frustrated since we've had this thing 2 yrs and it's been nothing but headache. Ideas?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Luric,

As long as the low flow is on, it will never calibrate and will not start... the first thing you need to do is figure out why the flow switch is not working... "Most" people with heaters have to run 1500 or more to get the switch to close... I would ramp up to 2500, just as a test, to see if the switch is broken or not...

Let us know what happens...

Understanding how the SWCG works would help keep your frustration down..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Luric]

So that appears to have worked, but we absolutely were able to run at 1200 last year. Unless it's just the time of year (pollen season here in NJ). We ran SWG on our high setting (which happens to be 2100) until later in the reason when we switched chorine production to happen on low to save energy (only use H to clear the pool)

Can I ask what the heater has to do with it? We only use it for the hot tub. Water temp is currently about 67. Is the water running through the heater always? I had thought it was diverter to heater only when on. I labeled all of our equipment when we replaced last year...probably should have asked more questions!

 

[Jimrahbe]

Luric,

Water always runs through a heater and it takes a lot of effort to push it through the heat exchange... This normally requires an increased pump speed of 300 or 400 RPM to have the same flow you would have without a heater..

When was the last time you cleaned your DE filter? You do know that when you backwash you only get rid of about 80% of the dirt.. and it gets less and less everything you backwash..

I am puzzled by your L and H speeds... With an IntelliFlo pump and ScreenLogic you should have a whole range of speeds that you can change anytime you want.. Like this...

Pump Speeds.PNG

• Jimrahbe
• Jan 13, 2018

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Luric]

We use that screen, that's where we adjust our RPMs. When we first set up, the IC60 only produced salt when running on H, but we were running it for so many hours we decided to switch to prduction when it runs on L. WE tinker with RPMs (I tried putting it down to 1600 a few hrs ago, and the lights started flasshing again. Bumped to 1700, and they're fine again). Our settings when we closed last October were H: 2300; L: 1200, Spa: 2980 (not sure where that last one came from?)

The filter was cleaned at closing in October. It's been BW 2-3 times in the 4-5 wks as our pool is uncovered in the off season, so start up is kind of a bear. Should we check again?

On the heater topic - the pool originally came with a sand heater. After pool inspection found a major leak, we were given the option to have them replace with the same thing or give us $6,000 at closing to replace on our own. We took the cash, as it only leaked when in use (described to us by both inspections as well as our observation), and we really barely use it. When we decided to switch to SWG recently, were placed all our equipment and got a 'package deal" on adding a heater. If water is always running thru, why did the old one only leak when in use?

Thanks for your help!!

 

[guinness]

Is the water running through the heater always? I had thought it was diverter to heater only when on. I labeled all of our equipment when we replaced last year...probably should have asked more questions!

It is possible that you do have a bypass valve on your heater. If you can take a photo of your equipment pad we might be able to answer some your questions.

 

[Luric]

Our current screen

 

[Luric]

On a related note, we still have a year left on our warranty, but we did already replace the cell once...can we replace a 2nd time, or is it a one-and-done type warranty?

 

[Luric]

This is our new setup. They replumbed absolutely everything when we overhauled in 2017 (I mistakenly said last year previously, but just realized it was 2 yrs ago - times flies!)

 

[Jimrahbe]

Luric,

Wow... much more complicated than my simple pool... Thanks for the pics...

Question for you... What is the device at the bottom of pic 4853? Looks like a funnel shaped pipe with what look like two bolts in it.. My guess is some type of spa air device, but I have no real clue...

I see you have what appears to be a check valve, after the heater and before the SWCG... You do not need it, because when the SWCG is off, it is off, and there is nothing to flow backwards into the heater. If you take the guts out, you will be able to lower the speed needed to turn on the cell.. No big deal either way..

It also appears that you have your return valve set to run your spa overflow all the time.. This also requires more RPM and usually causes the pH to always increase. If you want, you can set up the EasyTouch so that it only runs the spillover for a couple of times a day for 30 minutes.. This keeps the spa chlorinated and the water fresh without always running the spillover. Or maybe the Return valve is mal-adjusted for some other reason..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Jimrahbe]

On a related note, we still have a year left on our warranty, but we did already replace the cell once...can we replace a 2nd time, or is it a one-and-done type warranty?

If your salt level still reads zero, the first thing I would do is to file a warranty claim, no matter what.. Pentair knows this is their issue and "might" just fix it even if out of warranty.

Thanks,

Jim R.