Janby PCL1400 Service Code 121 help

[ajw22]

What is the best thing out there to rest salinity. I’ve always just used the salt cell reading?

Taylor K-1766 Salt Test or TFT Salt

 

[kidneystone]

Also, below is what I use to manually check chlorine level. Anyone have experience with this?

I would use a chemical pool test kit. That way you can be sure. I use a Taylor kit.

 

[PoolGate]

FYI: I took apart an entire 1400 series cell. It is simply a series of plates and 3 electrodes. The 2 ends plates and the center plate have electrodes (13 total). There are no electronics in the cell.

Note in the picture my problem. I was getting error 121 and 194. The center electrode has corroded through. I could probably get a few more seasons out of this cell (it lasted 5 seasons the first of which was short) if I could get that welded back on (or replace it). I would love to have your cell but being in Canada customs would probably not be worth the hassle.

 

[SaskMan]

Well I’m going to test the salinity of the pool and it it is where it should be - then I’m going to replace the cable and salt cell. This thing could be 6 or 8 years old for all I know.
Our pool season up here is pretty narrow - mid May to end of Sept. so it doesn’t get used a whole bunch and I don’t want to waste any more time troubleshooting this thing.

I just pray I don’t put the new one in and turns out it’s the motherboard or something. Thanks everyone!!!!

 

[JamesW]

Remove these two screws and gently remove the cover plate.

 

[SaskMan]

And when I remove the cover plate what am I looking for?

 

[JamesW]

Damage to the center pin.

 

[SaskMan]

I’ll take a look tokorrow.

 

[JamesW]

See how the base of the center pin is brown?

That indicates that the pin is corroding through.

 

[JamesW]

Here, you can see that the two outer pins corroded off.

 

[JamesW]

These pins look ok.

 

[generessler]

Codes 120 and 121 mean low current (amps) passing through the cell. This often means chlorine is possibly being generated, but not at expected levels.

That can be the result of:

1. Something wrong with the current sensing, so there's actually nothing wrong; you're getting a false report. Very unlikely.
2. Something wrong with the power supply. It's not delivering enough. Possible but not likely.
3. Too much resistance in the power wiring or switching. Bad cord seems to be the most common cause, but also could be any connection carrying cell power (like a plug+socket on the control board) or the relay contacts.
4. Too much resistance in the cell itself. Can be
   • Calcium or other coating on the plates.
   • Low salt.
   • Deteriorated internal connections like rotten pins, welds, or wires.
   • Deteriorated exotic metal coatings on plates.

Once you've cleaned the cell and verified the salt level, other points under 4 mean cell replacement. Everything else, 1-3, means fix the electronics/power supply.

So you'd really like to determine if 4 is the problem. This troubleshooting document shows how to do that on slide 23. Check the voltage at the cell with it set to 100%. If above 28vdc, chances are excellent everything else is fine and the cell is the culprit. A bit of Ohm's Law makes this easy to see.

Low voltage will usually mean 2 (unlikely) or 3 (probably).

"In range" voltage 22-28 along with 120/121 is either 1 or multiple problems: something from 2,3 and also something from 4.

Caveat: I'm not an expert on SWGs, but an EE. The above is basic electrical stuff, not rocket science.

 

[JamesW]

Check the amperage as shown in this picture.

 

[JamesW]

Aquapure 1400 121 Error

I got the 121 error on my FusionSoft a couple days ago. I cleaned the cell and the sensor and the cell ran fine for about a day. Not this morning, it is back. It is still producing chlorine I can see bubbles out of the returns and the display also says it is on. I think my salt may be a little...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[SaskMan]

See how the base of the center pin is brown?

That indicates that the pin is corroding through.

I’ll try and remove this tonight. Will send your some pics.

 

[JamesW]

Also, look into the ends of the cell to see if the edges of the plates look good or corroded.

You have to look closely with a flashlight.

 

[wayner]

I have had a pin corrode away as well so this seems to be a fairly common problem.

 

[wayner]

FYI - I am in Canada as well (Toronto) and I have been through a few of these cells in my ~17 years of owning my pool. Last year I bought a third party cell that is clear plastic. It was about US$400 vs US$1000 for the "official" Jandy cell. But I think the Jandy cell may come with a new cable as well.

 

[SaskMan]

FYI - I am in Canada as well (Toronto) and I have been through a few of these cells in my ~17 years of owning my pool. Last year I bought a third party cell that is clear plastic. It was about US$400 vs US$1000 for the "official" Jandy cell. But I think the Jandy cell may come with a new cable as well.

And in your experience it works as well? Even a new cable is $100 so that’s not bad. The $1400 for the entire cel seems steep to me. Can you message me more info about the 3rd party cel?

 

[wayner]

I have had this cell for about a year. Whether it is a deal or not will depend on how long it lasts. I have typically got about 5 years out of my cell. So if this lasts for two years then that is the breakeven. Here is the thread where I learned about this cell.

Here is the link to the cell that I bought. Platinum Edition Replacement Salt Cell for Jandy AquaPure 3-Port 1400 | 40,000 Gallons