Jandy LXI heater transformer issue

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kylekrinks

Member
Apr 22, 2020
7
Alameda, California
hey hows it going? first time post here and happy i found this website. My heater went out at the end of summer last year and due to winter and no use of pool it slipped my mind until now. Anyways here are the symptoms and what ive done so far:

there is no power to the digital gui
i came to the forum and quickly found the transformer issue that most have with this heater
i noticed that there werent any burn marks on the power distribution board so i just ordered a new transformer
un installed the old transformer today and there was a yellow/orangeish liquid caked on
installed the new transformer and when i flipped the breaker i still did not receive any power

could my distribution board be out as well?

going to the hardware store now to get a voltage meter, thanks in advance for any help and stay safe
 
Welcome to TFP.

Yeah, you need a multimeter to diagnose electrical problems.

I think @setsailsoon has dug into that in his heater.
 
Kyle,

Welcome aboard! We've got a lot of true experts and a few that have just learned a lot the hard way. I'm in the latter group. We've had a lot of heater issues over the past couple of months and one thing is clear. It's easy to get frustrated and start replacing parts on a best guess basis but this gets expensive in a hurry. There are a couple simple diagnostics that can save you a lot of money. Try cycling power just in case on a "lets try the simple stuff first". Similarly check the 2 amp fuse in the red wire from the transformer secondary. Be careful since the connectors on this in line fuse can be fragile. Check that you have continuity with your volt-ohmmeter. If the fuse checks out please test the input voltage and output voltage of the transformer and let us know what you find out. Unless you've had a major power surge, dead short on the 240 v side, lightning strike or accidentally dumped a lot of water on the electronics it's unlikely the power distribution board is fried. But it's easy to test.

Chris
 
Hi Chris,

thanks for your reply! The hardware store didnt have a multimeter in stock so im heading to home depot today to get the meter and i will perform those diagnostics when i get back.

got some more info on the day the heater died since i wasnt actually at home when it happened. My sister said she had heard it beep and when she checked it the display read fault-high limit, a couple seconds after, the display went blank and the heater turned off.

i checked the diagnostics for the codes in the manual and im hoping that i dont have to call a pool heater repair person because i can never get people to come to my area for pool work, the last person quoted me a $200 fee just to come to my residence and said he might not be able to fix the problem
 
If you had a high limit fault we can test that very easily before your fork out the $ for the part. No need for a repairman so long as you're skilled with the safety hazards of 240 v power. If you're not it's better to get an electrician to help. Sounds like you've already been inside the unit and probably know what you're doing but I just want to be sure to be safe...

Chris
 
yes sir thanks for checking and yeah im as safe as possible around 240v. i picked up a multimeter today and did some testing based off the jandy pool heater troubleshooting guide pdf

Before i did the testing i turned the breaker off and checked the inline fuse and the housing of it looks busted, i attached a pic, the fuse had blown as well.

knowing this information i still went thru the testing steps expecting to get stopped at #3

#1 connection at PDB i got a test of 240
#2 connection from transformer(newly installed) 23
#3 check fuse which had been blown so no reading

Moving forward i decided to look online for the correct glass fuse and it seems there is a huge price discrepancies on these little fuses. I see some 2 amp fuses listed on amazon for $2 but when i google "jandy lxi fuse" it brings me to this website where they are $22 Fuse Kit, Zodiac Jandy Lite2

im also having a hard time finding the housing under the Jandy LXI name, i found it here under the teledyne/laars brand:

10480000 | In-Line Fuse Assembly

In-Line Fuse Assembly
www.getpoolparts.com www.getpoolparts.com

hopefully the housing from get pool parts is the correct one as it comes with a fuse.

thanks for the help!
 

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Both fuse and fuse holder can be replaced with generic as long as the identification stamped on the fuse matches. It should have 3 letters stamped on it ( AGC...SFE etc.) and looks like it is a 2 Amp normal blow. As long as the stamping info and other parameters match you are good. Any in-line glass fuse holder would work if it matches fuse size, just google the 3 letters ( AGC, SFE etc.) and in line fuse holder and you can cut,strip and wire nut connections as/if needed.
 
***I had this post entered last night but somehow it didn't post - Operator error I'm sure. Swamp took care if it better anyway!***

You can use any fuse housing that holds a 2 amp fuse. Should be able to find it at an auto parts store or an electronics outlet such as Fry's in normal times. Don't use anything larger than 2 amps. The secondary of your transformer is a very low amp and will fry before the fuse blows if you go too high. Get a couple spare fuses since something burned it in the first place so you'll likely blow it a couple of times trying to isolate the problem. Check the condition of all the wires inside the heater to be sure there hasn't been any rodent damage which is fairly common. Replace any wires that have damaged insulation. When you get ready to start the heater remove the blue, red, and yellow connectors before you power up. Check for a dead short across the terminals inside each connector. This could help you find the source of the short. Let me know what you find out.

Chris
 
awesome thanks for the info guys!

went to autozone got a fuse housing and the correct fuse and installed them. forgot about your tip setsailsoon and turned the pump on without removing the blue red and yellow connectors and the fuse blew again. put a new fuse in and tried with those connectors unplugged, plugged them in while pump was going and still no reading on check #3 for the fuse, checked and the fuse has blown again.

ill have to start testing the terminals inside the connectors.
 
Well, you're making progress! You've clearly got a dead short in the 24 vac system. My guess would be a sensor but there are a lot of "opportunities".
 

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haha thanks im trying. im not to sure how to check for the short in the 24 vac system. im sitting in front of the heater now and i have my red lead on the red transformer wire and ive been getting readings of 23 when i test water temp coil/air temp gas valve hi limit fuse link
 
A blown fuse is usually indicative of a direct short to ground or a shorted load. This should be the manual for your heater http://www.backyardcitypools.com/Images/BWP/Jandy-LXI-Owners-Manual.pdf . You would need to troubleshoot electrically to isolate the problem with your multi-meter using the ohms setting. Your sequence of operation is on page 28 under "Normal Operation". Your "Connections/Schematic Wiring Diagram " is on page 23. Your "Test Point Identification Diagrams" are on pages 48-49. Get a bunch of fuses as they are cheap. One way to start to isolate the problem is to disconnect the "24 VAC" and the "W" wires at the ignition control and try to run the heater. If the fuse blows, the problem is in the "universal controller" or its components. If the fuse doesn't blow the problem is downstream in the "ignition control" or its components.
 
got my lap top outside
i am getting a lower reading on the grey wire from the water pressure switch at the switch
the gray wire is reading 4v while the purple is just under 24
when i check those connections on the user interface board they both read 24

im gonna take a moment to read those pages from the manual, thanks swamprat
 
Sorry...wife called me to dinner ( one of the few Covid-19 lockdown perks...homemade Lasagna). The transformer secondary (24V) has one side grounded. This makes it easy to trace the 24V through the system as you only need to put one probe of your meter on a ground connection and trace the "R" 24V wire through the system. First though you need to isolate the part of the system that is causing the fuse to blow. While it could be a short to ground or a shorted load it could also be something like a gas valve solenoid that is stuck/jammed in the closed position that is causing excessive load when the solenoid coil is energized ( This would not show up when measuring volts or ohms with a multi-meter ). From your last post, I am assuming that you have not blown the fuse and have 24V at the red and yellow wires on the controller board. The pressure switch connection on the controller board should either be open when the pump is not running or closed when the pump is running. There should be no voltage drop across the pressure switch as it is not a load. You can disconnect the 2 wires to the pressure switch at the controller and measure the ohm reading across the 2 wires from the pressure switch by using the multi-meter to ohms. It should read infinity or 0 ohms when the pump is not running and 1 ohm or less when the pump is running. If it read significantly more than 1 ohm when the pump is running then the pressure switch contacts are bad.
 
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