Mastertemp 400 heater wont power up using Easytouch - Possible bad motherboard or relay?

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N

nomptonite

New member
May 27, 2023
2
Norman, OK
Hello all, and thank you for the wealth of info on this site. I've searched and searched, and read numerous threads, but want to get others' input before I buy a new Easytouch motherboard.

Symptom - Heater won't power up while trying to use automation (Easytouch panel or screen logic app). When heater turned on using app/easytouch panel, heater display briefly comes on, flashes r14, then powers off after ~2 seconds. Then does nothing.

Troubleshooting steps taken so far:
- Swapped to service mode, turned on pump at pump control panel, turned on heater via ET panel, same problem
- Connected fireman's switch directly (bypassed ET panel), turned on via heater control panel, fires up and works fine
- Crossed green and yellow wires at J19 terminal at ET panel, same thing, using heater control panel fires up and works fine. So I think the wires from ET to heater/fireman's switch are okay. Also leads me to believe the glass fuse right there is fine too.
- Checked voltage of J19 terminal. Reads 25-26v while heater is NOT turned on, but V drops to 0 when swapped to heater ON.

So my first question is, is the V reading 0 at J19 when the heater is ON normal? I'm not electrician, so I don't really know how the relays/terminals work.

Any other questions/thoughts/ideas are greatly appreciated. Thank you
 
N,

If the voltage drops to zero when the J19 heater relay is closed, it means that your EasyTouch is working..

You have 28 VAC across J19 because the relay is open like it should be, when the heater is not being told to heat.. When the relay closes, the voltage dropping to zero means the relay is closed, and the heater is being told to heat.

Your EasyTouch does not have a problem. And the control wire from the heater to the EasyTouch is also ok, otherwise you would not be able to measure the 28 Volts AC from the heater across J19 when the EasyTouch is not calling for heat.

For the heater to work, it has to be set to full hot (104) and be ready to go.. all it needs to turn on is for J19 to close.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Jimrahbe said:
N,

If the voltage drops to zero when the J19 heater relay is closed, it means that your EasyTouch is working..

You have 28 VAC across J19 because the relay is open like it should be, when the heater is not being told to heat.. When the relay closes, the voltage dropping to zero means the relay is closed, and the heater is being told to heat.

Your EasyTouch does not have a problem. And the control wire from the heater to the EasyTouch is also ok, otherwise you would not be able to measure the 28 Volts AC from the heater across J19 when the EasyTouch is not calling for heat.

For the heater to work, it has to be set to full hot (104) and be ready to go.. all it needs to turn on is for J19 to close.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...
Okay thank you for your info, and I just want to clarify then... When I put the meter on J19 terminals, and then turn to 'Heater On', I hear the small click, and V drops to 0, and 'Heater' is shown on the ET panel.... But nothing happens. The heater doesn't turn on. The only way I can get the heater to turn on is to take the green and white wires out of J19 and touch/cross them together. Then, with them touching together, the heater will fire up when I turn it on via the Mastertemp panel.

Also, while the heater is on (via steps above) I just verified the spa and pool temps are both set to 104 deg F on the Mastertemp control panel.

So does that all make sense, and if so, is there anything I can check next? Maybe any other settings within the ET menu?
 
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