Pentair IC40 troubleshooting

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wrp7317

0
Jan 13, 2015
7
Seneca/SC
I'm having an issue with a Pentair IC40. It is a newer version with 4000 hours on it according to it. I was checking it yesterday and found all of the lights out and the fuse blown. I replaced the fuse with another 10 amp fast acting 250v fuse and it promptly blew it. I had the sanitizer output set to 60%. I replaced the fuse again and before it blew I turned the sanitizer level off. The unit will now come on and stay on with the following lights on; Flow-green, Salt Level-flashing Red/Green then goes to flashing Green which indicated high salt level. I have check the salt level with a Taylor K-1766 and show 3400 ppm. I have also cleaned the cell as recommended. My problem with the cell is as soon as I increase the sanitizer to 20% the fuse blows. I have ordered 10 amp 250v time delayed fuses and I hoping that will be the fix.

Anyone have any ideas or can point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance,

Bobby
 
Bobby,

I have my doubts that the fuse is the problem...

The flashing of the salt light red/green is part of the cell's boot up routine where it calibrates itself.

The fact that it blows the fuse when you turn up the % indicates to me that something with the plates, or the electronics that drives the plates, is shot..

Can't hurt to try the new fuses, but I would not hold my breath... :(

Sorry,

Jim R.
 
That's what I was afraid of. I'll give the fuses a try before I look into buying a new cell.

Thanks for the info,

- - - Updated - - -

Best I can tell the pool was installed in 2008. I'm not sure if it is the original cell or not. The pool came with the house when we bought it in 2015.
 
Yep, cleaned it yesterday. I just checked it again while running and I still have the blinking green light. I'm waiting for the time delayed fuses to arrive before I try to increase the sanitizer level. After searching the internet, I don't have high hopes that the fuse will be the answer. I'm afraid it may be time for a new cell.
 
The fuse is worth a shot, but it could be dead indeed. Unfortunately you don't know the previous owner's habits. He could have cleaned the cell with full acid every week for all we know. 4000 hours is quite premature, but without knowing the pool's history there's no way to know if it was mismanaged, a faulty product, or bad luck. You could try calling Pentair and seeing if they have any ideas. I know DJ Pools in Seneca does Pentair work, so it's possible they would have some ideas - but it costs a fair bit just to get someone to look at it. It's sometimes cheaper (and not at all difficult) to just replace the unit yourself rather than paying for a repair that only gives a few years.
 
New wrinkle. I borrowed an older model IC40 which I knew worked and hooked it up to my system. I cleaned it before I installed it. It ran it's checks and then settled out with a Green high salt level flashing light. After about a minute the fuse blew again just like my original IC40. I know my salt level is not high due to testing and showing it's at 3400 ppm.

Anybody have any suggestions or thoughts? Power supply? I'm lost.

Thanks in advance

Bobby
 
My guess is power Supply, which i think its cheaper than the IC! The next step is to take your IC and hook it up to the Power supply of someone else and try it. You run the risk of blowing their fuse or the PS!
 
I would say almost definitely in the power supply then. My guess is something on the little control/rectifier board is off, assuming the transformer itself isn't bad. Unfortunately the board itself is like half the price of an entirely new unit, and I can't find a schematic of it anywhere. You could inspect individual components on it and see if any look bad visually, or measure incorrectly on a multimeter. I suppose it could be the transformer, but I would think the output voltage (~30Vac) from the transformer would be way off and cause other issues. Also check the Vdc coming out of the board, should be somewhere around 30V too.

Once you get this kind of data, you can call Pentair - the folks there are usually very helpful even out of warranty. Sadly I doubt you can just order a replacement transformer or board itself, probably has to be through a dealer.
 

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I went to my local pool store to verify my salt level. They came in with 3600 ppm +/- 200 ppm. So my 3400 ppm is pretty good. I was lucky enough to catch their install/repair guy there and he gave me a replacement power supply for free. I exchanged it for mine and fired things up. The pump ran but the borrowed IC40 didn't light up. I rechecked my wiring and gave it another go thinking that the unit couldn't be dead. I guess I was wrong. I unplugged it and hooked up mine and it worked! I was very happy until I saw the blinking Green light again indicating high salt levels. Does anybody know if the flow switch is tied to the salt analyzer in some way? I repaired mine last year it had broken loose and I have a new switch on hand.

I hate to spend $600 for a new IC40 but it looks like I'm headed that way. Anybody got anymore ideas?

Thanks again
 
The flow switch is also the temperature sensor which is used to determine your salt level.

That may do it. Easy to try if you already have one.
 
You can't make this stuff up!

For a quick recap: I changed out the power supply yesterday. Hooked up borrowed IC40 #1 and no lights/no blown fuse. Hooked my original IC40 and same Green blinking light. I just hooked up borrowed IC40 #2, older model it ran it's checks and it's working correctly! I have no idea what is going on. I'm still going to change out the flow switch in my original IC40 and see if that fixes it. I hope everything is fixed and back to normal. So glad to have a friend with spare IC40's and a generous pool repair guy.
 
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