Pentair IpH not working

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hey guys - i think a lot of my details are getting lost in the comments. here is where i am at.

- i am doing all of my testing using manual dosing, please disregard any other pool factors.
- i just replaced the tube around the rollers.
- i just replaced the check valve at the plumbing.
- if i remove the check valve from the pool plumbing and manually dose the pump, acid will not pass through the check valve.
but
- if i remove the hose at the top/before the check valve, acid will easily dispense through the hose on manual dosing.

i replaced the tube and check valve days ago. i am wondering if you think i received a faulty check valve? or how to troubleshoot it? or if i need to target my rollers, which according to photos, didn't look concerning to anyone here.
 
So you are getting acid through to the check valve, just not through the check valve. That rules out the pump or anything but the check valve. If this were me, I would probably take the check valve, rinse it with a liberal amount of water to ensure no acid was left on/in it, and try and blow through it with my air compressor blow gun, at a reduced pressure, maybe 20psi.

The other thing to do would be to take it apart and make sure the duckbill is able to open, by squeezing it open. It could be that it sat closed too long and might have 'glued' itself together? Just a theory.

Here's a photo of it disassembled so you can see what it should look like.

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I have no experience with these duckbills so I really don't know what I'm talking about. I do have replacement duckbills on the way that I am happy to take pictures of once they arrive.

--Jeff
 
Turbo1Ton said:
So you are getting acid through to the check valve, just not through the check valve. That rules out the pump or anything but the check valve.
Click to expand...
Not really. It could still be anything before the check that is impeding but not eliminating the necessary pressure to get past the duck bill: the filter in the tank, an obstruction in any of the tubes, the motor and the rotor are still in play. Could be the voltage to the motor, too. The only way to eliminate everything before the check is to compare the pressure and/or the volume of the pump's output with an IpH that is known to be working. Which I can't really provide anytime soon, sorry.

My line of questions had more to do with determining if the IpH is really not working, or if in fact it's fine but its affects are not being noticed properly. But if nothing is coming out of the check, then my questions are for another time, it's mechanical.

Didn't the OP have the same symptoms before he replaced the check? If anything, that points to everything except the check.
 
Jeff, feeling ambitious? The easiest next step for all would be for George to pull the tube off the injector and measure the volume of the acid dispensed during a manual cycle. Do that three times and average, recording the time it takes each time, and averaging that, too.

Then for one of us to do the same and compare results. And by "one of us" I mean... hint, hint.

I could maybe get to this tomorrow, but next week more likely. I would actually like to know what mine is outputting, but without the back pressure of the plumbing it really wouldn't give me the number I'd need (for my own use). Or...

Is your flow meter able to read actual volume passed through it? But again, even if it could, George needs the number without the back pressure, so you'd still need to pull off the tube.
 
One thing I just thought of, I'm not sure if the pump will move any fluid at all if the cover is not on, but it may.

@georgestewart88 can you confirm you do have the cover installed when you are pumping? It seems a silly question because as I mentioned, I am not sure it will work at all without the cover in place, but just want to confirm. It may be that the rollers will push a little bit through, but not generate the pressure required to overcome the duckbill.

I'm not able to get an actual volume measurement until this weekend, but according to the IpH controller, 60 seconds of pumping results in 3.8 oz of volume. So I would think as long as it is close to that, it is working fine.

The flowmeter is more of a flow indicator. I can just see the ball pulse up and down to confirm that it is pushing fluid through. No markings on it that I can see to give any volume correlation.

--Jeff
 
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Turbo1Ton said:
One thing I just thought of, I'm not sure if the pump will move any fluid at all if the cover is not on, but it may.

@georgestewart88 can you confirm you do have the cover installed when you are pumping? It seems a silly question because as I mentioned, I am not sure it will work at all without the cover in place, but just want to confirm. It may be that the rollers will push a little bit through, but not generate the pressure required to overcome the duckbill.

I'm not able to get an actual volume measurement until this weekend, but according to the IpH controller, 60 seconds of pumping results in 3.8 oz of volume. So I would think as long as it is close to that, it is working fine.

The flowmeter is more of a flow indicator. I can just see the ball pulse up and down to confirm that it is pushing fluid through. No markings on it that I can see to give any volume correlation.

--Jeff
Click to expand...
confirmed, cover is on. duck bill seems fine, was able to take it apart. i think im stuck buying a new roller mechanism as all other parts have been replaced.
 
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Turbo1Ton said:
One thing I just thought of, I'm not sure if the pump will move any fluid at all if the cover is not on, but it may.
Click to expand...
It's the cover that holds the pump tube in place. If you run the motor with the cover off the pump tube will pop off.
 
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elwood58 said:
I have to replace the check valve where my hose enters the plumbing every year. I buy mine via Amazon. I am in the scorching desert southwest, which might make a difference.

Click to expand...
I thought I should update. I may have created my own problem. The check valves always failed internally. It is likely due to the fact that I was not diluting the 30% Muriatic 1:1 with water. Initial fill was with 15% from the pool company at startup. The refillable jugs from the local shop were not marked, but turn out to be 30%+. The lid of the reservoir clearly states one should dilute full strength muriatic 1:1. 6 years in and I am still learning stuff.
 
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