So I just installed a new board today and everything is up and running again. My neighbor/friend has his own pool service business and got me the board for $555 (including tax). It was basically the same price on Amazon with tax so I figured it would be better to go local in case there were problems with it. He mentioned Hayward is the one supplier that is hard to get cheaper than Amazon. Not sure why.
The install/transplant wasn't too bad, just had to label a few of the wires on the left side for the sensors and valves so I knew what went where. Took a lot of pics and went through the process in my mind a few times before pulling the wires off and the old board out. The new board came with a wiring layout so I knew which yellow wires and red/black/orange wires went where. The new board has version 4.46 firmware where my old board was 4.40. I can't find any info on what 4.46 has in it over 4.45.
The old board had a big scorch mark on the back in the upper right, behind the salt cell relay circuit. One of the yellow wires from the transformer was also scorched - the wire jacket was actually discolored black and had melted off at the connector, exposing wire that was starting to corrode. I snipped that off and put a new connector on and all is well with it.
I'm hoping this new board lasts a little longer. I have the panel shaded now, where as the first year or two it was in the sun, so maybe a little less AZ sun will help.
Still, in the end, the automation and chlorine generator are far easier and cheaper than having a pool service and getting all of the chlorine in manually. I'll take $550 every 6 years, plus the $400 for a salt cell every 3 or 4 years. That's still less than one year of pool service at $80 a month.
ETA: A couple of other notes I forgot to include in my original post.
- When I first powered everything back on the pump was not working with the pro logic controller. It was turning itself on and priming. I had to use the controls on the pump itself and run through its setup to "resync" them. I didn't have to do that with my heater, which is a good thing. The control screen on my heater is out (known issue with hayward heaters) and I haven't bothered to replace it because I never control the heater through its own controls since it works fine with my panel.
- I didn't have to relearn the wireless for the Aqua Pod. It just connected back up on its own. I'm not sure how they were synced up without reprogramming it.
- Having to go through and set up every setting, timer, valve, etc. was a pain. I had spent a few hours going through every setting and documenting them in a word doc, so now at least I have that if anything goes wrong again, but using the Aqua Pod remote is so slow. But it's still better than sitting out in the sun at the panel. I'm looking to move to the Homenet remote because my Aqua Pod battery is out AGAIN. I'm not spending $400 for a remote that lasts 2 or 3 years and then is useless because you can't just change the battery. The phone app may not be any quicker, but at least I won't have to worry about replacing the "remote" again anytime soon and I can control things while away.
Good Job!
