Spa actuator repair - microswitches

[wbnethery3]

I have a set of Compool CVA-24 actuators on our 12-year-old pool, and recently had one of the two quit working completely after our kids used the spa. I took the cover off of it and managed to wiggle the gear enough that it tripped the microswitch and the motor turned on, after which I was able to get the valve to the position I needed it in order to operate the pool. My question for the experts here - are the microswitches the only real wear item on these actuators? I can buy a set online, but I don't see anything like a "rebuild kit" so I am assuming the microswitches are it. I found this schematic and it shows the little arms that ride on the cam to be obsolete. I didn't look closely when I had it apart to see what was causing the problem, but I'm hoping that one of those isn't broken. Since the motor ran, I know it's not a problem with the motor itself.

As long as I'm here, I would also love a link to a tutorial video for rebuilding these if you know of one. I searched the forum and YT but didn't find anything exactly addressing this issue. I found one that a lady disassembles and adjusts the cam arms to make the valve stop in the right spot, but it was so hard to watch I couldn't even finish it... it is truly amazing how spoiled I've gotten with all the good self-help videos that are available online now. If any of you have done one, please share...

 

[Jimrahbe]

W,

The microswitches become intermittent and then eventually go bad altogether.. Replacing them fixes the problem for most people...

There are several old threads on the subject.. Enter "Actuator microswitches" into our search box (Use the "G" section) and you will see them..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[wbnethery3]

W,

The microswitches become intermittent and then eventually go bad altogether.. Replacing them fixes the problem for most people...

There are several old threads on the subject.. Enter "Actuator microswitches" into our search box (Use the "G" section) and you will see them..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Thanks for the tip on the search function... I'm here infrequently enough that I have to re-learn things every time.

 

[wbnethery3]

Just a quick update - I removed the microswitches from the actuator in question and examined them, as well as the other parts of the actuator. I shorted the leads to each switch and confirmed that the motor operated in both directions. I tested the continuity of each switch and found that they both worked reliably (at least on the kitchen counter). I reassembled everything and the actuator now seems to be working fine. I'm not sure if I had something interfering with the actuation of one of the switches, or some other issue... whatever it was, it wasn't obvious when I opened and inspected things. For now, I'm saving my money to spend on other things... even though it's a cheap fix, I'm not going to replace the switches until they truly fail. Thanks for the help... I love TFP and appreciate the good info that I can find here.

 

[MyAZPool]

Just a quick update - I removed the microswitches from the actuator in question and examined them, as well as the other parts of the actuator. I shorted the leads to each switch and confirmed that the motor operated in both directions. I tested the continuity of each switch and found that they both worked reliably (at least on the kitchen counter). I reassembled everything and the actuator now seems to be working fine. I'm not sure if I had something interfering with the actuation of one of the switches, or some other issue... whatever it was, it wasn't obvious when I opened and inspected things. For now, I'm saving my money to spend on other things... even though it's a cheap fix, I'm not going to replace the switches until they truly fail. Thanks for the help... I love TFP and appreciate the good info that I can find here.

Nice job...