SWG Panel Reading 2,000 PPM, Tested at 3,000 PPM

[NorthPilot06]

Good morning all -

My pool was recently reconstructed (new coping, new vinyl liner) and I refilled the pool about 5 days ago. I added eight bags of salt and liquid bleach on the first day, some CYA the following day. I’ve been running my pump for anywhere between 8-12 hours a day so the salt should be long dissolved now.

I’ve measured my salt with a test kit (the good one y’all recommend) and the readings came back at 3,400, now 3,000 after all of the rain that we’ve had. My Hayward SwimPure Plus still registers 2,000 though - even after recalibrating multiple times. When I recalibrate, it will register as, say, 3,000 or 3,200 for a while and kick on “generating mode”, then I’ll come back after work and it’ll have reset itself to ~2,000.

I have a Hayward Turbo SWG FWIW. Thanks all

 

[JamesW]

What cell size do you have?

What are the diagnostic readings?

What is the model number of the box from the front door?

What are the first seven characters of the box serial number and cell serial number?

When is the last time that the system was working correctly?

 

[NorthPilot06]

Thanks for the response, JamesW. I'll try to answer your questions below:

Cell Type: Hayward Turbo Cell; T-Cell 9; Up to 25,000 Gallons
Diagnostic Readings: I'll have to get these for you when I get home
Model Number of Hayward SwimPure Plus: AQR-SWP
Serial Number - Box: 3E14308-204475 (If I'm not mistaken, this is the code just below the barcode)

The last time the system was working correctly was before the pool was drained, probably through the end of the last season. I'm sure I left the filter and chlorine generator running (intermittently, ~8 hours per day) through when I noticed the first rips on the vinyl liner. Guessing that happened in the December/January timeframe. The pool has been off since then - turned it back on last Thursday.

When re-starting, I cleared the pump filter basket, turned on the pump in "waste" mode for a few minutes to clear the plumbing, then backwashed for 6-7 minutes (until the water was clear in the sight glass). Then I rinsed for 1.5-2 minutes to clear out all sand.

FWIW, I've noticed that the pressure rises somewhat slowly when turning on the pump. It starts from 0 PSI and gets to the end-state of ~10 psi in roughly 30 seconds. The "no flow" light continues to illuminate until we get to about 8 PSI on the pump gauge.

Here's a picture of the inside of the panel in case I gave you the incorrect information:

 

[JamesW]

I would suspect that it's either a bad cell or the cell type is set to T-15.

If the cell is set to T-15, change it to T-9.

If it's set to T-9, the cell is probably bad.

Let's see what the diagnostic readings show.

To get the performance of the cell, divide the instant salinity by the actual salinity.

As long as the ratio of instant salinity divided by actual salinity is 75% or higher, I would continue to use the cell. If it's below 75%, you probably need a new cell.

You need to be very sure about the actual salinity.

 

[NorthPilot06]

I do know for a fact that it was set to T-9. I was quite certain that the actual salinity was 3,000 PPM - and the panel was reading 2,000, so 66%.

After adding the salt, the registered salinity on the panel has certainly increased slowly -- but it appears to have maxed out at this point. The first day, salt readings were in the ~500 PPM range, the second day it was in the 1,200 range, etc. etc. etc.

Is there no way to replace a salinity sensor for the cell without replacing the entire unit?

 

[JamesW]

Brush the pool really well to make sure that the salt is completely distributed.

There's no salinity sensor. The salinity is calculated from the performance of the cell.

It might just be time for a new cell.

 

[NorthPilot06]

The SWG is reading 2,100. Here are the codes:
87
27.6
0.00
48P
-0
AL-0
r 1.55
t-9
2,100

As I was reading this the generating relay kicked off and check salt / inspect cell came on. New readings:
87
32.4
0.00
48P
-0
AL-0
r 1.55
t-9
2,000

 

[JamesW]

That's odd that the amps and instant salinity were both zero while the voltage was down some.

The voltage drop under load is usually about 1 volt per amp. There's a 4.8 volt drop, which usually means about 4.8 amps.

Usually, you only get a voltage drop when there are actual amps.

That makes me question the amp meter on the circuit board.

Move the switch to off for a minute and then back to auto and go right to the instant salinity and see what it shows. It should start high and scroll down to a stable number before it goes back to zero.

Then, do that one more time.

It's difficult to measure amperage at the cell without special equipment, but you can check the amperage of the input power. At 240 volts, I would expect about 0.55 amps. At 120 volts, I would expect about 1.1 amps.

 

[NorthPilot06]

Ok, consider me perplexed. I bought a new T-15 equivalent off amazon and plugged it in. Seemed to be working at first, but then I came back and the signals were 0 (voltage, instant salinity, etc). I turned it off, unplugged the unit, then turned it back on after plugging it back in. Now these are my results:

2,800
92
26.2
6.87
22P
-2700
AL-0
r 1.55
t-15

Any idea why the cell would “appear” to be working for a while, then kick off? FWIW, the panel still showed “power” and “generating”, even when the values were 0.

Thanks!

 

[JamesW]

The cycle time is 180 minutes. The percentage determines the time on and off.

At 22 percent, the cell will generate for 40 minutes and be off for 140 minutes.

During the off part of the cycle, the volts should be about 30 to 32, the amps will be zero and the instant salinity will be zero.

The Power and Generating lights will be on whenever the switch is in the auto or superchlorinate position even when not generating.

 

[NorthPilot06]

Thanks JamesW, that’s excellent information! I’ll be sure to check the volts next time it’s in the “off” section of the cycle to ensure they’re in the ~30V range.

I thought the generator might run constantly at a reduced output, but it makes sense that it’s cycle driven with “full” to “zero” output.

One last question - the instructions said not to run the cell for more than 8 hours a day. Does that just represent on time, e.g. 22% of our pool pumps timed operation of 12 hours? Or do I need to find some way to have the SWG kick off even though the pump is still operating?

Thanks!

 

[JamesW]

There's no reason to limit the run time.

Where do the instructions say that 8 hours is the limit?