SWG Power Supply Behavior

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BassTrix

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LifeTime Supporter
Jun 5, 2014
55
Chandler/AZ
My pool has an Ecomatic ESC16 SWG. I'm sure it's original to the pool, which makes it about 20 years old.

Last weekend I did a drain and refill and noticed the PS is behaving differently. It remains in standby mode for extended periods of time. Standby mode is normal during startup and typcially last for just a few seconds, at most and then the % of production will gradually climb until it reaches whatever the system is set at. The manual says it will also go into standby when the duty cycle is set low and maybe during winter mode (I'd have to go and review to be sure). I can't recall ever finding the system in standby after the system has been running for more than a few minutes, but that's how I'm finding it now. This particular cell is new as of last summer and I reinstalled the old cell, which displayed similar behavior so I hesitate to blame it on the cell. Power connections are all good, not getting errors on the PS....I have a 3rd cell that was leaking...I'm going to re-seal it and install to see if that behaves any differently, but my hopes are not high.

I'm hoping someone who has experience with Ecomatic or Davey equipment has some insight as to what's going on. If it's a new chlorinator that's needed, I'll buy one, but, obviously, I'm hoping is something less costly.
 
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Given that you just refilled the pool, did you test the salt level with an independent test kit just to make sure the salt level is ok?
 
Update to my situation:

Since my last post, I have disassembled the controller to inspect for any obvious issues. The only issue found was "winter mode" switch that was not fully actuating to the off position due to interference with the plastic housing. I opened up the hole so the switch now has clearance. I also installed a brand new cell. When I initially powered the system up, it went into the normal "standby mode", then switched over to begin producing CL...gradually building up duty cycle until it reached 100% (the production is set to full power). Upon reaching 100%, it immediately returned to standby and the cycle repeated. I sat and watched the repeat and on the 6th cycle, the system remained in production at 100%. I haven't watched startup again, so I have no idea if this is now the norm or what. When the system was producing CL as expected, the controller did not repeatedly cycle.

I have left the system to run, as usual and checking CL level each morning. I also check the state of the controller while it's on. Up until this morning, I've found it either producing "normally" at 100% or "stuck" at 80%. I say, stuck, because I can change the output dial and the system continues to display 80%. Normally, the % varies when the dial is moved. This morning, I powered up the system to circulate for my morning sample and when I checked the state of the controller, it was stuck in standby mode. This is the first time I've seen this since the winter mode switch issue was fixed.

WRT my Cl level, it started at 8.5 (had added liquid the day before), then dropped to 6.5, 5.5, and this morning, at 6.0. Historically, for the number of hours running, CYA content, and water temp, this is about where CL is expected to be (5-6). I'll continue to monitor, but now I have to decide if I want to get a new system or spend $350 on a replacement PCB and band-aid this 20+ year old equipment.

If any of you have experienced similar behavior with your SWG equipment, I'm interested, so please respond.
 
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