the dreaded 20A & 3A fuse blow issues...

[cwarm]

We had a power surge last week and it fried some other appliances light bulbs, AC thermostats, etc in my house and I was hoping that the fuses would save my SWG system it but alas they did not. I have been reading an older thread with some great info by JamesW and others with a similar experiencing where both my 20 amp and 3 amp fuses blow when I power up. The display unit is dark, etc.. I disconnected the red and black wires from the board and the fuses still blow when powered up. Given that information where should I focus my efforts on fining the short? The back of the board looks fine. Back of the display unit looks good. Power seems to be fine. Thoughts on where to look next?

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

It is likely a rectifier shorted.

Read Hayward Aquarite SWG - Further Reading

 

[cwarm]

Welcome to TFP.

It is likely a rectifier shorted.

Read Hayward Aquarite SWG - Further Reading

Thanks for the reply. I am a long time follower and first time poster. I have used this forum to save me a lot of money over the years.

I saw on another post that you can use the other terminal on the rectifier because they have individual circuts....I am going to go try that right now.

 

[cwarm]

Thanks for the reply. I am a long time follower and first time poster. I have used this forum to save me a lot of money over the years.

I saw on another post that you can use the other terminal on the rectifier because they have individual circuts....I am going to go try that right now.

Well switching the orange wire to the other terminal didn't work...blew out another set of fuses (20A 3A).....looking on line to see if I can buy a new set of rectifiers. Any other thoughts on what it could be blowing out the fuse?

 

[cwarm]

Welcome to TFP.

It is likely a rectifier shorted.

Read Hayward Aquarite SWG - Further Reading

I replaced the rectifier's and it still shorted out the 20A & 3A fuses immediately when I flipped the breaker back on. Any other suggestions?

I also checked with a multimeter to make sure I had 24 volts AC out of the transformer on the yellow wires that in my case go into the board and it was right at 24 volts....my orange wires that actually go into the rectifiers don't have any voltage on them I assume because the 20 amp fused is shorting out before the current can get there. Any other ideas?

 

[cwarm]

Anyone have any thoughts my pool has been down now for over a week and I guess I just need to call and have some pool guy come rake me over the coast for $3k?

But I found this diagram on another post. If my 20A fuse blows (the 3A blows at same time) and I checked to make sure I have 24 volts coming out of the yellow wires...why/how would 24 volts blow a 20A fuse instantly? I even replaced the rectifiers but that now seems silly because the fuses blows before the rectifiers come into play. What am I missing?

 

[ajw22]

If my 20A fuse blows (the 3A blows at same time) and I checked to make sure I have 24 volts coming out of the yellow wires...why/how would 24 volts blow a 20A fuse instantly?

You have 24V AC coming out of the transformer.

I even replaced the rectifiers but that now seems silly because the fuses blows before the rectifiers come into play.

The rectifiers change 24V AC to the 24V DC the system needs.

If diodes in the rectifier short and fail you get a direct short on the 24V AC circuit that blows the 20A fuse.

Do you understand how diodes and rectifiers work?

You have a problem in the AC to DC conversion circuit on the panel.

 

[cwarm]

You have 24V AC coming out of the transformer.



The rectifiers change 24V AC to the 24V DC the system needs.

If diodes in the rectifier short and fail you get a direct short on the 24V AC circuit that blows the 20A fuse.

Do you understand how diodes and rectifiers work?

You have a problem in the AC to DC conversion circuit on the panel.

Thanks for the reply I really appreciate it. I'd love to figure this out! But my green pool is telling me I need to give up and call the experts in to replace the system!

I have a basic understanding on how the diodes and rectifiers work in converting AC to DC. So even though the rectifiers are "downstream" from the fuse the issues on the panel can cause a problem that shorts the fuse back upstream? And if so that's why the 3A fuses shorts out as well.

Is there anything I can do to diagnose "AC to DC conversion circuit issues on the panel" or due to my limited knowledge and skill should I just throw in the towel and replace the whole panel?

Again thanks for the help.

 

[ajw22]

I have a basic understanding on how the diodes and rectifiers work in converting AC to DC. So even though the rectifiers are "downstream" from the fuse the issues on the panel can cause a problem that shorts the fuse back upstream?

Electricity does not know about upstream versus downstream.

Two diodes shorting can create a short circuit on the 24VAC and blow the 20A fuse. That is exactly why that fuse is there.

An example is below...

Is there anything I can do to diagnose "AC to DC conversion circuit issues on the panel" or due to my limited knowledge and skill should I just throw in the towel and replace the whole panel?

You need to be knowledgeable enough to know how to test individual components. Diodes can be tested to see if they are operating properly. You need to isolate individual parts of the circuit and see if they are operating as intended.

It can be a learning experience as your pool goes green.

Or just replace it.