I just won a battle with my Autopilot APA0003 Tri Sensor. I tend to break more than I fix and this looked to be going the wrong way at first. Hope this helps someone.
My sensor was reading 1000-1400 salt when it was 3000. I thought, why not clean the cell and the sensor? I have never touched the sensor. The sensor was a total pain to remove. Lesson learned, it's just really tight (obviously, remove the screws first). I couldn't get it to budge. Kept wondering if it was threaded or if someone glued it in. While using the channel locks, I broke off the flow indicator tab. No big deal. I braced the pipes the best I could with my legs and body and hammered down on twisting it. I was worried I would break something, so it took me a while to give it all I had. Once it started rotating and hope was revived, it was pretty easy to remove.
I was disappointed when I removed it, because it looked perfect. I decided to give the 4:1 acid bath a try (4 part water, add 1 part muriatic acid). I wanted to leave it for a while, 15-30 minutes. I found it was easiest to tie off the cable and let the sensor dangle in the solution. I tried propping it up on something first, but the risk of it tipping was too much.
After soaking the sensor and repenting for my anger when trying to get the sensor out, I put it back in. It was tight going back it, but not as bad removing it. Before inserting it, I did notice a line on the plastic that went to the sensor that divided the yellow white from the absolute white part that was in the solution. This gave me hope that, although it looked clean, there was actually was scaling on it that had been removed. To my surprise, this must have been true. When I replaced it, the monitor immediately read 3000 salt and started generating chlorine.
The link below has good instructions for the sensor.
www.inyopools.com
Please add any other tips. My family loves this pool. I consider it my nemesis!!! Hope this helps someone.
My sensor was reading 1000-1400 salt when it was 3000. I thought, why not clean the cell and the sensor? I have never touched the sensor. The sensor was a total pain to remove. Lesson learned, it's just really tight (obviously, remove the screws first). I couldn't get it to budge. Kept wondering if it was threaded or if someone glued it in. While using the channel locks, I broke off the flow indicator tab. No big deal. I braced the pipes the best I could with my legs and body and hammered down on twisting it. I was worried I would break something, so it took me a while to give it all I had. Once it started rotating and hope was revived, it was pretty easy to remove.
I was disappointed when I removed it, because it looked perfect. I decided to give the 4:1 acid bath a try (4 part water, add 1 part muriatic acid). I wanted to leave it for a while, 15-30 minutes. I found it was easiest to tie off the cable and let the sensor dangle in the solution. I tried propping it up on something first, but the risk of it tipping was too much.
After soaking the sensor and repenting for my anger when trying to get the sensor out, I put it back in. It was tight going back it, but not as bad removing it. Before inserting it, I did notice a line on the plastic that went to the sensor that divided the yellow white from the absolute white part that was in the solution. This gave me hope that, although it looked clean, there was actually was scaling on it that had been removed. To my surprise, this must have been true. When I replaced it, the monitor immediately read 3000 salt and started generating chlorine.
The link below has good instructions for the sensor.
How To Check an AutoPilot Tri-Sensor - INYOPools.com
If the AutoPilot has stopped working and the digital screen displays the message "Purifier Off- Check Flow", there is an issue with the flow. It may be caused by a dirty filter or it may be caused by a defective Tri-Sensor. The following steps will provide a guide on how to check the AutoPilot...
www.inyopools.com
Please add any other tips. My family loves this pool. I consider it my nemesis!!! Hope this helps someone.