Zodiac LM2 Control Unit running very hot

[jdtessi]

My Zodiac LM2 chlorinator control unit seems to run quite hot the higher it is set. If I put my hand behind the bottom back portion of the unit where the transformer is, I will have to remove it in 5 seconds or so it is that hot. Also, the black connection on the cell heats up about the same. I have checked for loose connections in the control unit and no damage is apparent by looking at it. I suspect it may be the lead from the unit to the cell.

Can anyone with same equipment confirm their units are running at these temperatures?

 

[ajw22]

The higher you set the SWG % the longer the run time is between cycles and less time for the electronics to cool off. I don;t think it is indicative of a problem.

What setting are you running at for what pump runtime?

Try running at a lower setting for a longer pump runtime to get the same SWG output for the LM2 to run cooler.

 

[jdtessi]

Thanks for replying. I usually run the SWG at level for 4 for 8 hours of pump run time. I will set it at level 2 and run the pump for 12 hours. Though I have tried it level 3 and it does not seem to make a difference in the control unit temperature, still very hot.

Do you have a Zodiac LM2 and if so is it running quite hot?

The connections at the cell are not the best and Zodiac does provide a replacement cable which leads me to believe it may likely be faulty as my old cell had developed little spider cracks in the housing around hot wire connection. I assume this is from the heat.

 

[ajw22]

I have n IntelliChlor IC60, not an LM2.

 

[lblomq]

jdtessi - what was the outcome of your experiment? Was there a difference in the temperature by running the chlorinator at a lower level? I have an LM2-24 with the same problem.

 

[jdtessi]

It didn’t seem to make a difference whether I ran it at lower rate or not. The control unit is still very hot. I did replace the cell with a generic cell and it does not get hot on the connections anymore, so the wire lead does not seem to be the issue. I am thinking the transformer in the control unit may be just showing it’s age and running hotter and will eventually go. The system is still running fine and may have always run this hot I just never really noticed it before. I will see if I can get a few more years out it as is.