Repairing My Aqua Rite PCB (GLX-PCB-RITE) that was Damaged by Lightning
Posted by Russell Wright on August 23, 2009
Note: I’ve had many requests asking if I have any of the parts (thermistor/Ametherm SL32 2R025 BigAMP current inrush limiter and the Littlefuse V150LA2P varistor) required for this fix. I now have some! They are currently listed on Craigslist and Webstore (I took the listing off eBay because it gets prohibitively expensive for an inexpensive item such as this). I bought several and will ship them in the U.S. via first class mail for free. If the links above don’t work, search for “Ametherm.” You should find the listing. By the way, I don’t repair pools for a living (I’m a computer geek) and I don’t make my living trying to sell current inrush limiters. I’m simply doing this to help others out.
We have one of those salt water chlorination systems on our swimming pool that works pretty well. It does need some help in the summer when it gets really hot here in Texas, because our pool is almost 40,000 gallons (Texas sized)! This summer (2009) we’ve been having some real problems with algae, especially the black kind. If you’ve never had black algae, it’s bad stuff. Once it gets started, it attaches itself to the plaster and begins to eat it away. Besides treating the pool, you have to manually scrub, dig, sand, pick or chisel the algae out of the pores of the plaster. When you do remove it, you’ll see pitting from where it’s been attached. Bad stuff.
We’ve been fighting this all summer and, one morning I went out to visit the outside Aqua Rite controller and found that the green “generating” light was not lit. In fact, there was only one light on…I think it was the power light and, if I remember correctly, it was red instead of green. I may be wrong on this, but I do remember there was just one light on and I said, “Dang, now I know why we’ve been fighting having enough chlorine in the pool all summer!” Yeah, the thing’s been busted all summer long. Probably happened in the spring during one of our thunderstorms.
I called technical support at Goldline Controls (now part of Hayward) @ 908-355-7995. The helpful rep walked me through pushing the little test button to the left of the LCD display and I read him the readings it displayed. One of them was 0.0. I think that was the one that immediately made him say, “You’ve got a bad board.” I called the local repair facility and nearly had a heart attack when they told me it would cost $360+ to replace the board. Ouch. Doing some checking on eBay, I found that one could be had for a mere $180…about half the cost. I thought it was worth a try to attempt a repair (okay, I’m cheap).
Being an electrical engineer, I immediately opened the case and removed the front panel to expose the innards. It’s easy to get inside. Just remove the two screws on the front panel and grab the top of the panel in the hole provided. Of course, you should do this with the power off!
When I removed the cover I looked carefully around and noticed that there was a brown spot on the printed circuit board in the upper right corner near a big, black disc. From what I’ve seen (and done) in the past, it looked like a component had fried on the board. So, I proceeded to remove the board. All you need to do is remove all the connectors attached to the board and, if you have an Aqua Link, unscrew the four wires that provide the communication to the Aqua Link. Don’t forget the little RJ-11 (telephone) connector at the bottom of the board that is plugged in on the outside of the box. Not a big deal, as all the connections are conveniently identified by color on the PCB (printed circuit board). In this photo I have the power on…you should, of course, have the power off when you remove the board!
As I did some research, I found that others have had similar problems to mine. It turns out that the big black disc is a varistor. A varistor is normally used as a protection device that, at a certain voltage, changes its resistance to a low value. It essentially “shorts out” voltage spikes. The idea is to protect from things like power surges caused by lightning strikes and the like. Turns out this one had given its life for the protection of the PCB. My hat’s off to you, Mr. Varistor! You saved my board. I’d gladly give you my Bud.
Additional research (i.e. Googling) was done to locate the the part number of the varistors…yes, there are more than one! However, in my case, there was only one that was a problem. The other two are much smaller. The large one is an SL32-2R025-B made by Ametherm. The smaller ones (that I didn’t replace) are V150LA2P made by Littelfuse. They are the little red discs that flank both sides of the black terminal strip on the lower left of the PCB. I ordered the SL32-2R025-B from eBay from STI_Trade for the whopping price of $1.99 (plus shipping). I ordered two, but actually got four, because they came two to a package. I think the whole thing came to $7.08. So, I have some extras. I might just give one or two of them away if someone asks me for them (and proves that someone is reading my blog)!
When I removed the varistor from the board with a soldering iron, it literally fell apart in pieces. Installing it was not a big deal if you’re familiar with soldering…a 15 minute job. The moment of truth was when I re-installed the board and powered it all back up. Worked like a hose!
I told my wife I saved $360 – $7.08 = $352.92. That qualifies me for some brownie points!
I found a post on how to calibrate the Aqua Rite. If you have a Jandy Aqua Link system, make sure it is in service mode before attempting this procedure, else it won’t really do much!
Move the switch to the Auto position. If the switch is already in the Auto or Super Chlorinate position, move it to Off then back to Auto.
Wait for the relay to click, then push the diagnostics button 5 times to the instant salt level with the minus sign in front.
Wait for the instant salt level to stop moving lower, make sure it is within the range of 2700-3400, then move the switch up to Super Chlorinate then back down to Auto. This saves the instant salt level reading as the new default which, in effect, recalibrates the unit to be able to run normally and chlorinate the pool.
The values on the display for each press of the button to the left of the display are:
Here are some more pictures.
Related links:
http://www.doityourself.com/forum/pools-spas-hot-tubs/355004-aquarite-chlorine-generator.html
Russ' Do It Yourself Home Workshop 
Mike Brown said
Russell, your scenario is matching my aqua rite problem, I am also in Texas and think this was power related. I checked out the STI Trade ebay site and they were not selling the SL32-2R025-B anymore, I found the part on the Digi-key website however they didn’t specify the -B (SL32-2R025 only). Do you know if this is still compatible?
I am troubleshooting this on the weekend and will probably need to call their sales/tech department on Monday.
Thanks for your insight into troubleshooting this problem, this could save me big bucks and is well worth starting with the smaller items than just replacing the whole unit which was recommended by aqua rite tech support.
marshall said
why all the trouble here is a new board with warranty
http://www.spasandpools.com/p-19-replacement-pcb-board-for-aqua-rite-systems.aspx
John McLean said
some of us don’t want to buy a new board for $250. when a $6.00 part will fix it
Chipthepoolman said
talk about “not getting it”. Why would people be HERE if they just wanted to buy a new board? Learn who your audience is. This is a HELP place, not a sales place 😉
said said
mike you are awsome, i followed your steps since i had the same problem and it looks identical to yours.
were can i order SL322R025 by AMETHERM from?
thanks a lot a fellow texan in pool trouble as well
said
saidd@classicnet.net
Russell Wright said
I still have some parts available.
Russ
AndyW said
The part is readily available at Newark – http://www.newark.com – SKU is 72J6846 – price $2.31 each plus S&H. Always order two!
@Russ – is there any chance you can update my entry dated August 24, 2011? I accidentally listed the wrong SKU for Newark. I stated “72J6848” instead of the correct SKU of “72J6846”. (I’m not quite sure what happened – I thought I did a cut & paste.)
Andy.
PETER TORRES said
to the problem all I can say is “DITTO”. The Varistor can also be purchase from “Digi-Key”. Their P/N is 570-1062-ND which cross reference directly to the the SL-32-2R025. They ship the same day! Cost is $2.69 plus shipping. Well worth the simple and straight forward repair since a new Board is $230+. Thanks. Hope this will help someone in the near future.
Peter
Terry said
This fixed my problem as well. Saved me lots of $$$$$$
Russ said
I ordered 4 Current Limiters from Digikey total cost with shipping $15.60 so $3.90 per. I replaced mine then assisted 3 friends in repairing theirs. That would have be $150 each for a Refurb. board not including labor which the pool tech charge $125 mim. took about an 90 min to remove board cut out old Part soldier in new part and re install board on the 1st one. The following 3 only took about 20 min each. All 4 pool and salt systems are operating as normal and have been for at least 30 days. Heck if I had to fix it every month at $3.90 per part it would cost less than $50/year. This is really a very simple repair. It would be even easier if the Current limiter was a plug in part vs soldier. The only thing that requires any skill at all is soldiering in the new Part.
brsdixie said
Excellent website – good information and accurate sources. Got some info from Pinch-A-Penny store on what to look for and most common board failures. Took salt cell to Leslies to do Pass/Fail test on it (eliminate conflict of interest). It passed twice but salesman noticed some black goo, looked like black liquid insulation coming out of two spots (overheating is my guess) where the wire enters the cell, but it passed so I eliminated the salt cell and I turned my attention to the board. Removed metal cover (first killed all power) and at first glance all ok, considering this thing sits outside in SW Florida for 5 years now. Looked it over under magnifying glass and noticed discoloration, due to heat, in area around and below thermistor. Ordered from Newark Element14 and I’ll have parts (got extra) in three days and then the moment of truth. Thanks for good info.
Gary from Montreal said
AWESOME ! Thank you Mike. I am an accountant and fixed mine it 20 minutes. Didn’t even finish my beer I opened for the job. You saved me a bundle and Digikey was super. $ 15.00 overnight delivery.
Thank you
Russell Wright said
Mike–
I’m pretty sure that either one will work. Most times the hyphenated part is an upgrade in spec to the original part.
If you have a hard time finding a part, I think I have one I could sell you (just need to find it).
Jim Donati said
Either one will work. The -B just means that the leads are bent outwards.
kim buelich said
Russ, I have a Aquarite, no display, no lights. I replaced the fuse, no luck. I read this post and replaced the varistor. Now when I turn it on the second led from the bottom lights for a split second. IS it the board, display or both?
Loni said
If you have no LCD display of any readings whatsoever, and no other lights with the exception of that one that flashes for a second, and you see no other damage to any part of the motherboard, my money is on the display. I’m overstocked on displays and offering them for less than my wholesale cost. We could also make arrangements for you to send me your display (or both) for testing and then we’d have a definitive answer. I may be reached at DoneIt at GoldlineControls dot info.
Brent Smith said
Russell,
I have the same Aqua Rite problem: The transformer works fine, but all of the indicator lights are out, cell current is 0.0 and a big, bad black burn spot at the right leg of the varistor (I thought it was a capacitor). I am an EE as well, but reside in Georgia. Any chance of selling one of your spare varistors?
Thanks–your blog helped a bunch already!
Brent Smith
770-601-4439
Scotty said
you can order them online
Mike said
Varistors are, as you said, used for absorbing large voltage spikes. The Ametherm devices you replaced were ICLs (inrush current limiters.) These devices are put in series with the circuit to allow current limiting when the circuit is first turned on. The resistance changes to a lower value as the device heats up (negative temperature coefficient (NTC))and allows the normal current to flow. The DigiKey part works fine as a replacement.
Just another EE putting his $.02 in.
Mike
Tom Michel said
Can someone help me please? I have an Aqarite system much like the one above. The system is about 10 years old. It has not worked for a couple years as my daughter’s dog chewed the cord to the cell. About two weeks ago I broke down and bought one of the generic t-cell-15 cells. Before I plugged it in, I took the cover off the box and noticed the display board was completely corroded. The main board was almost as bad. I purchased a new display board and new flow switch as mine was leaking through top. I also bought a repaired main board. When I got the board, I put it together and the display showed 2700, 0.0, 0.00 and the only light on initially was the flow indicator which would blink for about 30 sec. then glow solid. The generating switch would glow for about 5 to 10 sec on initial power up (No power light). I contacted the guy who sold it to me and received replacement that was wrong. I received the third board tonight and all I get is the power light. The display functions but doesn’t show salt content and the next field is 0.0. This frustrating as I have over $600 in new parts. I appreciate any help anyone can give me. Thanks, Tom michel.thomasa@gmail.com
Loni said
Don’t know if you’ve resolved this issue as it was over a month ago. If you still need help figuring things out, I’d be happy to troubleshoot it with you over the phone if you provide your phone number, time zone, and best time(s) to reach you when you can be in front of the unit. You can email the info to DoneIt at GoldlineControls dot info.
John fish said
Enjoyed reading through this site, I will send this site to a few of my friends
wally smith said
Wow…when I was reading this it’s just what happened to me in Florida…I was just about to order a new board when I clicked on this site..I felt like I was writing this article…thanks for the advise and help
BETTY HUNT said
I have also experience the very similar situation!
Girish Shroff said
Nice article. I had ordered a PCB for replacement and then i found this article. May be i should cancel it, if i can and find the varistor for my board in Florida. Thanks.
John said
Hi Russell,
I read your post, and I have then same problem, but Mine is a Aqua Logic Board…GLX-PCB-MAIN. I talked to goldline and they said there was a board problem cause it says, “cell power error”. I can turn the whole system off and turn back on and it will be ok for a day or two, then it comes back. They want to sell me a $ 500.00 board, and $ 150.00 for a tech to put it in. Do you think mine is the same problem, and I could replace the varistor..? Or if anyone else would have a comment would be appreciated.
Thanks…..
John in Florida
Russell Wright said
John–
I’d take a close look at the board and see if there are any blackened areas that indicate you might have a similar problem. Usually a close visual inspection of the board will reveal if you have had a power surge that caused a varistor problem. Unfortunately, I’m not an expert on all the boards and their possible problems. I’d check eBay for a replacement board. It’s not difficult to replace them. Just be sure to turn off all the power!
Kent said
Russell, You have really helped a lot of us with a common problem. I Aqua Rite had no lights following a recent lighting storm. I had looked at the board and saw the burned black disk (varistor). I went on line ande found your post and gave me all the information that I needed to replace it. I got my varistor via the internet, and sure enough the power light came back on. Looks like I have one additional problem. The RJ11 phone jack conncetion was really corroded, and after cleaning it, it is not making a connection. Do you know where I can find a replacement phone jack fitting on the one on the main board?
Russell Wright said
eBay, baby?
http://cgi.ebay.com/4x-Right-Angle-RJ11-6p4c-PCB-Mount-Receptable-/220780731535?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item33678e9c8f
Loni said
Nope. You guys are kind of talking apples and oranges. Russell has an Aqua Rite, which is JUST chlorination. John has an Aqua Logic which incorporates automated valves, lights, multiple pumps, heaters, remote controls, and just about anything else you can wire to one of the available relays. You want to put the pool in spa mode? Just press a button.
There’s no varistor on the Logic. And yes, the proper fix for a CELL POWER ERROR is to replace the board.
Personally, I think 150.00 is kind of steep for the labor. I’m in Brevard County, and even if I’m driving 30 miles each way, I still only charge a maximum of 75.00 for labor (65.00 minimum, even if you live 3 streets from me). But that’s what free enterprise is all about!
Chris Cavaluzzi said
I have the same issue with the Aqua-Rite (not the Aqua Logic) with the Ametherm SL32-2R025 Inrush Current Limiter (AKA-Thermistor) – had to replace a couple of times over the years. First some clarification – this device is a NTC (negative temperture co-efficient) Thermistor (or In Rush Current Limiter) IT IS NOT A VARISTOR – a varistor operates differently than a thermistor – the way this device works is under no power conditions (when salinity cell is off) it acts as a 2 ohm resistor (25 Amp capacity – that is what the 2R – 2 ohm, 025 – 25 Amp – part number indicates – the SL = Standard Line and the 32 = 32mm in diameter) – when power is applied the device heats up very quickly – so hot that it will remove skin if you touch it – as it heats the resistance DECREASES to near “0” ohms (0.02 ohms) which is equivalent to a short circuit – this allows full voltage and current to the cell. It blocks Inrush current (voltage spikes from Line, Lightening strikes or cell momentary shorts / startup high current demand maybe from too much salty in pool – cell is working too hard demanding too much current – so the SL32 thermistor absorbs that excess current from either the line (supply voltage) or from the cell itself – up to 25 Amps before it burns up in order to protect the rest of the circuit (circuit Board) – these spikes happen so fast and sometimes for less than a 1/2 second that the circuit breaker doesn’t even notice it and doesn’t trip neither does the fuse in the Aqua Rite control box, but since all that current is flowing through the SL32 – it does react quickly and if spike is low and short enough it may survive while protecting the rest of the board – but more times than not – and depending on what is causing the surge to begin with (external – voltage surges/lightening, internal – bad cell, dirty cell, borderline bad cell, too much salt) – the SL32 will burn up and need to be replaced.
This part – SL32-2R025 – can be purchased at several different electronics suppliers – many have been listed in this article – just Google the part as listed here – Mouser is another great supplier – ALSO if your Aqua Rite continues to blow this part – you may want to try the more robust version part number – AS32-2R025 – it is around $6.00 vs $2.50 for the SL version but the AS version is more robust and can handle larger, more frequent surges and spikes before it breaks down, note that the legs on the AS32 are thicker than the SL so you may have to use the old legs from the fried thermistor and solder them to the new one and then to the board – depending on the size of the holes.
The Aqua Logic does not have a thermistor that I can see via the photos people posted but there is a GREAT You Tube Video showing step by step how to diagnose the problems encountered with this device – BEFORE you replace the Control Board (Very expensive) watch the video as it could be something else like the transformer – which is a lot less expensive to repair.
Chris
Russell Wright said
Thanks for all the great info, Chris!
David said
Russel,
You’ve just saved me a bunch of money. I thought I’d replace the black disc first, because it had the burnt spot on the PCB and it broke apart when I touched it. Your comments and excellent visuals give me piece of mind that I am on the right track. I’m no EE, just a telephone man with a triplett.
I’ll add your site to my favorites.
Thanks,
Dave
Dave
Russell Wright said
Always glad to hear when someone saved the big bucks! I have lots more…just need more time to write (wish someone paid me to write these).
desoto said
I have the same error message as John in Florida: “cell power error” (This is different from “no cell power”). Was wondering if John in Florida found a fix or had to replace the board.
John said
Hey Desoto,
No I haven’t replaced the board yet. I noticed when I turn off the breaker to My aqua logic, and turn back on, the light stays off for a few days at a time. In fact, it didnt come on for about 11 days, until last monday or so. I reset it, and hasn’t come back on yet. Im not sure what to make of it. I have noticed, that my breaker is loose. I plan on opening the panel and tighten it. Try to reset it by the breaker, and let me know. If by some chance you do need to replace the board soon, I found a couple on Ebay, that were going for around $ 375.00 which isn’t bad. Let me know what happens….
Hagd….
desoto said
John, Things went well since my last message. Resetting the breakers took care of it until yesterday. I got the cell power error again.
Everything was running fine. The SWG stayed on the required 30 minutes (i had it set to 50%) for the first hour of the cycle. The polarity was + the entire time. It resumed at the start of the second hour, (same polarity +) then turned off about ten minutes into it. The pump continued to run, but not the SWG. The message was “cell power error”. Resetting the breakers erased the message.
Today, the SWG ran as yesterday, + polarity again (!?!), except once it shut down, it did not resume the second hour and in fact, the diagnostics display showed 0 volts, 0 amps, 64 degrees, 0 salt and stayed that way the rest of the cycle. This is a first for me. BTW, non of the breakers seemed loose.
Any thoughts?
John said
Desoto….. Heres what a Loni said on a reply to to Dec 9th, 2009 comment above.
Loni said
March 24, 2010 at 8:31 pm
Nope. You guys are kind of talking apples and oranges. Russell has an Aqua Rite, which is JUST chlorination. John has an Aqua Logic which incorporates automated valves, lights, multiple pumps, heaters, remote controls, and just about anything else you can wire to one of the available relays. You want to put the pool in spa mode? Just press a button.
There’s no varistor on the Logic. And yes, the proper fix for a CELL POWER ERROR is to replace the board.
Personally, I think 150.00 is kind of steep for the labor. I’m in Brevard County, and even if I’m driving 30 miles each way, I still only charge a maximum of 75.00 for labor (65.00 minimum, even if you live 3 streets from me). But that’s what free enterprise is all about!
So Desoto, it seems like their is not a fix for the error. I haven’t had a message in 12 days. Some days its every 3-4 days, some days its 12 days. As far as the polarity, Ive noticed and heard that when you restart your salt cell, that it will reverse the polarity for some that I can’t remember. In fact, I think it is up above someone in the main story or reply close after. I don’t think the ploarity is a problem. Im cleaning my cell this weekend, cause I got a “inspect cell error message” and held the + to clear it and has worked fine, So I am still at a loss for the intermittent “cell power error” message. It chlorinates fine when it is working, so until it dies completely, ill just keep resetting the breaker, and keeping a eye on prices on Ebay. Replacing it should not be that hard.
Hagd….
John
desoto said
John, I haven’t had a cell power error for 3 days now. The SWG is running great lately and reverses polarity just fine. I’m joining your “reset the breaker” club until it dies completely, too. The Aqua Logic controls for everything else work great, so replacing the main board seems like overkill. You think they could make these things modular and thus cheaper to replace individual parts. I hope we can stay club members for a long time yet. Good luck.
desoto said
John,
My last cell power error was March 27th (see previous post). Since then, the unit is running perfectly. I hope it continues to do so.
Here’s what we did after that last error message on the 27th:
1. Flipped off the breakers and left them off (due to forgetfulness).
2. Next day, we unplugged the cell.
3. Flipped the breakers back on.
4. Aqualogic then told us that the cell was missing (or something to that effect).
5. Plugged the cell in
6. Aqualogic then determined that the cell was plugged in.
Since then, our AquaLogic has been behaving. I’m thinking that unplugging/plugging the cell while the power is on may trigger a reset of the software. Maybe this will work for you. Keeping my fingers crossed!
John said
Hey Desoto, I havent heard back from you to see if everything is going ok with the no cell power. I finally came across a problem. My salt PPM was going down quickly. It ained alot, so I threw in 2 40lb bags of salt, and got it up to 3300 PPM. A few days later, it was done again so I threw in 1 more bag. Well Something didnt seem right so I had the water tested and low and behold, 7900 PPM. lol I was flabberghasted. My readings say 3400, but pinch a penny said 7900. So maybe the no cell power was affecting my cell. So Im starting to think the board is going bad for the no cell power anyways.
Have you check your salt at pinch a penny or anuwhere else to see if it matches..???
Cyas…….
John
desoto said
John,
I’m sorry to hear about your salt overdose. At least that is correctable with a drain/refill. I never trust the salt level reading on my aqualogic. It is always 400 to 600 ppm less than salt test strips or the pool store test.
Your low salt readings might be because your cell needs cleaning. I know, I know, BUT hear me out. Once, my salt readings were going down quickly and got low enough for a “low salt” warning – (even though the salt tested at 3400), and after a careful inspection of the inside of my SWG, I discovered that there was a buildup of minerals, but only where the cord connects inside the cell. It was hard to see. You might invest in the cell cleaning stand, but I simply poured a little of the acid/water mix into the cell and held it at an angle where it could clean off that connection. It took about 15 minutes for the bubbling to stop. Be really careful you don’t get the acid mix on the cord or part that connects to the panel!
RE. the “cell power error”, did you try the steps in my previous post? I have had absolutely no problems since the last “cell power error” on March 27th. It’s great!
Please keep us posted.
Desoto
desoto said
The dreaded “CELL POWER ERROR” is back.
I had no problems at all since the last one on March 27. Chlorine generation has been great all summer. Then, this month (September), and “CELL POWER ERROR” keeps appearing. Each time, I run through the steps I outlined above, and the error will disappear only to return the next day, or the day after that.
I keep a log of all my pool statistics, and nothing is out of the ordinary that could explain this error.
When the error appears, the cell stops generating chlorine (of course), so the system is very unreliable for extended trips away from home. I still don’t know if the cell is bad or the board? My contact with Goldline tech support told me it could be either. Any ideas???
desotoq said
I spoke with an electronic engineer who suggested that the randomness of the “cell power error” messages might be explained by a short circuit on the circuit board, due to insects. Thinking back, our control panel was infested with earwigs when the problem first occurred. After eradicating the earwigs, the system was fine all summer.
When the error next occurred, argentine ants had set up housekeeping in the control box. We’ve since evicted them, and everything is fine once again.
So, this may be a good theory for the random occurrence.
Alan said
Thanks for the helpful post!! Too bad your excellent pictures are cut off on the right.
Russell Wright said
Which one(s) are cut off?
Howard said
I cant seem to find the part, it look likes i have the same problem/burn mark. If you have an extra and want to get rid of one please let me know.
Thanks
Russell Wright said
I’ll take a look and see if I have any extras.
Regina said
Hi Russell,
I had the same problem, and because I’m in the Bahamas it was a bit more difficult to order the varistor – it came via friends of friends in Ohio, who were on their way to a vacation, and we met them when they were getting on the boat at seven in the morning…. and then, I do a lot of things, but have never soldered. I thought a give it a try, but when the old part wouldn’t come loose, we went to a friend who replaced it over a glass of wine. I just reinstalled the board, it works perfectly, thanks you, thank you, thank you!
And excellent described, with the pictures….!
Guy said
I have one that the numbers are all over the place, it had 3000 on it , i had the water checked and they said it was 2400 , it has never been off that much so i reset the board now i have numbers 4500 after puttting in a bag of salt , help help
Russell Wright said
My guess is you have a bad cell. How old is your cell and is it clean? I’ve found if you “overclean” with acid water sometimes they never quite work the same…
Bernie said
You can try calibrating your board by testing the salt level manually (with test strips or at a pool supply store), and then following Russell’s instructions in the original post. Your manual test will tell you where to set the default level. If that doesn’t work, it is likely that your cell has had it.
Loni said
You cannot “set the default level”. When you flip the switch up to SuperChlorinate while the instant/actual salt level is displayed, it recalibrates the unit. When you hold the button in for 5 seconds it resets it. You cannot set any levels other than the percentage of chlorine.
desoto said
Guy,
Don’t worry too much. You can drain some water to get rid of some salt, then add more water to dilute the salt a bit more. It may take a few tries. Always test your water with test strips before adding salt. Your SWG relies on other variables to calculate the salt level, including water temperature, so the readouts you get aren’t to be relied on.
You actually get two readouts on some units. Mine gives a reading in the “default” mode that is actually an average salt reading. You can reset this in the diagnostics mode. (check your manual). In the “diagnositics” mode, it’s the actual current salt reading.
Good luck.
Loni said
The unit, when working properly, is more accurate than strips or a meter BECAUSE of the way it calculates it (temperature and amperage). I always tell customers that you should see a marked improvement in your salt level after adding just one bag of salt (our pools are small here in Florida), and allowing up to one week for it to all dissolve properly unless you want to run it for 2-3 days straight. If they don’t, I tell them to have their salt checked at their local pool store before they add more to make sure the unit is operating properly. There are also cell test stations available throughout the country now. Go to GoldlineControls.com and click on Product Support, then Find Authorized Service Center, and don’t forget to click “Cell Tester” as your Purpose of Search.
Cheryl said
Russell, thanks for taking the time to start this thread, especially with pictures. I think this page could save a lot of people some money. I’ll be sending someone over who smells something burning and is being told by the Hayward techs that he needs a new board. At least he can check it out before ordering it!
Cheryl
Randy Whaley said
Yes I am having same problem too. Can I get one of those varistors from you. I would appreciate it.
Lynn said
Guys…this information was the most valuable i have gotten in a long time…my electrician came out in Dec to put in a freeze guard and at that time i turned off the aqua rite for the winter. I started it all back up a few weeks back and NO POWER. i called him back out and he said the board was bad. i search the internet and found this post. With the help of my IT guy at work (soldering tools), a new SL32-2R025 from Digkey i am back in business….Spent about $15 bucks total…Thanks a bunch
Eli said
Hi All,
my electrician connected 240 volts to my salt generater and it started smoking took it apart and the part i burnt is the one between bottom left screw and the power input screws it is that red dot it says beside it RZ2 but cant find it nor know what it is can anyone help please
thanks
eli-d@hotmail.com
Loni said
That red dot is the surge protection that’s built into the board. If you had the jumpers set for 120V and hooked up 240V, that would do it! For 120V the top two and bottom two need to be jumpered. If it’s 240V, you just stack both Jumpers on screws 2 and 3.
Eli said
sorry dint read properly great post thank you all will attempt to change my V150LA2P.
bob said
This solution worked on my unit as well. The burn mark was actually on the back of the board, so not evident when I opened up the box. I had a little trouble desoldering the old disc, but once I replaced the failed disc, I was back in service and running like a champ! One tip, take a picture of your board before removing any wires – this made it easy for me to confirm I had put everything back together properly. Thanks for posting this solution and saving me a few hundred $$$.
Russell Wright said
I like taking LOTS of pictures. Really helps me in my old age! 🙂
Isaac Mitchell said
Russell, I think this is really going to help me, my parts are on their way and the PCA is pulled. However do you know if the PCA is RoHS compliant or Tin/Lead? This will make a difference in solder.
Thanks much for your help.
Isaac
Russell Wright said
Not a clue. I have lots of good Sn/Pb solder left from “the good ‘ole days!”
Isaac Mitchell said
Should more folks need help finding the, SL32 2R025 they can be found at;
http://www.newark.com/ametherm/sl32-2r025/ntc-thermistor/dp/72J6846?Ntt=SL322R025
2.15 each plus shipping, not a bad deal considering.
Bill said
Thanks Russell,
You just saved me 200+ dollars. Scenario and fix just as you described.
Bill Wooten
GaTech BSEE ’84
Adam said
Replaced the varistor on mine, fixed it. Thanks! Wish I’d looked for this problem on the internet before the Leslies technician came out and charged me $90 for 3 mins work to tell me the main board was bad, and a replacement was $460!
Ken said
Russell,
I had almost the same Aqua Rite problem: all electrical connections & voltages were fine, the display was working, but all of the indicator lights were out. I could power the unit down for 15 min. or so and on restart the power LED would light up for 2-3 min. then go out. I had a friend that had replaced his entire control box last year, so I removed the ICL from his old board and replaced mine. The unit now works like new, I recalibrated the average salt reading and it is generating fine. Thanks to your blog, I tried your suggestion and saved a bundle.
Thanks again,
Ken
Peter said
Exactly the same problem here, and about to order a new board. I am ordering the varistors first!
Thank you so much.
Peter
Tucson, AZ
Henry said
Russell,
Thank you for this invaluable information. I just replaced the varistor on my Aqua rite and it’s working fine. You have indeed save many people LOT’S of $$$$$$$$. I ordered “10” varistors and have left overs for anyone who may need one. It’s easy to replace and reinstall the board.
Regards,
Henry
Rob Williams said
Henry: where can I find the varistor’s? I just found out my board is out, havent not taken it apart yet, but have a feeling it’s the same issues as everyone else on here.
Thanks Russ for the blog! Not an EE, but in the mortgage business and if world had as many good people posting “do it yourself” blogs to help out others, the world would be a much better place. Right now a new board stings the pocketbook!!!!
Rob said
Thank God I found this fix. I won’t bore you with all the details but my system was down. I ordered the varisitor from ebay, installed it and WALA, up and running again.
Thanks Russell….
Randy S said
I have a Aquarite that was continuely giving me a -pcb- error, I used the procedure to reset it and for a while that worked, then I started getting funny readings. Like the instant salt reading would read -2700 but when it switched to the normal reading it would say 800, and then give me a -pcb- error. I cleaned the cell (T-15) powered the unit down and was still having the same problem the same problem. I order the varistor from digikey and replaced it. When I turned it on for the first time I got a salt reading of 800 and the the -pcb- error. I managed to check the salt using the instant salt procedure which told me the salt leave was -3400 but when it went to the normal reading it said 1700. With the unit in then off position the unit continued to read 1700 when I switch it to the on position it will generator for a few seconds then I get the -pcb- error again. Based on the 1700 reading I added salt, now I get a instant salt reading of 4000, a normal reading of 2000 and now I get a “hi” error and all 4 led lights lite up. I powered off the unit and power it back on it flashes 2000, then HI, then all the lights turn solid and I can’t do anything else with it. Any suggestion?
Loni said
Aside from the PCB error (proper fix – replace board), it sounds like you over-salted your pool. The reading you refer to as “normal” is actually an “average”. Every time the unit switches polarity, it takes a salt reading and averages it into the average, to give you a new average. So as your board was failing, it had a 0 salt reading. You average the 0 with the 3400 you had, and you then got 1700. You added more salt, bumping it up to 4000, which is to high (as indicated by the HI error). Difference between 3400 and 4000 is 600, which explains why the average then went up to 2000. 1700 plus 300 = 2000 (half of the increase because it’s averaged).Always go by your instant salt reading – the one with the minus sign on the left.
Jim said
Thanks Russell for the superb set of instructions and photos, and to the other EE types who joined in this thread for the help in purchasing the component.
I just got mine from Dig-Key and an hour later I’m back in business. (Extra time required…Industrial Engineer…soldering skills never a forte’).
When I stumbled on your post, I was trolling around for used or cheaper board…but never expected to repair for less than 10 bucks.
It’s a shame Aqua-Rite can’t/won’t explaining that this component is the likely problem and easily replaced.
Thanks again Russell! Great post.
johnnyspc said
I have the Aqua Logic PS-8.
Was damaged from lightning….I now am reading communication error. Reset circuit breakers after waiting the required 5-10 seconds…No help….
I read that there is no varistor in this panel.
Any ideas on a fix for this????.
Thank you
Loni said
Unplug the display connector from the board, plug it back in, and see if that does the trick. If not, remove the display and check the cable’s connectors and wires to see if something fried and is shorting out. If not, the proper fix is to replace the board.
Cut power to the box (not just IN the box) to avoid all possibilities of electrocution. And I fully disclaimer myself from all liability for this free advice!
chad said
I replaced two varistors on two boards and both are bad. Any suggestions? Had to replace board for customer. ($389.19 total)
other “cell power” issue may be relay on board.
chad said
after second test from someone who knew how to do it the cell was bad.
Dave said
We had a a recent electrical storm that blew out the varistor on my PCB; I followed your instructions and voila, problem fixed. Thanks. I just wish I could have found an easy fix for my booster pump that failed the same weekend; had to replace it (although I suspect there was a cheaper alternative).
wagshaus said
Goldline Controls. AquaRite. Main PCB Repair.
Excellent site, thank you. Saved me $350.
I had the same issue as described above except display was reading 3600, with no power and no generating lights on. Upon first look, there was a burned spot at the base of the varistor, looking further, the varistor was crispy. Ordered a new varistor plus a spare from Newark, and fixed the problem in about 10 minutes for under $5.
Mike said
Thanks for the info. You saved me from buying a new pc board. When I reinstalled the pc boards I only had a partial LCD read-out. Then I discovered that while I was working on the soldering, the top pc board had separated from the bottom board at the pin connection, and when they were pushed back together, one of the long pin connectors to the top pc board had bent, and was not inserted into the connector. When I fixed that, everything worked great.
Rand in San Antonio said
Russ, we had a storm the other night and I turned off my pump and Aqua Rite control box. About a day or so later I went out to turn it back on and found that the control panel, with the lights, were all out. I thought that strange since it was fine the day or so before. I then switched the pump power switch on and off. The only lights that lit up were the Inspect Cell LED for one flash and the No Flow LED for about one minute before going out. It was getting late so I let it go until I could talk with the people I bought the pool from the next day.
I called my pool technical support and they immediately told me without LEDs it is a PCB problem and it needed to be replaced at $217 (prorated) and that it was $85 the first 30 minutes for the service call, plus $85 after that. Well, I’m no cheapskate but this was too much for me to accept. I immediately called Goldlines tech support and basically got the same answer, they were no help. Their cost for the replacement was about the same and I still would have to go through someone local that serviced Goldline products. That’s when I stated looking for others like myself who may have had similar experiences with their salt systems.
Although I’m no EE, I am a retired aircraft avionics tech from the Air Force and was an instructor soldering instructor, so I said what the heck I would try and see if I could repair it myself.
Taking the advice from Russ and others I found on line, I too removed my Aqua Rite cover. As I painstakingly looked over the circuit board I notice some brown spots on the PCB in the upper right corner around the leads of a black disc shaped component (P/N SL32 2R025). I couldn’t find any other areas of concern. The disk itself appeared cracked down the middle and the board was brown in the pin area. I figured the weather may have taken it out and was my problem. Now I am looking for the P/N for this component with outside kinked leads. However, if it doesn’t matter, which is what I’m gathering from the conversation, I will try the straight leads and see what happens. I found that the black disk is Inrush Current Limiter component, and it must have had too much of a power surge for some reason and failed (burned). I can only hope that this is the problem and not a result of the problem. I will let all know next week or so once I get the parts and my soldering done. Thanks for all the info…
The only other question is do I have to do any type of calibration to the Aqua Rite? I do not have the Jandy Aqua Link system.
David B. Hilton said
I can’t believe that the original post could have been an exact duplicate of what happened to my AquaRite board. The only difference was that I had only one blinking lite (RS Link) and that was it. I called Goldline Tech Support and the tech had me go out to the board and run it through some diagnostics. When we got to the voltage display, my reading was very low. I don’t remember exactly, but it was below 15. The tech said I should be getting at least 30, so my “board was bad” and needed to be replaced. Ugh! I searched all over the web for a decent price from a RELIABLE supplier. $250.00, before tax/shipping & handling, was about the average price I could find from places I’ve done business with before. Incidently, my local pool & supply store (a national chain that has a woman’s name in it) wanted over $450.00! I decided to order the Varistor from Digi-Key (www.digikey.com) on line. Part No. 570-1062-ND is listed as a “Current Limiter Inrush 2 OHM 25A”. The unit price was $2.64. I bought two just in case “Mr. Thumbs” made a mistake. Needless to say, the varistors arrived in three days and I followed the original posted directions. I disconnected the board, removed the old varistor (it fell apart too when I pulled on it slightly), put in the new one, reconnected the board – all in less than 30 minutes. The actual varistor replacement takes only about 10 minutes! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO SHARE THIS ON THE WEB. YOU SAVED ME A BUNDLE OF MONEY (That I didn’t have)
Jim Donati said
EE here too. I troubleshot the same issue with the same results prior to reading this post. Just a few quick suggestions though: To make sure you don’t have any further PBC problems, briefly short out the leads to the varistor with a small gauge wire to make sure the rest of the PCB didn’t sustain a failure. The wire may get warm but shouldn’t get hot. If the unit comes to life as normal, you’re good to go with replacing the varistor. Also, I’ve found that Newark has the varistor for cheaper.
rswhite said
Your info saved me the cost of buying a PCB,,,MY board was exactly the same as you described…with the exception of the 15 minute desolder/solder steps)LOL). I ordered the part on a Monday afternoon from DIGI-KET ($2.64 plus usps mail cost) had it my hand by Wed. afternoon…removed,repared, installed and back in operation. Whoooppeee!
Eric Lier said
Russel,
Many thanks for the excellent tutorial for repair of the GLX PCB. I too live in a lightning belt, Lynn Haven, FL and my PCB RZ3 fried also. Got the suggested replacement part from Newark Elex and had a friend of mine with a solder station install it. The system has been up and running for 3 days now and the cell voltage and current look fine.
Thanks again for the informative writeup.
Rick Lier
Darryl said
I have a slightly different problem that I was wondering if I could get help with. I have an aqua rite system and the default display is no longer the salt value, it’s the percentage setting. I caught a comment from Loni in one of the replies that said to remove and put back the display board. That peaked my interest about what he knows because when I called goldline tech support, they made a comment about it sounding like the display board needed to be reseated (not resetted, reseated). He would give no further details because he cannot advise consumers to open a panel with dangerous voltages present. I am an Electronic Tech and have no problems servicing such hardware, but I do need to know what I’m looking for. I have removed and reseated the display board (with the power off) but nothing changed. Any other suggestions?
Thanks.
Loni said
Johnnyspc has an Aqua Logic, which uses a different display which prints error messages right on the display. Totally different animal and display. So I DON’T have any insider info. I’ve never run into a situation like you described. I would have suggested you leave the circuit breakers off for 3 minutes, as that will sometimes straighten out as rogue unit doing bizarre things, but you’ve already done that when you were re-seating the display. You made sure the first hole on the back lined up with the first pin, right? …and by the way… I’m a she, not a he, but the mistake is understandable 🙂
Keith said
Since it seems other techies are here.. My T-Cell-15 Salt Cell looks to be bad. The pool is only 14K gallons, but it appears that my panel has the old (2008/earlier) firmware, so I can’t buy a T-Cell-3 @ $215, I’d have to buy a T-Cell-15 for around $500 (give or take a deal I might find).
After searching, I found a new PCB advertised for around $200.. Can I replace the PCB (re-use the case, power supply, and display board) with the GLX-PCB-RITE and then just buy the T-Cell-3? Seems like $415 is better and then if the cell fails it is a lot cheaper to replace? Has the display board changed? Anyone know?
Ideas? (the cell is 3+ years old, it is fried, had it tested at Leslie’s)
Russell Wright said
I’m not familiar with the differences, but perhaps someone else with some more detailed experience on the difference between the two will comment.
Loni said
Yes! If you just swap out the board with a revision 1.50 or later, you can use any of the cells currently available, including the T-Cell-3. Don’t forget to set the new board to match the cell. You don’t have to change out anything else in the box. You COULD also use a T-Cell-5 with your existing board. You’d just have to pull a jumper off the board (under the display). Cut all power and follow all safety precautions, of course, and understand I fully disclaimer myself from all liability for this free advice!
Kory said
I am going to do the same thing as Keith. I’m particularly interested in what Loni said, “set the new board to match the cell”. What does that mean? Are there configuration settings that can be accessed on the display that I should record before I swap out the new board? Any other important info about replacing the PCB’s? And Loni, are you saying that I could use my existing board (manufactured in 2003) with a T-Cell-5 by simply removing a jumper?!? If so, which one? Help! Thanks in advance.
Loni said
There will be instructions in the box with the board on how to set it to match the cell. All you’ll need to do is press the diagnostics button until you get to the cell setting. I believe it comes factory default set to “t-15” (for a T-Cell-15). Once you see that on the screen, you can cycle through the 4 different cell types by sliding the switch up to Superchlorinate and then back down to Auto. You repeat the process until your cell type is displayed, and then just leave the switch back in the auto position. You don’t need to note anything else (they’re mostly readings, not settings), as long as your Aqua Rite does NOT interface with an AUTOMATED control system. If it DOES, you should note the AL-n setting (where n equals a number). YES, you can use a T-Cell-5 with your old, existing Aqua Rite board. Once you remove the display, you’ll see two jumpers underneath it (rev 1.40 and below). Pull off the bottom one, labeled J4, and you’ve just told the board there’s a T-Cell-5 attached (the two dots represent the UNjumpered pins). You’ll see the printing right on the PCB explaining. Of course: cut power first, I’m not liable, blah, blah, blah.
Michelle said
The problem with my AquaRite is somewhat different. It has been finicky off and on for a while. Now each day when the pool automaticaly comes in, the AquaRite does not. (We have an AquaLink RS controlling it.) I go outside to the AquaRite box and all four red lights are flashing and there is nothing in the display box. Previously when it did that if I turned off and restarted the pool it would usually work. Now it takes repeated times and usually still won’t start working. Sometimes in restarting it all green lights blink instead of the red lights, but still no display. It has eventually started up yesterday and today after cutting the power and inspecting the PCB and varistor, then restarting the pool. The varistor does not look burned or bad at all, nor does anything else on the PCB or display board. Should I still try replacing the varistor? Also, when it is working I have checked all the diagnostics and everything is as it should be.
Russell Wright said
Are you sure you have a good cell? Perhaps the flow sensor in the cell is bad.
Rand in San Antonio said
Michelle, when my cell went bad it gave low salt readings and when I increased the salt in the pool it never showed any increase in the digital read out on the control panel. I took the cell to my pool dealer and they troubleshot it by doing an all acid cleaning (which you can do on your own). It consists of putting the cell bottom cap on and filling cell with straight acid for 1 hour, then retry back online. But in my case the salt sensor in the cell was bad and they replaced my whole cell (on warranty at the time). Now if all your lights on the circuit board are on inconsistantly, this indicates the board has a circuit going bad and needs replaced, if you can’t determine which you will need to replace whole board. There are checks you can perform to help determine what you have going on, i.e. multimeter and visual indications (burns, cracking, grounding, power surges) that may help find the cause. Note that the varistor normally will show a visual issue if you decide to go for this first, doesn’t sound like you found any problem there, but take out a magifying glass and I’ll bet this helps you find the problem…
Russell Wright said
Very good point, Rand. It is important that the cell is clean. I’ve had this happen to multiple cells and I’ve acid cleaned them according to the instructions I was given by Goldline. They recommended using a diluted acid wash. I have an old chlorine container that I use and fill it with acid/water and soak the cell to remove the deposits. There is a procedure that Goldline/Hayward recommends on this. I hadn’t heard of using full strength muriatic pool acid…I thought this might damage the cell. But, maybe it doesn’t if you keep it out of the cord area.
Loni said
You should not use straight acid to clean a cell, and -I- would not recommend letting it sit in a straight acid solution for an hour. Sure, that will get the cell really clean, but it can prematurely kill it. If possible, you should avoid using acid on the cell at all to get the maximum life out of it. You should remove the cell every 2-3 weeks, inspect it (hold it to the sun and move it back and forth making sure you can CLEARLY see all the way through each blade), and spray off any deposits with a good nozzle on your garden hose. If you can get to the scale while it is still soft, you can spray it off. If it sets, it hardens, and an acid washing is necessary to dissolve the deposits. If you inspect a few times every 2-3 weeks and see no deposits, stretch out the time between inspections. You’ll soon learn how often YOU need to inspect and spray YOUR cell. If an acid washing is necessary, start with 4 parts water to 1 part acid. When the bubbling stops, the cell is clean – remove it, hose it, replace it. Don’t let it sit in the solution longer than necessary. Everything except the connector on the end of the cord can be submerged in the solution. If you’ve let the cell go for some time, or it’s exceptionally scaled, you can go to a 3:1 solution, but never stronger than 2:1. Also note that the side where the cord is attached will always have a bit more scale. Keeping your pH in check is the easiest way to keep scaling to a minimum.
Loni said
There is no flow sensor in the cell. That’s the job of the flow switch. Michelle, since the problem is an intermittent one, did you check to make sure the wires from the AquaLink to the Aqua Rite were in good condition, and securely attached to the terminal bar (red or black with 4 small screws on top) on the Aqua Rite board?
Michelle said
It is still very intermittent, mostly not working, sometimes working. Looked at board again (not yet with magnifying glass) and all seems well. We had checked the wires previously too. My husband says every time he has checked the cell it is clean, but I guess we will do that again. We also have an extra flow sensor switch we can try. But I forgot to mention in my original post that I had called AquaRite and they had said it could not be the cell or the flow sensor with what I described, it was definitely the board. Who knows. I will post back results after the cell checking and cleaning if needed and flow sensor switch replacement. Thanks for everyone’s help.
Michelle said
Yesterday we cleaned and soaked the cell with a 4:1 acid wash (even though it didn’t look the least bit dirty and did not bubble) and replaced the flow switch, and what do you know, so far it is working perfectly. I would imagine the problem we had was due to a bad flow switch, even though the AquaRite company said no way it could be that, it had to be the board. They are just SO helpful!
Michelle said
Don’t believe what AquaRite tells you when they say your board is bad and it couldn’t be the flow switch. It was DEFINITELY the flow switch because everything is working fine now for almost two weeks.
StrohMan said
I have been having issues with blown fuses, sometimes they blow in a day other time they will last a week. Been reading this post and took a look at the referenced varistor it does not show darkened areas on the board but it is extremely hot. Some of the coating on the board is peeling in the area of this device as well. I ordered the varistor so I will see if that helps.
Rand in San Antonio said
Russ, I was able to fix my Aqua Rite control circuit board by resolding in a new SL32-2R025-B I was able to order on eBay, about $10 and some change. I saved about $300 plus on doing it myself. Thanks for all the info…I now try to monitor the weather and shut down the pool power during bad weather, like this coming storm we are suppose to get in the gulf. I was also able to calibrate my Aqua Rite, but it was only to switch off, Auto, to super chlorinate, back to Auto. Appeared to reset the box…Thanks for your help…
Chris said
I had a “no light issue” but still had power and able to see some stats. Obviously, no chlorination. I looked at the cell and it looked clean, I was wondering if the cell was still working because of the bad reading (1600 ppm, but there is about 2800 ppm). I took the control box apart, looked at the SL32 02R025 part and it looks OK. I just ordered it from Digi-Key. I’ll replace it and we’ll see. I’ll keep you posted on the results.
I bought the system in 2007.
Chris said
I received the part SL32-2R025-B today. I replaced it and it fixed the issue. I had some doubt prior to the replacement of the Varistor since I had no burn on the plastic standoff. It seems like it didn’t get as hot as the first example on this page.
When I removed the varistor from the board with a soldering iron, it literally fell apart in pieces. Installing it was not a big deal if you’re familiar with soldering…a 15 minute job. The moment of truth was when I re-installed the board and powered it all back up. Worked like a hose!
So you’ll know, I’m in Montreal/ Canada and the ordering/receiving of the part with DigiKey took about 3 days (Shipped from the US).
Total cost of the repair: around 11$
Thanks for the good information.
Ignacio Ospino said
Chris,
Where did you get it from?
I got long lead times (47 days) everywhere.
Ignacio
Jim said
Chris you said you had no lights but the LED screen with info was working? I’ve replaced the varistor a few years ago and fixed my problem but I don’t remember all the lights being out. Today I have the same problem you described. Info screen works, no chlorine generated, no lights. I have a spare part 570-1019-ND so I will give it another shot.
StrohMan said
I replaced the varistor and after a couple of weeks running the system works perfectly, no more blown fuses!
Ignacio Ospino said
StrohMan,
Where did you get the varistor from?
ospino@tampabay.rr.com
StrohMan said
Obtained mine from Newark Electronics Part No:
SL32 2R025d.
Rob Williams said
Russell:
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Much appreciated.
I ordered the SL32 2R025 at Digi-Key (their part #570-1062-ND), but they did not have stock and they were backordered. Looked all over town and it appears this item is HOT right now. Digi-Key was extremely helpful and cross referenced their part number to another. Part number 570-1019-ND. The 1019 is +/- 25 Tolerance, but will work. So I ordered it and installed, works like a charm. I couldnt wait with this Texas heat that long as my pool is starting to turn green.
Bottom line Russell, you kicked started it for me and I am very greatful I have found your blog. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Rob
Ignacio Ospino said
Hi Russel,
I’m in the same situation. Only, I can not get the SLR. I read you got 4 of them. Could you sell me one of theM.
I hope you read this soon.
Please email me at ospino@tampabay.rr.com
Jason said
unfortunately I found this site before purchasing a new board.
would it be possible for someone to post a pic of the insides of the board. after mis-reading the service bulletin on the fuse change, i inadvertantly pulled the orange wire off it’s post on one of the upper junctions and don’t remember where it was supposed to be. I know the left transformer wire goes to the new board, but the right yellow and orange wires are a total loss on where they belong.
Loni said
If your rectifiers are properly positioned with the cutouts in the lower right corners, the orange wire goes on the upper right post of the rectifier closer to the PCB. The yellow wire goes to the bottom left post of the other rectifier. Cut all power… I’m not liable, etc.
Bill said
My varistor and fuse were taken out as well. The fuseholder was toast. I’ve replaced them both. I never took pictures when I took the board out of the box six months ago, and I’m not 100% sure how it all goes back together. My rectifiers are properly positioned. Rectifier closest to PCB is missing wire on top right position. Recitifer furthest away from PCB is missing wire on bottom left position, and orange wire going to top right position is not connected on other end. I have a loose black wire with a friction sta-kon style connector on one end and a crimped loop on the other. One yellow wire from transformer goes to bottom left position of closest rectifier, and second yellow wire from transformer is not connected, but it has both sides of the sta-kon connector attached, the male side (without the wire) also having a doughnut which looks like it’s meant to be perhaps riveted or screwed to chassis ground. This second yellow wire also looks like it took some heat. I understand I am solely liable. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Loni said
Bill, I don’t check the boards as regularly as I’d like, so I’ll assume you got your answer. If I’m wrong and you’re still not up and running, post a reply to this and I’ll make sure I check back when I get the email.
AK Morgan said
Hi ! Had a huge lightning strike last eve, think it hit the house, kicked a breaker for my upstairs bedrooms, even kicked the breaker that the pool circuit is on..I reset the breaker and the pump worked fine, but when i checked my Aquarite chlorinator, I have nothing. no power light, no display, absolutely nothing..could it be the fuse? am not a terribly good techy guy, but can follow instructions pretty well… so appreciate any direction/ideas.. thanks!..
Loni said
Yup. Absolutely could be the fuse. Keep your fingers crossed! Older units have an external fuse on the bottom rear right of the box. Push up slightly, give it a 1/4 turn and pull it out. Reinsert by pushing up slightly and giving the 1/4 turn, making sure it’s secure before you power up again. Newer boards (late 2004/early 2005) have a yellow fuse on the board. You’ll have to remove the two screws, then the cover plate. There’s a cut out in top center for your finger to pull the cover forward enough to lift it up and out of the way. The yellow fuse is on the lower right portion of the board.
casey tackett said
Ok so i changed out this Varistor. However on my Aquarite T-15 i also changed out the Little square resistors on the back wall. Well in my brilliance and with my lack of understanding of wiring these resistors i disconnected them and installed them and a couple wires came off so i put them back on the best way i thought they went. However now the unit works but it is getting very hot. I’m almost certain that it’s how i have the square blocks wired on the back wall. Does anyone or can someone take a picture of these and send it too me so i know if i have it wired correctly or not. If i knew how to olm them out or how they are wired inside i would just do that but i can’t find any information on them online and i am limited on my knowledge.
Also this post seems to be the most informative of what i have seen online. I love the pics. Just what i needed 🙂
Casey
Loni said
Black Orange Black X
X Red / Yellow Red /
—————-/ ——————/
That’s as you’re facing them. The “/” is supposed to signify the cutouts on the rectifiers, in their proper position.
Loni said
Well, that didn’t translate very well in the post. It removed my empty spaces. Hopefully you can make sense of it!
drwa g said
HI THERE. my aqua rite displays light in red saying no flow for 15 sec, then it goes off and the green light says generating but after 10 sec light comes off even if motor is running. water is very low on chlorine. please help…
Loni said
You didn’t state what your instant salt reading is (the one where the minus sign is on the left), if you had it checked at your local pool store and what they read it as, if you cleaned your cell, if any other lights come on when the generating light goes out…
ward d said
HI THERE. my aqua rite displays light in red saying no flow for 15 sec, then it goes off and the green light says generating but after 10 sec light comes off even if motor is running. water is very low on chlorine. please help…
allen said
would really APPRECIATE some help..need to find a new board, howver, mine is 5 yrs old and the numbers don’tmatch up with what some suppliers have..where are you all getting your boards? just the circuit boards are aroudn $180 but they don’t include the DISPLAY BOARD???? didn’t realize that. should I get that also? that adds another $130…to it..anyway, advice is apreciate..
thanks!
Chris M said
Hey, sounds like I have the same exact problem. I am having a hard time finding a varistor to order without doing bulk quantities. None listed on ebay. Any ideas or do you have any left? I know it has been a year since you ordered them, but thought I would ask.
AJ said
I have owned an Aqua Rite system for about 5 years. Last year I replaced the generator for the first time. Ever since I have been blowing fuses quite frequently. Any ideas as to why this is happening and what can be done to correct. When I put a new fuse in the lights will come on for a minute and then fade out. If I remove the fuse and put it back in they come back on. Could this be the same problem. I have not inspected the board to see if it is the resistor.
kathy said
VERY helpful blog. After reading, went and looked at my control board and the black disc in the upper right corner is cracked and the panel face right behind it is black and peeling.
Question (probably will sound dumb): to solder a new transistor onto the circuit board, do I need to remove the entire board first, or can it be done with the power just turned off?
Russell Wright said
Need to remove all power and remove the board. DO NOT try and do anything to it without removing it first. It will be nearly impossible (and you may hurt yourself)!
Nh said
Help! I installed a new pcb board before I read this article. I decided to reinstall my old board with this fix but I can’t remember how to wire the rectifiers since the new board used a different wiring and fuse system. I desperately néed to know the wiring configuration for the fuse holder (does orange go on the long post of the fuseholder or the base) and the black red and orange configuration on the rectifiers. I tried to figure it out from one of the posts above but I can’t really. Can I please have some guidance or a photo of the rectifier and fuse holder? I know I am an idiot for not taking a picture first!!!!
Thanks!!!
Scott said
Russell,
I was able to repair my Mineral Springs unit with these instructions. Thanks for posting them. I ordered the replacement thermister from Digikey, took the board and replacement part to a local TV repair shop, and was back up and running. Recalibrating was tricky for me. I kept resetting the unit before the mineral count stopped moving down. I’d end up with a setting that was either too low (2100) or too high (HI). I tried your recal. instructions, and everything is a go!
Regarding my system, I have had it since the summer of ’07. I lost my original salt cell to cold weather (frozen solid, and cracked case due to ice expansion). It still works, but I could never get it sealed. I purchased a used cell, which lasted about a year, then it started giving me bad salt readings (salt too low). I replaced it with a CompuPool cell, and that has been working well, so far.
All The Best,
Scott
Marshall said
If anyone want to get a new board for a rite on logic email me for the best price
Greg Hogan said
Awesome! Ordered part, plus one extra for no confidence level, soldered in, re calibrated, and it actually worked! Total cost for the extra and shipping, $15. You now have a friend in Massachusetts if you ever need a place to stay. Thanks.
Justin said
You just saved another board. Digi-Key 570-1019-ND was in stock. Many, many, many thanks. Next time you’re in Shreveport I owe you a beer. -JB
Rick Hines said
Man you were right on it ten min. its fixed
if any body can not find the part i have 8 extra ones SL32-2R025 i had to order Ten buy them e mail me at rickhines@live.com
kathy said
Russell – your brains and our willingness to try it just saved a bunch of money, and hassle! I got my part from Digi-Key, too. One mistake I made was soldering too delicately. The fix lasted about a week before the weight of the black disc was too heavy for my solder. When I re-did it, I did three things – shortened the length of the metal legs, and bent the disc backwards a bit (rather than 90 degrees) to reduce the ‘lever’ action of gravity, and then used much bigger puddles on the solder. I had noticed that the original was installed angled back, but thought it looked nice and neat with a 90 degree bend in the wires – now I know! Thanks again from another fan.
kathy said
Oh – one more question – does anyone know if the clear coating that burned up is important, and if so, what would you use over the copper plate? Would clear nail polish work? So far I’ve left it alone.
bill said
Thank you!! I was experiencing all the same problems as most of you and sure enough I had a burned out part. Ordered the part overnight and was up and running the next day. I was told by my local GoldLine repair man I was looking at $350 for the board and labor. I ordered the part from Newark and even ordered 2 extra!
Thanks a million!!!
Scott said
Greetings,
It’s been a month, but today I noticed that my display is showing “hot”. Anyone have an idea of what that means?
TIA,
Scott
marshall said
you need a new cell i have them for 400 3 year warranty
Scott said
I contacted Compupool, and they replaced my cell under warranty. Worked the rest of the season. I’m getting ready to reinstall it in March, and get ready for Summer!
marshall said
I have new pcb boards and new t-cells call me at 404-926-6169
Greg said
Had the same burnout Varistor & after a little research here & other trouble shooting boards started looking around for pricing. DIGIKEY charged $2.64 ea. MOUSER & a couple others did not carry it. Checked online with AMETHERM, the manufacturer,& does not sale directly to the public but they have 4 distributors. NEWARK ELECTRONICS was listed & was the same co. given to me by a local electronics co. Plugged in the PN SL32-2R025 & they had it. 400 of them & I was able to buy 1 or more. Bought 2, in case I screwed up. I am a nurse & have never soldered anything, so I was a little nervous. But since the part was $1.98 + tax & shipping= $9.73, I fig. this was worth a shot. Bought I 30 watt soldering iron 5 PIECE KIT from RADIOSHCK. Total cost $8.69.Project cost $18.42. The whole board online was $200-270 so I saved $181.58-251.58 & that does not include the cost hiring an installer, another $100. Received the part like NEWARK said, UPS ground ship out of GA, in 2-3 days. I ordered 7:30PM CST last Friday 9/24/10, & it was at my door when I came home from work yesterday @ 4:20PM. I hope I helped.
Goldline Temperature Sensors Glx said
[…] Repairing My Aqua Rite PCB (GLX-PCB-RITE) that was Damaged by … GLX-PCB-MAIN. I talked to goldline and they said there was a board problem cause it says, “cell power error” I can turn the whole system off and turn back on and it will be ok for a day or two, then it comes back. But in my case the salt sensor in the cell was bad and they replaced my whole cell (on warranty at the time). Now if all your lights on the circuit board are on inconsistantly, this indicates the board has a circuit going bad and needs replaced, […]
Mando said
My dog went inside my equipment area and chewed up the cord from the T15 cell to the goldline box. I was going to try and re-solder the wires together, but there are two identical black wires and 2 white wires with no markings. Is there a way to get prints for this? The two black and white wires are the thicker ones so they are more than likely the current/voltage wires and I would hate to cross them and take a chance on shorting something out, namely the PCB. Is there a site I can go to to get some prints? I did not find them on the Goldline website. Thanks
Mando said
Can you by just the cord to the T15 cell?
marshall said
No But I can sale you a new cell at the best price 404-926-6169
Lee said
What kind of price can you sell a new cell for? Please email me at ljp-newcell@spamex.com
Thanks,
Lee
Russell Wright said
Not in the business. Only a humble homeowner.
Lee said
Russell, My question was for Marshall who posted that he can get the best price.
David said
Can some upload a picture of the inside of the panel I was replacing my board and one of the connectors came off the to rectifiers mounted at the top right of the box can someone please post a pic of where the yellow and orange wires connect on the cabinet mounted rectifiers?
thanks!!!
Mark said
Great story. I replaced my motherboard. DO you know who buys the old boards for refurbishment?
Nan Abelson said
I have the Aqua Rite system and found that the power and no flow lights are the only two on. I realized the gray wire from the flow switch that I assume should plug into the telephone type adapter, under the box, were on the ground. Is there a way to get the wire (split on end with red and black) back into the telephone type adapter or will I have to replace the flow switch? I already received a quote for $202 for just the switch….
marshall said
Go to my web site http://www.spasandpools.com/p-320-hayward-goldline-replacement-flow-swith.aspx they are 98 dollars and you can screw it into the pipe your self
Ronnie said
I have a Aqualogic PS-8 when I power up panel all 8 relays close and everything turns on but there is no functionality on the keypads the keypad displays work and i can go into programming and all the other features but the buttons to turn system on or off, lights, pump, valves, filters do not work what would cause the relays not to function and how could i fix this with out having to replace the board
Paul said
Russell,
Thanks for the info. I think this will solve my problem. Not having even a basic knowledge of solding techniques, I was wondering do I clip of the old SL32 a quarter inch before the board and solder the new unit to the wires that are still attached to the PCB.
Russell Wright said
Normally you “de-solder” the old device and remove it, and its leads, from the circuit board. That would be the correct way to do it.
steve wood said
I live in keller texas and have got new varsitor, just cant find anyone to solder for me. any hints or know anybody in this area? Trying anything before dishing out 600.00 plus for new board
marshall said
I have the new boards at a good price
http://www.spasandpools.com/p-22-replacement-pcb-board-for-aqua-logic.aspx
http://www.spasandpools.com/p-22-replacement-pcb-board-for-aqua-logic.aspx
kathy said
Steve: If you’re game to try it yourself, I recommend picking up a soldering gun at the hardware store. The one we have has instructions in it – I think many even come with a small supply of solder, etc. I ended up purchasing resin-filled solder designed for electronics and a roll of the emory paper. While I have soldered in the past, it was a very long time ago, so I had to re-learn it. It wasn’t hard. I did find that it helped to have a third hand for holding the varistor still – it takes one hand to hold the soldering gun and one hand for the solder itself. Takes just a couple of minutes to do once the board is removed. The other thing I would tell you is to not be shy about using a good puddle of solder at the connection point. The first time I did it I made a very small and delicate puddle and it ended up lasting only about a week before the varistor fell off. Hope this helps!
Lee said
Marshall, Your Prices are WAY high on these boards and on the cells. it only takes a little research on the web to find better. Your interest in joining this thread evident and you should really not waste your time.. The folks reading this thread are DIY rs and they know how to research.
becky said
Our display is reading COLD….Any ideas. The board is only a year old and the cell is new…both the old cell and new cell is reading this way. Could it be the top board?
RIc Yancey said
Has anyone had any problems with the 20 amp fuse continually blowing even after changing the varistor.?????
RIc Yancey said
Have you ever incurred a problem where the fuse keeps blowing.
Russell Wright said
I haven’t, but I might be due to one or more of the varistors shorting out.
Loni said
Re: Fuse keeps blowing…
Make sure your rectifiers are properly mounted – the cutouts need to be in the bottom right corners, and make sure you’re connecting the wires to the correct posts on them. Otherwise you WILL keep blowing fuses.
KJ Knowles said
My Aqua Rite controller developed the “no power light” symptom this season. It had already had a board replacement once. Since it is eight years old, I was about to order an entire new controller box when my research led me to this posting.
I ordered in four of the varistors ($17.21 from Digikey, including Priority Mail shipping)and performed the repair. Everything is operational and running perfectly again. Plus I have spare parts on-hand if the situation occurs again.
A couple of notes:
1. A high wattage soldering or a soldering gun (I used a 200 watt Weller gun) will work best for these large solder joints.
2. On my version of the controller board the varistor is in generally the same location, but is oriented vertically instead of horizontally like the one in the picture.
Many thanks, Russell Wright!
Gus Nezer said
Hoping you guys can help me with an Aqua Logic PCB problem. It started with an error message on the display which read something like “low volts.” After reading this string, I opened the case to inspect the PCB and noticed a burn mark in the upper right-hand corner. The burn marks are around and on the back-side of one of the pins to a black component which lies immediately to the right of the two brown cylinders. Any idea what this thing is, and if it can be replaced by a DIYer?
Chris said
I found your information last October and fixed my AquaRite with a new varistor from Newark.com. Russell, you were a prayer answered! Like others, I bought a couple extra parts since they were cheap. Now it’s April 2011 and the ‘pcb’ error came up again and the Aquarite stopped working. Taking it apart showed no additional burns or anything, and the varistor also looked and felt perfect. I replaced the varistor anyway. Works again!
Has anyone else had to replace the varistor more than once?
I think my soldering job from last year still looked good and clean, and the box was clean inside (no weather or dirt issues). It’s in the shade, and there were no lightning strikes, etc. I also have a whole-house surge suppressor at the home main panel, and another at the yard pool panel, as well as small lightning arrestors at each panel too. Can’t figure out if there is anything else I can do to prevent these electrical board failures again. Mine is a Rev E mainboard, installed in 2003. It may have been replaced once under warranty about 2005, I but can’t remember. I haven’t had failures in my AquaLink, but have had to replace a $600 heater control board a while back.
Does anyone know if the newest replacement AquaRite main boards fail in the same way, or has the design been changed? And what is the latest Rev mainboard?
Loni said
Yes, the varistor and it’s mounting are beefier (for lack of a better term) in rev 1.50 and on. I believe the most current rev has just been released and is 1.58.
Matthew said
I recommend removing the cell when the cold weather comes and replacing it with a blank. I believe the saltwater moving across the cell, even with it off, will shorten its life. I put in a couple of shocks through the winter, no problem, no swimming pressure then anyway. 1st of march I re-install cell for Spring through late September. Much longer cell life.
Chris Roberson said
I want to thank the author of this post – as my board had the same exact issue… $2.60 for the part and bit of solder and it was fixed… before I saw this post I had called Hayward they gave me names of companies to call and have them come out to identify the issue… I asked him after he said the board was bad – “is there any way to fix it?” With this you don’t know sh** look… he said “we just replace the board… it will be $365 + $95 installation….”
I told him I would think about it… then I found this post, ordered the part, and called them back in a couple days and told them that I fixed it in 15 mins and $2.60 and a bit of reading on the internet – and that I would never call them again if I had a problem with my pool.
So if you want to avoid the same service – don’t call Diversified Pool and Spa of Chandler AZ.
Russell Wright said
Yes, but they are in the business to repair these things the way the manufacturer wants them to and don’t want to have any added liability (I’m sure). They make more money doing a replacement…and it’s easier for them. Of course, they might take your old board back and repair it and sell it as a repaired board…who knows? 🙂
Loni said
Actually, as Authorized Warranty Stations, we are OBLIGATED to follow Hayward’s protocol, as we agreed to do when we signed our contract with them. And if there has been any modifications to the board, your warranty on the board (and perhaps other parts) has also now been modified – to nil. Other conditions and/or actions could also void your warranty. Just an FYI…
Lee MacFarlane said
I too had the varistor issue on my aqua rite but also noticed a burn spot on one of the relays (omron G8P-1C4P) I first tried the $2 ebay varistor but still no luck so I ordered the omron relay, soldered it in but still no generating light, I get green power and generating for a about a minute and it goes out and the red check salt and orange inspect cell lights both come on, has anyone had this issue, is there a reset procedure I’m missing or is my board one of the unlucky unrepairable ones? I replaced my cell about a year ago after my first one quit after about 5yrs of use so I’m figuring my cell is ok?
Bill said
My varistor and fuse were taken out as well. The fuseholder was toast. I’ve replaced them both. I never took pictures when I took the board out of the box six months ago, and I’m not 100% sure how it all goes back together. My rectifiers are properly positioned. Rectifier closest to PCB is missing wire on top right position. Recitifer furthest away from PCB is missing wire on bottom left position, and orange wire going to top right position is not connected on other end. I have a loose black wire with a friction sta-kon style connector on one end and a crimped loop on the other. One yellow wire from transformer goes to bottom left position of closest rectifier, and second yellow wire from transformer is not connected, but it has both sides of the sta-kon connector attached, the male side (without the wire) also having a doughnut which looks like it’s meant to be perhaps riveted or screwed to chassis ground. This second yellow wire also looks like it took some heat. I understand I am solely liable. Thanks in advance for your advice.
Kent said
Help! Ihave had the same problem as everyone else. I changed out the black disk and got my power light back, but I still had a no flow light. The plastic tube inside the flow switch was gone. This allowed water to seep back up inside the wiring insulation into the phone jack connection and needless to say the salt water had done a number on both halves of the RJ-11. I haven’t been able to successfully attach another RJ-11 connector to the PCB, so I bought a new PCB anyway. The new board has the fuse located on the board, so I revamped the wiring to conform. When I turned on the power, the varistor (RZ2) blew instantly. I replaced it with one from the old board and reconnected everything. I then called Goldline tech service and reviewed the wiring with them. They agreed tht the wiring was correct, so I turned on the power and immediately blew the RZ2. Goldline said that the orange wire should go to the upper right of the top square connector at the back of the box, and that the yellow wire should go to the lower left of the bottom square connector. This seems to be just the opposite of what Loni said in an earlier post. Can anyone give me some gudance?
Kent
Loni said
No, that’s EXACTLY how the wires go. Like I said, it didn’t translate very well when it omitted my spaces. Just to be clear – and keep both you and the components safe…
Both rectifiers are mounted with the cut out corner in the bottom right.
Top rectifier:
top left = black
top right = orange
bottom left = EMPTY
bottom right = red
Bottom rectifier (on the far right):
top left = black
top right = EMPTY
bottom left = yellow
bottom right = red
John said
Hi Russell I to am getting Pcb but I have 5 lights on Power , No flow, check salt, Hight salt, Inspect cell. How do I check Varister with readings should I get any Idea so I can make shore this is my problem. If so I would not mine buying what you have if you still have them. Thanks for any help John.
Debby said
Russell,
I have to add my thanks to the many posts on your blog! After replacing the salt cell that the pool company told me was bad, my unit still was not generating chlorine. I called Hayward and they diagnosed that it was the circuit board that needed to be replaced. I stumbled upon your blog and, after removing the circuit board, I found a burned and discolored area on the back of the board, just like one of the other people who responded to you. So I ordered the thermistors(I ordered two in case this happens again!). Not having soldered anything before I went to You Tube and found a video on how to desolder and solder a PCB. The link for that is below.
Once I got the new thermistor soldered, my unit is working perfectly. I would never have been able to diagnose this myself. Many thanks for sharing the information and for giving great pictures to follow.
Debby
Russell Wright said
Debby–
Thanks for the link. This will be most helpful to those without soldering experience. I’m impressed!
Russ
Chris Roberson said
This is a great fix… I had ordered a brand new board – in case this fix didn’t work…. it did so I have a brand new in unopened box… if the fix above doesn’t work for you – email me.
GLX-PCB-RITE new in Box for my cost – $250 will ship for free to Lower 48.
Russell Wright said
For those who are not inclined to attempt the fix, Chris has a deal for you!
Mike scott said
I’m interested in your board if you still have it. Contact me at sanjuancoquis@hotmail.com
Loni said
Guys… please note that in order to have a warranty on your product you MUST be the ORIGINAL purchaser of the system or the replacement part, and be able to produce a legitimate, dated, SWIMMING POOL COMPANY receipt (your name/your address). The warranty on a replacement board (GLX-PCB-RITE) is one year, so if it’s THAT good of a deal, you might want to play the odds.
Note that I am still currently selling these boards at 250.00 including shipping, handling, insurance, and all the tech support you need. And as a warranty station, I can even verify the failure, file the claim, and ship you the replacement part for less than the price of a service call. I may even have other options for you if you contact me at DoneIt at GoldlineControls dot info.
John C said
I am having problems with my Aqua Rite controls and T-cell 15 without Aqua Link. I am only getting the power led. I have talked to Goldline Tech support over the phone and they said I needed to replace the PCB board. I have replaced the Inrush current limiter as described in this post and the problem still persists.
Checked the flow switch and it appears to be functioning properly, though the No Flow light never comes on.
Fuse has continuity – good.
I have prepared a PDF document with all the voltage and resistance readings that I have taken in hopes someone here could help. However, I don’t know how to post it. Here is the text of that PDF.
Aqua Rite with T-15 Cell
5/28/11
Display Readings:
Salt: 2600 (default reading not changing)
Temp: 97
Cell Voltage: 31.6
Cell Current: 0.00
Output %: 74P
Salinity: -0
Product Name: AL-5
Software Revision: R 1.32
Voltages:
Incoming Power
White to Ground: 121.9
Black to Ground: 122.3
Top Resistor Resistance
Black to Ground: .185 Orange to Red: 56.1 K ohms
Orange to Ground: 11.96
Red to Ground: .001
Bottom Resistor Resistance
Black to Ground: .171 Yellow to Blk: 57.2 K ohms
Yellow to Ground: 11.88
Red to Ground: .001
PCB Board
Red to Ground: .001
Black to Ground: .170
Transformer:
Resistance Readings
Grey and Violet: 2.8
Blue and White: 2.3
Voltage Readings
Yellow to Orange: 24 V (approximately)
Thanks,
John
Russell Wright said
John–
Thanks for adding to this post with all your documentation. I’m sure there will be others who appreciate this additional information.
Russ
John C said
Russ,
My controls are still not working. The current limiter was not my only problem. Any ideas what could still be wrong?
John
John C said
Interesting thing happened yesterday. My board started working.
About three or four days ago I got fed up trying to find the problem and ordered a new board. So I reinstalled the old board and switched it to the off position and just ran the filter off and on for several days. Yesterday I decided to turn the switch to AUTO just for kicks and it started working.
Apparently you need to switch it to off for a period of time to allow the system to reset.
Lee said
I just have to add my thanks as well. Though I had already identified the damaged part on my unit because it was just a pile of dust on the bottom of my cabinet when i took the cover off, I wouldn’t have believed that i could have just replaced the varistor and had it work again. The charring was so bad that I though I must ave fried other components as well. I was about to order the new board when I found your site. The fact that so many people had followed your instruction and it had worked convinced me it was worth trying it before ordering the replacement PCB. If it didn’t work I was only out a couple of bucks.
First, I found the part at DigiKey. I really wanted the part fast so I didn’t have to use all kinds of Chlorine for a week while waiting the for the part. They wanted $50 bucks for UPS overnight and $22 for 2 Day. I asked about USPS Priority mail. They said they almost never use that but they checked and said 2 to 3 days and it would cost about $5. I thought “OK, this is Thursday, with the memorial day weekend, this will get to Florida From Minnesota by next Wednesday at best.” I went with it anyway and started adding Chlorine to the pool. Then To my Surprise, the part arrived on Saturday!!! Incredible! Go USPS!. I highly recommend this option to anyone with this problem since the goal is to keep the cost down .
Anyway, Simply soldering this part in was easy. It works like a champ! Thanks Again for your post!!! You saved me $250!!!
Lee
Orlando said
Ditto with the Varistor problem and ordering a new one from DigiKey for my Aqua Rite.
Question?
When you soldered the Varistor to the PCB. Does it matter if the part # is facing upward?
Russell Wright said
No polarity to worry about…either way will work.
Marshall said
It is best to repalace the board with a new rev software , The MFG does not recomend this repair in
http://www.spasandpools.com for new parts boards and cells
Bill said
Can anyone tell me where the left yellow wire from the transformer gets connected to? The right one is going to the bottom left position on the bottom rectifier, as it should be. My fuseholder was incinerated along with the thermistor, both of which I’ve replaced. The only other connection I have loose is the orange wire from the top right position on the top rectifier. I’m guessing they both go to the fuseholder terminals? A picture of the insides of the box without the board would help me immensely. Thanks!
Donnie Rogers said
Thanks for the great tip….replaced mine and it works great. About a 10 minute job.
Richard Mahaffey said
Thanks Russel for the post – great details and pictures.
I just ordered replacement thermister from Digi-key.
Hope this works because I replaced the Aqua-Rite T-15 cell ($499) at suggestion of local pool store – mine was 5 years old and had never been cleaned with muriatic acid.
Wish I’d seen your blog first!
Rob Valentine said
Russell,
Wow..and thank you so much for this…and all that have posted on here. MY STORY: Pool has been in the ground now for 6 summers. Replaced Polaris pump and T15 cell last week….$1000 thank you very much…..Then, like magic…the board starts acting up…reading PCB…then High Salt…then Low Salt…then nothing..now stuck at 2100 ppm and the water tested at 3100 ppm. Did like everyone else here…called Goldine this morning at 830..sure enough….”Why Mr. Valentine you have a bad board, you can replace board or entire box”. Called local pool company….Yep..you know whats coming next…”why Mr. Valentine that will be $450…at least”….So now I am picking my self up off the floor…telling the wife..ah oh…then we come out to the back to sit by the pool and google boards and prices. LIKE MAGIC….up pops this repair site….YES…I have the exact same issue as Russell did in 2009…burn mark and all….Went to Digikey site…bought 4 of the varisters…with shipping….wait for it….$16.00…..YAAAAAHOOOOOO….Folks…this is what the internet and social media is all about…..Wow….and I thank you…sooooo much…..For those that are looking for the varistor part number of SL32 2R025…it is now listed as 570-1062-ND….$2.69 each..I boought 4…with USPS Priority mail…..AGAIN…A BIG THANK YOU TO RUSSELL..THE MAN THAT STARTED ALL THIS…AND EVERYONE ELSE…as Russell said to his varistor…”I would kindly give you a BUD if I could”…..
Rob Valentine
Va. Beach, Va.
Rob Valentine said
Bill,
If you havent got the answer yet..I just looked at my wiring..you were correct..both yellow and orange are going to the fuse….Hope this helped
Rob Valentine
Tim said
Russell
Was having the same problem as you talked about. Got the Varistor off of Ebay for $8.10 including shipping from STI_Trade. Installed it and recalibrated the salt and everythings is working great !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for saving me $295.00
Rob Valentine said
Ok…got the veristors in yesterday…buddy soldered it…..guess what….GENERATING…..all numbers are in normal ranges…..question…the box is quite warm on top….is that normal?….but it has been generating now for 3hrs and the salt level is moving….no longer stuck on 3500…it was 3100…now 3200..
Russell Wright said
Not sure about the temperature of the box. I live it Texas…it’s always hot.
Rob Valentine said
ohoh…just checked my system…..all lights on and pcb is displayed again……doesnt look good…..any suggestions….
Rob Valentine said
read up on this last night…..turned every thing off last night..this morning..checked my cholrine levels…high chlorine…becuase I was dumping one pound bags in each day…..so….turned everything on and running normal..turned % down to 30…no genration needed…as soon as I turned it up to ….say…40% it clicks and starts generating….but the board heats up and I assume its because the readings are telling it that there is enough chlorine and not to generate…as soon as I turn it down to 30%….good to go…so..I have assumed that when the chlorine level is down to the point that it needs to generate…it will…Sound like I understand it?…..does this make sense?……
Rob Valentine said
Everything seems to be working..never mind about the above post..I was wrong….
AgileOne said
Thought I had the same problem, so I ordered the varystor and did not used them in the end. So, if you need them, I have one SL32 2R025, and 4 V150LAP2, brand new, still in sealed bags, to get rid of.
Contact me at forsale@agilitae.com
AgileOne said
Parts are now gone.
Carl N said
Russell – Thanks for your post. You saved me a lot of money, too. Glad I found it.
Dan said
This was a great service you did by writing such a detailed and clear repair article. You saved me over $300. Thank you. You are a great American and patriot.
Dana said
Hmmm, went through the varistor replacement steps but my outcome isn’t great – the system isn’t working at all now. Before replacement, I at least had a digital reading. I’m guessing that one of two things might be the problem: 1) the burn on the varistor pin also burnt off the plastic coating and some of the copper on the board – is this a irreparable thing? or 2) when I mistook turning off the Aqua Rite as cutting the power (i know, i know) the orange wire that i had unplugged sparked against another wire. Did I accidentally fry my board?
Any other ideas?
Russell Wright said
Ohhh. not sure about the orange wire thing. Doesn’t sound good. You do need to make sure that the etches on the board are not burned off. If this happens you need to run a “blue wire” to replace the bad connection. “Blue wire” is a term for a piece of wire used to replace the broken or burnt etch.
Dana said
I eventually called out a trusted electrician to check for current coming from the electrical panel, PCB and transistor – all working well. Turns out the yellow fuse on the PCB had blown when I touched the wires together. The electrician swapped out the fuse from his truck and like magic – it all works! Yea! Thanks so much Russell! I think I may have impressed the electrician with my new soldering and repair skills:)
Russell Wright said
I do have some Ametherm SL32 2R025 inrush current limiters that I can sell. $6 each, shipped. Email me @ russell@txwrights.com and we can work out a payment method. Russ
Billy Rich said
I am in the process of changing the Cell in my unit. As I was unplugging the cell from the Control panal (I have done many times before) It was very difficult to remove… infact I worked at it for several minutes before it finally came out. What I saw next was a bit of a surprise. It seems that the wire connectors indside the plug seperated and some wires actually pulled apart leaving some of the connectors attached to the controller and some still attached to the plug. I am hoping that I can remove cover and remove the connectors from the soccet individually and the new cell will plug in easly. I have spoken with goldline techs and they indicate they have never heard of this happening before. Anybody out there had this problem before?
Russell Wright said
I’ve not experienced this, but I can imagine it happening if the contacts get corroded enough. I’ve had this happen on other connectors, but not the Aqua Rite.
Anthony Rodriguez. said
I just fixed mine but the Salt level isnt calibrating is says the salt is 2600 so i added a bag and i am going to let it run for 24 hrs then try to calirate my cell chlorinator . You are awesome you saved me a ton of money!!! I am so glad you decided to post your fix for the PCB.
Russell Wright said
Since I keep getting asked, I’ve got some of these listed on eBay http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170660494200
and Craigslist http://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/ele/2464094101.html.
Alan Kloster said
HI, I tried replacing the bad limited on the old board I had, it crumbled when I touched it, but this did not fix my problem. Board was badly burned so I order a new main board. Replaced it, but it still does the same thing. Basically, there is no power light, “no flow” light flashes for about a minute, then generating light comes on for about 10 seconds goes out and then there are no lights. I bought a display board and replaced it, still doing the same thing. I am technical, so if you know of some other troubleshooting steps, please let me know. At a loss at the moment.
Ken Penner said
This is exactly what my unit is doing after installing the new thermister. Did you ever figure out what was the problem or did you end up buying new boards?
David Johnson said
Thanks Russell, wish I would found your blog 2 weeks ago. I got a new board, but I will buy the Varistor.
Great info!!!!
Bob K said
i have seen all of the posts here but not one with the problem that i have. I have the Aqua Rite System with the T-15 cell. My problem is the unit says low salt and inspect cell. I have been told that the inspect cell light comes on anytime you have a low salt reading. The display reads 2600 for the average salt reading while the local pool store tests at 3200. I have gone into the diagnostics and checked the instant salt reading and it to is 2600. When i turn the unit off and then power it back up, it only takes a minute or so for it to show the 2 flashing red led’s. There is no error messages on the display. They have checked the cell (2-3 yrs old) at the pool store and said it was good . They said that I need a new control box. Has anyone had any similar issues. I would love to have a simple fix like a lot of other folks have had.
Russell Wright said
Bob, I would really suspect the cell. Every time I’ve had this problem I’ve replaced the cell and it’s fine again. I never get more than 2-3 years out of a cell. Not sure how they test the cell, but this has been my experience.
What opinion do others have?
Russ
Loni said
Russell, is it possible that you’re over acid washing your cells? Every 2-3 years is a bit too frequent. We run our pools year-round down here, and I’d say the average is more like 3-4 years. I’ve also seen units that are 5 years old or more and still are on their original cell. The recommended cleaning method is to remove and spray the cell with a good pressure GARDEN HOSE NOZZLE every 2-3 weeks. If you can get to the scale while it’s fresh and soft, you can spray it off. Once it sits and sets, it hardens and needs to be acid washed. If you don’t see anything after doing this a few times, stretch it out to a month, 6 weeks, whatever. Get to know your pool by using this method and you’ll know how often you’ll need to spray it out.
When spraying doesn’t get it all out (hold it up to the sun, look through it, and wiggle it back and forth – it should be so clean that all you see are the plates hanging down), you’ll need to acid wash it. Everything except the connector that plugs into the box can be in the cleaning solution. Start with 4 parts water to 1 part acid. If it’s still bubbling after 15-20 minutes, you can go to 3 to 1, but never stronger than 2 to 1. The cell is clean when the bubbling stops.
The cells are coated with ruthenium, a rare and precious metal (the reason the cells cost so much). Every time you expose the plates to acid, you eat off the top layer of ruthenium. Once it’s gone, the cell is worthless.
Russell Wright said
Thanks for the details on cleaning. I’m pretty sure in the past that I’ve ruined a cell from over acid washing it. Now I am very careful to clean more frequently (but not as frequently as you suggest) only using my water hose or pressure sprayer. Do you know if a pressure sprayer will damage the cell?
Loni said
It may, and it is not suggested you use it. Just a good nozzle of your choice on your garden hose is what is suggested. Although the manual tells you that you can use a wooden Popsicle stick, but they even discourage that now, advising you shouldn’t stick anything into it, and damage done will not be covered under warranty.
Loni said
Yes, the lights come on when you have a low salt reading, and the system considers 2600 low. The lights will also come on every 500 hours of operation to prompt you to inspect the cell if you haven’t recently. It’s a timer in the software on the board. The unit has no way of knowing if the cell needs to be cleaned. A false low salt reading is typical of a failing cell. However your cell isn’t “dead” yet. It’s just dying. I consider a difference of up to 500ppm between your unit and the pool store’s readings semi-normal. How clean are the probes? Are they rinsed with rubbing alcohol after each use? When was their meter last calibrated?
A properly working Aqua Rite and cell give a more accurate reading than our meters. I sincerely doubt it’s the board. And if they did in fact tell you that you need an entirely new control panel (box and all) – call someone else!
Loni said
P.S. You can try a reset and recalibrate. Reset = hold the button in for 5 seconds. Recalibrate = go to the instant salt reading (the one with the minus on the left side of the number), push the switch up to superchlorinate, and back down to auto.
Joe said
I have a power light and the flow light when in automatic mode but no generating light. when i switch to servie the generating light comes on can any one help?
paul from Ky said
i have the same story as everyone else. after replacing the varistor everything seems to work great. do i have to reset anything? my salt reading while the unit was down stayed at 3100 after getting everything up and runing it dropped to 2900 which is where i like to keep it.the salt reading seems right and all the lights are working. I never went through your reset procedure so i wasnt sure if that step was a requirement and if my numbers my be off.thanks for any input and also for saving me $300!
Russell Wright said
Keep reading the thread. There are good additions to the information about resetting/recalibrating the unit.
Thanks everyone! Russ
Anthony Rodriguez. said
I dont understand every time my pump shut off and it turns on in the morning it says check salt. gives a low salt reading. i recalibrated it so i dont know why it doesnt work when it turns on again. Can someone help!!!
Loni said
Anthony, is it possible that your system isn’t running at the same flow rate that it used to? Something as simple as a dirty filter could cause this. Even if you spray off your filter, oils continue to accumulate in the fabric. It’s like if you make a salad with oil and vinegar. No matter how much water and water pressure are applied, you can’t get that bowl clean without adding something to break up the oil – detergent. Some parts of the country also need to descale their filters with an acidic cleaner. Don’t try to use dish detergent or you may end up with a bubble bath. Buy a degreaser at the pool store.DO NOT descale (acid wash) if you don’t need to, as once you descale, you will permanently set any oils that haven’t been completely removed. Test to see if descaling is necessary (after degreasing) by placing a few drops of acid on the pleats. If you don’t see any bubbling, you don’t need to descale. Some parts of the country need to do this. Here in Florida, we don’t.
The only other thing I can think of is that perhaps your pump/equipment is a bit older and takes a while to prime in the morning. It may be draining back down (with gravity) overnight. (This may even be something as simple as the pump lid o-ring.) It’s possible that the cell hasn’t completely filled and flushed over the blades during the 60 second flow delay when it fires up and takes it’s first salt reading. You’ll get a lower salt reading if the cell has been dry as soon as it starts up. One thing you can try is to turn your cell upside down so the label with the serial number is facing the ground. That may help. Good luck!
(I assume no responsibility or liability for this free advice.)
Loni said
FYI… 3200ppm = “ideal”
Anthony Rodriguez. said
Thanks I think my PCB is done i replaced the varistor and it worked for a day and now all the light on the board are lit up again. I did notice that the varistor was really hot when i put the new one in. It got hot in a few minutes thought that was odd. So if anyone has any think they can think of before i buy a new PCB it would be appreciated. Oh and i just bought the variable pump so it primes is automatically when it first start. Equip. is only 6 y/o and cell is only a year old.
Regina Rossi Valentine said
So I have been running my board with the “Russell” repair and all is runnin great. Thanks again……what a great find…
Todd Cox said
Russell,
Thanks for your information as it proved to be very valuable to me. I followed your instructions, ordered a few thermistors and the unit is working like a champ. I purchased 4 thermistors from Newark supply for a total cost of $9.22.
Thanks again!
Ed said
Dude, mine went out during a t-storm. It look burned just like your picture. i found the SL32-2R025 (NO “B”) price at STI went up to 5.72 plus shipping still cheaper than the 196.00 I found for the new board. I will replace ands let you know.
Johnny said
Russell,
Thanks for the great information to fix my Aqua Rite. I bought the varistor SL32-2R025 from Digi-key website. It cost $2.90 including shipping and arrived in 3 days. The whole process took about an hour & a half to pull everything apart, unsolder, re-solder, install and recalibrate. My salt system works perfectly now…. You saved me ~$350-$400….
Thanks,
Johnny Ure
Jon said
You are the man! Ordered the varistor and swapped it out and the generator is working perfectly! Thanks again for the amazing info.
Jeff said
Thank you for such a clear and concise write up. I had the same problem with my circuit board and changed out the part as described and it now works great. Now we need someone to tell us how to fix the salt cell!
Top said
Russell,
I discovered the same burned area and the Varistor was cracked. Ordered the part from Digi-Key and bought a variable-heat soldering station at Fry’s. I watched the PCB soldering video on this link about 10 times, then attempted the repair. The PCB hole for one of the Varistor legs looked burned and was not round anymore, but I installed the new Varistor and soldered it anyway. I also turned the PCB over and flowed a very small amount of solder through from the front, then briefly heated the solder joint from the back of the PCB…in an attempt to make sure I did not have a cold-solder joint. All solder connections bright and shiny and small as instructed in the video.
I then reinstalled the board, according to the picture and powered up the unit. EUREKA! Cell power (Generating) light now illuminated!
My 20 year old Son laughed at the sight of his 54 year old Father doing the HAPPY DANCE!
Thanks so much for this site and you excellent instructions!
Top
Allen, Texas
Russell Wright said
From one 50-something to another…”Cool!”
Ken said
I have a Blue Haven (Aqua Rite)Smartpure with the GLX-Cell-5-W Turbo cell. I keep getting check cell and low salt lights. Had water checked for salt at my local pool store and it was 3400 but on the Aqua Rite it is stuck at 1300. This is after a good cleaning of the cell according to the manual.The mother board looks pristine with no signs of burns etc.
Russell Wright said
At some point the cells do go bad. I think there are some places that can check the cells for proper operation. Also, if you over clean them with acid you’ll remove the special expensive plating and they won’t function.
Jim in West Palm said
HI everyone I too have an Aqua Rite and soldered the current limiter as it had the small burn mark. But here is the kicker I had no power lights no display nothing!! I replaced the SL32-2R025 but I still have nothing. I guess I am one of the rare ones that actually need a new board???? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I called around and have been quoted 300 for a replacement board and digital display with a 1 year warranty or 500 for the whole box with a 3 year warranty. Ugh This school teacher can’t afford that LOL
Russell Wright said
I would look closely at the board and make sure there are no traces on the board that have been burned apart. I think I remember having to bridge a gap on the board. Other than that, I’m not sure.
Jim in West Palm said
OK I will look at that thank you
Loni said
Don’t forget to check the fuse and/or fuse kit (depending on the board revision).
Jim in West Palm said
Fuse is good. I am baffled.
Rob said
I replaced the varistor and it seems to be working finenow. I did notice that the varistor gets very hot.. Very hot! Is that normal? Thanks. This site is awesome!
Jerry said
Having the same issue as John C (Post #96).
Have a Aqua Rite system that was installed in Spring 2005. Pool started to get spot algae last week. When I tested the water, it showed 0 chlorine.
When I went to the AquaRite panel, I saw that only the “Power” light was on. The readings on the LCD were:
Salt: 9.90
Temp: 38
Cell Voltage: 35.0
Cell Current: 0.00
Output %: 74P (varies when knob is turned)
Salinity: -0.00
Product Name: AL-5
Software Revision: R 1.33
I replaced the varistor using the great instructions Russell provided, but my problem persisted.
The current readings on the panel (after varistor was replaced) are:
Salt: 9.90
Temp: 34
Cell Voltage: 31.3
Cell Current: 0.00
Output %: 83P (varies when knob is turned)
Salinity: -0.00
Product Name: AL-5
Software Revision: R 1.33
I noticed that there is now a buzzing sound being generated by the Aqua Rite panel. The sound wasn’t there prior to replacing the varistor.
I am going to leave the AquaRite system switch in the “off” position and let the filter cycle on/off during the next few days. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the AquaRite system will magically reset itself as happened with John C.
Any other advice would be appreciated……
Jerry said
Having the same issue as John C (Post #96).
Have a Aqua Rite system that was installed in Spring 2005. Pool started to get spot algae last week. When I tested the water, it showed 0 chlorine.
When I went to the AquaRite panel, I saw that only the “Power” light was on. The readings on the LCD were:
Salt: 9.90
Temp: 38
Cell Voltage: 35.0
Cell Current: 0.00
Output %: 74P (varies when knob is turned)
Salinity: -0.00
Product Name: AL-5
Software Revision: R 1.33
I replaced the varistor using the great instructions Russell provided, but my problem persisted.
The current readings on the panel (after varistor was replaced) are:
Salt: 9.90
Temp: 34
Cell Voltage: 31.3
Cell Current: 0.00
Output %: 83P (varies when knob is turned)
Salinity: -0.00
Product Name: AL-5
Software Revision: R 1.33
I noticed that there is now a buzzing sound being generated by the Aqua Rite panel. The sound wasn’t there prior to replacing the varistor.
I am going to leave the AquaRite system switch in the “off” position and let the filter cycle on/off during the next few days. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that the AquaRite system will magically reset itself as happened with John C.
Any other advice would be appreciated……
Marshall said
it sounds like the salt cell we have them http://www.spasandpools.com
Russell Wright said
Jerry–
The varistor replacement is usually required when you have no power…basically it’s dead. Sounds to me like you may have a bad cell. How long have you had the cell and have you cleaned it regularly?
Russ
Jerry said
Russ —
I’ve had the cell since 2005 so that’s what I thought it was, too. However, when, I took the cell into a local pool store to have it tested, it passed.
The pool store told me the plates also look good. The system hasn’t reset yet (like happened with John C.). I’m not sure if I should simply buy a replacement board (and hoping this fixes the problem) or just buying a complete new system.
If I buy a new system, I will have a replacement cell when mine finally fails and a replacement flow switch.
Any thoughts????
Marshall said
http://www.spasandpools.com
Graham said
I apologize if this issue has already been posted and addressed but need help! We just installed a PCB due to no power lights (unfortunately didn’t see this post re. the varsitor fix prior to purchasing) and the power light/gernerating etc. still doesn’t light up. Any suggestions?
Russell Wright said
If you see any damage to the circuit board you should check very carefully for burned traces on the board. Otherwise you may have a general power problem, such as a bad transformer or bridge rectifier.
Barbara said
Hi Russell,
My Aqua rite 238 was installed in 2004. I replaced the salt cell last year.
I’ve recently been getting a lot of requests to check cell, which I did and its clean as a whistle.
The salt readings have been all over the place, as well. The chemicals are generally pretty balanced. I had to add chlorine and acid earlier in the week.
Now I’ve got a PCB diagnostic. Power is on but all four lower lights (No Flow, Check Salt, High Salt, and Inspect Cell) are on constantly.
I have looked at and around and behind the varistar and the entire board for burn marks but do not find any. It all looks pristine.
Any ideas?
Thanks,
Barb
Russell Wright said
Have you tried performing the calibration procedure?
Barbara said
Hi Russel. Thank you for your suggestion. I had not tried it before.
I performed the calibration procedure two days ago. The salt level showed 1400, but instant salt reading was -3400, so i hit the super-chlorinate switch and then returned it. Voila, all seemed to be running fine at 3400.
(I did not check it yesterday.)
This morning the salt level showed 2600, and although the “generating” light was solid green, “check salt” and “inspect cell” were blinking. I again ran the calibration procedure and again the instant salt reading was -3400, I reset it, and seemed to be working fine.
However, I came back later that afternoon and the “Pcb” diagnostic is showing again. Altho there is power, “generating” light is off. All four bottom lights (“no flow, check salt, high salt and inspect cell”) are solidly lit.
Any ideas? I’m stumped
Thanks, Barbara
Daryl said
Hi Barbara,
Did you ever get this fixed? I have the same issue.
spasandpools1 said
You need a new pcb board http://www.spasandpools.com/p-19-replacement-pcb-board-for-aqua-rite-systems-glx-pcb-rite.aspx
Russell Wright said
Might need a pcb, but don’t be too hasty. I’ve read numerous folks purchasing a new pcb and it still not correcting their problem.
Guy said
Hi I just wish you pointed out the item you replaced, with an arrow, I have also replaced several items on our system, the large motor is also very easy to replace but if you need it in a hurry it will cost you , around $200 you can get it online for 1/2 price , but ours went bad during cold weather so i needed it same day , the only hard part is getting the impeller off
Russell Wright said
If you look at the pictures, the Varistor is highlighted with a yellow circle on one picture and the word “Varistor” is in yellow on another picture. Somewhat small, but there. Guess I should’ve used a bigger, bolder maker.
Shawn H said
Excellent pictures and directions! I had done this previously from the DIY page but this documentation is great.
Question: I see from the pictures and some comments, people have the output level set high (75+). Mine is set to 25. What is the “correct” setting supposed to be? Thanks
Russell Wright said
Mine is controlled indoors by my Jandy Aqualink system, and I have to run it at 100% during the Texas summer…and still add some chlorine.
Dick Laird said
Russell can chalk up another happily repaired user. His excellent pictures and directions matched my problem exactly and after getting a SL32 2R025 from Digi-Key for a whopping $5.13, including postage, and installing it, my AquaRite is as good as new.
One added thought: Replacing the part may be easier if the leads going to the bad part are clipped right at the part. This leaves wires to attach and solder the new part instead of going to the trouble of cleaning out and risking damage to the holes in the pcb. Also, I cut the leads on the new part long enough to move the part away from the pcb to avoid additional scorching.
GregM74 said
Hi Russell,
I just had to write ’cause I’m such a happy camper right now. I have spent the last hour reading all the posts on your site and things weren’t looking good for me because my symptoms were different from all I read.
The display on my Aqua-Rite was showing “Pcb” with no lights on. I’d power down and come back up and it would show 2600 salt, still with no lights. You wouldn’t believe it, but support said I’d have to buy a new board (who woulda thunk?). After about ten minutes, the “Pcb” would come back.
But, just for the heck of it, I removed the cover and found a dark area around the location of the Varistor. I moved the black disc up and down to see if I could read anything on the front and back. I found the exact same numbers as you found on yours (SL32-2R025). I unplugged the cell and just left the cord hanging and powered the pump (and by default the chlorinator) and came back in to read more Russell. I had forgotten to reset the salt reading, so, following your instructions on the method I went out to perform the action. Lo and behold, when I opened it up all I saw was a 2900 and two really pretty green lights aglowing. I plugged the cell back in and the display stayed the same. I went ahead and reset the salt and after counting down it again stopped on 2900.
Not being a wise ole EE, I am only assuming that unplugging and replugging the cell may have played a role. I’m just hoping it is permanent, not just a temporary tease.
I’ve been lax around the pool this summer, relying on my Aqua-Rite to take care of the pool, and now I’m paying the price for it having gone out without notice. The balance got out-of-whack and I have black algae that insists on sticking to my gunite pool. Even brushing with wire brushes only gets some of it and of course damages the pool. I took my power washer to it and while it got it off with less noticeable damage to the pool surface, the plaster that washed off clogged up my sand filter, so I had to replace the sand because even backwashing didn’t help. The fine plaster would go through the sand and back out into the pool. Yikes, talk about cloudy!
But I’m digressing . . . I’m still a happy camper because the electronics is working! Thanks for your unselfish sharing with the rest of us.
schwenksvillejarhead said
Another $250-550.00 SAVED! Thank you. The Step by Step was helpful but the the two biggest helps were: Identifing the part that blew up in location RZ2 and then how to recalibrate the equipment. The recalibration I had to do twice for some reason but it worked!
Thanks for doing the howework for me, your notes were easy to follow.
Lastly, here’s the joke. My part was a $0.21 Varistor. That’s right 21 cents! I splurged and did the priority shipping. Digikey.com!
Greg Hogan said
Fixed the PCB error code with the great instructions posted, now I have a problem with the varistor that I replaced. It seems to get extremely hot. I kept getting the PCB error code again, replaced the varistor (always buy at least two!) and it was fine for a short time. Then PCB error again, the varistor was roasting under panel (not in sun and in New England). I have kept the panel off and the box open for a few days and turned down the concentration knob. It seems to be working, but can’t be a permanent fix. Any suggestions??? I noticed a few other comments to this effect. Thanks.
Greg
Russell Wright said
That actually sounds like there might be some other issue with the PCB drawing a lot of power. Not an expert on all the issues with this board, so I don’t know that I will be much help with long distance troubleshooting.
AndyW said
@Russell – Thanks for setting up this blog – I wish I had found it a year ago when my problems started.
@Loni – Thanks for the great tips – I now know I have been “killing” my cells by over acid-washing them including, , immersing them upside down!
@Marshall – please don’t add a response simply pointing to your web site without actually adding any constructive advice. We all know how to surf the web to look for good prices on parts.
Which brings me to my question – I am pretty sure my T-Cell-15 is dying. It’s just over three years old and as I said, I probably shortened its life by over doing it on the acid washes. Has anyone tried the CompuPool Generic Aqua Rite T-15 cell? It is quite a bit cheaper by about $100 and has a three year warranty.
OK – now if you are interested to hear my story about my Aqua Rite, read on:
I am a computer geek and not an Electrical Engineer but when my system died a year ago, I noticed the varistor had blown and my board had dark spots. Fortunately as we all know, the part is well labeled and when I found it at Newark (www.newark.com – SKU: 72J6848) I ordered two and did the simple replacement myself with my ancient but trusty Weller soldering iron. And to my delight, the system started working perfectly.
Fast forward to this summer:
I start get “check cell” and “low salt” lights on (blinking, not steady.). Visual inspection of the cell looked good but I gave it a mild clean anyway. I then took the cell and water sample to TWO pool shops. Both tested the cell and said it was good and both said my salt was in the 3200 range. But my chlorine levels were low so I shocked the pool with the salt system off and a couple of days later turned it back on. The system continued to work for a week and then the lights came back on. Then one of the pool stores said my phosphates were off the chart and that could be causing the problem. OK – so two treatments later, my phosphates are down to almost zero. Then the pool store said my nitrates were too high and that I should perform a multiple set of “drain 5,000 gallons and re-fill”. The reason for not emptying the pool completely was because it is too hot and emptying could cause cracks at this time of year. Only problem with this is that it costs a bundle to re-balance the pool each time I do it but I did replace 10,000 gallons. Unfortunately, the nitrate test is very subjective and I get very different results from my local pool shops.
Then I find this blog! I’m not alone in this agonizing world of maintaining a Hayward Salt system.
So to hell with the pool shop, my instant salt level was reading -2700 (very close to being too low) so I dump in half a bag of salt and my system runs for another week. But then I get the dreaded “-PCB-” error. What the heck – let’s change the varistor again! But of course, I need to add some chlorine to stop algae. (My pool is around 90 degrees.) And the Aqua Rite starts working. However, it is not maintaining the chlorine.
As I think about my woes and re-read all the entries in this blog, I realize that I frequently have issues in the summer. And I now believe that my system, a old Rev 1.40, cannot maintain the chlorine level in the summer. It’s just too damn hot in Arizona. I was interested in Russell’s comment that he has to add chlorine in the summer. For those who also live in hellacious heat, do you also add chlorine in the summer?
So, before I buy a new cell (or a new PCB) I am going to bring my chlorine level up to 1.5 – 2.0 and see if the systems starts working again. My hope is that if I “help” the pool by adding a little chlorine each week in the summer, all will be well. But am I simply dreaming?
If you read all the way down to here – thank you. And if you add any comments, I will be overjoyed. And maybe I will not resort to drinking more beer to drown my sorrows!
Russell Wright said
Yes, my wife adds chlorine during the summer (and so do I). 🙂
desoto2 said
AndyW,
I’ve been there. Our pool normally often sits at 93 during the summer. We do not have to add chlorine, the SWG maintains around 3 or 4 ppm.
In the past, we kept the chlorine level too low, around 1 to 2 ppm and we did have to add chlorine constantly because the SWG couldn’t keep up, even at 100%. However, it turned out that was because we had a nascent algae problem we were unaware of because it was invisible. You can test for this by running your hand down the pool walls. If it’s slick, you have a problem: The generator can’t produce enough chlorine to eliminate the algae.
You need to shock with liquid chlorine, but shock it high enough and long enough. Your requirements may vary, but we got ours up to 10ppm and kept it there for 3 days (kept adding chlorine). Then, let it decline to around 5 before turning the SWG back on at 50%.
Lo and behold, the chlorine level started rising and we had to throttle the SWG down. Found the 40% is about right when the water is in the 90’s. The water is crystal clear.
Here’s what we do now: We keep the SWG at 40% and run the pump DURING THE DAY (important because we keep the pool covered and the hot water sits on top and algae flourishes there.) Our variable speed pump runs for 11 hours on a very low setting (we used to run at 8 hours with a 1-1/2 hp pump). We keep the chlorine at 3 to 4. Anything lower when the water is in the 90’s makes it too much for the SWG to keep up.
I hope some of this information helps. Please keep us posted. Good luck!
Russell Wright said
Thanks for the great info! I’m sure this will be helpful to many people.
AndyW said
Fascinating!
I always try and keep my chlorine around 1.5 ppm and in the summer when my pool is at 90 degrees, the SWG has a hard time keeping up. And I have had my fair share of algae problems. Right now, I am adding chlorine once a week to help maintain this low level.
So the $64,000 question is “how is the pool to swim in when you keep it at 3ppm?”
Before I switched to salt, I really disliked the issues associated with chlorine pools : my kids blond hair would turn green, their eyes would look bloodshot, and your skin always itched after you got out, thus requiring an immediate shower. Plus swim wear disintegrated quickly.
So, if your SWG can maintain at 3ppm, do you have any of these issues? I am happy to try this later in the year after I have completely drained and refilled the pool to eliminate my high nitrate levels.
I run my 1.5 hp pump for 12 hours each night and can only keep my SWG at 60% or I get errors. More on that later.
desoto2 said
AndyW,
We have no complaints about hair, skin, etc. with chlorine at 2 to 3, but then we always rinse off after swimming. Rigged up an outdoor shower by connecting one of those hand-held telephone shower things at a hose bib. A 30 second shower also rinses the suits out during the process, so they last even longer.
I think the bloodshot eyes are from the lack of salt in “regular” pools. Water in a ‘salt” pool is similar to tears, so easier on the eyes.
Green hair has not been an issue.
We have a 20,000 gallon inground pool with a T15 cell. Unless you have a huge pool, your T15 cell should easily be able to maintain 2 to 3. Did you check to see if the pool walls are slick?
AndyW said
Desoto2,
When I switched to a Salt pool, I replaced the plaster with Pebble Sheen which always has a slight slick feel to it so it’s hard to know if I have a major algae problem. My pool is between 20,000 and 25,000 gallons and I have a T15 cell. My control unit is a Rev 1.40 so I can only use T15 or T3 and obviously my pool is too big for a T3. Even if I could use a T9, the price difference doesn’t seem worth it.
So my plan now is:
Drain and re-fill the pool when the temperature drops. (Check for any algae and eliminate before re-filling.)
Get all chemicals in balance.
Bring chlorine to 3+ ppm.
Restart SWG.
I can’t do this for a couple of months per the advice from my local pool shop. Don’t want to risk cracking the pool shell.
Thanks for your comments – this could save me from a lifetime of drinking heavily by my pool pump. (Or maybe not!)
Loni said
Awe, shucks, you’re welcome! Don’t be too hard on yourself if you’ve been over-acid washing them. Lots of people do. And I know it’s confusing with the serial number and plug at one end, but THERE IS NO WRONG WAY to put the cell on. That also means there’s no “upside down”, but it is true that it would be best to soak the cell with the cord side down, only because that side will always have more scale on it. It would still clean it just fine the other way.
You’re not dreaming. In the hotter than hell states, and a large pool (20K+) it is possible that you would need to supplement the chlorine during the summer if you are not able to maintain the chlorine level. You can always shock the pool with the Aqua Rite for 24 hours once a week, and that would help. Don’t forget that when your system shuts down for the day, so does the superchlorinate function. Even if the switch is still in the superchlorinate position, it automatically resets itself to normal operation when the system shuts down. Take off your off tripper (noting the position for when you put it back), and push the switch up to superchlorinate. Alternatively, you could just turn the system on superchlorinate after it shuts down for the day, and not worry about moving trippers.
AndyW said
Just for fun, I cleaned my cell (high pressure rinse – no acid bath) and put it back “upside down” and it works just fine.
But (and there’s always a but) I still have random errors if I try and run the SWG above the 60-70% range. Everything from “Low Salt” (both flashing and solid) to “High Salt” to the hideous “-PCB-” error. So I keep it at about 65% and periodically do a system recalibration. My unit is fairly consistent in saying that my salt is around 2700 but the pool shop always says it is in the 3400+ range. Yet is seems quite happy at 65% and I am forced to add a little chlorine each week. I seem to always have a few small spots of algae, particularly by the steps where the cleaner has a problem doing its job. Constant brushing keeps that under control. As for the superchlorination function – my unit will only go for a few hours before I get one of the above errors so I never use it.
I suspect my cell is just getting old (3+ years) but they are damn expensive to replace. I don’t want to spend the money unless I am 100% sure it should be replaced. Two pool shops say the cell is fine.
Loni, what is your view about keeping a SWG pool at 3ppm?
Loni said
You should be fine to maintain a 3.0ppm of chlorine. I don’t like to see anyone maintain higher than that on a regular basis. But during the summer, you’ll have to keep it near that range just to combat the rain, bather load, and all the extras like grass clippings. Even at a consistent 5ppm, it still takes a while to rust through the metal parts in your equipment. A lot of pool service companies keep the chlorine consistently between 3 and 5 to ensure they don’t get called back to do an algae cleanup.
John said
hi I live in Louisiana and we get to 98 to 100 at times My salt system works grate. But I run mine at night for 8 hours and keep the readings at 3.0 so algae will not grow . I have no working problems with that staying in 3.0 rang. how ever we have 90 to 100 percent humidity here so evaporation is not a big problem ether. Good luck with your cloranizer hope what I added could help. John
Loni said
My two cents on the topic… This is a great way to keep the chlorinator generating when the water temp stops it. The pool stores use a meter to read the salt level.The Goldline Controls unit calculates the salt reading by using the water temperature and the amperage (more accurate). The higher the water temp, the higher the amps, the higher the salt reading. There is an amperage threshold. Once reached, the unit will stop producing chlorine. I was told this number is company confidential, so I cannot share it with you. Those people living in the hotter-than-heck states can keep their salt levels lower, but still within range, to try to get that puppy generating. If that still doesn’t do it for you, do as John suggests – run the pool at night. However, if you don’t have any issues, you are better off running the pool during the day, and when you use it (and for a short time after). Chlorine is used on demand, and dissipates quicker in heat and sunlight (daytime). It’s important to replace the chlorine as it’s being depleted. You can lose as much as one part per million of chlorine. PER HOUR under the right circumstances (low/no stabilizer is a large contributing factor).
As for the chlorine level to maintain? I’m in Florida, and we say 1.5-3.0ppm in the winter (November through March), and 2.0-3.0 in the summer (April through October). If a little is good, a lot should be better? Nope! Don’t forget that chlorine is an oxidizer (causes rust). If you keep your chlorine level consistently high, you’ll prematurely rust the metal parts in our pump, filter, heater, etc.
Another word for shock is breakpoint chlorination. Although there is some dispute over the exact ppm level to achieve breakpoint chlorination, everyone agrees it’s somewheres between 7 and 10ppm. It doesn’t have to maintain the level, just reach it to kill off the contaminants. Bear in mind that there could be so many contaminants in the pool that this is insufficient. The general rule of thumb is that you have to raise the chlorine level 1ppm for ever .1ppm of chloramines. The chloramines are what we shock to get rid of. So if you have a high level, more shock may be needed. Shocking ust be done in one shot – otherwise you are just elevating the chlorine level, and not achieving breakpoint chlorination. Chloramines are the difference between your Free Chlorine and Total Chlorine. Shock at a difference of .2 or greater. Your home test kit may not be able to test for Total Chlorine, but your local pool store can!
Jeff said
Loni thanks for the info about water temp and amperage. Live in Phoenix and have been battling this for years. You are the first person to give this info out. Now i know i have to dump half my pool to fix the problem . Hope it works. Our water has a high sodium content to begin with so every July/ August i have this problem. No rain no fresh water.
Loni said
Jeff, I’m sorry to take so long to reply, just to say thank you for your comment. Glad I could help you stop beating your head against the wall trying to figure out what the problem was.
Mark Campbell said
Thanks for the GREAT info. When I saw the board burn i thought you had been at taking photos of my board in Alabama. I now have two working units since my since my service guy couldn’t fix the first lightning victim 4 years ago. Took longer to clean the dust off my soldeing iron than performing the repairs.
Many Thanks,
Mark Campbell
JoeL said
@russell – Kudos for setting this up
@loni – you rock!
I just bought a repo with a salt water pool and, while I’ve managed fresh water pools before, all the levels that need to be checked/maintained on a salt pool are a little daunting (right now).
The control unit is an Aqua Logic AQL-P-4 and the the chlorinator is shutting down due to high voltage (when I turn the chlorinator on, the reading shows +40V, 10A, 96 degrees, and salt level of 1900ppm).The previous pool guy suggested I buy a new cell. $400+ later, I have a new T15, but the problem persists.
Calls to Goldline tech support don’t yield much more than “the main board is likely bad…has a short somewhere…that’s what causes the voltage to go up to 40V” Unfortunately, the Hayward tech couldn’t give me 100% assurance that the board was the problem. So, rather than spring for a new one, I’m inclined to start checking components.
I’ve done a lot of tech work in the past and I can still solder with the best of ’em, but without a schematic, I’m a little lost as to where, on the board, a short might be….IF, in fact, that’s what’s causing the voltage to spike.
Any ideas?
Alex said
Thank you Thank you Thank you
I just followed your step-by-step diagnostic and repair instructions. Saved me 350.00!!!!!
Here is a link to where I purchased the varistors (I bought 3 of them…) DigiKey.com
http://www.digikey.com/?curr=USD
Index Qty Ordered Qty Shipped Part Number Manufacturer Part Number Unit Price Extended Price
1 3 3 570-1062-ND SL32 2R02 2.69000 $8.07
Of course, shipping was additional…
Thanks again!!!!
Loni said
Yes, it’s the board. Had this issue for the first time (must be pretty rare) a few weeks ago. I looked for visual signs of the problem, but couldn’t see anything obvious.
PEOPLE! PLEASE NOTE!: I have almost never seen any other symptoms for a dead/dying cell other than a false low (or zero) salt level, or a brown discoloration on the connector itself. Before you invest in a new cell, note the reading on your unit and take a sample to the pool store first. If you add a bag of salt, it could take a week of normal run times to dissolve and distribute. Running the pool for 24hrs after adding the salt will speed things up, as will moving your valve(s) to allow more suction from the main drain, providing you do not have a suction cleaner running. If your level does not rise significantly, DO NOT ADD ANOTHER BAG until you have it tested at the pool store. People run into trouble and have to dilute (partial drain/refill) for over-salting due to a faulty cell. And please make sure the cell is clean before you pass judgment. A dirty cell will also give you false low readings. Your cell should be so clean that when you hold it up to the sunlight and wiggle it back and forth, the only thing you should see are the blades/plates hanging down. When adding salt, pour it around the perimeter of the pool and brush it down the main drain(s).
JoeL said
Thanks Loni!
At this point, I know the salt level is OK…3300 PPM as testes at the pool store. And I know the board is bad. I’m looking for more information on what’s causing the high voltage (above 34V) on the display. All Goldline gave me was, “the board’s likely bad”.
The Goldline tech said the “High Salt/Amps” error message (which is also shutting down the chlorinator) is likely due to a component on the board that is drawing too much current, causing the voltage to rise.
Anyone have a schematic for this beast? I know it’s a long shot, but I have to ask!
Loni said
If I had one, I wouldn’t be able to share it (company -Hayward- confidential). But I would break out my magnifying glass and give that varistor a really good examination. Sometimes it’s nearly impossible to see a hairline crack, especially on the edge of the black disc (where I find a number of them). Sure would love to get a hold of a schematic though. I’m sure I could be an even better field tech with a better understanding of the hardware. But alas…
As for tech support at Hayward/Goldline? That’s all they can do is give you their best educated guess; and give you the names and numbers of your local Authorized Warranty Station. They want a qualified Authorized Warranty Station to go out to determine the exact problem.The only “customer serviceable parts” on the system are the fuse, cell, and flow switch.
GregM56 said
Just a thought . . . when you go to refill your pool, take a reading of your water meter before and after so you’ll know exactly how much water it holds.
Charles Kenney said
Thanks Rusell, Had the same problem with the burned varistor, ordered one from Digi Key and had a local TV repair shop solder it in for me. $6 for the part & $20 for the solder job. The unit is working fine.
Brad said
Thanks Russell, had the same problem with the burned varistor, $2 for part $7 shipping, brother did the solder job for me, save a ton of money, pool company wanted $245 for a used board. Unit working great!
lee said
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. After ordering my replacement PCB ($450), i stumbled upon your site. i took a look and inspected the problem. Found the replacement part online at Digi Key ($2.96) i figured it was worth a try. i immediately calle dto cancel the order for my PCB and next day i was installing the replacement fuse. AND IT WORKED! Much appreciated!
Nelson said
Long shot question here: I have the Aquarite SWG and have replaced the varistor with parts from Digi-Key. Unfortunately I used a crimp connection. It did not stay and made contact with the board. What I am trying to find is what the varistor is wired too on the board. I think the right post goes to the red wire to its right. I could connect some jumper wires on the back side if I know the wiring diagram. Thanks, Nelson
Russell Wright said
Nelson, my first question would be why you didn’t solder the part in place? What did you crimp to? The old leads of the bad device? If so, my experience would tell me that the original solder connections would not be any good and you’d need to do this. I’m sure you didn’t need to hear this. 🙂
Unfortunately, I don’t have a wiring diagram for the PCB, but perhaps others might be able to help.
Nelson said
Russell, Russell,
Why ask the obvious questions? I actually cut off the old part leaving 1/4″ of the posts. I crimped the new part/posts to the old. I was in a hurry and planned on going back and solder the posts together. If I could just find where the leads travel on the board it may be salvageable. I can see on some boards on different sites it appears to make a loop around the varistor.
Nelson
Paul G said
Hi,
I had a no flow error check flow switch for a while now. I switched the power breakers off went down and bought a new one which is on back order. When I reconnected the old one and switched the breakers back on. Now my control panel lights up but there are no power lights or message appears. It’s blank! The pool still goes through it’s filter cycle just like its programmed to. Any ideas??
Loni said
Just in case anyone is reading this old post… Yes – I’ll bet the 20amp fuse is blown.
george said
walked past my Chlorinator and could smell that it was fryed. 2 minutes to fix beats a new board for $ 200.00
Darryl said
Great post. I just took mine apart and found the same EXACT physical (burned) symptom that you had. Found the thermistor at digikey for under $3, plus about that amount in shipping. Glad to see that someone has come to the same conclusion that I did (even though I’m a flange head and not a wire biter!!).
Thanks,
Darryl
Darryl said
If anyone needs the part number from digikey, it’s 570-1062-ND, CURRENT LIMITER INRUSH 2 OHM 25A
HTSUS: 8533.29.0000 ECCN: EAR99. http://www.digikey.com
$2.29
Robin Uffer said
Thanks for posting this fix. I’ve had my Aquarite for 8 years and this problem popped up last week. I ordered the part from Digikey and it took me less than an hour to do the repair.
Part number 570-1062-ND
Much appreciated!
Robin
Andre said
Thank you for putting all info on the web , it did save me a lot of money too, two thumbs up!
Jeff Eich said
Hi Russell:
Is it possible for you to take a look at the Goldline GLX PCB main board
for the Aqua Logic if we ship one to you for inspection. We are having our customers complain of cell no power messages on systems with new salt cell generators that are only months old. I would be very interested in finding out if these boards are at fault – as opposed to the salt cell generators. And if they can be repaired – then we are saving $400-500 on new PCB boards for our customers. Any reply will be appreciated. Thanks for helping so many with your insights.
Loni said
Jeff, yes, there is an issue that causes that error IF it’s not the yellow 20amp fuse. Go to NoCellPower.com. You’ll find everything you need there, including videos to walk you through the process. The only thing that’s not there is all of the forum posts from June to March (guess the server hiccuped – just hoping they aren’t lost for good!), and there were quite a few; half of them from me. Also make sure that your control box is grounded. Your bonding lug is on the bottom right corner on the bottom of your white Aqua Logic box. (It’s on the bottom center on an Aqua Rite.)
Russ, I hope I’m not crossing any lines here by sending this gentleman to another website. Please accept my apologies and delete this post if I am!!
Patrick said
Another big thank you, Russell!!…. Same exact symptoms, burn marks etc… Yay internet! (and all the selfless people who help out us non engineer types)…
Todd said
I owe you a big fat Thank You myself. I was totally prepared to buy a new unit until I found this site. I had the same problem where no lights were working except for the blinking red when the unit first powers up. When I opened up the unit and saw the same thing as you’ve posted above I thought I should at least give it a shot. It cost me less than $10 dollars to fix my problem.
BTW, if anyone is looking for the part in question SL32 – 2RO25, I have about 10 extra and will ship them within the U.S. for $4.50 and that includes shipping. You can email me at stamp2k1@hotmail.com if interested.
Thanks Again Russell, Todd
dgoulian said
Dude – Great post! I just had a Paddock Pools “technician” tell me it will cost $700 to replace my chlorinator – so I sent him packing. I’ll look at the board tonight and see if its the thermistor.
Charlie said
Thank you so much for your detailed problem description you encountered with your Aqua-Rite. I checked my board and just as you described I have a burnt, crumbling varistor. I just ordered a new one and will install when it is delivered. I can’t thank you enough.
Peter said
I happened to come across this blog as I was googling for lower prices for a replacement circuit board.
I decided to open up my control box & sure enough the thermistor was broken in half.
I just order a replacement thermistor…hoping that it fixes the problem and saves me some $$$
Thanks for your blog!
Charlie said
Well I received my varistor, replaced it and just as you described, everything is working again. Thank You! I can’t believe it!
dgoulian said
This information is excellent. Unfortunately, my varistor was intact, so I decided to replace the entire main circuit board. I found many prices for this board and many quotes in the $500 range, but I found a supplier on eBay who sells it for under $200 free shipping. You can search for “Hayward Goldline GLX-PCB-Rite Main Board” or search for his eBay ID “crusens”. The board worked perfectly but I had to transfer two small connectors from the old board to the new board which required some soldering skill.
My symptoms were: at power-on, “no flow” blinked for about 30-45 seconds, then “generating” light on solid for 1 second, then all lights went out (and I had zero chlorine in pool). With new board, no flow blinks, goes off, but generating light comes on and stays on.
I should also mention that the technician sent by Paddock HAD NO CLUE how to fix this. He first blamed the transformer, then wnated to replace the entire unit for $1000!!!.
So, we are really on our own when it comes to repairing these units and sites like this are invaluable.
Chris said
Don’t count on the varistor looking “bad” or burnt. I just replaced the part for the 3rd time in 3 yrs. Only the first one looked burnt.
The second time time, and yesterday, the part looked fine. I replaced it anyway, since it’s cheap to do so, and the board works again normally. This time symptoms were PPM reading about 100 or 200 on the AquaLink panel, and “PCB” on the AquaRite panel. I didn’t get the same symptoms last time, it just quit, so don’t count on exact symptoms either. I had ordered 3 of the parts the first time, so I just ordered several more for the next few times it goes out. So far I’ve spent about $7 instead of minimum retail of $750.
Here’s retail (new re-designed board): http://www.poolsupplyworld.com/poolsupplies/saltcellreplacements/products/GLX-PCB-RITE.htm
Here’s Newark.com: http://www.newark.com/ametherm/sl32-2r025/ntc-thermistor/dp/72J6846?Ntt=72j6846
Loni said
Actually, on Hayward’s 06/106/11 price list, the current retail is 383.51. But we’re all trying to stay competitive, so we’re sacrificing pricing to do so.
Loni said
And make sure your control box is grounded. There’s a bonding lug on the bottom of the box by where the flow switch plugs in. There should be a ground wire running from there tying it into your other ground wires.
Dave Jarman said
Fantastic blog – followed your guide and sure enough varistor crumbled. Just ordered a new one from Digikey.com for under $5 including postage. If this solves the problem it will save me over $200.
Local service is poor – only solution appears to replace total package. Judging by the number of responses you’ve had your blog has saved a lot of people a lot of money.
Thanks a bunch Russell
Dave
Darin said
Russell – awesome posting. I had the same thing happen a couple of years ago, and reading this would have saved me a lot of time back then. I did end up with the same diagnoses and fixed my board replacing the varistor.
Now I have a new problem, and since your pictures look exactly like mine, maybe you’ll have some advice. When I first power on the unit, the power and generator light come on, but they click off after a minute or so, after a minute or so they click back on and the cycle repeats itself. I’m wandering if there’s another damaged part or maybe the transformer is bad. Do you know what the voltages are supposed to be at the output of the transformer? Have you come across others with the same issue and may have other advice? Thanks
Russell Wright said
Not sure I can answer your questions. You might check the flow sensor(s). They might be bad.
Loni said
Your symptoms are that of a cracked/bad varistor. If I read this right (and I’m REALLY tired right now, so maybe I’m not), it sounds like you’ve just performed the “fix”. If that IS right, I’d check the replacement job by killing all power, and verifying with a meter – AS ALWAYS. Removing and reinspecting the varistor and the board. Check for continuity on your SOLDER job, not on the pins of the varistor. Hold the board up to a light or the sun, and check both sides to make sure none of the traces were severed. But still I’d take a magnifying glass to every inch of that varistor.
A bad, or improperly oriented flow switch will be indicated by the No Flow light staying on steady. A bad flow switch, or even a NO FLOW situation will not cause the unit to cycle. It will try to come on, detect a low or no flow issue, shut down the chlorinator, and keep that No Flow light on.
I know this info is late, but since Russell replied, I figured what the heck – I’ll stick in my two cents, too!
Loni said
Oops, sorry… The transformer… almost never goes bad unless the unit took a surge or lightning hit. We’ve replaced one in ten years. Those little red gizmos on the top and bottom of the electrical connections are surge protectors. Have those jumpers set for 110, and attach 220 and it’ll blow (or take a lightning hit/surge).Yes, there is a way to test the transformer. ALL of this stuff is done at your own risk, and I never assume ANY liability for my free advice! Check for proper voltage, make sure the fuse is good (and be aware I’ve had a few test good, but when replaced fixed the issue), check for 24V across the yellows. Check for 18-33V across the red and black. Then kill power to the system and ohm the gray and violet, and then the white and blue. Both of these should be 2.0-2.9. If all that checks out, you can rule out the transformer.
Carlene Miller said
My dog chewed the white cord. Neighbor tried to repair, but there is an extra wire! Now what? Do I have to replace the unit?
Loni said
If you had to replace ANY parts on your new board – it wasn’t new. They are good to go right out of the factory-sealed box. Your Paddock tech obviously doesn’t have much experience working on these units, and probably isn’t an Authorized Warranty Station. In 10 years I’ve never had a transformer go bad unless the entire box was fried from a power surge/electric company transformer issue. The effects of that are obvious as soon as you open the box. (copper traces blown completely off the board, black ooze dripping off the transformer, and usually some blackened scarring inside the box and possibly on the board. Your symptoms are classic for a defective/failed varistor. List price on the board is 383.51, and the list on a whole new control panel is only 851.41. 1000.00??
Loni said
One thing to consider when buying off of eBay. Only a legitimate receipt from a legitimate pool company will be accepted as proof for warranty purposes; and you MAY have to have a warranty station come out to do the replacement to get it honored, at your expense. UNLESS you are purchasing directly FROM an Authorized Warranty Station (like me), and they would be able to VERIFY (like me) and then PROCESS the claim for you (like me). Once verified, they should be able to ship the replacement to you (like me), and then they’ll get the board replaced by Hayward (like me!). Unfortunately, that means that you’ll be responsible for all shipping charges incurred after the initial purchase. So be careful and know who you are buying from. If the price is really that incredible, you may not have a warranty. On the other hand, if it really is that incredible of a deal, you might be willing to take your chances. It really is rare to have to replace a replacement board within it’s one year warranty. But if anybody is quoting you 500.00, as someone above just mentioned, they’re charging you a fairly high labor rate, and full retail price for the part.
(Please pardon the shameless plug for how I conduct MY business!)
Raja said
Just found this most excellent site and kudos to the originator! Without going into all the details my board has the equivalent of battery terminal residue covering many of the integrated circuits and around a few of the resistors. My quarter-sized varistor is intact, not crumbly and certainly no blackened contacts on the PCB or around as others have mentioned. Could the green corrosion on the terminals short out the board and is that fixable if I removed the residue? I have no idea how to check circuit integrity with a multimeter since I am not sure if I am checking continuity or what… saving the $200 is of utmost importance. Right now my 28k inground north of Houston requires lots of chlorine but I am swimming before May!! Any ideas??
Loni said
In case you’re still having the issue… I’ve never come across anything like you’re describing on the circuit board itself. I’ve seen traces on the flow switch connector or port, or on the old-style fuse kits. If you are still having problems, reply again and I’ll tell you where to send pics so I can better assist you. And I may be able to offer you other options…
Michael said
Russell your blog is still helping people solve their problems. Thank you
Scott said
Hi folks,
I have attempted to solder a new Varistor to my board, but the solder is not sticking. I am a solder newbie. Could someone offer me instructions on how to solder the Varistor to the board?
Thanks in advance,
Scott
Loni said
Head over to YouTube. There are plenty of instructional videos on soldering and de-soldering. Are all of the contacts still intact (the two on the front and the two on the back)? If you have no luck, post again. I may be able to help.
JPS said
Thanks Russell for this site!! I am no EE, I am a Police Swat Sniper, have no soldering experience BUT I was so frustrated with Hayward and the service guys jerking me around I was ready to go back to Chlorine Tablets!! Last year, new cell, one month out of warranty, last week, no power lights. Looked at the board and sure enough a burned 2R025 Inrush Current Limiter, which I ordered from Digikey on-line for 2.69 plus US Mail shipping. Including the cost of a cheap soldering iron at a local hobby shop, this repair was under 20.00. Thanks for saving me over five hundred bucks, think I will buy a Falcon….
Hiram Stern said
Great Information! I got a board for $65 (including shipping from http://www.ebay.com/itm/130676202857?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649 so I didn’t mess with replacing the components. HOWEVER, your info is great and I will use it to repair the damaged board which has the exact symptoms you mentioned. Thanks for the info! a new board at $350+ is insane.
OH, the manual says burning out this part is a result of adding salt directly into the skimmer, overloading the levels. If you do this I suggest turning off the unit until the salt level stabilizes.
JHS
MattW said
My symptoms are I have ONLY the power light, no other lights light. My thermistor was cracked and there were burn marks on the board. I replaced the thermistor, no change. Even when I disconnect the RJ11 for the flow switch, there is still no change, not even the “No Flow” light lights. I checked the voltage into the rectifiers, all good. I checked the output voltage from the rectifiers, all good. I checked the resistance on the transformer, all good.
The display shows 2600 always…instant salinity reading is 0.00. The two thermistors on either side of the power input “look” ok…
What to check next?
Loni said
Did you check for continuity through the replaced thermistor by putting your leads on the solder on the back (not the posts)? And of course you checked the incoming power for proper voltage? What voltage does the Aqua Rite say it’s putting out (on your display)? Instant salinity is not expressed with a .00 after it. But it WILL be 0 when it’s not functioning properly. The Instant Salt reading is the one with the – on the left side of the display. It’s the 5th press from the default menu.
Matt said
NIce work assessing the Varistor bit.. Just opened the pool today and notice lights not functioning and decided to open and examine for any issues such as a fuse etc… the following picture is what I found at zoomed in inspection you will see cracks in the solder joint and you will see cracks in the actual RZ3 part.. Ordered 2 from Newark.. Shipping cost more than the part..:-) if it fixes it who cares… the 200-300 pcb replacement doesnt enthuse me nor does replacing the box.. will update progress ..
After consideration I would imagine this occured last fall as the east coast got hammered by a variety of storms but didnt realize… wish me luck…
Mark said
I just wanted to say THANK YOU and let people know that I had the same problem with my Goldline Aqua Rite not having any lights on. It was apparent when the pool started turning green that something was wrong. I asked the local pool supply company and they told me they could replace it for around $500.00. I almost agreed to it since I was basically hostage with my pool turning green. Thankfully I checked the internet and found all of you great people with the same problem. I purchased the part from Digi-Key.com for $2.32 (P/N 570-1062-ND). I have read other people stating you can get them a little cheaper on ebay. Since I have absolutely no electrical background, I checked on youtube how to solder and desolder. My varister was cracked. I removed the PCB, removed the old varister, then soldered the new varister into place. After placing the PCB back and then the display in front, I turned the power back on. I held my breath and turned the equipment on… to my relief my Aqua Rite was working again as normal. Again, I just wanted to say THANK YOU all, but especially to Russ for his blog.
Loni said
Hey Russell!
I rely on those emails telling me that there are new posts/replies to check in on your board and see if anyone needs help. I never seem to get them when they are posted, but after VISITING the board (even if I don’t post), it seems they all come through with that day’s date, even though they may be a month old, but as if they were just posted. Very weird. Anybody else report this issue?
Shawn H said
Happens to me too. This site has saved me a ton of money so I subscribed but I don’t check it regularly. Occasionally I will get a flood of emails going back a month or so of updates people have posted.
Loni said
Thanks for the reply Shawn. Nice to know I haven’t COMPLETELY lost it… yet.
Loni said
AHA! I was right! This has become a moderated board. Russell (or the owner of the site?) has to approve the questions before they are allowed to be posted. He reviews them in batches. That’s why we’re not hearing anything and then in one day we get a bunch of notices.
Russell Wright said
You are correct! I have to get a ROUNDTUIT every once-in-a-while! Sorry for the hiatus.
Russ
Loni said
Ok Russell, now you’re just messing with me! My posts no longer say they are waiting for approval from the moderator. You can’t possibly read and approve THAT fast!
Matt said
Ok so as the many others have stated… Thanks.. The RZ3 component I ordered from Newark did fix it.. 🙂 Beer toast to all and most importantly Russ……
Matt
Loni said
Yes! 3 cheers for Russell! I don’t know why this never “hit” me before, but Russell, why don’t you have a PayPal donation link on this page???
Charlie Blancato said
My Aqua Rite panel flashes all red lights for ‘Inspect Cell’, ‘No Flow’, ‘Low salt’, ‘High salt’. The display is blank and the ‘power’ and ‘Generating’ lights are not lit. The I’m not sure what could be wrong. Does anybody have any ideas?.
Loni said
I’m sorry, but I’m guessing this is a monitored discussion, and replies have to be reviewed first? I’ve been checking to see if there have been any new questions, relatively frequently and could not see any of these before today…
Check the yellow fuse on the board. A spare was taped to your manual. Don’t just check it, but try replacing it with a new one. Sometimes they can test good and still not work. Happened 4x that I can recall.
If that doesn’t work, kill the power to the box and make sure it’s off with a meter if you have one. Then remove the display by carefully pulling it out towards you. Re-seat it. As you’re looking at the back of the display, the first hole goes over the first pin. Line them all up (it can be tricky), and slide it back onto the pins and the plastic standoffs. Make sure it is fully seated. If that takes you less than 3 minutes, I’d leave it off until then. Fire it back up and see if the problem persists.
Charlie Blancato said
Back in May when all the lights went red as I described above, I cut the power and removed the plug to the cell. I waited about 10 minutes re-attached the plug to the cell and fired it up. It worked!. No red lights and the ‘Power’ and ‘Generating’ green lights lit. It happened one other time and repeated what I had done and it worked again. I’m not sure what happened, but I also said a couple of prayers. I think it was divine intervention.
John&Beth said
We ordered the part from Newark and are crossing out fingers for a quick fix!
Kevin said
I have a problem. My lights are out and then they come on for about a minute, then go out for ten minutes, then repeat. Any ideas?
Loni said
Faulty bulb? Transformer? Wire? Sounds like it’s trying to come on, overheating, shutting down, and then when cool trying it again. But lights are not my strong suit.
Daryl said
Hello,
I also had the same problem with all the lights off on my unit. Purchased the varistor and the small red ones from Digikey. Once I received the varistor, I removed the old one and replaced with the new one. It all worked great. But after running for a few days I now get the PCB on the front display and all 4 of the bottom lights are lit. If i kill power to the unit and let it sit for a few minutes and turn it back on it all works ok again until after a while i get the PCB again. Thought maybe varistor is bad again so i replaced it again because i bought some spares. Same issue. Anyone have a fix for this. Maybe it has already been discussed but I did not see it anywhere. I did not yet replace the small red ones. Will that help?
Thanks,
Daryl
Loni said
That’s a stuck or failed relay. If your unit is still under any warranty, get your board replaced. If it’s out of warranty, you don’t have much to lose. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Cut all power to the control box and verify it is off with a meter, after removing the cover plate. Remove the display (see the last paragraph of my reply to Charlie Blancato, just a few above. The relays are the brown gizmos just above the Flow Switch port. Give a firm but quick tap or three, with the back of a screwdriver, on both of them and give it a whirl again.
Daryl. said
Has this fixed it before? What are the other options. Replace them?
Ale said
I have a similar problem. Do you have to know how to weld?
Russell Wright said
You have to know how to solder. Big difference from welding!
Loni said
LOL! If you put a torch to that board, you’d better kiss it goodbye first!
Andy W said
I’m throwing in the towel!
Having repaired the motherboard twice; replaced a bad flow switch; now Hayward tells me that my cell should be replaced even though it passes the testing procedure at my local pool store.
So rather than spending the $400+ plus on a new cell, I signed up for bi-weekly pool service from a local company that as part of the service agreement, replaced my Hayward system for a new CompuPool Salt system. While the system does not tell me as much information from the display, I have been very happy for the past couple of months and it appears to be keeping my chlorine level higher while set at a lower % setting than my Aqua Rite ever did.
So adios to worrying about my salt system working. I will now sleep peacefully for the modest sum of $42 per month. And that includes all chemicals as well as replacement parts (if needed) for the salt system.
I wish everyone who sticks it out with their Aqua Rite the best of luck – you’re going to need it!
PS – I am not associated with CompuPool in any way but I understand that 90% of all salt systems in Australia use this system.
Loni said
Well, that’s a shame, and I’m sorry to hear it. I hope that 42.00 per month isn’t too good to be true, because it sure as heck sounds it! If you kept your old Goldline system, I might be interested in purchasing it from you. Dirt cheap, of course, considering it’s dead!
Andy W said
Hi Loni,
I was suspicious at first but my neighbor has been using this pool service for over a year so I thought, “what the heck”. They only check the chemicals and the salt system – in and out in 5 to 10 minutes. I am responsible for emptying the skimmer, backwashing, etc. I do not wish to appear to be a salesperson so I won’t mention the company name but they have operations in AZ, CA and TX. I know that some folks have not been thrilled with their service but my neighbor has been satisfied by their service.
As for my board – well, it was still working according to Hayward, so I’m going to put in storage. Sorry. You can have the dead cell if you want! LOL.
I do believe I was partly responsible for over-working my Aqua Rite. I tried to keep the chlorine around 1.5 to 2.0. And as such, the system would run constantly for 12 hours a day even though I had the % set to less than 100. This of course was a hang-over from using tabs. Now I realize that having higher levels of chlorine in a salt pool makes more sense and because it is a salt based system, you do not have the same issues (green hair, itchy skin, etc).
Thanks go out to you and Russ for your postings – I am sure there are many folks who you have helped save money.
Jim Katra said
Several folks have mentioned that their T-Cell 15 has failed. How do you know when it has failed, rather than a PCB problem? My system says check low salt level, but it is at about 3100, and all temps, flow, and voltages are in the right ranges. PCB has no visible signs of trauma. Any help on what to test next? Thanks for any help.
Loni said
False low salt readings, with a CLEAN cell, are the typical symptom of a failing cell. Don’t keep dumping salt in your pool! If you add a bag of salt, around the edge of your pool, brush it down and towards the main drain (dissolving as much as you can in the pool water itself), run it 24 hours straight, and don’t see an appreciable difference, don’t add the second bag unless you have a large pool that always takes more than a bag to bring it up. Not you Jim, but just so everyone understands. Too many people think the Aqua Rite (or Logic) was working, but wow “the salt must have been really low” record in my personal experience was in excess of 20,000ppm. The ocean is about 35,000. Salt is only lost through dilution. Meaning if you lost half the water out of your pool, you’d still have the same salt reading. It’s when you add water that it drops, and only then. It does not evaporate.
Ok, back to you Jim… Write down your salt readings in both polarities. To force the unit to switch polarity, push the switch from Auto to Off, wait a few seconds, back to Auto and wait for the audible click (which is the relay opening to allow electricity to flow to the cell). Take those readings and a water sample obtained at the same time (make sure pool’s been on at least 2 hours, stay away from the return lines, spillover, and skimmer(s), and pull your sample from at least 18″ down (past your elbow) and then and compare them with your pool store’s readings. They shouldn’t more than about 300ppm apart (again with a CLEAN cell), 500 at most, if their meter isn’t cleaned after each use, or calibrated when necessary. Once you start to stray into the 500ppm range or greater, your cell is starting to reach the end of it’s life, and your readings will continue to drop.. And there is a possibility that one side of your cell can die (for lack of a better wod), but the other side is still alive and kicking. If you want to post your readings here, or if Russell is too busy with all of his tinkering to moderate ;-), email them to me at DoneIt at GoldlineControls dot info and I can tell you if one side is out. (Russell, feel free to censor if you need)
There are Cell Test Stations in some of the chains now like Pinch-A-Penny and Leslie’s, but not all of them. Go to Hayward’s site and use the Dealer Locator. I was going to put a link here, but their consumer sites are down right now! Never seen that before! Once you go there, you’ll see the Dealer Locator Link on the left, on the bar. On the right side, select Chlorinator Cell Tester or something to that effect. With your zip code and radius, it will tell you who has one around you. It’s a free service they provide, although the retailer had to pay for the unit. With the price of gas, call first and make sure it’s working! Don’t forget to shut the pool off at the breakers in case “life” happens.
Since the forum is now moderated… Russell, if you don’t want this part in – take it out!! I have posted my Turbo Cell Cleaning Instructions on my new Goldline information site. I just got it online, so there isn’t isn’t much there yet, but I’m working on it! GoldlineControls.info
Jim Katra said
I have had the cell tested both with my cell in a test environment (does not work) and a loaner cell in my system (works fine). My cell was installed by my local dealer on 06/22/2009, and should be under full warranty. Could you please advise me on how to proceed with a warranty claim?
Thank you,
jim…
Loni said
The cell only has a 3 year warranty on a new system, so DON’T DELAY – you’re almost out of warranty! You will have to have a warranty station come out to verify the failure and replace it under warranty. Unless you have a Totally Hayward Pool, built by a Totally Hayward Builder, and your Logic was installed at that time, you’ll have to pay for the service call. Unfortunately, when a piece of equipment is replaced under 100% warranty, you don’t get a whole new warranty. You get the remainder of your existing warranty. So you won’t have much of a warranty on the new cell, but you can get one if you act fast! You will need your dated, swimming pool company’s receipt showing the purchase as your proof of warranty. You can find your local warranty stations by following the previous instructions in this thread, but instead select “Product Repair or Service (Hayward Authorized Service Centers)” in Purpose of Search
Robin said
Thanks for the info, i blew the small red on on mine. Now need to get the part
Bill Hardman said
Great info everyone. I just sent off for the part from digikey and i will keep advised.
PETER TORRES said
My neighbor has a T15 Cell on his Pool. The Panel (Aqua Logic) shows “No Cell Power”. For a quick test, I replaced his T-15 cell with mine. The Power light did not light up and system worked fine. Is it possible we have a bad cable? Is the cell really gone? I wish to look for possible solutions rather than just replace the Cell as they are very expensive. Anything repairable on the cell? Thanks
Linda Peel said
Wow, this is great information! I have a very similar problem with lights going on and off. Replaced the cell, still reading 0 ppm. Called Hayward this morning and they said based on the description that it is either the board or the transformer. I decided it was most likely the board so went on the hunt for an affordable replacement. Ugh! Til I found you all here. I looked at my board and see that it is burned at the Varistor solder point.
I have ordered the replacement and anxiously await the delivery. Unfortunately, I haven’t soldered in several years, so I am NOT looking forward to that, but I have faith. Wish me luck!
Loni said
Good luck! It’s almost never the transformer. We’ve had to replace one in 10 years; and I’ve seen two others blown from a bad surge, spike, or strike. And there’s no mistaking a scarred box, traces blown off the board, or an oozing transformer if it did take a bad hit. If you don’t have any luck, post back here. I may be able to help.
Linda Peel said
I replaced the varistor last night and started it up and as soon as the unit started generating, the check salt and check cell lights came on. Decided to wait it out and revisit in the morning.
This morning, I turned it all back on and everything looked good. A few times, I have noticed that it stops generating chlorine and the salt and cell lights come back on, but I just turn off, then on again and it seems to be good now. I’ll have to keep monitoring until I feel that everything is working steady. I also notice that there seems to be some significant heat coming off the board now that I never noticed before, wondering if this is something I should be worried about.
So happy I found this site, and happier yet that I still am able to solder after all these years!
Loni said
The lights are coming on for a reason. First make sure your cell is clean, and your salt level is within range. Then you can reset and re-calibrate your unit. There’s a timer built into the software that goes off after every 500 hours of operation, to remind you to check your cell. But you really should check it and clean it as often as necessary using just a good nozzle on your garden hose. If you can spray off the deposits soon after they form (while they’re still soft), you can avoid exposing the cell to an acid bath, because the deposits have hardened, and extend it’s life.
To reset the timer, push and hold the button in for 5 seconds. To re-calibrate, go to your instant salt reading, where the minus sign is on the left side of the display, and then push your switch up to Superchlorinate and then back down to Auto.
The purpose of the varistor is to direct the heat away from the board. If you’re noticing more heat, you might want to re-inspect your work. You did actually remove the whole part, clean up the joint, and then replace the whole varistor, right? And it sits at about the same height as the original?
Rodger said
Great article. Had same problem last year. However, I did not do a calibration. This year, replaced turbo cell (T-15), reading stuck at 2100ppm, I know through pool store measurement it is 2900ppm. Any ideas? My aqua-rite was installed in 2005.
Loni said
I’ve seen this before on one board and couldn’t see anything visibly wrong with the board. Sorry I can’t help more, but I’m sure your cell is fine. My money is on the board. If you’re looking for options or pricing, contact me at DoneIt@GoldlineControls.info.
Scot said
Thanks Worked for me saved me hundreds!
Diane said
Thank you ever so much for taking the time to post what you found, and how to replace it. We just experienced the same thing over the weekend. I started my search in looking for a cheapier supplier for a replacement board when I came across this article. I figured for the sake of $18 (this included shipping), what the heck, I’d give it a whirl. I ordered the parts from the US and we replaced the thermistor with success! We would all be buying new boards if it wasn’t for you! Thank you again!
anthony martinelli said
i have replaced all theese patrs multiple times. it seams to blow them every 2 months any
suggestions
Loni said
Make sure you turn your chlorinator Off for 24 hours every time you add salt. Make sure your Control box is grounded to your equipment by the bonding lug by the flow switch port on the bottom of the box. And since there’s no warranty on your board, I’d change the 20 amp fuse to a 15 amp fuse.
Diane said
Thank you ever so much for this posting with your explanation and pictures. We too had ours bite the dust this past weekend after a thunderstorm. I started my search for a new board at a cheaper price when I came across this posting. For the sake of $18 to ship from the US (and yes, I got extras), I figured what the heck, I’d give it a whirl. We have been back in business for a few days now. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge – think of all the people who saved money by finding this post!
Doug Neugebauer said
Thanks for pictures. Ordered varistor from ebay for $4.99. Hooked it up and power is showing on. About to power it up.
Howard said
I emailed the company yesterday to let them know that so many people have had the same problem to see if they would offer to fix it. They would not even acknowledge the problem. We should not have to fix this ourselves. They were so dismissive that I think a class action lawsuit might get their attention. See response below:
Hi, this is not a problem that we are aware of. We have not had an
abnormally high number of consumers calling about boards
specifically. There is no recall on these boards and it is up to the
consumer to replace the part when it is no longer under warranty. We
do not ask consumers to repair boards. You can find anything you want
on the internet and find many people who agree with you, so if you
want to replace the thermistor for $3, we do not recommend it but it
is up to you to decide. Replacement boards go for about $300.
Hayward Pool Products Canada
Technical Services
Oakville, Ontario
888-238-7665
Paul said
Thanks from me too! I have just ordered the parts and repaired the unit and I am up and away again 🙂 You saved me a packet !
You are a gem Russell
jim said
Thank YOU Sir! You just saved me $300+. Ordered in the parts listed here for a whopping $5.76 (got a spare) and chlorine is flowing into the pool once again. Now if I can find some help like this for the Hayward H250 spa heater that has a dead board I will really be happy.
Neil Dwyer said
hello,looking for help,we have an Aqua-rite clor.system w/t-15 cell. less than 3 years old. We are getting a message HOT. Thought i had the same problem in the beginning of the year. At that time i turned on my heater which has the output going thru the t-15. After some chlorine/salt /ph issues i went to my pool supply local dealer and he recommende a chemical intervention. After this was completed i added salt as the level priorand since has been a variable. However the HOT on the display went away. Seems only wwhen i use my heater i have this issue. Also,the Generator light continuously keeps flashing ,any hlep or advise would be very much appreciatd.Neil
Loni said
If you are the original owner of the system, and purchased it from a Swimming Pool Company, and can provide such proof to your local warranty station, your cell is covered under 100% warranty, if it is faulty. HOT means the temperature sensor inside the cell is reading the water temperature at over 140 degrees (F). It CAN be an indication of a failure of the temperature sensor inside the cell. But on a 2-3 year old pool, I would think It must be plumbed a sufficient distance from the heater output, or this would have been a problem you would have noticed from the get-go.There’s also the possibility you have a problem with your heater, like the hi-limit switch, but heaters are my weak link.
The cell has to be the last thing plumbed downstream before the water re-enters the pool because of the corrosive nature of chlorine, and especially gas chlorine. That’s why the heater output has to go through it, down the line. You don’t want freshly chlorinated water from the cell going through the metal parts in your equipment!
Have you noticed the temperature of the water coming back into the spa or pool to be higher than in the past? Have you tried to check the temperature of the water coming out of the cell? You can loosen the downstream union (be careful in case the water IS hot), and feed the water into a vessel and stick a thermometer in it. If it’s within the normal range of what it should be (not higher than 104 degrees), I’d bet you have a cell issue.
Carrie said
I am having the same power issues with the aqua trol. Not sure if the part needed is the same part number as the aqua rite. Any suggestions?
Loni said
I’ve never worked on an Aqua Trol, but it appears to be the same as in the Aqua Rite, and it would make sense. You guys who are out of warranty and trying this on your own should note that there was a significant change to this part on the board beginning with r1.50 on the Aqua Rites. It’s bigger, has a different part number on it, and is mounted differently. If you’re in doubt, break out the magnifying glass and read the part number off of yours! I’m not an electrical engineer or even an electronics tech, but I’d be leery of putting the “wrong” one on the right board.
Keith said
I just recently replaced my cell because I was getting low salt readings and not producing chlorine. I put the new cell in and got good readings and am producing chlorine fine. Then today I neede to drain the pool and when I checked my system I see a PCb error and all4 lights illuminated, which manual says possible board failure. As I searched the internet I found this blog and discovered the varistor was the problem, it cracked when i touched it. I had replaced my whole system previously APPRoximatly 7 years ago while it was under warranty from another board failure and still had the old one so I took the varistor off and put on the existing one. It is working but the varistor is getting very hot, were you cant touch it and I am getting a reading of 4000 salt(pool store says 3700) but the light still says generating, I thought it stopped when salt was to high. I am concerned the varistor will burn out again getting so hot, does it have anything to do with the high salt and still generating? Sorry for being long winded
Thanks Keith
Loni said
The purpose of that part is to direct heat away from the board. Yes, it can get hot enough to burn you if you touch it. A difference of 300ppm between your unit and your pool store is considered within spec. If the water temperature isn’t too warm yet, the unit will continue to generate in ranges higher than the recommended 3400 limit (don’t do this on a regular basis!). You can “get away with this” more in the cooler months. It calculates the salinity of the water based on temperature and amperage. The unit shuts down for high salt when it reaches a certain amperage, not by the salt reading it calculates. You didn’t put an old style varistor on a new style board, did you (see reply just above)?
Wayne said
I ended up ordering the mother board before I found this blog. That being said, I just want to say thanks for your time in posting this kind of help! I also ordered the part to repair the mother board I removed.
Richard Andrew said
First , I wanted to say thanks. This article saves me a lot of money. It was going to cost me $400+ for a service call and new board. It actually cost me $7 and ten minutes of my time.
My question is that I noticed that he new varistor is running really hot. It even warms the outside if the box. The unit seems to be functioning but I am concerned that perhaps something else is wrong. Any suggestions?
Debbie Morgan said
Ditto to Russell, same thing happen to my circuit board , order the part from Digi-Key for $2.69 ,brought the board and the part to a local plumbing and electrics Lawrence Bros. to do the soldering for $10.00 .Fix for under $13.00 ,save over $400.00..Thank you !
John Ruggiero said
6/30/12- Russell- your info is being put to good use. Have the same problem and orerded the part from Newark. It was so inexpensive I splurged on next day delivery
John- Southern Shores, NC
Ernest said
Thanks for putting this out for others to read. I replaces the T-Cell and than opened the box after there was no change. I limiter is cracked in half. I plan to use eBay or DigiKey.
Jéan said
In the early stages of trouble shooting my Aqua Rite’s low chlorine output: Checked the cell…. looks good in spite of it being 5 years old. Going through the diagnostic screens, voltage was low, amps…..zero. hmmmmm. (of course goldline tech desk is closed on Saturdays) Then I noticed the controller power light going off after a *click*. Must be the main board, I think. Googling about…omg….expensive but I may have to bite the bullet. Then my searches brought me here. Took the panel cover back off and sure enough, there was the burnt varistor I somehow missed in my earlier inspections. Just ordered it. I’ll let you know how it works out.
I felt I had to thank you for your terrific diy. And after reading through these replies….I see a lot of us EEs are here! 😉
Jéan said
Worked like a charm…thanks again!
Jéan said
I noticed the pool getting a tad green….low and behold….no power light. Thankfully I ordered two varistors last repair. Replaced it again….working as required. 3.5 years on last replacement varistor….bad storms the last few weeks tho.
Merry Christmas!
Peter said
I have been to your page with pictures as I have the same board. My question is where do the 2 yellow wires go from the magnet. I have no direction as to where they are connected to, please advise
Russell Wright said
Hopefully you got your question answered, Peter. I would need to open it back up and take some more pictures and simply haven’t gotten around to doing it. I think you are talking about the wires from the transformer.
Neil said
I have the same thing going on in Jupiter. I see the burnt spots and will get the part asap. Thank you soo very much brother. Neil
Russell Wright said
Neil, let me know if I can help out. I found my “lost” bag of parts.
Russ
Neil said
Already got the parts and it is not only fixed but is working better then it did before it broke. The thing must’ve been wearing out slowly. I even had to turn down my settings because I had too much chlorine two days after the fix. 😀 Thank you again.
Peter Rood said
Hello my name is Peter and also have a aqua rite system. I ordered parts fron digikey sl322r025 and was going to install that and noticed that the one in my board has a number as322r025 which is about 40% thicker then the sl model. I looked it up on Dgikey and notice it cost 3 times as much. any thoughts about that roodbaker@rogers.com
Russell Wright said
Without doing the research, I’m guessing you may have a new board on which they’ve placed an “improved” heftier device. Perhaps some others could comment?
Peter Rood said
Spoke to people at Digikey they tld me both resistors do the same thing . By the was Russ I have one board I fixed and works but the reading continues to stay at 3000 even after I do a instant salinity test. The test goes through the process and reads 2800 but then goes back to 3000 and stays there any ideas
Loni said
Yes, they changed the varistor/thermistor/current limiter in rev 1.50, and it does look beefier. I would stick with whichever one is on your board to ensure complete compatibility.
You can try a reset and recalibrate. Reset = hold the button in for 5 seconds. Recalibrate = go to the instant salt reading (the one with the minus on the left side of the number), push the switch up to superchlorinate, and back down to auto. The reset will also restart your 500 hour timer (flashing the Inspect Cell/Check Salt lights), so you might want to make sure your cell is clean before you reset it.
Mark said
First off a big thanks to Russell and all of the others who have contributed to this site. In a nutshell, replaced varister and all is back to normal and saved big bucks.
Case details for others to compare with:
Aqua Rite salt system with Goldline Control installed July 2007 in Montreal. Worked perfectly until just a few weeks ago when I saw that the Power and Generating Salt lights (green) were out. If I unplugged and replugged power then “Check salt” red LED started flashing for about 30 sec and then it stopped and Generating Salt light came on for about 5 sec and then went out. Power light never came on.
The Aqua Rite diagnostic display showed the following info:
1. Default salt display
2. Pool temperature (xx degrees Fahrenheit or Celsius)
3. Cell voltage (typically 22.0 to 25.0 volts when chlorine is being generated, other-wise 30-35V) – mine showed 0.3
4. Cell current (typically 4.50 to 7.80 amps when chlorine is being generated, other-wise 0 amps) – mine showed 0
5. Desired Output % (“0P” — “100P” depending on knob position or input from remote pool automation controller)
6. Instant salinity (-xxxxppmor-x.xxgrams/Liter) – mine showed 0
7. Product name sent to the pool automation control display (“AL-0” which signifies “Aqua Rite”)
8. Software revision level (r1.xx)
When I removed the varister it was cracked on the underside. Replacing it solved the problem. Therefore, varister lasted ~ 5 years before giving up the ghost (due to normal wear and tear?).
Thanks again,
Mark
Dean said
Russell, fantastic article. I have no lights lit on my control panel, took off the cover and discovered the burnt area on the board near the varistor. When I touched it, it literally fell apart. I am going to try to find the part and replace it. Thanks for the article.
Russell Wright said
Good deal, Dean. I found my bag ‘o parts, in case you need one.
Russ
NancyReilly said
I am trying to order the VAristor from digikey but I live in a small town in costa rica with lousy mail service and I can’t get through their system. Anyone have any ideas on how to get the part to me?. Need a vacation, I can hook you up
Russell Wright said
Nancy–
I have some I could ship to you. Russ
dan bubp said
Russell,
I had an odd thing happen over the weekend. Saturday the salt output on the first reading was 500, now i knew that friday morning i added 2 40# bags and the salt was already at 2700. I took the cell off, cleaned it and here is what i have now
1. Default display 0
2. Pool temperature 91Fahrenheit
3. Cell voltage 28.7
4. Cell current .008
5. Desired Output 100p
6. Instant salinity 0
7. product al-0
8 t-15 cell
I took the controller apart and did not see any burn marks on dark spot
Any help would be appreciated
Daqn
Russell Wright said
Sometimes the current inrush limiter can go bad and there are not many physical signs.
Loni said
Did you put the Aqua Rite switch in the Off position before you added salt? Did you open up your main drain fully and run the system for 24 hours after adding the salt? Did you pour the salt around the edge and brush it around to help dissolve it, and not allow it to pile up in the main drain? I’m thinking you might have caused a surge in amps, and as Russell said, I’d give that current inrush limiter a thorough examination. However, the TYPICAL symptoms are that the cell voltage is LOWER, not higher. Did you try changing the fuse?
Dan Bubp said
Sorry for such a late replay but back surgury, they think had to come firdt. I decided to replace my t15 with a compupool sized to replace the t15. Its producing chloring, says the salt level is 5100, but its almost exactually that. Right at 2600 to 2650 with salt level test strips. Could I still have a board problem ? Much thanks for any ideas. Oh by the way, it’s set to t-15 on the controller
Loni said
Yup, life got in my way, too. I’m confused by you stating the salt is 5100 which you say is right, but your test strips are 2600 to 2650. One of them HAS to be wrong! Did you check the date code on the strips? Did you get a drop of water in the bottle and contaminate them? Do you keep them stored in a cool, dry place? I would absolutely take a sample to the pool store to get a professional reading with a meter (I never cared for strips – too much room for error/interpretation).
FYI… Hayward, and others have warned about board damage from generic cells. Hayward’s testing says they’re also unreliable and produce inconsistent results. One website has a note that they no longer sell generic cells as they’ve found they cause the boards to overheat. Also, anything but genuine Hayward parts on your system and you’ve voided the remaining warranty. For example, if I see a system that has a generic cell on it, and there is an issue with the board, if there was any remaining warranty on the board it’s been voided and the customer will be responsible for all costs.
If you are generating chlorine, your volts/amps/salt are all within normal ranges, your flow light is out, and the only lights on are power and generating – nope – no board issue!
Gary said
I have been installing salt systems in Texas for 28 years. I was a goldline service company for 7 years. Went a Lot siminars we were never told we could do this repair. I have changed hundreds of boards on goldline and aqua troll systems. And when the warranty went out you would pay the 356.00 bucks to replace. This is a joke. When Hayward bought goldline I was told I would have to purchase 250 thousand in insurance. I sent all warranty parts back and told them what they could do with there warranty work. It cost more in parts than what you can buy new. The goldline 40,000 gal system cost in 2005 was $445.00 and some times less than $400.00. Today I buy a 40,000 gal Sys below $700.00 and better warr and it likes any salt level over 2600 ppm to 4800 ppm.
Hayward units are very over rated.
Phillip Guin said
I was having the “no flow” condition on my Mineral Springs unit. I have excellent “flow.” Replaced the flow sensor (still “no flow” light remained illuminated). Then, replaced the varistor (the old one was cracked). Re-installed board…turned on the system and the “no flow light” came on once again. Here are the readings from my display:
3200
93
31.7
0
30p
-0
AL-3
r1.40
One curious problem: when I turn off the Mineral Springs system at the switch, the system does not appear to shut off. The green power light stays on as well as the “no flow” red LED. I can only turn the system off at the circuit breaker.
Anybody have any thoughts? I’m about at my wits end! Thanks.
Phil
Loni said
Sorry, guess I made a new post instead of hitting reply. Wanted to make sure you got notification of reply to your post.
Loni said
If you still have the old flow switch, shut down your system, and insert it where the new flow switch is to plug the hole. Then take a rubberband and carefully wrap it around the flow switch so that the contact on the metal prong is against the post and see if the No Flow light goes out. If it does, then there is a not enough water flowing through the system to trip the flow switch, and you’ll prove the new flow switch is working fine. Dirty filter, filter that needs to be chem cleaned, clogged impeller, too much debris in the baskets, etc can all reduce your flow rate.
You could also try to turn your cell upside down so that the serial number label is facing the ground. This will help improve the flow rate slightly.
As for the Aqua Rite not shutting down, sometimes it does take a minute for the display to fade out after the electricity is cut. Or, it’s possible that your installer wired it hot. Shouldn’t be, but that’s the only plausible explanation I can think of for why a system won’t shut down when switched off.
Phillip said
Loni,
Thanks for the reply. I’ve been dealing with this “no flow” problem for about four months. At first, I thought it might be the cell. Our installer inspected, tested the cell and said it appears to be working normally. I also made a “jumper” from an old telephone line, then started the pump…still got the “no flow” light. I’ll try your rubber band test, but I’m certain I have excellent flow…the pool looks like a hot tub when I turn on the pump (new motor from AO Smith). Additionally, I’m anal retentive about backwashing the filter and inspecting the strainers. I also re-cleaned the cell again (looks new on the inside). I took the board out one more time to re-inspect my work…everything still looks great.
Is there a way I can tell if the system is “wired hot?” I’d like to make sure that the system is safe!
Otherwise, I’ve switched to chemicals for right now.
Finally, do you suspect it’s time for me to bite the bullet and buy a new board? Or, do you have any other troubleshooting tips? I’ve run out of ideas…
Thanks again.
Loni said
I haven’t been able to get to the board in a couple of weeks, but not in a month. I’m so sorry if I’ve overlooked your response. If you still need help,and this info is still valid, please let me know and I’ll try to help as best I can.
Rob said
I have a no flow condition, which I tested the switch by holding the contacts together, no improvement so I ordered a new switch. While looking at the board during troubleshooting I noticed the large brown capacitor labeled “C2” is swollen and it looks like it has leaked and a rust color has formed on the outside and below inside the panel.
Do you happen to know what the replacement part number is and where I can get this? I can’t find a list of parts for the board.
Thanks!
Loni said
And you won’t find a list of parts anywhere – proprietary, trade secrets, protected under law…
The part numbers I read off of the capacitors on different revision boards, differ. What they all have in common is:
KMH 105(degrees)C, 35v, 15000uF (M) uF for microfarad (can’t reproduce the symbol)
about 35mm tall (body)
Mark S said
I have a question for Loni regarding the reply for post 170:
Loni said
May 26, 2012 at 12:16 am
Oops, sorry… The transformer… almost never goes bad unless the unit took a surge or lightning hit. We’ve replaced one in ten years. Those little red gizmos on the top and bottom of the electrical connections are surge protectors. Have those jumpers set for 110, and attach 220 and it’ll blow (or take a lightning hit/surge).Yes, there is a way to test the transformer. ALL of this stuff is done at your own risk, and I never assume ANY liability for my free advice! Check for proper voltage, make sure the fuse is good (and be aware I’ve had a few test good, but when replaced fixed the issue), check for 24V across the yellows. Check for 18-33V across the red and black. Then kill power to the system and ohm the gray and violet, and then the white and blue. Both of these should be 2.0-2.9. If all that checks out, you can rule out the transformer.
I don’t have any display, I measured the voltages and resistance you listed and have 220V (measured across both inputs) the resistance is good for the on Blue/white Gray/Violet, can’t get to the yellow in the back of the board going into the fuse (check it pulled off the fuse?) and remove the other yellow from the Bridge Rectifier? I measure the Black/Red at the top upper right side of the board and have 0 volts, both plugged into the board and removed. I’m thing this is the cause of the LEDs/Display not coming up, but want to make sure. Fuses are good, both at the bottom and on the board.
Mark S said
So today I went out measured the yellow wires and had 24VAC so the transformer is working fine. I measured the Bridge Rectifiers with my Ohm-Meter set on the diode setting and have base/emmiter @ 423 ohms and the base to top @ 823 ohms. I then reversed the wires on the meter and measured open across emmiters to base (based on my old training I believe these values are correct). I need to measure the fuse holder connections (yellow/orange wire connections) as they are the input voltage sources for the Bridge Rectifiers to see if it is bad. That would explain having 24VAC across the yellow wires and no output on the red/black wires. Even though the fuse inside is good the contacts inside might not be good.
I did not measure input to the transformer only checked the windings based on what Loni said. I don’t suspect this is the issue as I have my output voltage on the yellow wires. It should have 110-120VAC at the White/Blue and Gray/Violet. This comes from the input source, mine being the pool pump timers.
Mark
Russell Wright said
Mark, thanks for adding more to the troubleshooting process. I’m sure others will be helped with the info you’ve added! Russ
Mark said
Found that the Fuse holder was bad (Open with Volt/Ohm Meter) replace the holder (available at Granger for $2.68). Replaced and had 22VDC at the Red/Black wires. This is the input source for the board. The red wire feeds directly into the thermistor, then down to the 2 capacitors. This feeds into the power transistors where the high current is generated for the Turbo-cell. This can’t take place until the Flow Switch closes (blinking light). The RJ11 that is feed from the Flow Switch has 4 wires Red/Black/Green/Yellow. I’m going to put a Flow switch in to block the hole in the pipe turn the pump on and then measure to find out which pairs go together and what their voltage is. This might help someone else since the wires can be cut and wound together to bypass the Flow Switch and allow further testing of the rest of the circuit.
I did find a guy that repairs the boards and cells for a reasonable price 75/150 +shipping.
Loni said
My apologies for not being able to reply once the posts were available. Yes, on the older boards that still use a fuse kit, often there is corrosion inside the fuse holder. I was told by my field tech manager, many years ago, to replace the entire fuse kit as a general rule, not just the fuse. In 2005 and later boards, the fuse is now a standard mini-blade fuse, and is mounted directly on the board. GREAT price! The list on the fuse kit from Hayward is 30 bucks!
Brian McMullin said
Russell,
Thanks for your post. The pictures are perfect (the pictures looks like they were taken at my house!). Anyway, I have the burnt SL32 2R025. Do you happen to have some for sale?
Russell Wright said
I do have some, if you still need them. 214733 one three nine zero
Geoff Skinner said
I am having intermittent problems with my system and think its the control board. The board still has power but the output on the display is goofy and generating LED flashes indicating its not generating. The only thing on the display that make sense is the software version and “HOT”
do you think the varisor you replaced would fix this problem? do you know how to confirm the circuit board is faulty?
Russell Wright said
I doubt it. If you were electrically inclined, you could do a scan of the circuit board and look for obvious problems. Other than that, you’d probably have to pull out some test equipment and start measuring voltages and waveforms.
Loni said
HOT means the temperature sensor inside the cell has gone bad. It thinks the water is too hot to fire the cell. The hotter the water temperature, the higher the amps. As for the other readings, when not generating, voltage will show 30+ ing, amps 0, salt 0. If you’re seeing weird things like your average (default) salt reading has a decimal point in it, you switched it into metric. To change it back, press the button once (from the default display) to display water temperature, flip the switch up to superchlorinate and back down to auto.
You can have your clean cell tested if there’s a station near you (http://www.haywardnet.com/locator/).
Eric Geller said
Russell, this excellent post of yours just saved this household over $400! Thank you! After the local pool professionals diagnosed a surge and prescribed a board replacement we put on the brakes. A quick search on the web led us to your page. Visual inspection of the board corresponded to your article. I then ordered qty 3 (in case I screwed up) of Ametherm SL32 2R025, item # 570-1062-ND inrush current limiters on the web at http://www.digikey.com and they arrived in a matter of days for the princely sum of $16.64. I rarely do board-level work and the big capacitors on this board had me worried they might be holding a charge. For this and other safety reasons I consulted Geist – How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic (see http://www.amazon.com/How-Diagnose-Fix-Everything-Electronic/dp/0071744223 ) to make sure to follow proper procedures. Safety first. We’re all very happy with how this job turned out — the system is working perfectly now. Thanks again Russell for sharing this article – you and the www rock!
Gary Albert said
Unbelievable!!!!! The entire repair takes 15-minutes and saves HUNDREDS of dollars. Russ, I can not thank you enough for taking the time to document this. Your work is truly appreciated. And, yes…we’re reading your blog :). Thanks again.
Phillip said
Loni,
Still have the “no flow” condition. I’ve tried pretty much everything you’ve suggested. My salt cell is quite old (5 years now) and even though the pool store said it was working fine when they tested it, I’m now wondering if perhaps its faulty. Are there any other suggestions you might make regarding the board itself (troubleshooting), that I might consider? I’ve pretty much resigned myself to removing the salt system and going back to chemicals.
Thanks,
Phil
homepools said
call me i will help you 770-514-8140 please call when you are in front of system
Loni said
Philip, was Homepools able to help you?
homepools said
I welcome the calls, But Sometimes a total replacement is the answer of the cell or Boards Things just break sometimes
http://www.spasandpools.com
Shannon said
This is exactly what ours looked like and dis just what yours did. We replaced the varistor but now no lights turn on. I wonder what we did wrong. Any ideas?
Shannon said
Never mind! Replaced the fuse and now working great! Thanks for this website!
Tony_A said
Like many others, my unit shows 2600 and a green power light. I have replaced the SL32 2R025 varistor. I also replaced a defective T-15 cell. These did not fix the problem. It still indicates 2600 and only a green power light. All other lights are off. Is the next step to replace the two V150LA2P or should I try something else first?
Cell voltage = 32.2
Cell current = 0
Instant salinity = 0 (of course)
Product = AL-7
Software revision level = 1.32
Thanks!
Loni said
So sorry for late reply. Did you get anywhere on this Tony_A, or do you still need help?
Haw said
Well, this is the second time I had to replace the varistor. Therefore, I think it might be a design problem if it happens so frequently (twice in four years).
Apparently, the part is overheated too often during operation and fails (or some people calls it “fried”).
Does anyone have a permanent fix? Should I put a heat sink on it to cool it?
Peter Rood said
what I have done is taken the panel off permanently so the air can circulate and also drilled some air holes in the box itself to help the air circulate.
Bob Pawley said
My company repairs Hayward/Goldline, Jandy, & Pentair/Company PC boards. Flat fee of $150.00.
I designed & developed all of the Jandy PC boards.
BP Engineering, Inc.
(707)539-3904
Loni said
SO sorry for the late reply. Let’s absolutely rule out bad flow switches. Once again rubber band them, but if you have a meter, put it on the two middle contacts of the flow switch connector and check for continuity. Make sure the leads aren’t touching each other.
Examine the connector’s receptacle and make sure the wire contacts are still good and shiny,
If you have a cartridge filter, I’d even try removing the cartridge and reassemble the filter and run it again and see if you have enough flow. If you do, then you know the filter needs to be cleaned, chem cleaned, or replaced. If there’s just no more items to rule out and you’re sure you have great flow, it could be the board. It would be the first time a flow switch error I’ve heard of wasn’t rectified with a good replacement flow switch.
Don Scott said
Hi All,
Here’s a symptom that I haven’t seen described on the forum. I have an Aquatrol system on my 10,000 gal above ground pool. Its about 3 years old. I’m sure that this problem started after a very close lightning strke. My cell voltage is running about 33 and the salt reading is 0. Cell current is 0.
I checked the varistor on the top right of the board and it seems to be OK. I even jumpered across it with a test lead to eliminate it as the problem to no avail.
I’m a retired electronics tech so I’m not afraid to pull the board and start changing components, but a schematic would be great to have, or a short list of suspect components. Also does anyone have the pinouts for the Turbocell? Is there any way to verify that it is bad using a mulitmeter?
Thanks for any help!
Don
homepools said
the problem is the cell not the board I have a new cell for a great price http://www.spasandpools.com
Loni said
Did you try replacing the fuse? Have had some test fine, but fix the issue when replaced. Did you check Hayward’s dealer locator for a cell test station near you? I may have some useful info for you, and an unorthodox offer or solution. And I’d really like to do a little bit of troubleshooting with you. If you haven’t already resolved your problem, email me at DoneIt at GoldlineControls dot info. Please include your phone number and best times to call.
Ron said
I have an old Aquarite about 10 years old. Control Board PN 132603. It shows the salt level exactly one half of what it should be. I did order the new version board and all is well. Hate to throw the board, does anyone know of any fixes. Called goldline and tech said it may have lost its program. I find that hard to believe as it works fine other than that. I have a T 15 cell.
Russell Wright said
If I had to guess, assuming it is still working, I bet there is a bad solder joint on the display board somewhere.
Ron said
The control board that I replaced does not include a display board. So you have to plug your old display board into the new board so I guess that would rule out the display board. Maybe I will try to get a schematic from goldline. Thanx for your reply
Billie said
Thanks for this How-To, I replaced mine and it works again! money saved!
Bill Box said
Wow!! I wish I had read your blog before. I had the identical problem ie: algae wouldn clear up, salt system not working. I visually looked at pwb and thought the burned component was a capacitor. Found one on amazon for good price and replaced it with 100 % sucess. Then i discovered your article, I would have done the same exact things except I would have a better feeling about it when i ordered the PCB at that a big cost. Repairing it now to keep as a spare. Yes, my failure absolutely was caused by lightning striking next door. Thanks for your blog and pictures, you are a talented person.
R.J. MacMillan said
Thanks Russell, you saved me a ton on my Aqua rite salt water system repair. Your post was very detailed. I replaced my varistor with part from DIGI-KEY, Part #570-1062-ND ($2.88 + shipping). Very easy. Works great.
Thanks R.J. MacMillan, Vero Beach, FL
Stephen said
I followed all your steps but my eyesight is going bad and I stupidly crossed the grey and violet wires. When I started the system, smoke came from I guess the copper coils. I corrected those wires. Now when I turn the breaker to the generator on, it pops and nothing is working. Help!
Snider Dwight said
Russell.
I am a caretaker for a customer’s house.
He hired a pool guy to install a heater, 27KW!, and an electrician to wire the necessary power to the Aqua Logic panel.
The assistant at the house panel had not tightened a lug, and when the electrician flipped the breaker for the pool light, a small component at the lower left of the motherboard smoked.
I know from years of auto repair that electronics are powered by smoke.
When you let the smoke out, they stop working.
The smoked part was a voltage protector called RZI
I found a photo of Aqua Logic GLX-PCB-Main, that looks like the motherboard in question.
The smoked component looks like the little red ceramic disc you ID.
(Of course, it is a half dozen pieces of black ash now!)
Would the larger black varistor work, or should I order the V150LA2P by Littlefuse.
I have no problem soldering in this component, (the pool guy and the electrician both say it isn’t their problem)
It’s not my job either, but If the varistor did it’s job, I am pretty sure I can fix the board, since the copper ribbons are still unburned.
By the way, the circuit involved is to a GFI for the pool light.
I have been soldering since I was a kid, and I have fixed many PC boards.
Loni said
Sorry for the late reply. NO! DO NOT solder “the larger black varistor”. The red disc is for surge protection. If you apply 220V to the 120V Aqua Logic, it will blow the red disc. But in order for that to happen, it would have to be connected directly to the motherboard input. Top right just above breakers. White label with red print – Control Panel Input – 120V only (or something like that).
Snider Dwight said
/Users/dwightsnider/Desktop/wolthuis.aspx.jpeg
Snider Dwight said
Correction:http://www.poolpartsonline.com/popup.aspx?src=wolthuis.aspx%3fvariantid%3d143804%26size%3dlarge
This is what my board looks like. The component was not on the lower left as I said, but the lower right hand side, precisely where the smoke came out. The electrician’s helper, who was an electronics technician said the part was a varistor. He found a loose connection that could have caused 240V to that circuit as soon as power was supplied.
Loni said
Again… The board cannot receive 240V unless it was incorrectly wired to the Control Panel Input. As it states – 120V only! If only 120V are supplied to the board, it’s impossible for it to get 240V!
Victor said
Hi, I have the same board as the one in Snider Dwight’s post. My probelm is the breaker for the light keeps tripping. I noticed that the power for the light splits off and provides power to the board (black and white wires on the lower right side of the board). I disconnected these 120V input black and white wires and put an ohm meter across the terminals (on the board) and read 0.0 ohms. I measured across RZ1 and it also reads 0.0 Ohms. I think RZ1 is bad. What do you guys think? I measured across the black and white wires and read “OL,” or open.
Thanks.
Loni said
With an Aqua Logic or Pro Logic, the black and white wires are your power leads. I don’t like to see systems where installers piggyback ANYTHING to the power supply to the board. Don’t check for ohms, check voltage – should be 120VAC. Lights may not be getting enough power, or you may have a problem with the light wiring somewhere between the pool and the board, at the junction box, the light transformer itself, the breaker itself, or perhaps the 3HP light relay itself has an issue. If you have an unused Aux relay, you can try moving the light wires there (leaving them attached to the same breaker), and see if it still trips.
Bob said
I just wanted to give my kudos, as reading this gave me the confidence to invest in the fix. It worked like a champ! I cant believe that they get away with making people buy a whole new board for this problem. Thanks again.
Rob Turrentine said
Brilliant. I bought a new board from Pool Guy Supply for $169. I’m going to try your technique and use the old one as a spare for next time.
Marc said
I just replaced the sl32-2r025 disk and fuse, I’m generating chlorine now but I cant even touch the disk it’s so hot, is that normal?
Loni said
Yup.
The Completely Evil Blog » Blog Archive » Hayward Swimpure Plus is a shoddy POS… said
[…] Another user’s site with pics and descr […]
Loni said
I posted a reply on your blog page, but I’m sure you won’t like it!
Loni said
But I forgot to mention that almost every T-Cell on every system I’ve ever worked on was a T-Cell-15, so that ain’t it either.
John said
Russell – Thanks so much for this repair guide. Your instructions were right on and better than any OEM manual. Just completed my repair for less than $5!!! Thanks so much for saving me hundreds of dollars
John said
To All – I have 4 spare SL32 thermisters if anyone needs one. Just let me know
Mark Edmunds said
Russ, I used your great instructions a couple years ago and replaced the varistor in my Aqua Rite and it has been working great, thank you! Recently the display unit that mounts on top of the main board has been not displaying any number or colors. Thinking it was a faulty display I purchased one for $104 and plugged it in but it only lights up for about 15-20 seconds before the numbers fade away and the lights go out. When I put the old display back in it does the same thing. Any ideas as to what this could be?
Mark in Florida
Loni said
Sounds like a power issue. Make sure the display is fully seated and the first pin is in the first hole. I’d try replacing the fuse with the spare taped to your manual. And I’d check the incoming voltage with a meter.
Elizabeth Coffey said
Hello we are having similar issues with out pool system. I believe that the varistor has burned, and we want to try and replace. Can you please tell us how to properly remove and replace. Thank you in advance for your help.
Brad said
SAME THING, replaced the limiter and works like a charm! THANKS RUSSELL AND EVERYONE!!!!
Eric said
Thanks. Even though there was no obvious sign of damage to the part, I thought it would be worth trying the fix. Ordered a couple of parts (one for a future spare) and replaced the one on the board. (I had a soldering iron already.) Worked great after the repair. Definitely need to work on my soldering skills, but it was good enough. So for a total cost of $8.34 from Digi-Key, I had the unit back up and running. The pool shop wanted $320 for a new board. So saved some much needed monies and avoided sending more electronics into the landfill.
Jason said
I’m looking at my glx-pcb-rite board and my thermistor is tagged “AS32 2R025”. How much different is it from the “SL32 2R025”?
I’m techie, but electrical engineering wasn’t my thing.
Loni said
MUCH different. It’s way “beefier”. Yes, I’ve still seen them crack, but it SEEMS less often. I would NOT downgrade.
Stan said
First off, I really enjoyed reading this site. Thanks for sharing Russell. Loni, just want to make sure i’m understanding you correct. The As32 2R025 is the “beefier” of the two? And by the way, does everybody realize how much valuable information Loni has shared with everyone? You definetly are passionate about what your doing. THANK YOU!
Glenn said
Could we replace the thermistor then with the beefier AS32 one? Or if ours was an SL32 we should stick with that? Many thanks!
Russell Wright said
Probably, but there may be design decisions that made the engineers decide it would be better for the part to fail than to subject the rest of the board to more trauma.
Glenn Baker said
Thanks Russ. I ended up going with the SL32 and everything is working fine….pool is closed down for the winter so hopefully it works fine in the spring. I have never soldered before, so this should be doable by anyone 🙂
Loni said
Stan… awe shucks! Thanks for the warm fuzzies! Yes, the AS32 is the beefier one. Goldline Hayward switched to these beginning with revision 1.50 – a newly redesigned board – and they are supposed to run a bit cooler. However, if you have a rev 1.40 or earlier keep reading (no revs released between 1.40 and 1.50),
Glen, sorry I don’t remember getting any notice of your post! I don’t know whether or not using the AS model would work/fit/cause any issues. I’m sure we’d all appreciate a little feedback if anyone HAS used this AS with a 1.40 or less. You can check your revision model by pressing the diagnostics button until you see r1.xx. It’s also important to note that the leads on the AS model are thicker and flatter, there are silver strips applied the area (to dissipate more heat? And the leads are placed through plastic inserts to help further protect it.
Keith said
great site – I have just ordered my current limiter. Since it will be a few days until I can attempt the repair, should I just continue to shock the pool or add chlorine granules?
I have had my Aqua Rite for 7 years and this is the first issue I have had.
Loni said
Whenever the system is down, if the chlorine runs low you need to add more manually. You may not need to shock it, but just supplement it.
Dave said
Does anyone know what the 18 pin integrated circuit chip, labelled U5, is for (on the bottom left corner of the board, near the RZ1 and RZ2 varistors? My RZ1 fried, and I’m wondering if it also damaged the U5 chip, and if this is something that I can replace. The chip has no labels whatsoever, so I have no idea what it does.
Hooked up 240V with the jumpers in the 120V position (big DOH!!) I really hope I only fried RZ1 and RZ2; anyone have a similar experience?
Dave said
Does anyone know what the 18 pin integrated circuit chip, labelled U5, is for (on the bottom left corner of the board, near the RZ1 and RZ2 varistors? My RZ1 fried, and I’m wondering if it also damaged the U5 chip, and if this is something that I can replace. The chip has no labels whatsoever, so I have no idea what it does.
Hooked up 240V with the jumpers in the 120V position (big DOH!!) I really hope I only fried RZ1 and RZ2; anyone have a similar experience?
Loni said
Those red discs are surge protectors – and you’ve already figured out why they blew. Shouldn’t have affected anything elde on the board since it can’t receive power if the surge protectors are not in tact.
Bob said
I have an AquaLogic PS8 that reads hign minerals, salt at 5200ppm. But water tests to 3100ppm. Any ideas how to recalibrate the salt readout, or is it the motherboard? Coordinator won’t turn on because of this.
Loni said
Unless that pool water is really, really hot, I’ve only heard of this happening with generic (non-Hayward/Goldline) cells.
kim buelich said
Russ, I am getting no display or lites on my aquarite so I do not know if it is working or not. The fuse is OK. How can I determine if just the display is out> From reading the posts, everyone that has needed to replace the black disc has still had lites lighting.
Loni said
Sometimes fuses test ok, but are flaky. I’d try replacing it. A spare was taped to your manual. Check to make sure you have power coming in on the terminal screws, try reseating the display (first pin goes in first hole). I’ve only seen one Aqua RIte in 11 years that the issue was the motherboard and not the display or fuse.
Julie said
Thank you! Had the same problem – no power, no lights on, etc. Our system was installed in 2008, so it had been about 5 years. Looked at the main PCB and saw the burned varistor just like in the pictures. We order the parts from DigiKey and also purchased a new main board off of amazon ($180 vice < $5 for parts) – after making sure that it was compatible with our system. New board compatibility with older systems – systems prior to 2008 – can be a problem. We decided to install the replacement (but compatible) board because we're not EEs and were somewhat concerned about our soldering ability. Also, it looks like Hayward has upgraded the design. On the replacement board, the varitsor now has a heat shield around it and the red things are now big blue thingys. Also, it has surface-mount parts in other areas as well.
The one step that was hard for us was removing the differnt connectors from the main PCB. They were really stuck and we thought we were going to ruin the connectors. Any suggestions on that would be appreciated for the next time.
But all went well and now we're super-cholorinating!
Thanks to everyone.
Loni said
Every time I work on a system, I check and crimp all of the connectors. Too tight better than too lose (promotes arcing). I use a good pair of scored, flat plyers and brace the board on a relay or one of the big brown capacitors and gently wiggle slightly side-to-side to remove them. I push straight on (with the pliers) to re-atttach.
stevegoering2013 said
Thank Russ!!! I was able to fix my board easily with your instructions…. you da man
Ed Caramanico said
Sad story. It wasn’t until I laid out $339.00 that I stumbled upon this blog. My bad. I too had the same problem here in Florida. Wish I would have done my homework before shuffling on down to my local Pinch a Penny pool store to lay out $150.00 more than I could have purchased a new board on ebay. I will save my old board and replace the mentioned parts, and see if I can save the next guy some money. A day late and a $339.00s short. Great info.
Loni said
Just a warning note about buying on eBay… Unless your replacement parts are purchased from a POOL business who will furnish you with a legit, dated receipt (we have to ask to see it on all warranty work), you have no warranty. Might also want to make sure they’re not sending you old stock. Current board revision is 1.58, and it’s also printed on the yellow label on the box.
Carrie said
I just wanted to thank you for posting this. You saved me a lot of money. My Aqua Rite is back up and running just by replacing that thermistor.
Norm said
Thanks, I have an eight year old Aqua Rite T-15 system and was having check salt and check cell on constantly with no generation. Hayward told me that the cell was bad and that I needed to replace the board so I should just buy a whole new T-9 system. I felt this was bs and bought a new T-15 cell($415) only to have the same problem. Then I found your site, purchased the vasitor from Digi-Key for $5.44, and I am up and running. I think I am going to go put the old cell on to see if it has any juice left in it.
Joel said
This was very helpful.
I spoke to Hayward and they said it could not be repaired.
The board needed to be replaced. $280
I spoke to Discounter’s pool supplies where I bought the Aqua Rite.
They said the board blows and it needs to be replaced. Cannot fix. They had 8pcs. in stock $280
Ordered 2 Varistors from Digi Key. rec’d in one day.
Fixed board. Works great!
Cost $16 with tax.
Victor said
Hi, I have the board in the link below. My probelm is the breaker for the light keeps tripping. I noticed that the power for the light splits off and provides power to the board (black and white wires on the lower right side of the board). I disconnected these 120V input black and white wires and put an ohm meter across the terminals (on the board) and read 0.0 ohms. I measured across RZ1 and it also reads 0.0 Ohms. I think RZ1 is bad. What do you guys think? I measured across the black and white wires and read “OL,” or open.
http://www.poolpartsonline.com/popup.aspx?src=wolthuis.aspx%3fvariantid%3d143804%26size%3dlarge
Thanks.
Loni said
Victor, see reply to your post number 240.
Dave said
My Aqua Rite board (GLX-PCB-RITE) doesn’t look exactly like what is in your picture. The varistor is vertical instead of horrixontal. Looks like this http://www.amazon.com/Circuit-Board-Aqua-Chlorinator-GLX-PCB-RITE/dp/B00546LOFA/ref=pd_sbs_lg_6 Is this the same procedure to repare, same part? All the other symptions are the same.
Dave said
Thanks for the NO help guys. If you have this version of the board with the AS32 2R025 part, you have to replace it. Goldline has caught on to this thread awhile back and has engineered new boards so you can’t do this home repair trick. Wasted $20 bucks on resisters and sodering kit I couldn’t use. Be ware that unless you have an old board, this repair will not work, don’t waste your time and money.
Loni said
The NO help guys remark was a little rude to Russell, don’t you think? This is a moderated board and all posts need to be read and approved by Russell to avoid spamming. I’m guessing he just doesn’t have as much time as he’d like to in order to stay on top of things. It seems I’ve been given some sort of special rating as my replies always appear instantly, probably because of my continued support of this board (thanks, Russell).
Tim said
Thank you, thank you. I received the same response from Goldline and my local pool store, “you need a new board”. My wife found your advice, ordered two Varistors from Digi Key, my neighbor did the soldering, flipped the switch and saved close to $400.
Bill said
I have the same problem and replaced RZ3 but noticed a resisto on the oppisite end of the circuit card (R18) was badly corroded. I messured it and it is open. Does anyone know what value this resistor is. I am unable to read color code.
Loni said
From top to bottom, the tan resistor has these color stripes (I’ll let you do the reference research!) Brown, black, blue, gold.
James R. said
Hi – Thanks for your article. It really helped.
Question – I soldered the thermistor and everything appears to be working correctly, BUT the thermistor is VERY hot.
Did I do something wrong?
Thanks again.
Loni said
Nope, nothing wrong. They can run hot enough to give you a nice little burn. It’s purpose is to direct the heat away from the circuit board.
Mark M said
Thank you very much for this posting. I just repaired mine with a $2.77 inrush current limiter. This is awesome.
Greg said
I bookmarked this page about 2 years ago as we had just purchased a pool home with an almost identical salt system. I was curious to lean if there may be any potential pitfalls down the road. Sure enough, my system stopped functioning 3 weeks ago with with many of the symptoms Russell described in his original post. Having never worked with a soldering iron before I was a little apprehensive but YouTube and RadioShack were very helpful. Ordered my inrush limiter from digikey and received the part today. I have to say the soldering was straightforward as is the removal and installation of the repaired board. I was a little nervous working with 220, even with the breakers turned off so I made good use of my voltage detector. The good news is my salt system is working again! Thanks to Russell, your expertise is very much appreciated.
Russell Wright said
That is most excellent to hear! Great job!
Kim Barontini said
My Aqua Rite system has only 1 display light “AquaLink RS” and the rest of the lights are not on, but the system is reading the salt level at 3100. So the unit appears to be getting power but is not generating chlorine and not functioning properly. Any thougths to what the problme might be?
Ken said
Thanks for this post and all the comments. I have the identical problem with a board that was already replaced just under two years ago. I have the replacement varistor (after determining that the rest of the components worked when it was bypassed) but, maybe I just don’t know how to solder, but I worked for 2+ hours yesterday trying to remove the posts from the existing. The actual varistor fell apart when I touched it. I even went back to radioshack and bought a 45W iron but no matter what I did, I could not melt the solder through to pull out the pin. Unfortunately on one attempt the leg broke off at the level of the board, so now I have nothing there to grab.
Is there a trick that I just don’t get? Do I need an iron with more power?
Any thoughts or suggestions are greatly appreciated. I had to order a replacement board, but I’d still like this as a backup, if it is salvageable.
Russell Wright said
Make sure you are soldering from the bottom side of the board…not the top. You need to heat up the solder and remove it with either solder wick or a solder-sucker. If you hold on to the varistor lead while trying to unsolder it, you will sink all the heat from the iron and it will make it almost impossible to de-solder. The best way to remove a component is to remove the solder holding it, but sometimes you can heat up the solder and then quickly remove the lead without sinking all the heat.
Russ
Ken said
Thanks for the reply. I will give that a try. Do you think 45W iron has enough power to remove the remains?
Also, this board has what looks like foil that is maybe 5 mm x 10 mm surrounding each leg where the varistor is located. I was beginning to think that was somehow making the removal more impossible.
Look forward to your thoughts.
Greg Simmons said
25W Iron worked perfectly for me. As suggested. when Iron is hot, hold to solder point at bottom side of board. I used a small needle nose pliers to pull the legs from the top side one t a time. . I had the PCB supported on its side between 2 books to hold the board while I worked.
Greg Simmons said
Thanks so much for a thorough and helpfull post.
My “wholesale” price on a replacement PCB ( April, 2014) was $284.00, so ( as my large varistor showed some “charring”) I gave this a whirl. Obtained 2 varistors for a total $14.00 delivered. 20 minutes with a soldering iron.
Done !
I owe YOU a bud !
Clark said
I’m in same boat with Ken, my board is blue (with what looks like 2 part numbers: G1-066012E-1 and G1-011056-1 Rev B) and has the foil “plates” surrounding each leg of the current limiter. The solder does not melt with a 30W soldering iron. Do these foil plates act as heat sink and if I use hotter iron, will I damage board? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
Russell Wright said
30W should be more than enough. Make sure it is clean and try pre-tinning the pads without the component. Make sure you are using rosin-core solder.
seth said
Thank you, thank you, thank you! It WORKS!
Ronda Kirkland said
Great information but not sure I’ve got the same problem. Maybe so. My problem is that pool was cloudy so added salt. Aqua Rite started reading HI and not generating. So I figured I had added too much salt. Drained water and added water four different times. Still reads HI and will not generate. Instant salt reading says 1700 so no way is it still HI. All other reading seem to be correct. EXCEPT, I do have an E-3 reading that I don’t have a clue about. Will the varistor change out solve this or do I have other problems. Thanks for any help.
Russell Wright said
You have other problems!
Loni said
That reading is actually t-3. And if you don’t have a T-Cell-3 on your system, that would explain your high salt reading. However, you shouldn’t also be reading 1700 as your instant salt reading. If you DON’T have a T-Cell-15, press the Diagnostics button until you see that t-3 and then flip the switch up to Superchlorinate back to Auto until it matches the cell that you have.
Chipthepoolman said
never just add something without checking first. Cloudy pool could be a filter issue, contaminants in the water from outside sources (pressure cleaning will cloud up a pool in a hurry). You didn’t mention that you looked at salt reading BEFORE adding salt. ALWAYS check salt first before just adding salt. Salt strips are made that are VERY helpful to avoid oversalting and double-checking your system (warning: manufactures state that their calibration may be off by as much as 500ppm and be “within range). Obviously, 1700 is well below 2500ppm minimum and opposite of “HI”. I’d recommend that you start by using a salt strip and find out what your salt really is. Have you cleaned your cell recently? (Salt system won’t work properly if cell is corroded).
arthur said
i would sure like to obtain a schematic diagram for this control board “066012c-1 or 066012b-1”. anyone have access to this?
John H said
Good information on this. I live in Indiana, and have the same board issue. Bought in 2008 and have replaced the VAR 2x now. Looking trough web to see if there is a replacement PCB to fix issue, and havent really seen any substantial evidence that suggests one exists. I found the parts on Digi-key (PN; 570-1062-ND).
One thing that I am curious about, but I can not directly correlate, is the replacement of my T-Cell with the failure of this part. I went with a non factory replacement cell. It appears to me since the replacement, I now have issues with this component failing. has anyone else seen this similar issue? I wold be very curious to know other expereince.
Russell Wright said
I have not read anything good about aftermarket T-cells, but I would certainly like to hear about others’ experiences.
Loni said
The current revision of the GLX-PCB-RITE (motherboard) is 1.59. The board was released late last year. When I spoke to my Hayward District Technical Manager a month ago about these boards, he told me that not a single one has failed in the field thus far. The board actually looks like an older revision – less complicated/more stripped down.
Hayward’s warranty now specifically states that the warranty is void if anything but genuine Hayward parts are installed. However the policy was issued via a tech bulletin 4 years ago. They stated that they have tested aftermarket cells and found them to be unreliable and have the potential to do board damage. I’ve even seen an online retailer post they no longer sell generics because they’ve experienced the board damage.
Rob said
I’ve replaced Limiter 2x since 2008 and it just went out a 3rd time…so re-ordering from DigiKey…i replaced my Goldline T-Cell-15 while still under warranty in 2012…haven’t noticed any correlation between the limiter failing and T-Cell issues…but has anyone else replaced Limiter 3x in 6 years?
Mark said
Does anyone have an idea where I could buy a replacement fuse for the Hayward Yellow 20A Fuse GLX-F20A fuse? Hopefully thru Digi key. Or the specs on the fuse?
peter cormier said
thank you for your advice. Do you still have the extra pieces. I do not use the computer to buy things. I would send you five bucks American for the part. this would save me trying to find it
Russell Wright said
I’m afraid I don’t, anymore. And sorry for the very delayed reply. I don’t monitor this as much as I used to due to my availability.
Erich said
How can I determine if I have the Aqua Rite X296 model. I’m replacing my GLX-PCB-RITE board and it came with instructions to leave the fan and temperature sensors disconnected if I have the X296 model.
Walter Moise said
I have an Aqua rite chlorine generating system on my pool. It generates chlorine for a few hours, then stops and all the display lights come on, including low salt, inspect cell, etc. I have recently cleaned the cell. I shut the system off for a while, then turn it on again, and it works fine. Then after an hour or so, this cycle repeats. I replaced some parts on the PCB board like it shows on you tube, and it has worked until now. The limiter gets very hot , up to 290 deg. Any ideas what the problem could be?
Chipthepoolman said
Russell, I hope you can take a little ribbing. You are a genius! (and maybe not lol). I was very impressed with how you saw the problem and (like an electrical engineer) you saw and solved an electrical problem. The thing that had me scratching my head though was that you said “We’ve been fighting this all summer and, one morning I went out to visit the outside Aqua Rite controller”. Shouldn’t you have done that the FIRST time you battled algae? (Especially on a 40,000 gallon pool in the summer sun). I occasionally get algae even with salt system working, but #1 culprit to algae on salt system is system not working properly. “My hat’s off to you” for the inexpensive fix. I bought recommended parts. I’d much rather try a $4 fix before I sell my customers a new board. Might miss a “home run”, but more games are won by “singles” 🙂 I fix a customer’s salt system for under $100 and they know I have their best interest at heart, they’ll be my customer for 20 years 🙂 Thanks a lot! If you know of any other inexpensive repairs on those suckers, please share 🙂
Russell Wright said
I guess I expect an expensive piece of machinery like this to be like a Toyota…it should just work (at least that’s my experience). 🙂 Sometimes the obvious requires my wife’s blonde logic to get me to look at something.
Jim said
Looking For Help With My Aqua Rite
I have an Aqua Rite salt generator that’s been working fine. But this morning when I restarted the pump this is what I saw:
LCD are working fine
As usual the No Flow LED red flashing for ~30 seconds then it went off – nothing strange there.
Generating LED came on and stayed on for about 15 seconds but THEN WENT OFF! Once this LCD went off there were other LEDs illuminated not even the power LCD.
Any idea what’s happening? Pool temperature is 84 (from LED and sounds about right). Salt is 2900.
Thanks
Jim
Frank said
Russell, I have searched high and low, and cannot find wiring schematics for the t cell or aqua rite pcb. I had my house re-stucco’d and the cell and controller were removed. While it was temporarily disconnected, the plug end was cut off and is missing. Because I do not have the plug end, I do not know which cabke goes to which pin on the pcb plug. The connector appears to be a molex or amphenol and I can re crimp the female ends and waterproof it. If you have, or can find out what the pinout should be, it will save me hundreds,which I dont have right now! Thanks in advance!
Glen McRobbie said
Add me to the list of very happy readers. This board was replaced a couple years back when the unit was very new under warranty – tech thought it had blown during a summer thunder/lightning storm. I suspect that it may have blown again in the same way as we’ve had several really wicked storms lately. When my chlorine reading dropped to zero I took a look and while all the readings came through on the display when I cycled through the diagnostics I couldn’t get the power LED to come on. Reset breakers, etc……and as soon as the unit registered ‘flow’ (the No Flow LED would go off) it would try generating for about 5 seconds and then shut down. With the alternative being an entire board replacement (expensive and time consuming) I figured it was time to dust off my soldering skills and at least attempt this fix.
Similar to an earlier poster – I had problems getting enough heat to desolder the part. (I’ll admit I may have been sinking the heat with a pair of needle nose I was holding the legs with…..oops) There also appeared to be a ‘coating’ on the board (maybe to water proof it?) and it appeared that when I scratched through that I made immediate progress…..not sure if anyone else had to do that or if it was pure coincidence? Solder sucker, bit more heat, removed the VAR as it crumbled to pieces. Flux, solder, trim, reinstall…….GIANT SMILE!! (Sorry – when I save several hundred bucks using something found online I can’t help but smile.)
The VAR’s came from a local hobby/electronics shop – $5.84 each. (Grabbed 2…..on the chance that I destroyed one in my attempt to install – or for future use!)
As an aside they also had the 152C thermistors (thermal fuse) used in my Raypak heater…….so next time the heater has a flare in the spring and blows the fuse it will cost me $1.50 to replace the fuse as opposed to $40 for the full “Thermal cutoff assembly”.
Time for a swim!
Joseph LaBrunda said
Thanks for the tip on the coating… I am about to start my own repair.
mark said
Rock on man. I just had this exact problem after some pretty nasty weather and power outages. I’m lucky it’s still under warranty. I’ll be getting a new board but I’m going to stock up on these for when my warranty is up in 2 years. This also saved me a $85 service call from the pool repair service. Thanks a bunch.
Beth Berndt said
A quick thanks for this info. I had to replace both the transformer & varistor. The varistor still gets very hot – is this normal? But the chlorinator is working perfect. Thanks again!
greg said
I purchased an Aqua rite board on e-bay and all was well except the new board does not have the yellow and orange plug-ins on the lower right side of the board. So all is hooked up except the existing yellow and orange plugs. Please help, what do I do with the existing plugs? I am afraid to turn the power back on for fear I will fry the new board?
Joseph LaBrunda said
MySL32 2/R025 NTC THERMISTOR is also bad. I have 4 on order, I was wondering if on a very temporary basis could I “bypass” the Thermistor? what if I connected a wire from terminal to termainal
Russell Wright said
Not sure that would be a good idea. I’d just wait a few days…but I’m the patient type.
Joseph LaBrunda said
Thank you Russ, I did wait, got the thermestor soldered it in and put the board into the system…. NEW ISSUE: Both my repaired board and a brand new board I bought on AMAZON have a “Hum” and an actual VIBRATION as though there was some moving part which of course there is not/ It Must be an Electronic Resonance? When I put the cover plate on it actually vibrates…. Everything works, it generated Chlorine I just have this noticeable vibration that I can hear in the house since the Aquarite is mounted on the house wall
Russell Wright said
Usually the hum would be caused by a transformer with a loose lamination. Most of the times a humming transformer is not an issue. That’s the only thing I can think of.
Fredrik said
AquaRite back online thanks to your post – Thanks a bunch!
Michael said
We just purchased a house and the pool has the old “Mineral Springs MS-10” version. We had the salt cell replaced as it was cracked probably due to previous owner not winterizing. As the water temp got above 50 deg we started running the system and all the LED’s work fine and you can hear the K1 relay kicking on and I see the voltage drop and about 5 to 6 amps of current going across the salt cell as shown on the diagnostic display so I’m thinking all is well. My salt level is a little high 4100 PPM but still need about 6 inches of water before we are at full pool but the system seemed to be working fine. Then after running the system about 5 to 6 hours a day for about a week I noticed the deep end of the pool developing a greenish color. I check the control unit and the power led and generating sanitizer led are both on. I check the diagnostics and I have no current going across the salt cell and the instant mineral reads -0. I turn the switch to “off” then back to “Auto” and a few seconds and I hear the K1 relay kick on and low an behold the LED display shows 6 amps of current and -4100 instant salt level. This will continue for 20 to 30 minutes and boom – I hear the K1 relay kick off and no current (BUT) the generating sanitizer LED is still lit.
This happens even when I have the switch set to “Sanitizer boost” which should generate sanitizer for 24 hours. I took the PCB off and looked at the back and there is what looks like a burned spot where the current limiter is soldered to the board but the current limiter itself seems fine – no crack or anything. I would think replacing the current limiter would be the problem but both my LED lights stay lit and I’m getting current for up to 30 minutes. Any ideas? Could the current limiter just be getting hot and tripping the K1 relay off? Then when I turn the switch off then back to auto it’s like a reboot of the board and everything is fine until the current limiter gets hot again? Just wondering if there is an additional step I can take to make sure its the Current limiter and not the PCB. I don’t like guessing and swapping parts until I find the problem. I want to find the problem and order the right part and get it fixed the first time.
Frank Miller said
Having the same problem. Have changed out the current llimiter. My salt level is a little high. I hope it will be better as I lower the salt.
Sebastian said
Hello Everyone
can anybody tell me the part number of U6 and U7.
I need to replace it and the numbers are eraced.
Thanks.
Sebastian
David Cox said
Hi guys fellow Texan as well ,is it possible that the varistor is bad all though there is no visible sign or burning . I am fixin to order one but I am wondering if it could be the transformer instead . Is there a test I can do to tell me which part is bad .. I have no lights inside .
Russell Wright said
Yes, it is possible the device is bad without visible signs of burning. If you have a meter, you should be able to probe the input and output on the transformer (AC volts) to check its operation at a gross level.
David Cox said
just replaced the varistor , have power coming out of transformer , but the display and lights do not come on
Warren said
Many thanks to Russell for starting this, and to Jim, Loni and others for helping as well. I have replaced the varistor twice in the last 3 years, savings hundreds. Can’t; thank y’all enough. However, got more (perhaps self-inflicted) issues, and need help.
I have an Aqua Rite from Hayward, an IntelliTouch System i5 from Pentair, a titanium Salt Cell from CompuPool that is ~6 months old, and a Control Pad (hard-wired) in the house).
Issue started when the Aqua Rite was power cycling on and off, so was not generating chlorine. I couldn’t tell from looking at the PCB if the varistor blew (as there are burn marks already there from last time), so decided to replace the varistor (has a spare from last time, so was easy). This seems to have worked, though now I have other bad behaviors.
Salt reading is 3200-3700, though the local pool store says 2700. Spoke to CompuPool and they agreed to replace the Salt Cell on warranty – it’s on the way.
Now, I notice that the Control Pad isn’t working properly. The Pad has power and display, however, the green lights on the left and right sides (that indicate which pool functions are on) are not lit (even though the pool is on). When prompted, the Pad reports that it is not receiving data, though it seems to be sending data to the equipment (as I seem to be able to control the equipment from the Pad.
In re-tracing my steps to replace the varistor, I saw that I did not get all of the wires re-connected well – particularly, the 4 single-strand wires in the upper right hand corner of the PCB – as I recall, the yellow and perhaps red wires were loose (I didn’t have the wire underneath the screw when I tightened it). Not sure what these wires are for – communications? Could I have shorted something out by not getting them tight?
I spoke to Gold Line, and their answer was to replace the Aqua Rite PCB (cheapest I found on line was $180). I then called Pentair, thinking that perhaps I somehow impacted the IntelliTouch, and of course their answer was to replace the PCB in their unit (cheapest one of those I found was $492). Plus, if I replace the IntelliTouch PCB, I have to re-program the entire system – not good.
And, for good measure, this morning, the Aqua Rite says salt is 1800 (though the pool store read 2600). And lights for “check salt” and “inspect cell” are on.
So, before I start buying PCBs, anybody got any thoughts here?
And again, many thanks.
Warren said
One other item. Now, the Pad no longer seems to control the pool equipment. For what it’s worth, the “check control panel inside if flashing” light is lit on the IntelliTouch – though I don’t remember a time when this light did not flash.
Raul said
Russell, Just read the whole post! great info, same situation and ordering parts. Thank you for the info. Texas
Bethany said
If the transformer is bad it should show signs of burning or cracking I believe. Also, I cannot order less than 4500 of the little saudering pieces and was wondering if you knew if they were sold at hardware stores or just online.
Russell Wright said
Bethany, if you are attempting to purchase the component required for the repair, SL32 2R025, you can order them from Digi-Key. If you don’t know how to solder, I’d recommend finding a friend who does…or look on YouTube for some good instructional videos.
Russ
Paul B said
This is a very helpful blog, I must say!
Here is my problem, just happened today:
Goldline Aqua Rite, about 8 yrs. old. Today smelled strong electrical smoke from about 20′ away, 2 hrs. after pool had turned off. Opened up the box, it looks to me like the transformer may be fried. There is black gunk dripping off of it. Power is getting to the box, checked with meter. However, no lights are working, neither is the display. I did not remove the transformer yet, it was getting dark.
Looked online for a replacement, could only fine a used one on eBay, seems kind of risky. If anyone knows where I can get a replacement it would be a huge help. Information from the transformer is: 085013-2 T TOP-HUNG ENTERPRISE COMPANY 05E19
Thanks again for this great blog!
Paul
laeron said
This is fantastic info and I appreciate your insight.
However, my varistor appears to be fine; the problem I have is that all of my lights are flashing like a Christmas tree. I called Goldline they tell me it’s a stuck relay switch and that I need to call a tech out.
Any idea where or how I could find a sticky relay switch on here and how to repair it?
Ed Wilson said
Thanks, fixed my problem fine for under $10 !!
Cat Brown said
Hi, It looks like I have the same problem, but my equipment is more recent. Which part should I order? … I have a Hayward chlorinator for an approx. 20,000 gal salt water pool. It has a Hayward Super Pump, 1.5 HP, and AquaRite Electronic Chlorine Generator Panel. It’s been working fine for 2 years, but now the green light next to ‘Generating’ turns on only briefly when I trun on the pump. Then it turns off. The display is telling me the ppm is 4100, so I’m deducing I don’t need salt, but I tested the water, it has little to no chlorine. The pool water is getting little tufts of black stuff in a corner, and the water is getting murky.
Bob said
Russ. Hi and thanks for posting this information about fixing your aqua-rite system. I have the exact same board and the varistor is damaged just like in your picture. No volts and no amps from the digital readout and no lights illuminated from the display. I ordered a couple new varistor parts from DigiKey and I plan to remove the old part and replace. Hopefully that will resolve the problem and I will not have to spend $$ on a new board.
In your initial post you cite two other items: Littlefuse V150LA2P varistor. My question is, I don’t see the little red varistor on my panel. I’m not an electrical engineer but I’m very handy and know how to solder. Do I need the Littlefuse V150LA2P varistor? Or do I just replace the big 2R025 varistor?
thanks in advance.
Tony said
Having a similar problem with my aqua rite. I have the new revision 1.58 and it has the beefier current limiter AS32. An earlier post made by Dave (see entry 263), mentioned that this fix wouldn’t work for newer boards.
Any thoughts on this? I plan on trying it anyways, but I couldn’t find any details anywhere on why this wouldn’t work with the new boards.
Thanks for all the great info Russell.
Mike O said
All of the lights work on my Aqua Rite. The Low Salt and Check Cell lights are on. I cleaned the T-15 cell. I can reset the lights but they come back on within a few seconds. The Aqua Rite reads 1300 but the pool store said my salt level was high and to drain some water then add water and that should clear the problem. I did successfully complete the cheap fix on the board as describe here in Feb 2011. Since all my lights work would this suggest a bad T-15 cell? it was last replaced in Oct 2009
Gary said
Russ,
I need the thermistor. Tell me how to get one from you.
Bob B said
Great posts!! I have gone through replacing components with success because of power surges and lightning strikes here in Palm Beach County for over 3 years! I have a new question, my control box is EXTREMELY hot to the touch. I have check the wiring, fuses and connections.. any input from anyone??
Jack s said
Have gold line aqua rite now Hayward salt chlorine generator
Works fine except clock
Sometime runs on time
Sometimes runs slow
Do I need to replace board?
Scott M. said
You can also order the parts from Digi-Key Corp on-line. The large black one (current limiter) is $2.49 ea P/N 570-1062-ND and the small red one (varistor) is $.56 ea P/N F3005-ND. Plus USPS Priority Mail shipping. Can’t beat those prices compared to a new or refurb’ed board. Great write-up and photos. Thanks!
Jimmy Scruggs said
Russ, I am trying to hook up my aquarite to my automation system. Can you tell me the voltage on the Aqualink red terminal ?
Craig Whitaker said
I have an aqua lite controller with a compupool cell. this spring I got a low salt reading on controller even though independent test shows 2900 ppm of salt in pool. I tried recalibrating and only get a reading of 800 ppm. I read somewhere the cell was bad. I installed ne cell and have the same problem. When I turn system on It will produce chlorine for about 30 sec. then low salt light comes on along with check cell light. Any suggestions ?
Craig Whitaker said
I looked elsewhere and found the answer to my problem. I tried reset sequence recommender by manufacturer. with pool running and controller powered up, go from off position to auto, push button 5 times and a – number will appear. It will start counting, when you see your actual salinity go from auto to super chlorinate the back to auto setting your new #. I did this and controller would go back to old wrong #. Holding diagnostic button down to clear fault lights and repeating the reset sequence solved my problem on the 1st. try. I read it could take a couple times for this to work, so don’t give up. My old cell still works, now I have a spare because I bought a new cell before I tried this.
Sarah said
Hi Russell, need the Ametherm SL32 2R025 NTC thermistor. Notice you are in Montreal. So am I. I know your post is quite old but what are the chances that you still have one hanging around? Weather is just way to nice to have to wait for an online shipment.
Ted said
Hi, I have a similar problem. All my LED (low salt, check cell, no flow, etc) are on. I replace both the limiter and 2 red capacitors. The board ran for a couple days then get the same symptom. Anybody has any idea? I am thinking about replacing the board but not sure the board is the real issue. Thanks.
Jon said
Russ,
Thanks for taking the time to document the steps to fix the SWG. Mine is 8 years old and started having problems a month ago.
I ordered a part from Digi Key, spent an hour working on it, and BOOM, SWG is working again. Part was $2.49 (I ordered 2). I probbaly could have had it done in 20 minutes, but my soldering iron didn’t seem to heat up enough, or as fast as some others.
Thank you for helping me save over $200-$500 (dependng if I have the pool company install one for me, or buying a board on-line).
Jon
The spunkMeister says.. said
FYI, As a reference, I ohmed out a new limiter, got a reading of 3.0 ohms. When inline and soldered in, it was 2.5 ohm, so if you are getting a high number, changes are its dead.
Louis Tanguay said
Hi,
I have a cracked thermistor (no traces of heat), but the info on it says AS32 2R025 and not the SL32 mentioned in the posts. I checked the specs, and the % is different ( 20% vs 25%). I’m wondering if the capacitors are necessary in my case but I might as well get them if needed.
Does anyone know which capacitors are needed with this AS32? Or can i use the same mentioned Littlefuse V150LA2P varistor ?
Can someone tell me where are these V150LA2P on the board? I guess I’m not as familiar with these things as some of you…
Many thanks in advance, I will save much money on this!
Louis, Quebec city
billc66 said
I have a Goldline “Aqua-Rite Electronic Chlorine Generator with a T-15 Cell. I have replaced the Big Black Thermistor SL 32 2R025 a couple of times over the years and it has always fixed the problem of zero amps. Now my problem is LOW amps. The reading is 2.1 amps and my pool is turning green so I am assuming it is not producing enough chlorine. I have replaced the Thermistor again and it did not fix the problem. Does anyone have any ideas how to fix a LOW amp problem? Thank you, Bill
billc66 said
I have the basic Aqua Rite electronic Chlorinator. Over the years I have replaced the big black Thermistor when I had a “no amps” problem. Now my problem is the amps reading is 2.1 and my pool is green. Can you tell me what I can do to fix the LOW amps problem?
Danny Martin said
Hello Russell, Thank you so much for writing this post. It has been extremely helpful. I have used your info to change the 2r025 on a previous board and it worked. Recently, I had problems with the same board when it would kick off my GFI main 240 breaker when the pool switch activated the pump and Auqa Rite Salt system. I narrowed the GFI breaker kickoff to the PCB board because when it was disconnected, the pump and switch would work normally. I didn’t suspect the 2r025 on the board was causing the problem because it look fine and still showed proper resistance and quessed it was some other problem with the board. So I bought a replacement board. When I hooked it up it intially turned on, but as soon as the flashing red non generating light disappeared and the generator light came on, the 2R025 blew. I’m guessing it might be a bad board, but I’m wondering if it’s something else. Any ideas? Thanks, Danny Martin.
Russ said
Hi All,
I see that this discussion group seems to have tapered off lately. I have an issue with my Aquarite system that is baffling me. The mainboard showed the usual symptoms, but nothing looked out of the ordinary except one of the big brown caps had some scratch marks on the end. Could have been from packaging though, nothing close enough to it inside the cabinet to make these marks. Just had that board repaired by a pool company thru E-Bay and it worked – at first glance. Works great in “super” mode, however, it does not work at all in “auto” mode. All appears normal, but no matter what the percent knob is set at, the voltage remains at 33 and amps at zero. In other words, it stays in idle 100% of the time when the switch is in auto. The pool will show zero chlorine on a strip test after a couple days in auto. I can super-chlorinate overnight and the strip will show 8-10 the next day. Any ideas?
Russ (a different one)
Steve said
Thanks very much for this post. I had a heck of a time finding the plastic standoffs for the display board. Called Hayward and they sent them, and the plastic pieces for mounting the main board, out for free. Also, everyone should be aware that the Aquarite behaves strange at temperatures between 50 and 6 degrees F. The manual says that chlorination is reduced by 20% (of the setting) at those temperatures. I’ve found that it is usually more than 20%. This can cause the unit to show 0 amps and the power and generating lights are still on.
Steve said
That should read “between 50 and 60 degrees F”. I have found that my water temperature has to get to 65 degrees before the unit functions exactly like I have it set.
Paul Bartell said
Not sure if anyone here has discussed this AquaRite Salt Cell condition… I’m waking the system up for the first time this season. When I power the unit on, all the green lights flash plus the No-Flow Red light flash simultaneously, and the display is completely blank. Most folks talk about all the red lights flashing simultaneously. Anyone have a clue as to how I might proceed to troubleshoot this?
Dave W said
I really dig this ongoing 7 year blog that has helped a lot of people and is a confirmation of my issues. I have an AquaRite for 10 years now and am on my 2nd PCB board. and have just replaced the infamous thermistor with the sites guidance. Bought 3 from Digi-key, don’t select overnight FEDEX, they wanted $67 to ship. The old AS32-2R025 was in pieces and was simply two legs that were soldered to the board.
The original thermistor was supported above the board by two small metal collars that were just short of 1/4″ long. I installed them again thinking they were heat shields or perhaps spacers for proper depth placement. So I sunk them to that depth, soldered and cut the excess legs off. Perhaps a mistake? Should I have left them at their l length? I now see this may be an error as this hot little guy is too close to the board.
Speaking of hot, just as i read in posts 170,208,223,243,266, this thermister gets really hot, It does heat up my entire case and I will perhaps install a mushroom fan to draw the heat out, what were they thinking? I did burn my finger on it and used my heat gun to find out it was 170 degrees! The transformer is also 170 degrees but size matters. I’m sure this is doomed for failure very soon and I fear an electrical fire may be the results do to the heat. I called Goldline and they were not very forthcoming with trouble shooting but they did help me with some voltage readings that lead me to perhaps another ooda-loop of problems. All wires tested fine except for the voltage levels at the red and black leads from the attach at the upper right hand corner of the PCB board. If I was probing the correct dual wire leads I found 68 volts when it should be 33 volts. All other voltages and ohm readings through out are correct.
Russ, Steve, John, Loni…. Where do I go from here? I can’t pay for a new board, it simply the principal of it.
Steve said
email me at 2stevecottrell@gmail.com and I will send you a detailed manual.
Dave W said
i really thought I would see my posting by now after I approved your email. Timeliness is everything and now it will mean I have to hire an electrician or pool service guy; there goes my savings. This was the best site I found after a week of searching, please don’t disappoint me with further delays. Thank you for your humble attention. I do need the answers, and so do others. Dave.
Matt said
Does anyone have the schematics for the GLX board that includes the test point expected values? Thanks
John said
Thanks! Your directions were spot on. Worked perfectly.
Kris said
Thank you…your info was so very helpful. I am going to replace my busted varistor myself! My goldline is doing the exact same thing….and I have black algae too!
Jayson Lee said
I believe my PCB was fried from lightening as well, but it’s hard to be sure. I’d be happy to take a varisitor from you if it is still available?
This will be an interesting project.
Thank you,
Jayson Lee
Jerry Bittner said
Thaks for the information. I have a simiar problem — no power light — no lights period. I ordered a replacement board and am waiting for it to arrive. However, I just dchecked the device and surprise, the power light is on and it is generating.
Any ideas why this would occur.
lou said
I had performed a varistor replacement 2 years ago successfully (thank you for the tips) on a PCB p/n 066012B-1 rev B and it worked fine until very recently. I checked the varistor and it reads 2.4 ohms which is at the top end of the 2.0 +- 20% value from its print online. All that’s working on the display unit is the power LED with no others coming on or off at all and the cell is not generating. The cell is a compupool T cell 15 equivalent and is about 3 years old and was working fine with the Goldline controller (until recently) and otherwise clean with no scale and display readings are:
3.10
24
30.1
0.00
32P
-0.00
AL-5
r 1.33
As an additional troubleshooting step I installed an old spare cell (and functioning flow switch) that has some life left in it and the readings did not change. What is the suspect issue and could it be the beginning of the varistor failing?
If not the varistor, what else could it be?
georgiablackberries said
I need the terminal diagram for the cell. It corroded so badly you can’t tell where everything went. Any help? There is a double black and double red set of wires plus a jumped wire but three terminal posts.
Matt said
Thank you for the information! The V150LA2P discs on my board are burned. I had the damndest time finding the part number until this article! They’re on amazon, next day delivery – I will solder in tomorrow and see how it goes!
richard thompson said
Just fixed my neighbor’s board with your great instructions and details.
Barry said
Ordered new AS32-2R025 (DigiKey 570-1105-ND) and everything works again. Thanks.
Larry R said
Just fixed mine. Thank you so much for documenting this. I can’t believe how easy it was and saved me $$$$.
Chris said
Thanks for the information posted here!
I have a question: do you know if it is possible to perform a firmware upgrade on AquaRite boards? The micro controller used to perform all the tasks is a PIC16F73, is it possible to read it using a programmer via ICSP pins? Maybe someone tried to do this already.
Jim said
My Aquatrol AQTROL-RJ just quit working, no lit leds, nothing on the lcd display. Display board does not appear to be getting any power. Pins 2 and 4 on the display board connector read -.2volts. As I understand, there should be +5.0vdc on those pins starting from the left.
I’ve had this unit less than a year and the components most suspect do not carry the same part numbers that I see discussed above. The large quarter sized black inrush current limiter at RZ1 is labeled MF73T-1 2/18, not AS32-2R025. Also there are two blue varistors at RZ2 and RZ3 labeled S20 K150 15 45 not the V150LA2P red varistors in the picture and article above. Since this is a relative new unit under a year old still under warranty, I assume these parts are “beefed up” versions of the older ones.
I have tried to get a new board from Hayward under warranty but they will not send one due to “liability issues.” I have to get a local dealer to verify the problem at a cost of $95 service call plus $95/hr for diagnostic labor. They do not carry or stock parfs, so any found defective would have to be ordered from Hyward causing a wait of 5-10 working days. Replacing parts would incur a second service call and labor charges although the parts would be free is a reason to not honor the warranty is found such as assumed lightning strike, power surge, or user error.
So even with a warranty it makes economic and timely sense to just replace the parts myself. I’m wondering if anyone has any insight to these new part numbers for circuit protection devices and where I might get them?
Thanks in advance!
Russell Wright said
Probably the same or similar part…just cheaper. 🙂
http://www.jackconindustrial.com/sell-983617-mf73t-1-high-power-inrush-current-limiter-ntc-thermistor.html
http://www.cantherm.com/product_category/inrush-current-limiters/
Resistance 2 Ohms +/- 20%, Max Steady State Current 18A, Approx Resistance at max current 0.026 Ohms
Eric said
Just wanted to thank you for the tutorial and let you know that it continues to help people to this day….June 17, 2018. The pool supply store told me my 2006 Hayward Aquarite system was shot and tried to sell me a whole new $1000 system and the $4 current limiter was the only thing that needed to be replaced. Thanks again
Eric Geller said
Back again two years later and just replaced for the third time in 8 years. No complaints, this is Florida and crazy electrical storms happen all the time. How nice not to have replaced the board each time. Instead finally used the last unit from my original 2012 order from Digikey of three Ametherm SL32 2R025, item # 570-1062-ND inrush current limiters. So just ordered a few more for the next time(s)…. Mr. Russell Wright, you are a valued friend! Stay healthy and safe everyone. Eric
Don said
Your info is still very valuable. On my Aqua-TROL system. The 2 small ones blew apart. I tried finding the numbers everywhere. Thank You. I stumbled across this information and you had the part numbers.
Thanks Again.
Dan Parise said
There’s a whole bunch of safeguards on the salt cell that aren’t really necessary I’m trying to just bypass the controller altogether manually control the chlorine output any thoughts?
Russell Wright said
Sounds interesting, but I’m sure they’ve done some work on the controller to make it work well. Good luck!
Russell Jones said
I wish this had worked for me. I replaced current limiter and 2 varistors but no luck. No obvious problems/burned areas. Still no voltage to display pcb.
William said
I just finished repairing a Aquarite board with the parts above, BUT I may not have needed the parts.. Why?? Seems that someone cant solder worth a crap.. The Black thermsistor had one leg lifted and barely touching, so it had been arcing to make a connection, Then worse 2 of the legs from the Relay that connects to the saltcell was lifted and the other was completely burnt to no connection was being made. I still replaced all 3 thermsistors, removed the relay, cleaned up the pads, then soldered everything back in with the relay firmly seated properly. to make sure current was flowing right, I also jumped the trace from the relay leg to another soldered leg. I also found 3 more bad joints like that seems to be working loose.. I flowed about 10 high current joints.. Hey Hayward, if you are reading.. LEARN TO SOLDER! Or double check those joints as part of QC!!
Russell Wright said
You know, it may also be of the “green” solder that gets used nowadays. If they flow solder, it’s much lower temperature and I’ve seen other problems like this on automotive circuit boards. Great feedback!
Frank Martin said
Thanks so much for the information provided on how to repair the Aquarite Salt Generator. I had the same scenario and decided to try replacing the current limiter. I ordered a new one from Digikey. It came in 3 days. Unit is back up and running fine.
Sid said
Hi. on my unit, just the pure LCD screen is kind of burn out. Shows numbers but VERY VERY difficult to read them and I do not feel like changing the whole board for a cost of $84. Anyway I could just repair or change JUST the display part of it ?
Russell Wright said
I’m sure you could, but I don’t know what the display part number is.
Eric Geller said
Youtube has more than a few videos on how to resurrect clouded-over LCD screens. Seems doable.