Goldline "Aqua-Rite" salt chlorinator problems

[dorlando]

You are probably right. However, I don't think it is producing chlorine because the system seems to be shutting down since the panel thinks the salt level is 4,400. I think it is producing chlorine when tested at the store but for some reason it is shutting itself down due to the high reading. So, if the sensor is bad will that cause it to give a high reading and shut down? If that is the case is there any way to manually override that so it won't shut down?

[floridapooltech]

You are probably right. However, I don't think it is producing chlorine because the system seems to be shutting down since the panel thinks the salt level is 4,400. I think it is producing chlorine when tested at the store but for some reason it is shutting itself down due to the high reading. So, if the sensor is bad will that cause it to give a high reading and shut down? If that is the case is there any way to manually override that so it won't shut down?

I do not believe 4,400 parts of salt is enough for a Goldline system to stop producing chlorine. Not quite sure what the issue causing this would be other than possibly a dying cell. They are rated for 10,000 hours of use. Being it is over 4 years old it may just intermittently quit working.

[dorlando]

Do you think there is a chance the board is bad? It turns on as normal, reading is immediately awalys 4,400 and then the high salt light goes on and the reading says "HI". So something is causing that to kick in. Like you said maybe cell going bad or bad sensor but for some reason it is shutting down and my salt level is defintitely not 4,400. It was tested last week at 3,100 and week before same thing.

[floridapooltech]

Do you think there is a chance the board is bad? It turns on as normal, reading is immediately awalys 4,400 and then the high salt light goes on and the reading says "HI". So something is causing that to kick in. Like you said maybe cell going bad or bad sensor but for some reason it is shutting down and my salt level is defintitely not 4,400. It was tested last week at 3,100 and week before same thing.

If you would like, you can call Hayward to see if they have an ideal as to what may be causing your system to power down intermittently. Their tech support number is: 908.351.5400 and located in the Eastern time zone. If you are located further to the western United States, I can provide that number as well.

[dorlando]

I actually called them twice. One person said bad cell the other said too much salt in pool and need to drain water, which wasn't correct.

[floridapooltech]

I actually called them twice. One person said bad cell the other said too much salt in pool and need to drain water, which wasn't correct.

I would agree more with the cell response, though I would hate to recommend replacing it and it not be the issue. If your water was tested at 3,100 PPM salt, I would trust that number over the cell any day!

[dorlando]

Just trying to determine if it is the board or cell before I buy anything, trying to save a service call. not sure how much I can trust tech support since two people gave me two different answers. I have heard that issues like this could be the board.

I was looking at your website and noticed your t 15 cell is over $100 less than anywhere else. How come you can sell it for so much less? Is it brand new with the 3 year warranty?

[mas985]

Before replacing the cell, I would try to reduce the salt level some to see if you can get it to work properly. The last thing I would trust is a pool store test, they are rarely accurate. The best test I found is with a Taylor salt drop test kit and you might find that it matches your SWG better then the pool store test. At least it does for me.

Goldline cells will shut down when the current draw gets above 8 amps which can happen with high salt levels and certainly 4400 ppm would shut down the unit. This is done to protect the power supply from high current which can damage components. Also, these units will usually not read high salt unless there is really too much salt. I have also found that the SWG will sometimes read high salt if exposed to a hot water transient as from solar or a heater kicking on since the temperature increase makes the conductivity of the water increase which can then result in the current exceeding the 8 amp limit. Also, the cells will sometimes report low salt when the cell is nearing end of life even if there is enough salt.

For now, I would go by the unit readings over any pool store test since that is what really matters to the SWG. The SWG doesn't care what the actual salt level is only what it "thinks" it is. So I would try replacing some of the water before replacing any of the SWG parts. Besides, water is much cheaper.

Also, there is no separate salt sensor in the Goldline units. The cell itself is the salt sensor. They use the current delivered to the cell combined with the voltage and the temperature of the water to then calculate the salt level from the water conductivity. This is basically how electronic salt and TDS meters works.

[dorlando]

Hello,

Thanks for the reply. I have had it tested at two different stores over 2 weeks and similar results so I think those are good to bo by. Now the display reads 0 salt and then the high salt light comes on so it shuts down. Odd that it would say 0 salt and the high sal light would come on. I did take a little water out a couple of weeks ago plus I had to add about 2 inches this past weekend due to evaporation and same results do I really don't think the salt is 4,400. Has to be bad cell or board but not sure which one. If the cell sensor itself as you say is supposed to send a message back to the board it could be damaged and therefore the board is giving wacky readings. I guess it could also be the board itself.

[mas985]

A few questions:

Which Goldline unit do you have? AquaLogic, AquaRite, etc.

DId you recently add salt to then pool?

When you say the readout is 0 ppm then 4400 ppm, are you talking about the average salt level or instantaneous? Instantaneous will read 0 ppm when the cell is off during the cycle.

Can you do a cell reset, proceedure depends on unit type, and then watch the instantaneous readings of volts, amp and water temp right before the unit shuts off and report back the readings?

Personally, I have had five years of experience with my Goldline Aqualogic SWG and have been a member of several pool forums for more than seven years and I have never heard of a Goldline unit failing with a symption of a salt reading that was too high. I'm not saying it is impossible only that I have never heard that happening. Failure usually has syptoms of too low of a reading and/or a power supply warning but I don't remember ever hearing of a too high condition resulting from a faulty board or cell so that is why I am not convinced it is an issue with hardware. I still think it is worth your effort to reduce the salt level and just see what happens.

Also, some pool stores can also test the cell itself to see if it is working properly so you can at least rule that out.

[Txhomeguy]

http://shop.solardirect.com/product_inf ... cts_id=220

I found this site. I imagine this may work. I have not tried it.

[salt solutions, Tampa]

For complete salt cell repair with a one year warranty call salt solutions.
steve

[Pool Guys]

Something that has been overlooked in the many techniques of getting a salt system working properly is the fact that the salt system control panel must sometimes need to be RE-CALIBRATED.

How do I know that my salt system control panel needs to be Re-Calibrated?
-When the control panel is displaying a significantly lower salt level than the water is accurately tested at.

How do I Re-Calibrate my salt system's control panel?
(For a Goldline Aqua-Rite SwimPure Plus or Pro)
-First of all, if your "Check Cell" light is flashing, push and hold the "diagnostics" button until the light stops flashing. This indication light comes on at routine intervals, such as a newer vehicle's "change oil" light might come on every 3000 miles. Once this is resolved, make sure that your t-cell is properly cleaned, and that your pool water has been accurately and manually tested at a high level. If your control panel is still displaying a lower salt level than the water is actually at, begin the Re-Calibration process:
-Turn the main switch from "Auto" to "Off", and then back to "Auto"
-Wait for about ten seconds, until you hear a click inside the panel
-Once you hear the click, immediately push the "diagnostics" button five times, where a negative number will display- starting high, and scrolling down.
-As it is scrolling down, once it reaches the number at which you know the pool salt level is actually at, move the main switch to "Super-chlorinate", then back to "Auto".
-This will Re-Calibrate your panel to the accurate salt level.

How do I know if I need a new T-Cell?
-If the problems continue to exist, or the panel keeps going back to the old, incorrect number, it most-likely means that you need a new turbo cell. Another indication of a bad cell is when the control panel is displaying "HOT", when the actual temperature of the pool/spa is at normal operating temperature. In this case, the temperature sensor inside the t-cell is bad, and is bets resolved by replacing the t-cell.

Where can I buy a new T-Cell?
-Pool Guy is a new business I have created to help get the information and supplies needed for the average pool owner. We have made ourselves available for customer service, and worked hard to keep our prices a lot lower than other competitive pool supply companies.

[floridapooltech]

Just trying to determine if it is the board or cell before I buy anything, trying to save a service call. not sure how much I can trust tech support since two people gave me two different answers. I have heard that issues like this could be the board.

I was looking at your website and noticed your t 15 cell is over $100 less than anywhere else. How come you can sell it for so much less? Is it brand new with the 3 year warranty?

All products we sell are OEM brand new with the manufacturers warranty unless otherwise stated (clearance). The T-Cell 15 is the one with a 3 year warranty and is brand new to answer your questions directly!

[poolguys]

Something that has been overlooked in the many techniques of getting a salt system working properly is the fact that the salt system control panel must sometimes need to be Re-Calibrated.

How do I know that it needs to be Re-Calibrated?
-When the control panel is displaying a significantly lower salt level than the water is accurately tested at.

How do I Re-Calibrate my salt system's control panel?
(For a Goldline Aqua-Rite SwimPure Plus or Pro)
-First of all, if your "Check Cell" light is flashing, push and hold the "diagnostics" button until the light stops flashing. This indication light comes on at routine intervals, such as a newer vehicle's "change oil" light might come on every 3000 miles. Once this is resolved, make sure that your t-cell is properly cleaned, and that your pool water has been accurately and manually tested at a high level. If your control panel is still displaying a lower salt level than the water is actually at, begin the Re-Calibration process:
-Turn the main switch from "Auto" to "Off", and then back to "Auto"
-Wait for about ten seconds, until you hear a click inside the panel
-Once you hear the click, immediately push the "diagnostics" button five times, where a negative number will display- starting high, and scrolling down.
-As it is scrolling down, once it reaches the number at which you know the pool salt level is actually at, move the main switch to "Super-chlorinate", then back to "Auto".
-This will Re-Calibrate your panel to the accurate salt level.

How do I know if I need a new T-Cell?
-If the problems continue to exist, or the panel keeps going back to the old, incorrect number, it most-likely means that you need a new turbo cell. Another indication of a bad cell is when the control panel is displaying "HOT", when the actual temperature of the pool/spa is at normal operating temperature. In this case, the temperature sensor inside the t-cell is bad, and is bets resolved by replacing the t-cell.

Where can I buy a new T-Cell or Control Panel?
-Pool Guy is a business we have created to help get the information and supplies needed for the average pool owner. We have made ourselves available for customer service, and worked hard to keep our prices a lot lower than other competitive pool supply companies.