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Common Pool Spa Electronic Control System Issues

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The most common control system problems and solutions

Pool control systems are awesome and they are generally very reliable.  But when they stop working, it can be a real headache.  In this section, we will review some of the most common problems with pool spa controls and offer some solutions.It is not possible to cover all the possible problems and solutions in this brief section.  In the end, you will probably need to call in a pool specialist for most of these issues.

INDOOR CONTROL PANEL PROBLEMS

  1. This could indicate a bad wire.  Most indoor panels use a four conductor wire, two to carry voltage and two to carry the serial data.  If one of the power wires is broken, then the panel will be totally dark.
  2. The control panel could be defective.


My indoor control panel is not responsive

  1. You have a bad indoor control panel.  Often you will see all the lights lit on and it will not respond to pushing any of the buttons.
  2. You have a bad control wire.  One of the two data wires has been broken.
  3. You have a bad outdoor panel and it is not communicating with the indoor panel.

PUMP NOT COMING ON OR OFF

  1. You might have a problem with your pump.  It could be as simple as a burnt out motor.
  2. You might have a problem with your circuit breaker.  Go to the panel and flip the breaker off and on to make sure that it is not the problem.
  3. You might have a bad relay.
  4. You might have a bad circuit board.


My pump will not turn off

  1. You might have a bad relay.  Sometimes the contacts inside the relay can become fused together after years of use.  The solution is to replace the relay.
  2. Your system may be operating under freeze protection which will turn the pumps on automatically.  If the temperature is not cold, you might have a bad temp sensor.

SPA IS DRAINING

  1. Most often this indicates a problem with a check valve.  The flappers inside the the check valve can become worn and need to be replaced. Sometimes a little bit of debris can be enough to keep it from closing completely.
  2. There could be a problem with one of the other valves in the system.


My spa drains when the pump is on

  1. A valve actuator may be defective
  2. A valve actuator may be in the “neutral” mode.

SPA NOT HEATING

  1. The heater may not be enabled in the controls (yes, it happens!).  In order to heat your spa, you need to have your system in spa mode and you need to enable spa heat and have the set temperature at your desired temp level.
  2. You may have a bad water temperature sensor.  If the system detects a bad sensor, it will disable the heat function as a precaution.  Check the water temperature reading on your system and compare it with the actual temperature of the water.


Problems with the heater

  1. Check the front panel of the heater for error codes.  If there is a heater issue, it will often give you an error code or a service light.  When you call for service, give the dispatcher this code so they can be best prepared for the service call.
  2. See if the heater is trying to fire.  If it fires and then shuts back off, this is an important detail and could indicate a bad or dirty flame sensing rod.
  3. Make sure that the heater power switch is turned on. Make sure that the gas supply to the heater is turned on and make sure that the gas valve inside the heater is turned on.

PROBLEMS CONNECTING VIA THE WEB

iAquaLink will not connect

Note: There were a lot of issues with this on the iAquaLink 1.0 because of its limited range, using the wireless B band.  With the upgrade to iAquaLink 2.0 and its use of the wireless N band (and perhaps other improvements as well) these issues have almost all gone away.

STEP ONE: Start by checking the outside iAquaLink unit (the transceiver unit). There are three LED’s on the side of the unit, and they give you the status of the connection.

  1. Red LED– this indicates that the transceiver has power. If this is not lit, then there is probably a problem with the wire, or perhaps the power has been cut to the pool system.
  2. Yellow LED – if this is blinking, it indicates that the unit is trying to connect to your wireless router.  Once it goes solid, you have a connection with the wireless router.
    If you cannot get a solid yellow LED, then your AquaLink system is not connecting with your wireless router.  It could be that you do not have the wireless SSID and password properly entered (or maybe it has changed since it was originally entered).  It could also be that you are out of the range of your wireless router.
  3. Green LED – if this is lit solid, it indicates that you have established a connection with the Zodiac servers.  There is no problem with your AquaLink system.  If you get a solid yellow LED, you will always get a solid green LED shortly after, in our experience.

STEP TWO: Login to your iAquaLink account with your username and password

  1. If you have problems logging in, you may need to recover your password.
  2. If you are able to log in, but you cannot see your system, then you may need to go through the process of adding your system to your account.
    On the “manage pool” tab, you can click on the “Add Location” tab and it will guide you through the process of establishing access to your transceiver.  You will need the serial number on the side of the transceiver to complete this process.
  3. If all else fails, you may want to remove and reload the iAquaLink software from your tablet or phone.
    While today’s electronic control systems are generally quite dependable, there are a number of things that can go wrong and this page only accounts for a few of them. For further troubleshooting information, you can download and read the owner’s manual for your unit.
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