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Aquapure 1400 Not Generating Chlorine


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I have a Jandy AquaPure 1400 SWG that doesn't seem to be generating chlorine. I cleaned the cell even though it wasn't that dirty. After connecting the cell it started generating chlorine for a couple of hours. The Salinity gauge reads 3.5 and I took a sample to the local pool store and they tested the water at 3.1. The pool and the unit are 2 years old. I am getting a 172 and 186 code intermittently. The pool store want 115.00 to diagnose the problem. If it is the sensor and or cell I would rather purchase one myself and replace it, rather than pay them 115.00 to tell me that is what I need. Any comments would be appreciated.

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Thank you for the info. I think that your right about the sensor. This morning I started to document the readouts of the unit. It seems to fluctuate between making chlorine and not (cell on and flow lights on or off). Currently it is making chlorine. I took a test reading at the return line and it reads 1.0 chlorine. Does the sensor control the cells ability to generate chlorine??

172 and 186 Are sensor related codes, and lately, sensor failure codes. I don't think it's your cell, they have their own codes.

Replace the sensor.

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Thanks for the education. I have ordered a new sensor, and will let you know how that works.

Do you have any info or know of any possible issues with natural stone around a pool causing high levels of phosphates?

The sensor tells the unit information that helps it decide if conditions are right to begin making Cl, i.e. temp of water, salinity level, and whether or not there is water flow.

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I had my AQ 1400 sensor replaced for the second time today. Supposedly these things are supposed to last 2-3 years, but the first two lasted 18 months and 5 months respectively. These things cost about $200 a piece and the cell cost about $600-$700 when they c*ap out in 3-5 years. I asked the pool tech today about what most people do when the cells go out. His reply was that most people go back to 3" pucks and a gal. of chlorine a week. The pucks keep the PH down so adding acid, in our climate, is not always necessary. With the SWG I'm adding 1/2 gallon of acid every week. Not sure what the advantage of SWG is? Is it an illusion like variable speed pumps? I'm going old school. I'm sticking with SWG until it goes then I'm going to the pucks and chl. method. Run the pump 6 hrs a day ON HIGH and just go for it. So tired of fiddling with this technology that supposedly makes life easier. Going on vacation? SHOCK THE POOL! Leaving for longer than a week? Hire a pool guy for a week or two. SWG and variable pumps - take a leap! Sorry about the rant, but I feel a bit used by the people who built my pool. Great pool, so far, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have gone single speed pump and no SWG...just my 2 cents...

Also, I'm lucky to even find a tech with a sensor as no one nearby even has one. The pool company can't even get them in stock...what a joke!

As always thanks to the people on here for the help! Whew!

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So Friday afternoon I see a pool guy parked on my street that services the neighbors pool. I asked him about the Jandy 1400 SWG. After talking a little he was kind enough to take a look at my system. He installed a cell and there was no change. We put my original cell back and he changed the sensor. Immediately we got different readings, or should I say we got actual readings. The salinity on my sensor read 3.6, his read 3.3, the water test at the local Mac's pool read 3.1. Needless to say I am waiting for the new sensor that I ordered, should be here Monday. The Pool guy was very cool in taking time out of his route to help. I offered to pay but he declined, but I will absolutely call him when and if the time comes that I need a professional.

Thanks to all that replied. This is a great resource.

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New sensor went in on Wednesday without too much trouble. The cell has been making chlorine without a problem. Up around 3-4 ppm as of Sunday 8/1/10. Now the sensor is reading too much salt, 4200 ppm, it's NEVER been this high and I haven't added salt to the pool in months! Now it is going into general fault 145 and not producing chlorine. What is up with this tech? The old readings were in the 3200 ppm area and I've had the water checked several times this summer by two different Leslie's pool stores. Their reading were about the same at 3100 ppm and 3300 ppm. There has been plenty of splash out this summer and that water has been replaced with the autofill. Time to call for another sensor or what?

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Quick! Warranty that sensor.

Pool tech came and recalibrated the sensor. Now it reads 3400 ppm which is what it read before. Is that normal to recalibrate the sensor? The readings were MUCH higher, higher than they ever have been. The last sensor shorted out in 5 short months. $200 for 5 months or $40 a month or more than a dollar a day for this stuff???

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If he had to calibrate it, it likely means that it had been calibrated once before, (maybe to compensate for a bad sensor). Normally it shouldn't need to be calibrated.

As long as he calibrated it to agree with what the actual salt content is, and not just to make the unit work.

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If he had to calibrate it, it likely means that it had been calibrated once before, (maybe to compensate for a bad sensor). Normally it shouldn't need to be calibrated.

As long as he calibrated it to agree with what the actual salt content is, and not just to make the unit work.

Hmmm...I'm pretty sure the salt content is pretty close. 3400 ppm to 4200 ppm overnight is a lot of salt in a 15K gallon pool. Could this sensor possible have been used before? Getting a hold of a sensor seems near impossible in my area. Here's the funny thing...now that I've cranked the system up to 100% I can get about 4-5 ppm out of the system and I can SMELL chlorine. Isn't the whole point of this system to limit the taste, smell and irritation of chlorine. Baffled...

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I can SMELL chlorine

You can't smell chlorine. The smell is from chloramines. You need to get the Taylor K-2006 test kit and test for CC.

I have that kit so I'll give it a whirl. Just curious, but what am I smelling when I open up a bottle of bleach, or pool chlorine or even the 3" pucks in the big white bucket? Are those chloramines as well? If not, then what the heck is that smell?

Results: 5 ppm FC - 5 ppm TC = 0 ppm CC according to my K-2006. So what the heck is that smell? Might cruise the SWG back a little, maybe 80%.

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I can SMELL chlorine

You can't smell chlorine. The smell is from chloramines. You need to get the Taylor K-2006 test kit and test for CC.

I have that kit so I'll give it a whirl. Just curious, but what am I smelling when I open up a bottle of bleach, or pool chlorine or even the 3" pucks in the big white bucket? Are those chloramines as well? If not, then what the heck is that smell?

Results: 5 ppm FC - 5 ppm TC = 0 ppm CC according to my K-2006. So what the heck is that smell? Might cruise the SWG back a little, maybe 80%.

You can't normally smell chlorine at the concentrations in a swimming pool. Even straight bleach does not have a lot of smell. Although, you can detect chlorine at the higher levels in bleach or tabs.

Being able to detect chlorine by smell is determined by the concentration in the air. A swimming pool, especially with cyanuric acid, should not be off gassing chlorine fast enough to create a detectable smell in the air.

Bleach can off-gas chlorine, especially if it gets hot. Tabs can off gas chlorine, especially if they absorb moisture from the air or otherwise get wet. Tabs also can release dust under windy conditions. The dust can get in your nose and create a chlorine smell.

It's possible that some of the chlorine gas being generated by your SWG is not fully dissolving and off-gassing. You would be able to smell that. How long is the plumbing from your SWG to your return?

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I can SMELL chlorine

You can't smell chlorine. The smell is from chloramines. You need to get the Taylor K-2006 test kit and test for CC.

I have that kit so I'll give it a whirl. Just curious, but what am I smelling when I open up a bottle of bleach, or pool chlorine or even the 3" pucks in the big white bucket? Are those chloramines as well? If not, then what the heck is that smell?

Results: 5 ppm FC - 5 ppm TC = 0 ppm CC according to my K-2006. So what the heck is that smell? Might cruise the SWG back a little, maybe 80%.

You can't normally smell chlorine at the concentrations in a swimming pool. Even straight bleach does not have a lot of smell. Although, you can detect chlorine at the higher levels in bleach or tabs.

It's possible that some of the chlorine gas being generated by your SWG is not fully dissolving and off-gassing. You would be able to smell that. How long is the plumbing from your SWG to your return?

Not very far. Maybe 15 ft from the SWG to the closest return. What's your take on SWG? Good, bad, pool propaganda? Not judging, just curious from the people who frequent this forum. Thanks!

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  • 3 years later...

My Aquapure 1400 is also not generating chlorine. I have no error codes and the "cell on" and "flow" lights are on so one would think that it is generating chlorine. I have the chlorine production set to run 10 hours a day at 90% due to the high temperatures in Texas. My water chemistry was out of whack but I'm working on getting it back in the recommended ranges. The pH is at 8.6, the total alkalinity is as 250 ppm, and the calcium hardness is really low at 80 ppm so I've added the recommended amount of MA and Calcium Hardness (recommended by retail pool store). My salinity is at 3500 ppm so it's right on the border line. I have the new 3 port salt cell which was replaced in November 2012. It worked perfectly fine last year, or so I thought, and now the only way I can keep chlorine in my pool is with weekly shock and chlorine pucks. Could the sensor have gone bad or is the water chemistry to blame? Any feedback would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in Advance!

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