Hydraulic cover help?

We have a 10 year old Aquamatic Hydramatic deck mounted cover system. Other than normal maintenance of sliders and one complete cover replacement, the system has been working great. On startup this year though, the pump doesn't seem to be transferring any movement to the drum.

There is 115V at the switch. Both legs of the 230V at the pump have 115V. The pump appears to spin up when the key is operated but the drum makes non movement at all. The drum is not binding.

I suspect there is something preventing flow of hydraulic fluid but don't know how to check. Any thoughts on how to test hydraulics is appreciated.

Thank you,

Joe M in WV

Here are the manuals:
http://www.aquamatic.com/downloads.html

That's where I'd start.

Thanks for taking time to post the owner's manual link. We did save the original paper owner's and installation manuals. Unfortunately neither cover any troubleshooting instructions.

I thought hydraulic fluid level might have been low but removal of the vent cap at the tank showed fluid within 1-1/2" of the top. The manual calls for fluid within 1" of the top. I added some ATF and ran through the air venting procedure but still no movement at the cover.

There is an over pressurization safety bypass that might be stuck open. I have no idea how to safely test the switch though. Aquamatic will be open again next Tuesday. I will give them a call then and report back here with any updates.

Happy swimming season,

Joe Menacker

Unfortunately, we can't be as helpful with very specific equipment questions, as we can with chemistry, which is basically the same for all chlorinated residential pools. Sometimes people get lucky, and there's someone on the forum who has encountered a particular problem before. But, that's not common.

Sorry.

We had a local Aquamatic rep overhaul the hydraulic pump system. The pump solenoid piston seems to have jammed due to deterioration of 10 year old hydraulic fluid. Lesson learned - change hydraulic fluid every few years!

Regards,

Joe Menacker

Thanks for coming back with an update. That may help somebody else in the future who may be having the same type problem.