Auto Pilot low amp? PoolSean Please help!!

Hi all,

I have had my autopilot dig 220 with the 48 cell for about 3 years. I just noticed that the red check light is flashing and it says low cell amp output. I checked the manual and tried cleaning the cell. That did not work. I also tried power cycling the unit. At first it worked for about 20 seconds it showed 26 volts and about 6 amps. Then it droped to 1.7 amps and the light flashed again. Now it is at .2 amps and 29 volts. The salt level shows to be 3600ppm. Any ideas on what it could be? The manual says it could be a dead cell or power supply problem. If it is the cell it seems a bit premature.Thanks for any information you can provide me.

Hey Cisco,

Check the following:

- Verify your salinity level.
- Remove and verify there is no scale on cell.
- Inspect the two outer blades for excessive wear on the edges of the blades (they should all be straight and the same lengths)
- Remove and inspect the cell cord for damage

Any other checks would be internal, and I would only recommend doing these if you're comfortable with electronics and using a multimeter.
TURN THE POWER OFF and remove the top and inner metal covers.
- Inspect the cell fuse located on the top left corner of the circuit board, by removing the fuse and checking for continuity.
- Visually inspect the circuit board for signs of damage.

Finally, if your salt level is good, the cell is clean and the water temperature is not below 65 degrees, it may be that your cell is dead and needs to be replaced. At that point, I would contact the factory for warranty support.

Hi, Thanks for the post. I checked my salt level it is at 3600ppm. I removed and inspected the cell appears to be free of scaling and the outer blades appear ok. I power down the unit and removed and tested the fuse continuity. The fuse tested ok so I put everything back together. When I turned everything back on it started working again. The cell was at 27 volts and 4.7 amps. The next day when I looked it was back at 29 volts and .2 amps. I guess the cell is just dead. I will give autopilot a call today and see about getting a new cell. Thanks again for your help.

Have no idea about how these SWCGs are build but can you get directly to the cell and measure the voltage there? If the voltage there is up and current is still low then in my mind that would definitely point to the cell and not the electronics. With the right voltage on the cell the rest is just an electrochemical reaction. If it isn't easy to clip onto some terminal or connector somewhere, sometimes a couple needles, or the needle type multimeter probes themselves can be used to poke through the wire insulation, depending on the type of cable.
Al

You can remove the top cover, but leave the wire harnesses on, and touch your multimeter probes to the inside of the banana jack connector.
Amperage can only be tested by removing one of the cell wires and putting your meter in line, with your meter in AMP DC mode.

This should be consistent with what the unit is showing for cell amps and volts, in the TEST POOL PILOT mode.