Thanks for posting this. There is absolutely nothing in my user's guide that tells me how to "check whether any of the LED's on the back of the board are on."
First, Great video! I have a STA-Rite Max-E-Therm 200 and here is what it is doing: When the heater is turned on, the blower starts, and the heater ignites. Then after about 15 seconds, it shuts off. The front panel has the Heater Service light on and when I take off the top cover the SFS and the LED 11 lights are on.
LED 11 is your service heater light. It is nothing more than the "light bulb" positioned directly behind the transparent SERVICE HEATER small window on the front side. There are other LEDs positioned similarly behind other transparent windows too, such as HEATING for example. As for your SFS, check the wiring for free first. Disconnect the leads and put an ohm meter on it to see if it is open. If you have a resistance reading going to the SFS and also to the control board, your wiring is not faulty. You likely have a SFS that has a resistance reading that is out of specs giving erroneous readings to the control board, and for safety reasons, the control board will shut the heater down. Same goes for other temperature measuring sensors like the thermistor, HLS, AGS. At one time or another, I have replaced all temp sensors over the years except AGS, so I can testify they definitely don't last forever.
Thanks for this video. Even 5 years later, it helped me fix my own heater. It was completed stuffed with leaves and debris brought in by rats. After cleaning, the error lights would only come on one at a time. After fixing the E6 error by replacing the flu sensor, the PS light came on. After fixing that, the HLS light came on. After replacing that, the AFS light came on. Once I replaced the Air flow switch, the unit finally cleared and the fan and heater came on.
I know this is a old video, but I'm trying to diagnose a Pentair spa heater that won't run. I used your video to tag all of the switches so I don't have to dig through the manual to see which is which. Thank you for making it easy to understand where the different sensors are and what they do.
Got a service heater light on the front of the panel ... ended up here. Now I know something ... there's lights on the back too. Huge help in troubleshooting. Thank you!
DUDE!!!!!! My jacuzzi has been down for a year and a half because I refused to replace it. I started with replacing the control board, then the blower/fan motor, AND NOW!!!!!!; having viewed your video(which didn't exist when it first went down), will replace the pressure switch. I went out initially to short it out to confirm the switch really was the problem. It was then that I discovered both leads had rusted through and broken off. Yet, they remained in position making it look like they were landed properly. So, I re-terminated the wires, re-connnected them and ta da, it fired right up!!!! The terminal lugs are sketchy on the switch so I'm going to replace the switch as a precaution. Can't thank you enough.
I replaced the AGS on my Pentair Mastertemp 300 and it seemed to work again for a while, but then it stopped heating again. The service heater light comes on, but there are no indicator led's lit and there are no codes showing on the panel. It seems to run for a few seconds and sounds as if it's about to light the gas, but you smell the gas for a few seconds and then nothing happens. I also removed the manifold bolts to see if there was an internal leak, but no water. Any ideas?
I had the stack flu sensor go bad on mine less than a year old. But luckily it’s super simple to fix. 5 bucks on Amazon and took literally 5 minutes to replace.
Great video! I have a Pentair Mastertemp 400 that is about 5 years old. We use it in the spring and fall to get as much use out of our pool as possible. This past weekend, the heater turned on fine. And then I discovered I could not turn it off. The closest I got was by lowering the temperature below that of the water temperature. My wife was able to turn it off by repeatedly pushing the off button. The codes looked more like hyroglyphs than letter and number codes. This morning, I started the pool pump so I could turn on the heater and see what the error codes, if any, might be so I could tell a repair service what I was seeing. The heater control panel illuminated when the pool pump came on. When I opened the cover, the error code showing was clearly 5F1. The heater came on and I adjusted the heat up about ten degrees from the water temperature. After it ran for a few minutes, I turned it off. No error code. I waited until it cooled down and turned it on again, still no error code. What does the 5F1 error code indicate, and, do these symptoms mean the membrane or control panel are failing? Thank you in advance.
I have never heard of a 5F1. Perhaps a membrane board failing would be my guess. Is there any visible moisture trapped under the display? Sounds like something is shorting out somewhere on the membrane board. I would start with membrane board 1st, then control board 2nd. In fact, you could try disconnecting the membrane board from the control board and then fire it up from the main control panel. I haven't tried that before, but I wouldn't think the presence of the membrane board would be essential to functionality. If the problem is in the membrane board shorting out some command pins on the control board via the connected ribbon, you very well might regain full contol over the heater from the main contol panel just by removing the membrane ribbon from the contol board. Try that for isolation purposes.
@@richardn.thompson8457 Read this article I found regarding your symptoms and codes. It is 5 years old: Error Codes on Max E Therm 400 temp display, OFF button unresponsive 5 posts / 0 new Last post Laurence Mayer Posted 5 years ago Greetings, I cannot find any information about this issue on the forums... My Max E Therm 400 Heater (1 yr old) displays a message on the LED temp display. This message cycles through the following values: AD0 AD1 SF0 SF1 The "pool" and "spa" buttons will start the heater, but for some reason the "off" button will not work. I must switch the breaker in the electrical panel in order to get the heater to shut off. Shutting off the pump will force the heater off, but it will come back on again unless I power off at the breaker. The heater display also shows the usual power-on messages (888, 180, R4), but eventually settles on the above messages. I'm trying to make sure the heater is in good shape (clean, vacuumed out, protected from sun), but a little direction on what the message mean would be a great help. I'd like to know if I need a new touch panel, PC board, or something else. My Pentair dealer hasn't been able to get back to me in a few weeks... really busy, and I've spent over an hour on hold on the Pentair support line. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Laurence Richard Tech, Pentair Posted 5 years ago This would be related to stack flue programming, you will need to set both AD and SF to either AD1 and SF1 or AD0 and SF1, this will allow the board to read the correct stack flue type on your heater, once you have the correct setting, turn the heater off then turn it back on, this should correct the issue. Laurence Mayer Posted 5 years ago Richard, Thanks for your response. That would make sense with the fact that the SFS LED is lit on the back of the PCB. I have made several attempts to set these parameters. I have seen your instructions elsewhere in this forum to do this. I can change the digit between 0 and 1, but pressing the OFF button (or holding it) doesn't seem to advance to the next step. I am wondering if I have a touchpad issue as well... Also, do you have any suggestion on how I decide between AD1/SF1 or AD0/SF0? Is this based on a specific heater model? I have also tested the OC resistance of my SFS - it seems to match the recommended range posted here (around 3.6MOhms) Thanks. Laurence Mayer Posted 5 years ago Actually, I now see the options you wrote above are: AD1/SF1 or AD0/SF1. How would I decide between those settings? Laurence Mayer Posted 5 years ago My Resolution: It appears that I had two problems at the time time that complicated troubleshooting: 1) The unit somehow lost its 'stack flue programming' settings. These are the AD/SF settings mentioned above by Richard. I don't know what would cause this, power glitch? 2) The OFF button on the membrane switch failed. This was not immediately obvious because the SFS issue caused the interface to behave differently than it normally would. After I replaced the membrance switch (actually to test I just unplugged the old one and plugged in a replacement without mounting it), I was able to set the AD/SF program. Setting both to zero did not correct the SFS problem, but setting them both to 1 caused the SFS LED to clear, and the system functioned normally. Sure would be nice to know how the system lost its SFS settings, and what the difference is between AD/SF0 and AD/SF1. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Richard.
@@pvt-pilot Thank you. I suspect what I am seeing is an SF rather than a 5F code. The solution is above my pay grade. It took me a week to realize I could reply and thank you for the information.
I replaced the membrane and I’m no longer getting any codes. The red service heater light is on, the green spa light is on (I’ve been told it doesn’t matter since we only have a pool and either is okay). The numbers on the panel say 81 which may be the temp it would heat the water to. The off button still doesn’t work. I did not try to operate the heater without the membrane. I don’t have a technical manual for this. Is the control board programmable? Suggestions? Thank you in advance.
I got AFS lit and led 11. Replaced thermistor, thermal regulator, the probe for the heat exhaust, igniter, and switched inside board with used one claimed to come out of good unit. Turn on heater once new igniter in it actually had heating light on for second before going to service and screen just has a stand-alone 1 on it. Mastertemp 400
Remove one of the 2 bottom bolts of your black manifold mounted on the side of the combustion chamber. If water comes out, you have a leak with your tube sheet coil assembly. That's what caused my AFS. Watch my AFS video and heat coil replacement video if you have that same problem.
Thank you for your explanation on all the sensors I have a question I have the same heater and it was working perfectly last night and this morning the board does not illuminate at all no lights no nothing dead I checked the fuse and fuse is good and has power so I need help thank you
We have an LED light next to the temp fault on the control board. Would that mean it’s the thermistor? We just replaced the thermistor last September. Could it be something else by chance?
Wonderful video - just fixed mine and back in business. There are a lot of rusty bolts and corrosion in side the unit - not sure if I should be doing something or spraying something in there to help maintain. Definitely doesn't look like they used stainless parts. Also my HLS was filled inside with what looks like calcium deposits - does that mean I've got something wrong in my pool chemistry or is that a normal development over time? Thank you!!
Yes, bad chemistry, but nobody keeps it perfect all the time. Calcium build-up happens. No shame, just roll with it (replace parts, clean tiles, all the fun stuff)
Have code E01 and the light in the upper right hand corner is on. The lights shows temp fault. Replaced the High Limit and thermistor since those brown wires go to the thermistor. Runs for about 5 mins and goes back to E01. I didn’t see you cover the temp fault light with the two brown wires next to it. That’s my only light besides service heater. My personal thought is bad board ?
I have a Pentaur Mastertemp 400, when turned on Blower comes on, no gas smell, after a few minutes unit shuts off with "Ignition Lockout" on Fenwall, No error codes on back of control circuit board
My man!!! Thanks for the great video. However, I am seeing something else. My heater DOM is 2011 just to give you an idea. Lately, when i walk by I see that the LED lights are on and it shows pool heating. But, I did not turn it on. When I try to turn off, it just stays on. (bad button?) It does however let me switch between pool and spa. Sometimes the fan is even running. I turned the gas off so in case it did fire up I would not be burning NG all night or day without knowing. FYI, it does light up and heat if I want it to. Today when I got home it was doing the same thing so I pulled the cover off and looked around. Everything looked ok. I made sure everything was plugged in tight etc..... Circuit breaker off and back on and it does the same thing, fires up itself. But then I get an ADO and SE code. The SE lets me select 1 or 2. Long story short, I unwired the heater until I can figure it out. I am a pretty handy guy, just looking for some direction. Thanks in advance.
Hmmm, working too well for ya! I had that happen before too, but it was only because I had my main Easytouch control panel programmed to heat the pool too by accident instead of only the spa. So when I turned off the spa, it went from trying to reach 96 degrees (spa) to trying to reach 84 degrees (pool). This called for occasional heating since the ambient temperature at the time was about 65 degrees. The was user error, not faulty equipment, and I fixed that right away by taking a closer look at my programmed settings. If you know you have you main control panel set correctly, then I don't know what is causing it to turn on without command. I would lean toward the control board being the culprit, but that is just a shot in the dark...sorry I don't have anything definitive for you mate.
If my heater was coming on without my turning it on, I would suspect a defective touch pad first. I would remove front and rear panels, unscrew four toggle nuts holding top panel on, flip top panel over, than unclip ribbon cable connecting touchpad to control board. If that stopped heater from coming on all by itself, than I would order new touch pad.
Great video. Maybe you can help me. I changed the control pad because i was nit able to raise or lower the temp on the older pad. The new pad gives me the same trouble.
Then you likely have an issue with the contol board. To prove this, you can disconnect the membrane pad and use needle nose pliers or a piece of wire to short the common pin #1 on your circuit board to the corresponding pin that traces out to the button you are pressing. I don't have the pins memorized, but I can do a membrane pad replacement video and illustrate this exact concept. (I hope to have that done in the next week or so) You just have to look at the back side of the membrane pad and follow each conductor embedded in the ribbon from the white modular connector to each respective button on the pad. Take note of this and short the common pin #1 on the control board to the temperature up button pin on the control board briefly and repeatedly to simulate pressing the button repeatedly. If you can't get the control board to respond this way, you have to replace the control board. If it does respond, then your new membrane pad is also defective. You can also use an ohm meter and connect it to your membrane pad across your temperature button female hole on the white connector of the membrane pad and the other lead on the common pin #1, then press the button on the pad and see if you get a 0 ohm short. This will prove your new membrane pad to be good or bad. You should see a short on each respective button if it is good.
Hello! I have this same heater(about 4 years old). Unit fires then turns off after 10 seconds. I removed the lid and found the AFS led on. As a precaution, I removed the bottom 2 bolts on the black manifold to see if I have a leak. Altho, the bolt heads were rusted pretty bad, thankfully, no water came out. I've ordered the Pentair 42002-0025S AGS sensor. Hope this does the trick. I'll reply back later after I swap it out. thanks again
I have a Mastertemp 400 that fails to start up. Was working fine a few weeks ago! Normal cycle is blower startup, ignition, and whoomp heater is on. Membrane panel is disabled (remote controlled by Pentair Easytouch controller), but instead of hearing the blower startup, I am seeing "128" followed by "r13", followed by blank. Any ideas?
Very good video. Short and to the point. I keep getting an AGS light. The heater is almost new. Not sure what to do. It runs for quite a while then throws the error again. I can unplug the heater and it works fine for a while.
I am not sure what would trigger AGS other than a defective AGS itself. I have never had that error led yet on mine other than when I intentionally disconnected the AGS (open leads) just to see what would happen, so I never tore the gas side of the heater down to figure out how it works. Sorry, all I can say is if you open the leads (a.k.a. your AGS is internally open or has high resistance out of specs), the AGS diagnostic led will illuminate.
PVT-PILOT FYI....I figured my problem out. It was a bad thermal regulator. I put a new one in and it works fine again. It was only 2 months old though. So if anyone has an AGS light, the thermal regulator may be the issue. Thx
My system is 5 years old. Currently I have no Lights coming on the panel, this just started. Last week I noticed the hot tub (spa spill over) had drained significantly on its own. This must have happened while the pool pump was off. The next day everything appeared to be fine, except oddly, the heater was on. I turned it off and I can’t get any power on the screen now or it to come back on. Also the week prior I did have an electrician hook up to my panel and run electric to a newly built shop building. Any ideas on what could cause these issues?
I have a problem where the heat cycles on & off. "Heat" blinks calling for heat then steady for a second & then temp counts up to 124 degrees & back down. "Service System" lights up at 81 degrees & still counting down & when it reaches 75 which I think the current temp of the pool, "Service Heater" lights up for a second followed by the "Heat" light again. Just opened the pool so the filter is clean. Water pressure is 20-30psi at 3250 RPM, 85GPM. So far, I replaced the Thermal Regulator, Igniter, Thermistor late in the season last year & the Manifold Bypass before opening the pool this season. No error code in front & no LED indicator lights on the back of the panel. Please advice.
thanks very much for this video, it is very helpful. I had an issue similar to Shawn Seman below. The heater would kick off, the gas would kick in for like 10 seconds, and then click off, and then this would repeat 2 or 3 times before the Service Heater light lit up. I repeated the exercise 2-3 times with the cover upside down so I could see the back of the control panel. No control panel LEDs lit. I tried for a final time, expecting the same thing, but this time the gas kicked in and stayed on. I ran for 10 10-15 minutes and it all seemed to work. This heater is rarely used. I am wondering if the start-and-stop sequences somehow needed to work out some dust or something in the system, and once that was worked out, the sensors all cleared? Will see if it runs ok again tomorrow. In general, should I be running the heater like once a month or so just to keep it humming better? thanks
No, not really. I wouldn't run it for cob web reasons. If it really is used that rarely, (once a year or every other year) I would seriously consider building a PVC u-turn shaped bypass of the heater all together and just put it there in place where your input and output pool pipes hit the manifold. Then turn off the breaker to it. This will keep the chemical water out of your heater and help preserve your copper tubing heat exchange coils and sensors. When you want the 🔥, remove the bypass, slide it back in place and screw the two pipes back together with your ✋.
help my pentair still show AGS led on even-though i replaced AGS sensor. any idea ? The code still show look like re5 . It run about a minute the stop .stack flue sensor also replaced.:(
Short the AGS wires to see if you can get the AGS light to turn off. If it won't turn off, you may have a bad control board. Also, I don't know what re5 means, but I know E05 means faulty igniter/ignition. If you are getting it to fire up at all, even for 1 minute, then the igniter is working. So it probably is not a E05 error code. I just don't know what re5 means. Perhaps it is a bad control board giving bad error codes that Pentair does not publish.
Thank you! I’m getting a service here light on and I’m thinking it’s the gas switch. Reason: the heater system works fine however, after about 20-30/2 of the heater turning on it shut itself off. And does not try and self back on I’ve tested three times since last night any insight would be grateful. Going into attack it now, cover me!😉
If you don't have AGS light on, start with non electrical parts first. Test the thermal regulator. If it does not open/close with water >120 degrees, replace it.
OK your always my hero when it comes to this heater. The last few days mine has been not turning on when I hit the spa/pool button, then I pressed harder and it came on. Now today nothing again. No lights or anything. Thoughts on what to check?
Watch some videos about the membrane board. I remember watching one where the guy showed the pins on the control board that the membrane board is plugged into. He explained that you could short certain pins together to simulate pushing certain buttons on the membrane board. This method can be used to prove a defective membrane board before buying a new one. I just dont know the pins to short. Sounds like you need a new membrane board though. Is there any moisture under the display window? You might try temporarily disconnecting the display board's ribbon cable completely and then see if you can control it from the main panel instead. Disconnecting a defective membrane board might relieve an unwanted short causing unwanted behavior.
Hello! I have Mastertemp 400 that's about 5 years old. Does the same thing whether I turn heat on with my phone app (iAquaLink) or with the unit being in service mode(manual). Cleaned filter to ensure proper water flow Temp was set to 102 Revision 13 Thermister reporting ambient temp The heater seems to be firing up normally when the controller calls for heat. The air blower spins up with the HEATING led flashing for about 10 seconds before the burner actually turns on and heat is felt coming out of the metal exhaust vent. However the instant the burner ignites, the SERVICE HEATER led turns on immediately. The burner continues to fire for 12--21 seconds before the heat/burner shuts off. Usually over 20 seconds. The heater is definitely turning on. I can feel heat coming out. I removed the top cover and checked out the LEDs. Found the the 'AGS' LED on...on the back of the board. Followed the troubleshooting chart in the install manual. Purchased and installed new AGS switch from Amazon. Didn't fix it. Also at the same time, I replaced the thermal regulator. (tested old one and new one in hot water, both worked) On the header, I noticed the bottom 2 bolts were rusted(plan on changing them all to stainless). Removed the 2 to see if any water game out. No water came out. Ended up keeping going. Removed the header completely so that I could check the Manifold Bypass Valve. Looked good. Copper on the heat exchanger pipes in and out looked good. Thermister and HLS looked good, but I haven't tested them. I haven't replaced the control board yet since it's pricey. Really don't wanna jump into the tub yet, since its a big job. Honestly don't wanna just replace everything in hopes to find a needle in a haystack. What are some other tests I can run? I'm good with DVOMs, resistance checks etc. Not sure where to do at the moment. Suggestions? I added a video of this ua-cam.com/video/bu4v_HDQCbA/v-deo.html
Wow, that's some fantastic persistence for sure. You and I have that in common clearly. As for your problem, I have no experience with AGS and PS error lights, so I would not want to suggest anything other that what you have already done which is replace the AGS. I am a telephone cable repairman by profession, so I am much more comfortable making electrical suggestions than gas suggestions. Someone posted in one of my videos that their gas pressure was insufficient and suggested the low gas pressure was causing their AGS error, but you have had your system for 5 years on that same pressure and had no issues, so that doesn't sound like the right rabbit hole for you to look in. Please leave this post up and let's see if we can get someone else to comment that has had and fixed the same problem you are having. Suggestions anyone? Cheers!
@@pvt-pilot Thanks! I'll leave it up. Ya, my gas is good. Actually entire system has been there 14 years, just my new heater that I installed 5 years ago is new. I've also put this onto forums at Trouble Free pool. I'm not a pool guy either, but I do fix my own pool LOL
The panel worked for a day and now shut completely, panel wont turn on. Tried to change the membrane, thermal regulator and ignitor control module. Is there a way to test the control panel without having to replace it?
here is a riddle, Pentair MT200 NA STD is showing "heating" - no service lights on front, shows heating light on, and no LED's showing on back of panel. The heater is firing as i can feel heated air coming from exhaust, i can see water flowing , but the temp of water coming out pool inlets are luke warm at best.......in years past i recall REALLY hot water coming out. Any suggestions other than the troubleshooting flow chart indicating "replace control board"
I have a Mini Max pentair and only has an Err code. Nothing else? Heater will not come on. Was flashing 88.8 and I replaced the pressure switch and the temp sensor switch. Now the 88.8 is gone but just have the err code and still will not come on? Any suggestions?
Sorry, I'm just a home owner sharing knowledge gained from tinkering with my Mastertemp 400. I don't have any knowledge on your Mini Max. That said, 88.8 sounds like all possible pieces of each number on the display are illuminating, like what happens at a faulty gas station sign. I might start with the control board with that scenario, but really don't want to lead you in the wrong direction.
hi there... I wired a master temp 400 to 220v but I did not use the righ 220v plug.. the 120v plug was in the unit and now the units does not turn on.. what should I replace
I think you have a possum in there that is tired of getting scorched every time you have a party. Seriously, I don't know of a governor in these units other than the control board. I can't see how a clogged exchanger tube or two would cause violent shaking either. 🤔 If this was the cause, it would also happen when the heater is off since water always runs through it. A broken bypass valve just sounds like ice cubes in the manifold but doesn't shake the unit. Does the fan spin smoothly or out of balance? It's not down by the manifold at all, but I am trying to link moving parts to your problem and there just aren't many. I'm at a loss here. Time for some exploratory surgery.
Hi Thanks for the video - quick question - where does the light turn on to see what's broken? On the front panel display or on the circuit board? And if the circuit board do you have to run the heater the lid removed from heater to study the circuit board thanks. (I know its probably a dumb question.) My heater is newish 2015 Pentair 250 MasterTemp and it turns on for about 5 seconds then turns off for about 20 seconds then repeats 4ever. I've called 2 pool companies but no answer. Not sure what's going on. I've cleaned the filter and have good pressure but am installing a FlowVis this weekend so I can quit guessing about the pressure. Thanks again.
You must try running the heater with lid off to see the LEDs illuminate. However, there are some things that can go wrong that do not have an LED. Examples...thermistor has no LED, but it has error codes E01 I think is "open thermistor" as demonstrated in my thermistor replacement video, and I think E02 is "shorted thermistor". Other examples of things that could go wrong that don't have diagnostic LEDs would be non-electrical components like the thermal regulator and the plastic manifold bypass valve located on the plastic wall inside the manifold. If either one of these items fail, there is no wiring to report directly to the control board that there is a faulty component. There will be side effects where these faulty components will trigger electrical components to report back to the control board some abnormalities, and the control board will shut down the heater. Such an item that could be at fault with your heater would be the thermal regulator. If it is stuck closed, then your heater kicks on, the regulator will not open and allow cold water to dilute some of the excessively hot water. The temp of the outbound water skyrockets, which causes the high limit switch to open. This electric signal is detected by the control board, which will then close the gas valve and turn the burner off. Cold water will then pass over the high limit switch, which will close the switch, then the contol board will open the gas valve and ignite again, and the cycle will repeat. Without looking at your heater, I would start with your thermal regulator given the symptoms you stated.
Thanks again for these wonderful instruction DIY vids my friend. I have a quick question.; I have this exact same Pentair Master Temp 400 heater and its been a great little heater with very few issues for years. Recently however, it has started to do this thing where it fires up normally, runs for a while and shuts itself down. It has good days and bad days, but now fewer good days... So anyway, when it shuts down, the key touch control pad displays 'service heater' message, and locks you out of any further key pad commands. So must be shut off at the circuit breaker. Anyway, I opened it up and saw it was the AGS error message. I replaced that switch, but still have the issue... Any ideas what I could examine next? This intermittent stuff is as frustrating as hell! Any replies would be well appreciated...thanks again.
Hello, unfortunately, I have never experienced an AGS error light, so I don't have any troubleshooting information for you on that electrical component. All I can say about it is that it is a 140 degree water switch that is mounted on the opposite side of the manifold from the HLS (high limit switch). I don't even know if it is on the input or output side of the manifold, and I don't want to speak of theoretical uncertainties on here and possibly steer you in the wrong direction. Sorry mate.
I believe you have a variable speed pump, and if you have a easy touch panel, you can program the pump to operate at a higher rpm when you operate the heater. I would set the pump at 2800 rpms and see if that fixes the problem. If you dont have a easy touch panel, than you would have to set the higher speed at the pump. A lot of pool owners with variable speed pumps save money by operating their pumps at speeds that are too low to satisfy the heater controls.
Thanks for the great video. My MasterTemp 400 heater is showing the code Ad0 and now the jacuzzi doesn't work properly. I can turn the pump on remotely, but the temp needs to be manually turned on at the heater itself. The temp also needs to be manually raised at the heater itself. I cannot, however, turn the heater on manually at the actually unit. I've seen a variety of explanations for this online, but nobody really explains it well. Please help! Thank you in advance.
I had a problem when I first installed my remote. The wire gage they give you is like a 24 gage and should be a 18 gage to make a better connecton at the receiver and the panel. I had to reconnect all connections twice until it worked.
I have a pentair mt400 I have no light on the back panel green led9. But it doesn’t show heating on the front panel. Even though it sounds like it heating. And help would be great
LED 9 is just the "POOL ON" green light which can be seen through the little transparent window on front of your keypad. Green LED 10 directly lines up with the "SPA ON" transparent window and will illuminate when you program it it heat the spa with Pentair Easytouch panel. The SERVICE HEATER LED is orange and lines up with that window...and so on. These are not diagnostic error lights, just status. As for sounding like it is heating, does it fire? Does it have hot exhaust or is only the fan running and no fire igniting? Does it smell of natural gas and still not ignite? I am going to assume you got fan only and suggest you check your igniter. You can unplug it and check it with an ohm meter. If it is open (infinite ohms), the igniter is broken and must be replaced. If the igniter is good, listen for the click of the gas valve opening about 10-15 seconds after your fan starts blowing. Does this happen? I would like to help, but would need more details.
I got the master-temp 400HD pentagram, service light is on but no showing any code on the little screen. However the AGS is on on board. The manual says to either replace the high limit switch or the automatic gas shut-off valve. Any idea?
Never had AGS error light, but I do know that AGS is the Automatic Gas Shutoff switch. I would replace it first before moving on to any other component.
I replaced the AGS on my Pentair Mastertemp 300 and it seemed to work again for a while, but then it stopped heating again. The service heater light comes on, but there are no indicator led's lit and there are no codes showing on the panel. It seems to run for a few seconds and sounds as if it's about to light the gas, but you smell the gas for a few seconds and then nothing happens. I also removed the manifold bolts to see if there was an internal leak, but no water. Any ideas?
Hey! Thanks for taking time out of your day and making these incredibly helpful videos! My question is regarding my MASTERTEMP 400 heater Pressure Switch. My heater cycles on and off 3-4 times before telling me to “service heater” and after checking the back of the control module the PS light was red. I order a Pentair OEM PS and replaced it today and it still cycles on/off 3-4 times and once again says i need to replace my PS. What is going on? It’s a brand new switch so that can’t be it. I’m Going to take my thermal regulator out tomorrow and see if running it without it changes anything
I could have worded this a little better at 2:52 but what I was trying to say was that the PS and also the AFS lights illuminated on the contol board mean that their respective components are not making a short that can be seen by the contol board. This doesn't mean that your PS itself is defective, but rather an indicator that you have poor water flow (not enough water volume to short the switch as required for normal operation). I would first disconnect and then short (touch together) the leads that are connected to the Pressure Switch to see if you can get the PS light to turn off. If you can't get the PS light to turn off with a manually induced short, check your wiring harness for corrosion or rodent damage (something causing a permanent open in the wiring which would make the necessary short at the PS permanently undetectable from the control board's perspective). If you get the PS light to go out with a manually induced short, GREAT, you have no issues with the wiring and you should move on to trying to locate a blockage on the input side of the manifold. I would disconnect both pipes feeding the heater and scoot the heater a little bit to the side and turn the pool pump on. I want to check to see if you have excellent water flow coming directly from your filter to the heater. If you don't have massive water flow coming out of the top pipe, you could have: 1. A clogged filter 2. A defective spider gasket in your filter's multidirectional valve (making water flow somewhere it shouldn't be instead of 100% toward your heater) 3. At worst case a poorly performing pool pump. If you have great water flow out of the top pipe, the problem does not reside anywhere between your pump and your heater. Moving on, I would remove the manifold using 13mm socket and search inside for a clog, then move on to accuator valves, backflow check valves, and other outbound pipes. You could have a broken manifold bypass valve stuck in your outbound pipes causing a clog. Always keep in mind that a clog can be before or after the Pressure Switch and cause the Pressure Switch to not make a short. Imagine a pressure switch mounted in the middle of a drinking straw that detects and/or measures water flow. Imagine a goal of you blowing water with your mouth through it as hard as you can. Now put your finger over the other end of the straw (which happens to come after the switch) and you blow hard (aka turn on your pool pump). No water movement, right?...which triggers a light on contol board even if the clog is after the switch (at the end of the straw). The water must have a place to freely move to within the system at all times to make circulation possible. Same goes if you put a piece of tape on the straw on the side that you are blowing into (simulating clog between pool pump and heater manifold). Switch will obviously detect insufficient water flow. Hope this helps your understanding of how the Pressure Switch functions and gives you some things to look for in your troubleshooting. I'll help answer further questions if you have any, but I don't think the thermal regulator a suspect here. Removing it will throw an immediate service heater light because you will be causing the path of least resistance to be the path through the thermal regulator's seated slot instead of being the path through the heat exchange coils. This means not much of the water in circulation will get heated, leaving the water that is trapped in the coils to boil uselessly and dangerously and never make it to the hot tub.
PVT-PILOT Wow! You’re so crazy good at diagnosing these shitty heaters haha So I did what you said and the PS light turned off! IMO I’m pretty scared about Tearing this heater down, I’m not a electrician or plumber but if it’s what I have to do then so be it. My Thermal regulator was corroded to the core and had some green stuff on the top of the piston thing that is supposed to go erect in hot water but mine did not! So I order a replacement. I’ll let you know how the rest of my year down goes, hopefully I’m not Getting myself in over my head. Appreciate all the help and will definitely be needing more in the near future haha
PVT-PILOT UPDATE: I disconnected the pipes from the heater and the water pressure coming from the filter was very strong. I took apart the manifold and looked inside for clogs but there were not any. The manifold bypass looked great and all of it was there so I know it’s not a valve that broke off from that and got stuck. Going to look at out bound pipes and actuator valves next but I’m really concerned now it’s not anything I can find 😩
@@danielm.9818 You want some really bad and dangerous advice? Short the PS wires again and leave it that way and turn you heater on for a good 10 minutes or so. Keep a close eye on it during this time because you are more or less bypassing a safety feature of the heater. See if it throws a service heater or if it keeps heating. I am getting concerned too that you wont find any clog. Now for some better advice: Reattach the manifold and reattach only the top pipe to the manifold inlet. Leave the bottom pipe disconnected from the manifold outlet. This will create zero resistance on the outlet of the manifold = max flow. Restart the pump and turn on the heater. Get ready for a big muddy mess. This will drain your pool at a fairly quick pace, but the goal of doing this is to see if you still have PS light with no pipes connected on the outlet. If you still have the PS light, don't bother with searching past the heater. If you don't have a PS light with the outlet pipes disconnected, well at least you know you're good through the heater and are making great, positively certain progress with your trouble isolation efforts. Hope you find something definitive 🤞
PVT-PILOT Long story short, I ended up replacing every part on it as they were all in pretty bad shape. Got the light for the PS turned off but the ignition control module showed a ignition lock out. Replaced the ignited, still didn’t work. Replaced the ignition control module and still got the same ignition lock down 3 blinks. After replacing most parts I decided to call Pentair and had a certified pool company come see what was going on. Turns out the inside of the heater was rusted pretty bad but the heat exchange looked fine. Repair would be $1500 with parts/labor so Im biting the bullet and getting a new one. Thanks for the help!
I have one of those and it stops after 20 minutes of working. No error codes, no diagnostic lights on, it only stops afeter 20 minutes or so....Do you have any idea what is wrong?
Honorable PVT-PILOT, I have a Pentair MasterTemp 400 [128, R-9] which is throwing an E05 error code (also indicated on the underside panel as a red LED light on the Service Heater LED11 and SFS). I have had this issue before and in the past I replaced the Stack Flu Sensor and all was good and the system ran properly - all error codes were cleared. This time I replaced the SFS and still get an E05 code. I have tried testing the SFS itself and it is testing 3.8 ohms - within parameters -so I think the new sensor is functional. Any tips on what may be causing the E05 code to remain? Any advice or tips would be appreciated! Thanks, R
If you hold down POOL or SPA button for at least 10 seconds it displays the exhaust temp. Normal temps should be ~290-350. If it alternates between 40 and 80 than the sensor is bad. If stack temp is much higer than 350, you might have a water flow problem starving the heater and causing high stack temps.
Do you have a main Pentair control panel? Does temp down work at the panel? If it works there, then I don't think it is a problem with the control board and I would suggest starting with ordering a new membrane pad.
My problem is as follows, when at the keypad asking for 103 degrees , heater is great up to mid 90's shuts off and on slow stability at 90's will not get over 100, filters are clean, when at the heater (not inside keypad) I manually hit the up arrow the service light comes on, then the heaters starts and the service light goes out, I shut down the keypad to raise the heater and led screen on heater is blank, no codes, any help?
Any time you call for heating, the control board turns on instantly (zero delay). At this exact moment, the fan has not had a chance to spool up to speed, so there is no air flow yet. Because of this, the AFS is open at that moment and thus the Service Heater light will be illuminated. Turning on the fan is the first step in the boot up procedure. When the fan blows at operating speed, the AFS will be blown into a closed switch position (0 ohm short across the blue wires attached to the AFS) This will turn off the AFS error light on the back side of the control board, which in turn will turn off the service heater light. This action/reaction process takes about 3-5 seconds every time you turn your heater on. This is normal. As for not heating past 90 degrees, this could be multiple causes. #1, you could have a broken manifold bypass valve mounted to the center plate inside the manifold. This would allow cold water to take the path of least resistance (the open hole where the manifold bypass valve goes) which results in water bypassing the heat coils. Just a small fraction of water will feel the burn if this happens. This will also likely result in overheating at the HLS (high limit switch) and would result in Service Heater Light cycling every time the HLS opens and closes. #2, check your thermistor reading. Your thermistor puts out different resistances for different temperatures across the thermistor wires and the control board translates these resistances into digital temperature readings. If the thermistor starts giving incorrect resistances, like saying that the water is already 105 degrees when it is only 90 degrees, the control board will turn the heater off because it thinks it has achieved the desired temperature. The control board acts like a thermostat when paired with your thermistor and HLS. See my thermistor video for reference.
@@pvt-pilot Thank you soooo much for your input!!!!! i am not good at troubleshooting electrical problems, pool repair company charged a service call and no repair, so i am going to throw parts at it, the compromised manifold makes sense, talked to to techs at pentair, one stated thermistor, the other stated the thermal stat , your reasoning on the manifold crack will be inspected when i start as parts on inr-route, i admire your willingness to share your knowledge and really help, we will find this :)
@@pvt-pilot I received my thermistor and also i purchased a stat, remove the stat and thermistor, checked with my circuit tester had not continuity , replaced both parts, the next thing you know Jed's a millionaire , thank you for your help and giving me the step in the right direction plus i had a next step with the crack or high limit, Thank you
My friend I have a master temp 250 very similar to master temp 400. I have the AFS light on and will buy the part #. But also there is a little green light almost at the bottom left side that reads led9. Do you have any idea if that is another problem? Thanks for your response
LED9 is just the "POOL ON" mode that you see on the front side of the panel. LED10 is the "SPA ON" mode next to it on the front side of the panel. There are also a few others. I think LED8 is amber in color and is the HEATING light. LED13 is the red "Service Heater" light in the bottom left corner of the front side...and so on (there may be more). If you have AFS light on, don't go buy a new AFS, just assume it is functioning. Try to determine why the AFS is not getting air flow. That is more likely why the light is on. Watch my AFS video. I would start by removing the bottom bolt from your manifold and see if water comes out. If so, then your tub is full of water and not allowing air flow through the tub and out the exhaust. This would cause the AFS to stay open, thus illuminating the AFS light on the control board. Trouble shoot a bit and get back to me. I'll try to help if I can.
Thanks for the video. I have an error light - LED7 lighting up with a corresponding E01 error code. I've replaced the Thermistor and still no luck. Any advice? thank you!
It is still open somewhere. Put an ohm meter on your new thermistor. See if it is open. I had to buy 3rd thermistor before getting a worker one time. New means nothing. If it is good, check for corrosion on the spade connectors, wires of the harness and pins on the control board for the thermistor wires. The control board is detecting the open. That is all the E01 means. As for the LED7, that is not a diagnostic light. Looking at that LED, if you flipped over to the other side of the control board, it will line up with a transparent window/port on the display panel. There are a several items it could line up with like POOL, SPA, SERVICE HEATER, HEATING, etc. I would have to go look at mine to tell exactly which window it lines up with but it is something like these mentioned.
I got an E01 message months ago, replaced the thermistor and it worked for 2-3 months. Again the E01 message is coming up, and I replaced the thermistor but it's still not working. Could something else be the problem with that message?
No, there are no secondary causes for E01. E01 means the contol board sees an open thermistor. The only causes for E01 would be corrosion on the thermistor pins of the control board or modular connector connected to the control board, chewed wiring harness, corrosion on the spade connectors at the thermistor or a defective, internally open thermistor. For testing, you might want to try putting an ohm meter on your thermistor before replacing it this time. If it is open, replace it again. When you turn on your heater, you should get "128" displayed and "R-#" whatever you revision number software, followed by a legitimate temperature reading. I had to replace mine 3 times in a row before I got one that was with pentair specs. Some of these cheap ones off eBay are trash.
@@pvt-pilot thanks for the response. The thermistors worked fine when checked with the ohmeter. My FIL is a retired electrician. He was able to buy a replacement mother board and installed it. Working good as new again.
Hi please help I have a master temp 400. It has been giving me issues with cycling on/off I have replaced the thermo regulator along with hls switch still it would send hot water and then start sending out cold water to the spa. I just noticed that there’s a slight amount of water coming from the pressure switch….would that be my next step to get my heater back to running perfect again? Please help I keep calling pertair with no luck.
I can try to help you. Might need more info though. Do you get any error lights? I will address your question assuming no error lights. So, what will cause it to cycle on and off without error lights...a couple of things come to mind. The first one you have already addressed (thermal regulator), but the component you might test woukd be the thermistor. If it gives high temp reading when the water is actually cool, the control board will cycle the heater off because it thinks the water is already hot. So, test it. Power on the heater and immediately look at red digital display for 3 things: 1. 128 2. R-??? (Software revision number) 3. The temperature that your thermistor is reporting to the control board. It should be approximately the ambient temperature before the heater fires. Check it out and let's go from there. As for the pressure switch leaking, I don't think that will be the problem here. It makes a hard short or no short at all (open). If it is open while the heater is on, you will get a PS light as stated in this video. At most, for now, you might want to see if the threads need plumbers tape or other cause of leak.
@@pvt-pilot thank you so much for your time! I get no error lights before I did get the hls one but that’s gone now (hls was red when I reversed the cover on the circuit board) whenever I boot up I do get the 128 r….forgot the # but it’s the latest one I can let you know tomorrow….the temp seems not to move today it’s been on for an hour or so and it would just show me 82 and the spa jets would fire hot water followed by cold water cycle….I did take the manifold apart just like you showed in previous video no water on the bottom bolt, everything was in place. My originals thermo regulator was working fine but it was very rotted on the top so I still got a new one which works fine along with the hls…should I change the thermistor next? When I spoke with the pentair people they mentioned that it might be the circuit board? Also I did change the membrane pad just in case. Last season this heater worked immaculately and now I don’t know what to do…..
@@pvt-pilot also as of today I just woke up turned on the heater after waiting about 10 seconds the exhaust kicks in, then it recycled quickly and was working for a bit I had to shut it off had to go to work but the display where the #s are was completely blank the entire time, however the green spa button and “heating” was lid…..the water was coming in warm on the jets to the spa….
@@emilysworld3584 Control board is a valid culprit too, but relatively expensive for an initial swap item. I would try the thermistor first. They are only $15 on eBay or Amazon. If that doesn't work, disconnect the modular connector from the control board for a solid 24-48 hrs just to allow all power to depleat from every part of the control board. Like almost every circuit board made, it has resistors, diodes and most significantly capacitors that store energy. This should give it a good flat line reset. I have had this work for me only 1 time, so no promises, but definitely worth mentioning. If that doesn't work, consider a control board replacement.
I have a Sta Rite Max E Therm 400 and it is consistently cycling with no error lights on the control board. I did notice that the furnace temperature on the display goes fro 250 then the heater shuts off and I see that exhaust temp drop to 160 before kicking back in. So basically cycling on for 30-40 seconds and then off for 30 and then back on. So far changed the thermal regulator but that didn't fix it .. Any suggestions?
Dang, thermal regulator would have been my first guess Ritesh. That is the only component that has ever gone bad for me that has not triggered a diagnostic light. I got a SERVICE HEATER light after about 3 cycles with a faulty thermal regulator, but no error codes or diagnostic lights. Let's try easy stuff first. Try removing the manifold with 13mm wrench and look inside for a broken manifold bypass valve. That is another part that breaks easily and is not electrical. If broken, it will flood the output with cold water instead of routing that water through the heat exchanger. The HLS should detect this abnormality and throw a diagnostic HLS light, but perhaps not. You may have a bad read on the HLS combined with a broken valve and it may cause cycling instead of a hard stop. Hard to say, but I would start with non electrical stuff first. Sorry mate, that's all I got without having codes or diagnostic LEDs.
@@pvt-pilot Thanks for the quick response will give that a shot! Quick question can I run the heater without the thermal regulator as a test for a few minutes to see if that definitely isn't the issue?
@@riteshkohli5756 Yes, you can remove it, but other safety checks will prevent functionality. The thermal regulator is designed to open over 120 degrees and let cold water through it to dilute the scalding hot water as it leaves the output. This is protection to keep your PVC pipes and, more importantly, your family from melting like the Gremlins. If you remove it completely, the open thermal regulator slot will become the path of least resistance for water running through the manifold and almost nothing will be forced through the heat exchanger. Water in the heat exchanger will not have much circulation and could become superheated which is not good for the heater. Remember what I said about the HLS noticing the abnormality? It is the last temperature safety check before the water leaves the heater and the control board is expecting a temperature difference between the input (thermistor) and the output (HLS) and will shut down if if there is no difference and will shut down if there is too much difference. Shut down for no difference is for fire hazard safety and self preservation of the heater. Shut down for too much difference is for scalding prevention. This heater loves to find ways to shut down. I tell you it is a wonder that this thing ever runs.
Hi sir. I was wondering if you can help me out i replaced the two most expensive parts which is the gnition control system and the control board. It is still marking an AGS error but apparently it was caused by the other two... any idea what that could be ?
I never had an AGS error before. Have you tried replacing the AGS sensor? Have you checked the wiring from the AGS sensor to the control board for corrosion or rodent damage? I don't know enough about that error to say much more than that. Good luck.
I had an AFS light come on. Ordered that part and changed then right after that the AGS light came on. Do you think my board is bad and throwing random lights or could both be bad?
Watch my AFS video. Simulate trouble scenarios on your board to see if it reacts appropriately. Open the AFS leads and see if you get the AFS light to turn on. Short them to see if it turns off. Do this for each pair of wires going to each sensor. Clean any corrosion on each spade connector as you do this. If your board is throwing the expected codes, then I would say it is doing its job and you have something else going on. Perhaps defective sensors, blockages, etc. What was the actual cause of the AFS? (Not likely to be the Air Flow Switch itself) did you find an air flow obstruction? My air flow obstruction was a tub full of water. Hope you don't have the same problem.
@@pvt-pilot I watched them both. Great videos! When I replaced the AFS the light for AFS went off and stayed off. I will try to simulate errors and see how the board reacts. Thank you!
I’m getting HLS light error, heated turns on and off. I replaced HLS and thermistor, took manifold apart everything in there is intact. By heater still cycles on and off showing HLS error. Any ideas?
Hey Toni, no other ideas come to mind really. You hit up the 2 items I would hit first...the most common broken manifold bypass valve and then the HLS itself. Something is still making the control board detect too hot of water across HLS. I assume your heat exchange coils are not clogged since you took the manifold off already. Im sure you would have noticed something there if there was a problem. Perhaps corrosion of the wiring harness where it plugs into the contol board or a faulty control board itself. Neither of these are likely but worth taking a look at them. The control board needs the correct resistance across the HLS pins on the motherboard to function correctly, and corrosion can throw resistance readings out of spec easily. Sorry, I am not much help. That's all I got for now. You did all I know already. Good luck and please let this comment feed know what you find. Thanks!
I just replaced my heat exchanger. When I turn it on I get a 126. I've replaced the thermester still 126. When I tough the thermistor wires together I do not get an E01. It stays 126. Any idea? Thanks for your videos!
E01 indicates an open in the thermistor. Touching the wires together is not an open. Touching the wires together would be a short. I don't know what code to expect for shorting your thermistor wires. I assume you get this 126 reading after it boots through the 128, followed by R-8 (or whatever your software revision number is). So let's go from there with some things to try: 1. Pull the wires off the thermistor and don't let them touch each other. Turn on the heater. Do you get an E01 immediately after the R-8 during bootup? (You should) If not, hold down the yellow reset button on your control board and try again because your control board is not doing its job. If this does not fix it, you might have a bad control board, not likely but possible. It needs to display E01 if the thermistor is disconnected. 2. If you get E01 as you should, then test the new thermistor. Use a digital multimeter (turn it to ohms) to read the resistance at ambient temperature first. Then, use a hair dryer or something similar to heat the probe of the thermistor and look for a resistance change in your digital multimeter display. No change is a bad thing. I bought 2 defective stack flue sensors that work the same way but the 3rd one I bought was fine. So, test it, especially if you bought a non-OEM part like I did. I really think your problem is in the control board, because if you shorted the wires, it should give you some sort of error code similar to the E01, maybe E02 perhaps, but it shouldn't just sit there unresponsive like that and still display 126. It is acting like it is locked up software wise. Thats why I suggested resetting it. 3. If you had to go through the fun of heat exchanger coil replacement, that means you had some catastrophic corrosion going on, so it is probably a very good time to replace every sensor in the heater. With that extensive of corrosion, your sensors will start dropping like flies too at the most inopportune times. Very annoying. Amazon has a kit that has 5 of the sensors for $99 to the door. (1) Stack Flue Sensor Replacement 42002-0024S (1) Thermistor Replacement 42001-0053S (1) Pressure Switch Replacement 42001-0060S (3902) (1) Gas Shutoff 140°F Replacement 42002-0025S (1) High Limit 135°F Replacement 42001-0063S Just search Mastertemp Heater Repair Kit. Seller is Optimum Pool Technologies Hope this helps, Cheers!
Thanks for the quick reply and help. As it turns out when I re-assembled I brought the wiring harness down the wrong way so I had my wires mixed up. Now I'm up and running! Could not have done it without your video!@@pvt-pilot
E01 is "open thermistor". Check the thermistor connectors, wiring harness, and modular connector at the control board. If all is OK, you have a defective open thermistor that must be replaced.
@@pvt-pilot so I replaced the thermister today and it seems to running normal but there is not the hot water coming out the jets like I am use to? Temp still shows like 44 and never climbs! No errors on display and heat light is on solid! There is hot exhaust coming out so not sure why it isn’t heating the water like it should! Any ideas? High temp sensor maybe?
@Torch-lt1ry If you have hot exhaust, then your igniter is working, your gas valve is working, and your burner is burning. Let's check for water leaking into your combustion chamber and filling it to the point of covering up some of the copper tubes inside. If this happens, the fire will not be able to engulf the tubes as necessary which will result in hot, moist exhaust with relatively cold output. There are about 12 vertically oriented bolts on you manifold (6 on each side). Remove either one of the bottom bolts on the manifold and see if water pours out. If water comes out, then you have a leaking heat coil assembly that will need to be replaced.
@@pvt-pilot Thanks. They are 6 on each side like you said. 13mm. Do I need to have the system pressurized? Off of course but do not know if I need to have it pressurized or not?
@@pvt-pilot unbolted bottom manifold bolt and no water! When I turn it on service heater light is on! Checked the bottom of the board and AFS light is lit red!
No, not really. I know that the SFS will illuminate if there is an ohm value across those leads that are out of the parameters for that sensor. Too few ohms will be like having a 5,000 degree hot tub detection which is impossible. Too many ohms or open internally will be the extreme opposite. I know I bought a replacement thermistor before that was out of ohm parameters out of the box. It wasn't until I bought my 3rd one that my problem was corrected. Very frustrating when I assumed my brand new part was well...perfect. I don't know what the value should be for each sensor, but in my decade of owning this terd heater, I have discovered each sensor has a very small margin for error. You might take a closer look at your wiring harness just to be sure it is clear of opens, corrosion or rodent damage paying particular attention to chasing those two wires back to the contacts on the main connector to the control board. Check the solder joints on those pins on the contol board. I suspect an open. Put ohm meter leads on each solder joint and then the end of their respective wire of each solder joint just to prove 0 ohms resistance on each conductor from the solder joints on the control board to the end of each wire. If both wires check out good (0 ohms resistance each) then I would buy another SFS one more time before calling a professional for help. Hope this helps a little, sorry if it doesn't, but I just don't have any past experiences with that particular sensor, but if is pretty much the same thing as a thermistor...different ohms readings provided across the leads to represent to the contol board the various temperatures that it is detecting.
Check sense on ohms should be 3.5 mega ohms . If reads good check wiring to board , if good, replace control board . If you hold pool button down it will display exhaust , temp should start climbing after ignition, your will most likely display something like 40/80 . Board probably corroded on backside
That's typically an open in the igniter...or at least something faulty with the heater's ignition. Check for chewed or broken igniter wires. Disconnect the plastic igniter connector and put an ohm meter on the igniter. See if it reads open (infinite ohms). Replace it if it does. If not, you might try inspecting or cleaning the igniter and/or the flame arrestor for rust clogging the hundreds of little holes in it smothering the igniter inside the combustion chamber. Something is keeping the ignition from happening. I would start with the igniter first because it is held in with 2 screws accessible on top (easy fix) rather than a labor intensive process of opening the combustion chamber.
I don't have a temp fault light on my board...you may have a newer version that included a temp fault light. 128 = normal part of boot sequence displayed on all software revisions of this pentair control board. r14 = revision #14 software is loaded to your control board. (Mine is r8 = revision #8 software) E01 means that your control board detects an open on the pins of the control board dedicated for the thermistor. This can be either an open in your thermistor itself (defective) or an open in the wiring harness wires that are hooked up to the thermistor (look for rodent damage on wires or corroded spade connectors) Thermistors are electrical thermometers so if you have temp fault light and E01 on your display, this would make perfect sense. Both are screaming fix the problem with the thermistor. Hope this helps.
E05 is a fully open SFS (broken wire or internally open) E06 is reported to be a fully shorted SFS (2 lead wires touching, corroded together or SFS is internally shorted) There is no EC6, so you may have that part of the number 0 dead on your membrane board.
I had that problem too. Fortunately, my next door neighbor has a sta-rite unit which has the exact same parts as my unit. I used his parts one at a time to check to see which part made mine work again. It was the stack flue sensor that was the culprit, but did not throw an E05 nor the SFS light on the control board. If it is not fully open, it wont throw the hard codes. This was just a $21 replacement part. Let me make a recommendation though. If you can, get the kit that has all of the sensors on Amazon for $99. When one goes, the dominos are bound to start falling.
@@MILKMANDELIVERIES Well, I got bad news. Mine is misbehaving again. It fires and burns for a little bit, then quits and shows service heater. No error lights and no codes. However, I opened the cover to the Ignition Control Module (FENWAL) and saw that the red light flashed 3 times repetitively. This is "Ignition Lockout", which could be caused by many things, but makes me think of a defective igniter as my first choice since it was under water when the combustion chamber filled up with rusty water, followed by AGS, then, thermal regulator, then stack flue sensor, then lastly the Ignition Control Module itself. The Ignition Control Module is looking for specific ohms from the igniter and the connector was very corroded, so before replacing, I used WD-40 and plugged and unplugged the igniter about 100 times to kinda scratch the connectors clean. I tried again and it worked! So, I think I am on to something with the igniter being the cause of my Ignition Lockout. I'll let it ride and see if the same problem happens again before replacing. It's a cheap part but man I am $50-ing myself to death.
PVT-PILOT replacing the glue sensor worked off the bat. After running for some time it did shut down with an error. Shut it down and restarted, ran again for a bit of time and had to restart it a second time. We were in the tub in the middle of the night and didn’t feel like pulling it apart to see if I got a code.
Check thermal regulator first. A faulty thermal regulator will throw a service heater light without codes because it is not an electronic part tied to the control board but a properly functioning HLS will detect the super heated water resulting from a stuck thermal regulator and will shut the heater down and display "service heater"
...means that: 1. You may have an open in the wiring that goes from the control board to the pressure switch. 2. You may have an open in the pressure switch itself (defective). 3. You may have something blocking water from flowing into the intake properly that could be preventing the pressure switch from closing.
@@juniorjr2654 I dont know of a bypass for the AGS (Automatic Gas Shutoff). If there is one, it would just be a resistor with a very specific ohm value that the control board accepts as within perameters for an appropriate temperature that the AGS puts out via resistance across the spade tips. The only problem is that I don't know what that resistance value would be...meaning the exact ohm value of a properly functioning AGS.
I have heard a Stack Flue sensor out of operating limits will throw E05 or E06 based on too high or too low electrical resistance reading on the sensor. Not necessarily a defective sensor. Could be the symptom, not the problem. If you are heating your spa, the spa button's light should be lit on the heater's display. Hold that button down for 5 seconds while the heater is running. The display will show the temp that the stack flue is detecting. If it is obviously incorrect, like 400 degrees F within a few seconds of running, clean the sensor, the contacts of the sensor, or replace the sensor and fire again.
Thank you for the information. I will certainly try that and hopefully will solve my problems. After some investigation I figured it may be a bad stack flue sensor, but wanted to get your opinion. Much appreciated!
I don't know anything about codes on a pentair pump. I never disassembled a pool pump before. I have only disassembled a pentair Mastertemp 400 heater. Lo siento amigo
wow, finally a comprehensive description of this in a short, concise video...thanks much my friend, my anxiety level just went down!
I have watched most of your videos. Thank you for taking the time to show us all this. You saved me so much time!!!! Thank you! 🙏
Thanks for posting this. There is absolutely nothing in my user's guide that tells me how to "check whether any of the LED's on the back of the board are on."
First, Great video!
I have a STA-Rite Max-E-Therm 200 and here is what it is doing:
When the heater is turned on, the blower starts, and the heater ignites. Then after about 15 seconds, it shuts off. The front panel has the Heater Service light on and when I take off the top cover the SFS and the LED 11 lights are on.
LED 11 is your service heater light. It is nothing more than the "light bulb" positioned directly behind the transparent SERVICE HEATER small window on the front side. There are other LEDs positioned similarly behind other transparent windows too, such as HEATING for example.
As for your SFS, check the wiring for free first. Disconnect the leads and put an ohm meter on it to see if it is open. If you have a resistance reading going to the SFS and also to the control board, your wiring is not faulty. You likely have a SFS that has a resistance reading that is out of specs giving erroneous readings to the control board, and for safety reasons, the control board will shut the heater down. Same goes for other temperature measuring sensors like the thermistor, HLS, AGS. At one time or another, I have replaced all temp sensors over the years except AGS, so I can testify they definitely don't last forever.
Thank you! I appreciate your assistance
That's what I am experiencing now.
Thanks for this video. Even 5 years later, it helped me fix my own heater. It was completed stuffed with leaves and debris brought in by rats. After cleaning, the error lights would only come on one at a time. After fixing the E6 error by replacing the flu sensor, the PS light came on. After fixing that, the HLS light came on. After replacing that, the AFS light came on. Once I replaced the Air flow switch, the unit finally cleared and the fan and heater came on.
That's intense, but you stuck through it. Nice job!
I know this is a old video, but I'm trying to diagnose a Pentair spa heater that won't run. I used your video to tag all of the switches so I don't have to dig through the manual to see which is which. Thank you for making it easy to understand where the different sensors are and what they do.
Got a service heater light on the front of the panel ... ended up here. Now I know something ... there's lights on the back too. Huge help in troubleshooting. Thank you!
Super video, short to the point and very easy to understand. Keep up the great work!
Excellent Video and great information! Thank you for taking the time to make life easier for us!!!
Thank you for making this. Awesome explanation and great video!! saving me a ton of money in service calls.
DUDE!!!!!! My jacuzzi has been down for a year and a half because I refused to replace it. I started with replacing the control board, then the blower/fan motor, AND NOW!!!!!!; having viewed your video(which didn't exist when it first went down), will replace the pressure switch. I went out initially to short it out to confirm the switch really was the problem. It was then that I discovered both leads had rusted through and broken off. Yet, they remained in position making it look like they were landed properly.
So, I re-terminated the wires, re-connnected them and ta da, it fired right up!!!! The terminal lugs are sketchy on the switch so I'm going to replace the switch as a precaution. Can't thank you enough.
Sweet! Stories like this make it all worth it to me that I bothered posting this stuff. Cheers!
I love troubleshooting and thanks to you I found the problem was due to the AGS. Only $34 Thanks again!!!
I replaced the AGS on my Pentair Mastertemp 300 and it seemed to work again for a while, but then it stopped heating again. The service heater light comes on, but there are no indicator led's lit and there are no codes showing on the panel. It seems to run for a few seconds and sounds as if it's about to light the gas, but you smell the gas for a few seconds and then nothing happens. I also removed the manifold bolts to see if there was an internal leak, but no water. Any ideas?
@@mr.arthur2058 Check the Ignitor
I had the stack flu sensor go bad on mine less than a year old. But luckily it’s super simple to fix. 5 bucks on Amazon and took literally 5 minutes to replace.
Thank you!! Just what I needed. I was going to order all the sensors but now I will just fix whatever is wrong instead of throwing parts at it! 👍👍
Great video! I have a Pentair Mastertemp 400 that is about 5 years old. We use it in the spring and fall to get as much use out of our pool as possible. This past weekend, the heater turned on fine. And then I discovered I could not turn it off. The closest I got was by lowering the temperature below that of the water temperature. My wife was able to turn it off by repeatedly pushing the off button. The codes looked more like hyroglyphs than letter and number codes. This morning, I started the pool pump so I could turn on the heater and see what the error codes, if any, might be so I could tell a repair service what I was seeing. The heater control panel illuminated when the pool pump came on. When I opened the cover, the error code showing was clearly 5F1. The heater came on and I adjusted the heat up about ten degrees from the water temperature. After it ran for a few minutes, I turned it off. No error code. I waited until it cooled down and turned it on again, still no error code. What does the 5F1 error code indicate, and, do these symptoms mean the membrane or control panel are failing? Thank you in advance.
I have never heard of a 5F1. Perhaps a membrane board failing would be my guess. Is there any visible moisture trapped under the display? Sounds like something is shorting out somewhere on the membrane board. I would start with membrane board 1st, then control board 2nd.
In fact, you could try disconnecting the membrane board from the control board and then fire it up from the main control panel. I haven't tried that before, but I wouldn't think the presence of the membrane board would be essential to functionality. If the problem is in the membrane board shorting out some command pins on the control board via the connected ribbon, you very well might regain full contol over the heater from the main contol panel just by removing the membrane ribbon from the contol board. Try that for isolation purposes.
@@pvt-pilot Thank you. It has quit working again and I had an Ad0 error message that is now an Ad1 error message.
@@richardn.thompson8457 Read this article I found regarding your symptoms and codes. It is 5 years old:
Error Codes on Max E Therm 400 temp display, OFF button unresponsive
5 posts / 0 new
Last post
Laurence Mayer
Posted 5 years ago
Greetings,
I cannot find any information about this issue on the forums...
My Max E Therm 400 Heater (1 yr old) displays a message on the LED temp display. This message cycles through the following values:
AD0
AD1
SF0
SF1
The "pool" and "spa" buttons will start the heater, but for some reason the "off" button will not work. I must switch the breaker in the electrical panel in order to get the heater to shut off. Shutting off the pump will force the heater off, but it will come back on again unless I power off at the breaker.
The heater display also shows the usual power-on messages (888, 180, R4), but eventually settles on the above messages.
I'm trying to make sure the heater is in good shape (clean, vacuumed out, protected from sun), but a little direction on what the message mean would be a great help. I'd like to know if I need a new touch panel, PC board, or something else.
My Pentair dealer hasn't been able to get back to me in a few weeks... really busy, and I've spent over an hour on hold on the Pentair support line. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Laurence
Richard
Tech, Pentair
Posted 5 years ago
This would be related to stack flue programming, you will need to set both AD and SF to either AD1 and SF1 or AD0 and SF1, this will allow the board to read the correct stack flue type on your heater, once you have the correct setting, turn the heater off then turn it back on, this should correct the issue.
Laurence Mayer
Posted 5 years ago
Richard, Thanks for your response. That would make sense with the fact that the SFS LED is lit on the back of the PCB. I have made several attempts to set these parameters. I have seen your instructions elsewhere in this forum to do this. I can change the digit between 0 and 1, but pressing the OFF button (or holding it) doesn't seem to advance to the next step. I am wondering if I have a touchpad issue as well... Also, do you have any suggestion on how I decide between AD1/SF1 or AD0/SF0? Is this based on a specific heater model? I have also tested the OC resistance of my SFS - it seems to match the recommended range posted here (around 3.6MOhms) Thanks.
Laurence Mayer
Posted 5 years ago
Actually, I now see the options you wrote above are: AD1/SF1 or AD0/SF1. How would I decide between those settings?
Laurence Mayer
Posted 5 years ago
My Resolution:
It appears that I had two problems at the time time that complicated troubleshooting:
1) The unit somehow lost its 'stack flue programming' settings. These are the AD/SF settings mentioned above by Richard. I don't know what would cause this, power glitch?
2) The OFF button on the membrane switch failed. This was not immediately obvious because the SFS issue caused the interface to behave differently than it normally would.
After I replaced the membrance switch (actually to test I just unplugged the old one and plugged in a replacement without mounting it), I was able to set the AD/SF program. Setting both to zero did not correct the SFS problem, but setting them both to 1 caused the SFS LED to clear, and the system functioned normally.
Sure would be nice to know how the system lost its SFS settings, and what the difference is between AD/SF0 and AD/SF1.
Thanks for pointing me in the right direction, Richard.
@@pvt-pilot Thank you. I suspect what I am seeing is an SF rather than a 5F code. The solution is above my pay grade. It took me a week to realize I could reply and thank you for the information.
I replaced the membrane and I’m no longer getting any codes. The red service heater light is on, the green spa light is on (I’ve been told it doesn’t matter since we only have a pool and either is okay). The numbers on the panel say 81 which may be the temp it would heat the water to. The off button still doesn’t work. I did not try to operate the heater without the membrane. I don’t have a technical manual for this. Is the control board programmable? Suggestions? Thank you in advance.
straight and to the point...good job.
I got AFS lit and led 11. Replaced thermistor, thermal regulator, the probe for the heat exhaust, igniter, and switched inside board with used one claimed to come out of good unit. Turn on heater once new igniter in it actually had heating light on for second before going to service and screen just has a stand-alone 1 on it. Mastertemp 400
Remove one of the 2 bottom bolts of your black manifold mounted on the side of the combustion chamber. If water comes out, you have a leak with your tube sheet coil assembly. That's what caused my AFS. Watch my AFS video and heat coil replacement video if you have that same problem.
Thank you for your explanation on all the sensors I have a question I have the same heater and it was working perfectly last night and this morning the board does not illuminate at all no lights no nothing dead I checked the fuse and fuse is good and has power so I need help thank you
Great video. Thanks for the detailed explanation
Thanks for adding part numbers!
Great information and clear explained.
We have an LED light next to the temp fault on the control board. Would that mean it’s the thermistor? We just replaced the thermistor last September. Could it be something else by chance?
Wonderful video - just fixed mine and back in business. There are a lot of rusty bolts and corrosion in side the unit - not sure if I should be doing something or spraying something in there to help maintain. Definitely doesn't look like they used stainless parts. Also my HLS was filled inside with what looks like calcium deposits - does that mean I've got something wrong in my pool chemistry or is that a normal development over time? Thank you!!
Yes, bad chemistry, but nobody keeps it perfect all the time. Calcium build-up happens. No shame, just roll with it (replace parts, clean tiles, all the fun stuff)
Have code E01 and the light in the upper right hand corner is on. The lights shows temp fault. Replaced the High Limit and thermistor since those brown wires go to the thermistor. Runs for about 5 mins and goes back to E01. I didn’t see you cover the temp fault light with the two brown wires next to it. That’s my only light besides service heater. My personal thought is bad board ?
Thanks you saved my job. Thank you
What heated water is coming out luke warm and it never heats the pool
I have a Pentaur Mastertemp 400, when turned on Blower comes on, no gas smell, after a few minutes unit shuts off with "Ignition Lockout" on Fenwall, No error codes on back of control circuit board
great Video - extreme detail
You are DA MAN... thank you
THANK YOU!!!
My man!!! Thanks for the great video. However, I am seeing something else. My heater DOM is 2011 just to give you an idea. Lately, when i walk by I see that the LED lights are on and it shows pool heating. But, I did not turn it on. When I try to turn off, it just stays on. (bad button?) It does however let me switch between pool and spa. Sometimes the fan is even running. I turned the gas off so in case it did fire up I would not be burning NG all night or day without knowing. FYI, it does light up and heat if I want it to. Today when I got home it was doing the same thing so I pulled the cover off and looked around. Everything looked ok. I made sure everything was plugged in tight etc..... Circuit breaker off and back on and it does the same thing, fires up itself. But then I get an ADO and SE code. The SE lets me select 1 or 2. Long story short, I unwired the heater until I can figure it out. I am a pretty handy guy, just looking for some direction. Thanks in advance.
Hmmm, working too well for ya! I had that happen before too, but it was only because I had my main Easytouch control panel programmed to heat the pool too by accident instead of only the spa. So when I turned off the spa, it went from trying to reach 96 degrees (spa) to trying to reach 84 degrees (pool). This called for occasional heating since the ambient temperature at the time was about 65 degrees. The was user error, not faulty equipment, and I fixed that right away by taking a closer look at my programmed settings. If you know you have you main control panel set correctly, then I don't know what is causing it to turn on without command. I would lean toward the control board being the culprit, but that is just a shot in the dark...sorry I don't have anything definitive for you mate.
If my heater was coming on without my turning it on, I would suspect a defective touch pad first. I would remove front and rear panels, unscrew four toggle nuts holding top panel on, flip top panel over, than unclip ribbon cable connecting touchpad to control board.
If that stopped heater from coming on all by itself, than I would order new touch pad.
Great video. Maybe you can help me. I changed the control pad because i was nit able to raise or lower the temp on the older pad. The new pad gives me the same trouble.
Then you likely have an issue with the contol board. To prove this, you can disconnect the membrane pad and use needle nose pliers or a piece of wire to short the common pin #1 on your circuit board to the corresponding pin that traces out to the button you are pressing. I don't have the pins memorized, but I can do a membrane pad replacement video and illustrate this exact concept. (I hope to have that done in the next week or so) You just have to look at the back side of the membrane pad and follow each conductor embedded in the ribbon from the white modular connector to each respective button on the pad. Take note of this and short the common pin #1 on the control board to the temperature up button pin on the control board briefly and repeatedly to simulate pressing the button repeatedly. If you can't get the control board to respond this way, you have to replace the control board. If it does respond, then your new membrane pad is also defective. You can also use an ohm meter and connect it to your membrane pad across your temperature button female hole on the white connector of the membrane pad and the other lead on the common pin #1, then press the button on the pad and see if you get a 0 ohm short. This will prove your new membrane pad to be good or bad. You should see a short on each respective button if it is good.
Hello! I have this same heater(about 4 years old). Unit fires then turns off after 10 seconds. I removed the lid and found the AFS led on. As a precaution, I removed the bottom 2 bolts on the black manifold to see if I have a leak. Altho, the bolt heads were rusted pretty bad, thankfully, no water came out. I've ordered the Pentair 42002-0025S AGS sensor. Hope this does the trick. I'll reply back later after I swap it out. thanks again
Did that work I keep getting and AFS light but I put a jumper wire between the two connectors and now it work but obviously not the proper fix.
I have a Mastertemp 400 that fails to start up. Was working fine a few weeks ago! Normal cycle is blower startup, ignition, and whoomp heater is on. Membrane panel is disabled (remote controlled by Pentair Easytouch controller), but instead of hearing the blower startup, I am seeing "128" followed by "r13", followed by blank. Any ideas?
Very good video. Short and to the point. I keep getting an AGS light. The heater is almost new. Not sure what to do. It runs for quite a while then throws the error again. I can unplug the heater and it works fine for a while.
I am not sure what would trigger AGS other than a defective AGS itself. I have never had that error led yet on mine other than when I intentionally disconnected the AGS (open leads) just to see what would happen, so I never tore the gas side of the heater down to figure out how it works. Sorry, all I can say is if you open the leads (a.k.a. your AGS is internally open or has high resistance out of specs), the AGS diagnostic led will illuminate.
PVT-PILOT Ok. Thanks. I will do some more investigating. I’m guessing low gas pressure right now.
PVT-PILOT FYI....I figured my problem out. It was a bad thermal regulator. I put a new one in and it works fine again. It was only 2 months old though. So if anyone has an AGS light, the thermal regulator may be the issue. Thx
I figure the AGS sensor is nothing more than a high limit temperature switch that shuts the gas off.
@@ericanderson8556 Cool, thanks for adding your experience to the thread.
Awesome 👏 just called
My system is 5 years old. Currently I have no Lights coming on the panel, this just started. Last week I noticed the hot tub (spa spill over) had drained significantly on its own. This must have happened while the pool pump was off. The next day everything appeared to be fine, except oddly, the heater was on. I turned it off and I can’t get any power on the screen now or it to come back on. Also the week prior I did have an electrician hook up to my panel and run electric to a newly built shop building. Any ideas on what could cause these issues?
Hi, what's the led no 8 and 9 stays green both come on after few seconds of turning on the heater
I have a problem where the heat cycles on & off. "Heat" blinks calling for heat then steady for a second & then temp counts up to 124 degrees & back down. "Service System" lights up at 81 degrees & still counting down & when it reaches 75 which I think the current temp of the pool, "Service Heater" lights up for a second followed by the "Heat" light again. Just opened the pool so the filter is clean. Water pressure is 20-30psi at 3250 RPM, 85GPM. So far, I replaced the Thermal Regulator, Igniter, Thermistor late in the season last year & the Manifold Bypass before opening the pool this season. No error code in front & no LED indicator lights on the back of the panel. Please advice.
thanks very much for this video, it is very helpful. I had an issue similar to Shawn Seman below. The heater would kick off, the gas would kick in for like 10 seconds, and then click off, and then this would repeat 2 or 3 times before the Service Heater light lit up. I repeated the exercise 2-3 times with the cover upside down so I could see the back of the control panel. No control panel LEDs lit. I tried for a final time, expecting the same thing, but this time the gas kicked in and stayed on. I ran for 10 10-15 minutes and it all seemed to work. This heater is rarely used. I am wondering if the start-and-stop sequences somehow needed to work out some dust or something in the system, and once that was worked out, the sensors all cleared? Will see if it runs ok again tomorrow. In general, should I be running the heater like once a month or so just to keep it humming better? thanks
No, not really. I wouldn't run it for cob web reasons. If it really is used that rarely, (once a year or every other year) I would seriously consider building a PVC u-turn shaped bypass of the heater all together and just put it there in place where your input and output pool pipes hit the manifold. Then turn off the breaker to it. This will keep the chemical water out of your heater and help preserve your copper tubing heat exchange coils and sensors. When you want the 🔥, remove the bypass, slide it back in place and screw the two pipes back together with your ✋.
Nice explanation
Excellent. thank you so much!
help
my pentair still show AGS led on even-though i replaced AGS sensor. any idea ? The code still show look like re5 . It run about a minute the stop .stack flue sensor also replaced.:(
Short the AGS wires to see if you can get the AGS light to turn off. If it won't turn off, you may have a bad control board. Also, I don't know what re5 means, but I know E05 means faulty igniter/ignition. If you are getting it to fire up at all, even for 1 minute, then the igniter is working. So it probably is not a E05 error code. I just don't know what re5 means. Perhaps it is a bad control board giving bad error codes that Pentair does not publish.
Thank you! I’m getting a service here light on and I’m thinking it’s the gas switch. Reason: the heater system works fine however, after about 20-30/2 of the heater turning on it shut itself off. And does not try and self back on I’ve tested three times since last night any insight would be grateful. Going into attack it now, cover me!😉
If you don't have AGS light on, start with non electrical parts first. Test the thermal regulator. If it does not open/close with water >120 degrees, replace it.
OK your always my hero when it comes to this heater. The last few days mine has been not turning on when I hit the spa/pool button, then I pressed harder and it came on. Now today nothing again. No lights or anything. Thoughts on what to check?
Watch some videos about the membrane board. I remember watching one where the guy showed the pins on the control board that the membrane board is plugged into. He explained that you could short certain pins together to simulate pushing certain buttons on the membrane board. This method can be used to prove a defective membrane board before buying a new one. I just dont know the pins to short. Sounds like you need a new membrane board though. Is there any moisture under the display window? You might try temporarily disconnecting the display board's ribbon cable completely and then see if you can control it from the main panel instead. Disconnecting a defective membrane board might relieve an unwanted short causing unwanted behavior.
@@pvt-pilot thanks I just watched that video I think that might be it. Will give it a try today
Hello!
I have Mastertemp 400 that's about 5 years old. Does the same thing whether I turn heat on with my phone app (iAquaLink) or with the unit being in service mode(manual).
Cleaned filter to ensure proper water flow
Temp was set to 102
Revision 13
Thermister reporting ambient temp
The heater seems to be firing up normally when the controller calls for heat. The air blower spins up with the HEATING led flashing for about 10 seconds before the burner actually turns on and heat is felt coming out of the metal exhaust vent. However the instant the burner ignites, the SERVICE HEATER led turns on immediately. The burner continues to fire for 12--21 seconds before the heat/burner shuts off. Usually over 20 seconds. The heater is definitely turning on. I can feel heat coming out. I removed the top cover and checked out the LEDs. Found the the 'AGS' LED on...on the back of the board. Followed the troubleshooting chart in the install manual.
Purchased and installed new AGS switch from Amazon. Didn't fix it. Also at the same time, I replaced the thermal regulator. (tested old one and new one in hot water, both worked)
On the header, I noticed the bottom 2 bolts were rusted(plan on changing them all to stainless). Removed the 2 to see if any water game out. No water came out. Ended up keeping going. Removed the header completely so that I could check the Manifold Bypass Valve. Looked good. Copper on the heat exchanger pipes in and out looked good. Thermister and HLS looked good, but I haven't tested them. I haven't replaced the control board yet since it's pricey. Really don't wanna jump into the tub yet, since its a big job. Honestly don't wanna just replace everything in hopes to find a needle in a haystack.
What are some other tests I can run? I'm good with DVOMs, resistance checks etc.
Not sure where to do at the moment. Suggestions?
I added a video of this ua-cam.com/video/bu4v_HDQCbA/v-deo.html
Wow, that's some fantastic persistence for sure. You and I have that in common clearly. As for your problem, I have no experience with AGS and PS error lights, so I would not want to suggest anything other that what you have already done which is replace the AGS. I am a telephone cable repairman by profession, so I am much more comfortable making electrical suggestions than gas suggestions. Someone posted in one of my videos that their gas pressure was insufficient and suggested the low gas pressure was causing their AGS error, but you have had your system for 5 years on that same pressure and had no issues, so that doesn't sound like the right rabbit hole for you to look in. Please leave this post up and let's see if we can get someone else to comment that has had and fixed the same problem you are having. Suggestions anyone? Cheers!
@@pvt-pilot Thanks! I'll leave it up. Ya, my gas is good. Actually entire system has been there 14 years, just my new heater that I installed 5 years ago is new. I've also put this onto forums at Trouble Free pool. I'm not a pool guy either, but I do fix my own pool LOL
I'm getting a r=15 when pump turns on and then display goes blank. any advice?
Thanks!!
The panel worked for a day and now shut completely, panel wont turn on. Tried to change the membrane, thermal regulator and ignitor control module. Is there a way to test the control panel without having to replace it?
here is a riddle, Pentair MT200 NA STD is showing "heating" - no service lights on front, shows heating light on, and no LED's showing on back of panel. The heater is firing as i can feel heated air coming from exhaust, i can see water flowing , but the temp of water coming out pool inlets are luke warm at best.......in years past i recall REALLY hot water coming out. Any suggestions other than the troubleshooting flow chart indicating "replace control board"
Hey I have same issue what was the problem?
I have a Mini Max pentair and only has an Err code. Nothing else?
Heater will not come on. Was flashing 88.8 and I replaced the pressure switch and the temp sensor switch. Now the 88.8 is gone but just have the err code and still will not come on? Any suggestions?
Sorry, I'm just a home owner sharing knowledge gained from tinkering with my Mastertemp 400. I don't have any knowledge on your Mini Max. That said, 88.8 sounds like all possible pieces of each number on the display are illuminating, like what happens at a faulty gas station sign. I might start with the control board with that scenario, but really don't want to lead you in the wrong direction.
had an error E05 code and replaced the igniter. Now its running but the water doesn't feel like it is coming out hot in the pool. Any ideas??
hi there... I wired a master temp 400 to 220v but I did not use the righ 220v plug.. the 120v plug was in the unit and now the units does not turn on.. what should I replace
Check the fuse in the Fenwal. Hopefully, it blew before the contol board.
I got one that fires up then it starts to shake violently at the manifold. Would that be the governor is gunked up? Thanks
I think you have a possum in there that is tired of getting scorched every time you have a party.
Seriously, I don't know of a governor in these units other than the control board. I can't see how a clogged exchanger tube or two would cause violent shaking either. 🤔 If this was the cause, it would also happen when the heater is off since water always runs through it. A broken bypass valve just sounds like ice cubes in the manifold but doesn't shake the unit. Does the fan spin smoothly or out of balance? It's not down by the manifold at all, but I am trying to link moving parts to your problem and there just aren't many. I'm at a loss here. Time for some exploratory surgery.
Hi Thanks for the video - quick question - where does the light turn on to see what's broken? On the front panel display or on the circuit board? And if the circuit board do you have to run the heater the lid removed from heater to study the circuit board thanks. (I know its probably a dumb question.) My heater is newish 2015 Pentair 250 MasterTemp and it turns on for about 5 seconds then turns off for about 20 seconds then repeats 4ever. I've called 2 pool companies but no answer. Not sure what's going on. I've cleaned the filter and have good pressure but am installing a FlowVis this weekend so I can quit guessing about the pressure. Thanks again.
You must try running the heater with lid off to see the LEDs illuminate. However, there are some things that can go wrong that do not have an LED. Examples...thermistor has no LED, but it has error codes E01 I think is "open thermistor" as demonstrated in my thermistor replacement video, and I think E02 is "shorted thermistor". Other examples of things that could go wrong that don't have diagnostic LEDs would be non-electrical components like the thermal regulator and the plastic manifold bypass valve located on the plastic wall inside the manifold. If either one of these items fail, there is no wiring to report directly to the control board that there is a faulty component. There will be side effects where these faulty components will trigger electrical components to report back to the control board some abnormalities, and the control board will shut down the heater. Such an item that could be at fault with your heater would be the thermal regulator. If it is stuck closed, then your heater kicks on, the regulator will not open and allow cold water to dilute some of the excessively hot water. The temp of the outbound water skyrockets, which causes the high limit switch to open. This electric signal is detected by the control board, which will then close the gas valve and turn the burner off. Cold water will then pass over the high limit switch, which will close the switch, then the contol board will open the gas valve and ignite again, and the cycle will repeat. Without looking at your heater, I would start with your thermal regulator given the symptoms you stated.
@@pvt-pilot I super appreciate your knowledge and help. Thanks very much. I'll try this Saturday - wish me luck!
Thanks again for these wonderful instruction DIY vids my friend. I have a quick question.;
I have this exact same Pentair Master Temp 400 heater and its been a great little heater with very few issues for years. Recently however, it has started to do this thing where it fires up normally, runs for a while and shuts itself down. It has good days and bad days, but now fewer good days... So anyway, when it shuts down, the key touch control pad displays 'service heater' message, and locks you out of any further key pad commands. So must be shut off at the circuit breaker. Anyway, I opened it up and saw it was the AGS error message. I replaced that switch, but still have the issue... Any ideas what I could examine next? This intermittent stuff is as frustrating as hell! Any replies would be well appreciated...thanks again.
Hello, unfortunately, I have never experienced an AGS error light, so I don't have any troubleshooting information for you on that electrical component. All I can say about it is that it is a 140 degree water switch that is mounted on the opposite side of the manifold from the HLS (high limit switch). I don't even know if it is on the input or output side of the manifold, and I don't want to speak of theoretical uncertainties on here and possibly steer you in the wrong direction. Sorry mate.
I believe you have a variable speed pump, and if you have a easy touch panel, you can program the pump to operate at a higher rpm when you operate the heater. I would set the pump at 2800 rpms and see if that fixes the problem. If you dont have a easy touch panel, than you would have to set the higher speed at the pump.
A lot of pool owners with variable speed pumps save money by operating their pumps at speeds that are too low to satisfy the heater controls.
Thanks for the great video. My MasterTemp 400 heater is showing the code Ad0 and now the jacuzzi doesn't work properly. I can turn the pump on remotely, but the temp needs to be manually turned on at the heater itself. The temp also needs to be manually raised at the heater itself. I cannot, however, turn the heater on manually at the actually unit. I've seen a variety of explanations for this online, but nobody really explains it well. Please help! Thank you in advance.
I had a problem when I first installed my remote. The wire gage they give you is like a 24 gage and should be a 18 gage to make a better connecton at the receiver and the panel. I had to reconnect all connections twice until it worked.
I have a pentair mt400 I have no light on the back panel green led9. But it doesn’t show heating on the front panel. Even though it sounds like it heating. And help would be great
LED 9 is just the "POOL ON" green light which can be seen through the little transparent window on front of your keypad. Green LED 10 directly lines up with the "SPA ON" transparent window and will illuminate when you program it it heat the spa with Pentair Easytouch panel. The SERVICE HEATER LED is orange and lines up with that window...and so on. These are not diagnostic error lights, just status.
As for sounding like it is heating, does it fire? Does it have hot exhaust or is only the fan running and no fire igniting? Does it smell of natural gas and still not ignite?
I am going to assume you got fan only and suggest you check your igniter. You can unplug it and check it with an ohm meter. If it is open (infinite ohms), the igniter is broken and must be replaced. If the igniter is good, listen for the click of the gas valve opening about 10-15 seconds after your fan starts blowing. Does this happen?
I would like to help, but would need more details.
Son muy buenos
Gracias
I got the master-temp 400HD pentagram, service light is on but no showing any code on the little screen. However the AGS is on on board. The manual says to either replace the high limit switch or the automatic gas shut-off valve. Any idea?
Never had AGS error light, but I do know that AGS is the Automatic Gas Shutoff switch. I would replace it first before moving on to any other component.
I replaced the AGS on my Pentair Mastertemp 300 and it seemed to work again for a while, but then it stopped heating again. The service heater light comes on, but there are no indicator led's lit and there are no codes showing on the panel. It seems to run for a few seconds and sounds as if it's about to light the gas, but you smell the gas for a few seconds and then nothing happens. I also removed the manifold bolts to see if there was an internal leak, but no water. Any ideas?
Check ignitor.
Hey! Thanks for taking time out of your day and making these incredibly helpful videos!
My question is regarding my MASTERTEMP 400 heater Pressure Switch. My heater cycles on and off 3-4 times before telling me to “service heater” and after checking the back of the control module the PS light was red.
I order a Pentair OEM PS and replaced it today and it still cycles on/off 3-4 times and once again says i need to replace my PS.
What is going on?
It’s a brand new switch so that can’t be it. I’m
Going to take my thermal regulator out tomorrow and see if running it without it changes anything
I could have worded this a little better at 2:52 but what I was trying to say was that the PS and also the AFS lights illuminated on the contol board mean that their respective components are not making a short that can be seen by the contol board. This doesn't mean that your PS itself is defective, but rather an indicator that you have poor water flow (not enough water volume to short the switch as required for normal operation).
I would first disconnect and then short (touch together) the leads that are connected to the Pressure Switch to see if you can get the PS light to turn off. If you can't get the PS light to turn off with a manually induced short, check your wiring harness for corrosion or rodent damage (something causing a permanent open in the wiring which would make the necessary short at the PS permanently undetectable from the control board's perspective).
If you get the PS light to go out with a manually induced short, GREAT, you have no issues with the wiring and you should move on to trying to locate a blockage on the input side of the manifold. I would disconnect both pipes feeding the heater and scoot the heater a little bit to the side and turn the pool pump on. I want to check to see if you have excellent water flow coming directly from your filter to the heater. If you don't have massive water flow coming out of the top pipe, you could have:
1. A clogged filter
2. A defective spider gasket in your filter's multidirectional valve (making water flow somewhere it shouldn't be instead of 100% toward your heater)
3. At worst case a poorly performing pool pump.
If you have great water flow out of the top pipe, the problem does not reside anywhere between your pump and your heater. Moving on, I would remove the manifold using 13mm socket and search inside for a clog, then move on to accuator valves, backflow check valves, and other outbound pipes. You could have a broken manifold bypass valve stuck in your outbound pipes causing a clog.
Always keep in mind that a clog can be before or after the Pressure Switch and cause the Pressure Switch to not make a short. Imagine a pressure switch mounted in the middle of a drinking straw that detects and/or measures water flow. Imagine a goal of you blowing water with your mouth through it as hard as you can. Now put your finger over the other end of the straw (which happens to come after the switch) and you blow hard (aka turn on your pool pump). No water movement, right?...which triggers a light on contol board even if the clog is after the switch (at the end of the straw). The water must have a place to freely move to within the system at all times to make circulation possible. Same goes if you put a piece of tape on the straw on the side that you are blowing into (simulating clog between pool pump and heater manifold). Switch will obviously detect insufficient water flow.
Hope this helps your understanding of how the Pressure Switch functions and gives you some things to look for in your troubleshooting.
I'll help answer further questions if you have any, but I don't think the thermal regulator a suspect here. Removing it will throw an immediate service heater light because you will be causing the path of least resistance to be the path through the thermal regulator's seated slot instead of being the path through the heat exchange coils. This means not much of the water in circulation will get heated, leaving the water that is trapped in the coils to boil uselessly and dangerously and never make it to the hot tub.
PVT-PILOT Wow! You’re so crazy good at diagnosing these shitty heaters haha
So I did what you said and the PS light turned off! IMO I’m pretty scared about
Tearing this heater down, I’m not a electrician or plumber but if it’s what I have to do then so be it.
My Thermal regulator was corroded to the core and had some green stuff on the top of the piston thing that is supposed to go erect in hot water but mine did not! So I order a replacement.
I’ll let you know how the rest of my year down goes, hopefully I’m not
Getting myself in over my head.
Appreciate all the help and will definitely be needing more in the near future haha
PVT-PILOT UPDATE:
I disconnected the pipes from the heater and the water pressure coming from the filter was very strong.
I took apart the manifold and looked inside for clogs but there were not any. The manifold bypass looked great and all of it was there so I know it’s not a valve that broke off from that and got stuck.
Going to look at out bound pipes and actuator valves next but I’m really concerned now it’s not anything I can find 😩
@@danielm.9818 You want some really bad and dangerous advice? Short the PS wires again and leave it that way and turn you heater on for a good 10 minutes or so. Keep a close eye on it during this time because you are more or less bypassing a safety feature of the heater. See if it throws a service heater or if it keeps heating. I am getting concerned too that you wont find any clog.
Now for some better advice:
Reattach the manifold and reattach only the top pipe to the manifold inlet. Leave the bottom pipe disconnected from the manifold outlet. This will create zero resistance on the outlet of the manifold = max flow. Restart the pump and turn on the heater. Get ready for a big muddy mess. This will drain your pool at a fairly quick pace, but the goal of doing this is to see if you still have PS light with no pipes connected on the outlet. If you still have the PS light, don't bother with searching past the heater. If you don't have a PS light with the outlet pipes disconnected, well at least you know you're good through the heater and are making great, positively certain progress with your trouble isolation efforts. Hope you find something definitive 🤞
PVT-PILOT Long story short, I ended up replacing every part on it as they were all in pretty bad shape. Got the light for the PS turned off but the ignition control module showed a ignition lock out. Replaced the ignited, still didn’t work. Replaced the ignition control module and still got the same ignition lock down 3 blinks.
After replacing most parts I decided to call Pentair and had a certified pool company come see what was going on. Turns out the inside of the heater was rusted pretty bad but the heat exchange looked fine. Repair would be $1500 with parts/labor so Im biting the bullet and getting a new one.
Thanks for the help!
I have one of those and it stops after 20 minutes of working. No error codes, no diagnostic lights on, it only stops afeter 20 minutes or so....Do you have any idea what is wrong?
Mine had same symptoms once before. Check your thermal regulator. Watch my video on that.
Honorable PVT-PILOT, I have a Pentair MasterTemp 400 [128, R-9] which is throwing an E05 error code (also indicated on the underside panel as a red LED light on the Service Heater LED11 and SFS). I have had this issue before and in the past I replaced the Stack Flu Sensor and all was good and the system ran properly - all error codes were cleared. This time I replaced the SFS and still get an E05 code. I have tried testing the SFS itself and it is testing 3.8 ohms - within parameters -so I think the new sensor is functional. Any tips on what may be causing the E05 code to remain? Any advice or tips would be appreciated! Thanks, R
If you hold down POOL or SPA button for at least 10 seconds it displays the exhaust temp. Normal temps should be ~290-350. If it alternates between 40 and 80 than the sensor is bad. If stack temp is much higer than 350, you might have a water flow problem starving the heater and causing high stack temps.
my temp adjustment (cooler/down) won't work, Temp up works, Pentair mastertemp 400 2020 unit. help
Do you have a main Pentair control panel? Does temp down work at the panel? If it works there, then I don't think it is a problem with the control board and I would suggest starting with ordering a new membrane pad.
My problem is as follows, when at the keypad asking for 103 degrees , heater is great up to mid 90's shuts off and on slow stability at 90's will not get over 100, filters are clean, when at the heater (not inside keypad) I manually hit the up arrow the service light comes on, then the heaters starts and the service light goes out, I shut down the keypad to raise the heater and led screen on heater is blank, no codes, any help?
Any time you call for heating, the control board turns on instantly (zero delay). At this exact moment, the fan has not had a chance to spool up to speed, so there is no air flow yet. Because of this, the AFS is open at that moment and thus the Service Heater light will be illuminated. Turning on the fan is the first step in the boot up procedure. When the fan blows at operating speed, the AFS will be blown into a closed switch position (0 ohm short across the blue wires attached to the AFS) This will turn off the AFS error light on the back side of the control board, which in turn will turn off the service heater light. This action/reaction process takes about 3-5 seconds every time you turn your heater on. This is normal.
As for not heating past 90 degrees, this could be multiple causes.
#1, you could have a broken manifold bypass valve mounted to the center plate inside the manifold. This would allow cold water to take the path of least resistance (the open hole where the manifold bypass valve goes) which results in water bypassing the heat coils. Just a small fraction of water will feel the burn if this happens. This will also likely result in overheating at the HLS (high limit switch) and would result in Service Heater Light cycling every time the HLS opens and closes.
#2, check your thermistor reading. Your thermistor puts out different resistances for different temperatures across the thermistor wires and the control board translates these resistances into digital temperature readings. If the thermistor starts giving incorrect resistances, like saying that the water is already 105 degrees when it is only 90 degrees, the control board will turn the heater off because it thinks it has achieved the desired temperature. The control board acts like a thermostat when paired with your thermistor and HLS. See my thermistor video for reference.
@@pvt-pilot Thank you soooo much for your input!!!!! i am not good at troubleshooting electrical problems, pool repair company charged a service call and no repair, so i am going to throw parts at it, the compromised manifold makes sense, talked to to techs at pentair, one stated thermistor, the other stated the thermal stat , your reasoning on the manifold crack will be inspected when i start as parts on inr-route, i admire your willingness to share your knowledge and really help, we will find this :)
@@pvt-pilot I received my thermistor and also i purchased a stat, remove the stat and thermistor, checked with my circuit tester had not continuity , replaced both parts, the next thing you know Jed's a millionaire , thank you for your help and giving me the step in the right direction plus i had a next step with the crack or high limit, Thank you
@Berry McGregor Sweet! You're welcome. Great job mate! 👏 👏 👏
My friend I have a master temp 250 very similar to master temp 400. I have the AFS light on and will buy the part #. But also there is a little green light almost at the bottom left side that reads led9. Do you have any idea if that is another problem? Thanks for your response
LED9 is just the "POOL ON" mode that you see on the front side of the panel. LED10 is the "SPA ON" mode next to it on the front side of the panel. There are also a few others. I think LED8 is amber in color and is the HEATING light. LED13 is the red "Service Heater" light in the bottom left corner of the front side...and so on (there may be more).
If you have AFS light on, don't go buy a new AFS, just assume it is functioning. Try to determine why the AFS is not getting air flow. That is more likely why the light is on. Watch my AFS video. I would start by removing the bottom bolt from your manifold and see if water comes out. If so, then your tub is full of water and not allowing air flow through the tub and out the exhaust. This would cause the AFS to stay open, thus illuminating the AFS light on the control board. Trouble shoot a bit and get back to me. I'll try to help if I can.
Thanks for the video. I have an error light - LED7 lighting up with a corresponding E01 error code. I've replaced the Thermistor and still no luck. Any advice? thank you!
It is still open somewhere. Put an ohm meter on your new thermistor. See if it is open. I had to buy 3rd thermistor before getting a worker one time. New means nothing. If it is good, check for corrosion on the spade connectors, wires of the harness and pins on the control board for the thermistor wires. The control board is detecting the open. That is all the E01 means.
As for the LED7, that is not a diagnostic light. Looking at that LED, if you flipped over to the other side of the control board, it will line up with a transparent window/port on the display panel. There are a several items it could line up with like POOL, SPA, SERVICE HEATER, HEATING, etc. I would have to go look at mine to tell exactly which window it lines up with but it is something like these mentioned.
PVT-PILOT thanks for the advice. I replaced the control board and that fixed it.
I got an E01 message months ago, replaced the thermistor and it worked for 2-3 months. Again the E01 message is coming up, and I replaced the thermistor but it's still not working. Could something else be the problem with that message?
No, there are no secondary causes for E01. E01 means the contol board sees an open thermistor. The only causes for E01 would be corrosion on the thermistor pins of the control board or modular connector connected to the control board, chewed wiring harness, corrosion on the spade connectors at the thermistor or a defective, internally open thermistor. For testing, you might want to try putting an ohm meter on your thermistor before replacing it this time. If it is open, replace it again. When you turn on your heater, you should get "128" displayed and "R-#" whatever you revision number software, followed by a legitimate temperature reading. I had to replace mine 3 times in a row before I got one that was with pentair specs. Some of these cheap ones off eBay are trash.
@@pvt-pilot thanks for the response.
The thermistors worked fine when checked with the ohmeter. My FIL is a retired electrician. He was able to buy a replacement mother board and installed it. Working good as new again.
@@Docinabox83 Fantastic!
Hi please help I have a master temp 400. It has been giving me issues with cycling on/off I have replaced the thermo regulator along with hls switch still it would send hot water and then start sending out cold water to the spa. I just noticed that there’s a slight amount of water coming from the pressure switch….would that be my next step to get my heater back to running perfect again? Please help I keep calling pertair with no luck.
I can try to help you. Might need more info though. Do you get any error lights? I will address your question assuming no error lights.
So, what will cause it to cycle on and off without error lights...a couple of things come to mind. The first one you have already addressed (thermal regulator), but the component you might test woukd be the thermistor. If it gives high temp reading when the water is actually cool, the control board will cycle the heater off because it thinks the water is already hot. So, test it. Power on the heater and immediately look at red digital display for 3 things:
1. 128
2. R-??? (Software revision number)
3. The temperature that your thermistor is reporting to the control board. It should be approximately the ambient temperature before the heater fires. Check it out and let's go from there.
As for the pressure switch leaking, I don't think that will be the problem here. It makes a hard short or no short at all (open). If it is open while the heater is on, you will get a PS light as stated in this video. At most, for now, you might want to see if the threads need plumbers tape or other cause of leak.
@@pvt-pilot thank you so much for your time! I get no error lights before I did get the hls one but that’s gone now (hls was red when I reversed the cover on the circuit board) whenever I boot up I do get the 128 r….forgot the # but it’s the latest one I can let you know tomorrow….the temp seems not to move today it’s been on for an hour or so and it would just show me 82 and the spa jets would fire hot water followed by cold water cycle….I did take the manifold apart just like you showed in previous video no water on the bottom bolt, everything was in place. My originals thermo regulator was working fine but it was very rotted on the top so I still got a new one which works fine along with the hls…should I change the thermistor next? When I spoke with the pentair people they mentioned that it might be the circuit board?
Also I did change the membrane pad just in case. Last season this heater worked immaculately and now I don’t know what to do…..
@@pvt-pilot also as of today I just woke up turned on the heater after waiting about 10 seconds the exhaust kicks in, then it recycled quickly and was working for a bit I had to shut it off had to go to work but the display where the #s are was completely blank the entire time, however the green spa button and “heating” was lid…..the water was coming in warm on the jets to the spa….
@@pvt-pilot I just ordered the thermistor hopefully that would fix my issues…
@@emilysworld3584 Control board is a valid culprit too, but relatively expensive for an initial swap item. I would try the thermistor first. They are only $15 on eBay or Amazon. If that doesn't work, disconnect the modular connector from the control board for a solid 24-48 hrs just to allow all power to depleat from every part of the control board. Like almost every circuit board made, it has resistors, diodes and most significantly capacitors that store energy. This should give it a good flat line reset. I have had this work for me only 1 time, so no promises, but definitely worth mentioning. If that doesn't work, consider a control board replacement.
I have a Sta Rite Max E Therm 400 and it is consistently cycling with no error lights on the control board. I did notice that the furnace temperature on the display goes fro 250 then the heater shuts off and I see that exhaust temp drop to 160 before kicking back in. So basically cycling on for 30-40 seconds and then off for 30 and then back on. So far changed the thermal regulator but that didn't fix it .. Any suggestions?
Dang, thermal regulator would have been my first guess Ritesh. That is the only component that has ever gone bad for me that has not triggered a diagnostic light. I got a SERVICE HEATER light after about 3 cycles with a faulty thermal regulator, but no error codes or diagnostic lights.
Let's try easy stuff first. Try removing the manifold with 13mm wrench and look inside for a broken manifold bypass valve. That is another part that breaks easily and is not electrical. If broken, it will flood the output with cold water instead of routing that water through the heat exchanger. The HLS should detect this abnormality and throw a diagnostic HLS light, but perhaps not. You may have a bad read on the HLS combined with a broken valve and it may cause cycling instead of a hard stop. Hard to say, but I would start with non electrical stuff first. Sorry mate, that's all I got without having codes or diagnostic LEDs.
@@pvt-pilot Thanks for the quick response will give that a shot! Quick question can I run the heater without the thermal regulator as a test for a few minutes to see if that definitely isn't the issue?
@@riteshkohli5756 Yes, you can remove it, but other safety checks will prevent functionality.
The thermal regulator is designed to open over 120 degrees and let cold water through it to dilute the scalding hot water as it leaves the output. This is protection to keep your PVC pipes and, more importantly, your family from melting like the Gremlins. If you remove it completely, the open thermal regulator slot will become the path of least resistance for water running through the manifold and almost nothing will be forced through the heat exchanger. Water in the heat exchanger will not have much circulation and could become superheated which is not good for the heater. Remember what I said about the HLS noticing the abnormality? It is the last temperature safety check before the water leaves the heater and the control board is expecting a temperature difference between the input (thermistor) and the output (HLS) and will shut down if if there is no difference and will shut down if there is too much difference. Shut down for no difference is for fire hazard safety and self preservation of the heater. Shut down for too much difference is for scalding prevention. This heater loves to find ways to shut down. I tell you it is a wonder that this thing ever runs.
Hi sir. I was wondering if you can help me out i replaced the two most expensive parts which is the gnition control system and the control board. It is still marking an AGS error but apparently it was caused by the other two... any idea what that could be ?
I never had an AGS error before. Have you tried replacing the AGS sensor? Have you checked the wiring from the AGS sensor to the control board for corrosion or rodent damage? I don't know enough about that error to say much more than that. Good luck.
I had an AFS light come on. Ordered that part and changed then right after that the AGS light came on. Do you think my board is bad and throwing random lights or could both be bad?
Watch my AFS video. Simulate trouble scenarios on your board to see if it reacts appropriately. Open the AFS leads and see if you get the AFS light to turn on. Short them to see if it turns off. Do this for each pair of wires going to each sensor. Clean any corrosion on each spade connector as you do this. If your board is throwing the expected codes, then I would say it is doing its job and you have something else going on. Perhaps defective sensors, blockages, etc. What was the actual cause of the AFS? (Not likely to be the Air Flow Switch itself) did you find an air flow obstruction? My air flow obstruction was a tub full of water. Hope you don't have the same problem.
@@pvt-pilot I watched them both. Great videos! When I replaced the AFS the light for AFS went off and stayed off. I will try to simulate errors and see how the board reacts. Thank you!
I’m getting HLS light error, heated turns on and off. I replaced HLS and thermistor, took manifold apart everything in there is intact. By heater still cycles on and off showing HLS error. Any ideas?
Hey Toni, no other ideas come to mind really. You hit up the 2 items I would hit first...the most common broken manifold bypass valve and then the HLS itself. Something is still making the control board detect too hot of water across HLS. I assume your heat exchange coils are not clogged since you took the manifold off already. Im sure you would have noticed something there if there was a problem. Perhaps corrosion of the wiring harness where it plugs into the contol board or a faulty control board itself. Neither of these are likely but worth taking a look at them. The control board needs the correct resistance across the HLS pins on the motherboard to function correctly, and corrosion can throw resistance readings out of spec easily. Sorry, I am not much help. That's all I got for now. You did all I know already. Good luck and please let this comment feed know what you find. Thanks!
I just replaced my heat exchanger. When I turn it on I get a 126. I've replaced the thermester still 126. When I tough the thermistor wires together I do not get an E01. It stays 126. Any idea? Thanks for your videos!
E01 indicates an open in the thermistor. Touching the wires together is not an open. Touching the wires together would be a short. I don't know what code to expect for shorting your thermistor wires.
I assume you get this 126 reading after it boots through the 128, followed by R-8 (or whatever your software revision number is). So let's go from there with some things to try:
1. Pull the wires off the thermistor and don't let them touch each other. Turn on the heater. Do you get an E01 immediately after the R-8 during bootup? (You should)
If not, hold down the yellow reset button on your control board and try again because your control board is not doing its job. If this does not fix it, you might have a bad control board, not likely but possible. It needs to display E01 if the thermistor is disconnected.
2. If you get E01 as you should, then test the new thermistor. Use a digital multimeter (turn it to ohms) to read the resistance at ambient temperature first. Then, use a hair dryer or something similar to heat the probe of the thermistor and look for a resistance change in your digital multimeter display. No change is a bad thing. I bought 2 defective stack flue sensors that work the same way but the 3rd one I bought was fine. So, test it, especially if you bought a non-OEM part like I did.
I really think your problem is in the control board, because if you shorted the wires, it should give you some sort of error code similar to the E01, maybe E02 perhaps, but it shouldn't just sit there unresponsive like that and still display 126. It is acting like it is locked up software wise. Thats why I suggested resetting it.
3. If you had to go through the fun of heat exchanger coil replacement, that means you had some catastrophic corrosion going on, so it is probably a very good time to replace every sensor in the heater. With that extensive of corrosion, your sensors will start dropping like flies too at the most inopportune times. Very annoying. Amazon has a kit that has 5 of the sensors for $99 to the door.
(1) Stack Flue Sensor Replacement 42002-0024S
(1) Thermistor Replacement 42001-0053S
(1) Pressure Switch Replacement 42001-0060S (3902)
(1) Gas Shutoff 140°F Replacement 42002-0025S
(1) High Limit 135°F Replacement 42001-0063S
Just search Mastertemp Heater Repair Kit. Seller is Optimum Pool Technologies
Hope this helps,
Cheers!
Thanks for the quick reply and help. As it turns out when I re-assembled I brought the wiring harness down the wrong way so I had my wires mixed up. Now I'm up and running! Could not have done it without your video!@@pvt-pilot
I just hooked Starite 400 after about 3yrs of sitting and nothing happens don't get service light nothing I do get lights for temp
What about a E01? I had mice in my box and I think they shorten out one of the red 240V converter wires.
E01 is "open thermistor". Check the thermistor connectors, wiring harness, and modular connector at the control board. If all is OK, you have a defective open thermistor that must be replaced.
@@pvt-pilot so I replaced the thermister today and it seems to running normal but there is not the hot water coming out the jets like I am use to? Temp still shows like 44 and never climbs! No errors on display and heat light is on solid! There is hot exhaust coming out so not sure why it isn’t heating the water like it should! Any ideas? High temp sensor maybe?
@Torch-lt1ry If you have hot exhaust, then your igniter is working, your gas valve is working, and your burner is burning. Let's check for water leaking into your combustion chamber and filling it to the point of covering up some of the copper tubes inside. If this happens, the fire will not be able to engulf the tubes as necessary which will result in hot, moist exhaust with relatively cold output. There are about 12 vertically oriented bolts on you manifold (6 on each side). Remove either one of the bottom bolts on the manifold and see if water pours out. If water comes out, then you have a leaking heat coil assembly that will need to be replaced.
@@pvt-pilot Thanks. They are 6 on each side like you said. 13mm. Do I need to have the system pressurized? Off of course but do not know if I need to have it pressurized or not?
@@pvt-pilot unbolted bottom manifold bolt and no water! When I turn it on service heater light is on! Checked the bottom of the board and AFS light is lit red!
My won’t light I have no code Could it be the igniter
Yes sir, that's a possibility for not lighting at all.
Just replaced my sfs sensor and I am still getting the same error. Any ideas on what it might be?
thanks
No, not really. I know that the SFS will illuminate if there is an ohm value across those leads that are out of the parameters for that sensor. Too few ohms will be like having a 5,000 degree hot tub detection which is impossible. Too many ohms or open internally will be the extreme opposite. I know I bought a replacement thermistor before that was out of ohm parameters out of the box. It wasn't until I bought my 3rd one that my problem was corrected. Very frustrating when I assumed my brand new part was well...perfect. I don't know what the value should be for each sensor, but in my decade of owning this terd heater, I have discovered each sensor has a very small margin for error. You might take a closer look at your wiring harness just to be sure it is clear of opens, corrosion or rodent damage paying particular attention to chasing those two wires back to the contacts on the main connector to the control board. Check the solder joints on those pins on the contol board. I suspect an open. Put ohm meter leads on each solder joint and then the end of their respective wire of each solder joint just to prove 0 ohms resistance on each conductor from the solder joints on the control board to the end of each wire. If both wires check out good (0 ohms resistance each) then I would buy another SFS one more time before calling a professional for help.
Hope this helps a little, sorry if it doesn't, but I just don't have any past experiences with that particular sensor, but if is pretty much the same thing as a thermistor...different ohms readings provided across the leads to represent to the contol board the various temperatures that it is detecting.
Check sense on ohms should be 3.5 mega ohms . If reads good check wiring to board , if good, replace control board . If you hold pool button down it will display exhaust , temp should start climbing after ignition, your will most likely display something like 40/80 . Board probably corroded on backside
Código led 4?
any ideas around - Error code E05
That's typically an open in the igniter...or at least something faulty with the heater's ignition. Check for chewed or broken igniter wires. Disconnect the plastic igniter connector and put an ohm meter on the igniter. See if it reads open (infinite ohms). Replace it if it does. If not, you might try inspecting or cleaning the igniter and/or the flame arrestor for rust clogging the hundreds of little holes in it smothering the igniter inside the combustion chamber. Something is keeping the ignition from happening. I would start with the igniter first because it is held in with 2 screws accessible on top (easy fix) rather than a labor intensive process of opening the combustion chamber.
What is A r-8 code ?
Revision 8. This is the software version of your control board. It is not an error code.
Me podrán explicar en español yo necesito arreglar uno gracias
I have a Master Temp 400. I am unable to adjust my temperature up, but it will adjust down? Anyone else experienced this before?
You might just need a new keypad membrane
You didn't address the temp fault light on the board. What is that repair solution? I'm getting 128 r14 E01
I don't have a temp fault light on my board...you may have a newer version that included a temp fault light.
128 = normal part of boot sequence displayed on all software revisions of this pentair control board.
r14 = revision #14 software is loaded to your control board. (Mine is r8 = revision #8 software)
E01 means that your control board detects an open on the pins of the control board dedicated for the thermistor. This can be either an open in your thermistor itself (defective) or an open in the wiring harness wires that are hooked up to the thermistor (look for rodent damage on wires or corroded spade connectors) Thermistors are electrical thermometers so if you have temp fault light and E01 on your display, this would make perfect sense. Both are screaming fix the problem with the thermistor.
Hope this helps.
Here is my thermistor replacement video: ua-cam.com/video/vh62GXqkKTA/v-deo.html
What is an EC6 error code?
E05 is a fully open SFS (broken wire or internally open)
E06 is reported to be a fully shorted SFS (2 lead wires touching, corroded together or SFS is internally shorted)
There is no EC6, so you may have that part of the number 0 dead on your membrane board.
Service light is coming on but no led light coming on ... any suggestions
I had that problem too. Fortunately, my next door neighbor has a sta-rite unit which has the exact same parts as my unit. I used his parts one at a time to check to see which part made mine work again. It was the stack flue sensor that was the culprit, but did not throw an E05 nor the SFS light on the control board. If it is not fully open, it wont throw the hard codes. This was just a $21 replacement part. Let me make a recommendation though. If you can, get the kit that has all of the sensors on Amazon for $99. When one goes, the dominos are bound to start falling.
Makes sense as it fires up and blowes hot air for a second. Ordering sensors now! Thanks again!
@@MILKMANDELIVERIES Well, I got bad news. Mine is misbehaving again. It fires and burns for a little bit, then quits and shows service heater. No error lights and no codes. However, I opened the cover to the Ignition Control Module (FENWAL) and saw that the red light flashed 3 times repetitively. This is "Ignition Lockout", which could be caused by many things, but makes me think of a defective igniter as my first choice since it was under water when the combustion chamber filled up with rusty water, followed by AGS, then, thermal regulator, then stack flue sensor, then lastly the Ignition Control Module itself. The Ignition Control Module is looking for specific ohms from the igniter and the connector was very corroded, so before replacing, I used WD-40 and plugged and unplugged the igniter about 100 times to kinda scratch the connectors clean. I tried again and it worked! So, I think I am on to something with the igniter being the cause of my Ignition Lockout. I'll let it ride and see if the same problem happens again before replacing. It's a cheap part but man I am $50-ing myself to death.
PVT-PILOT replacing the glue sensor worked off the bat. After running for some time it did shut down with an error. Shut it down and restarted, ran again for a bit of time and had to restart it a second time. We were in the tub in the middle of the night and didn’t feel like pulling it apart to see if I got a code.
Hi I have a pentair minimax and screen wont turn on
I am not familiar with that unit, but if it is anything like Mastertemp, check for power to the board before replacing the board.
Service heater on but no codes??? Please help
Check thermal regulator first. A faulty thermal regulator will throw a service heater light without codes because it is not an electronic part tied to the control board but a properly functioning HLS will detect the super heated water resulting from a stuck thermal regulator and will shut the heater down and display "service heater"
PVT-PILOT Already did. My next step is to replace those 2 sensors next to it.
Thanks for fast response
my heater turned on the service light and turn on the light PS and led1 which means that
...means that:
1. You may have an open in the wiring that goes from the control board to the pressure switch.
2. You may have an open in the pressure switch itself (defective).
3. You may have something blocking water from flowing into the intake properly that could be preventing the pressure switch from closing.
how do you get a bypass to turn on the heat x that turns on the ASG and already change it
@@juniorjr2654 I dont know of a bypass for the AGS (Automatic Gas Shutoff). If there is one, it would just be a resistor with a very specific ohm value that the control board accepts as within perameters for an appropriate temperature that the AGS puts out via resistance across the spade tips. The only problem is that I don't know what that resistance value would be...meaning the exact ohm value of a properly functioning AGS.
or else I have a bypass for my heater to work
@@juniorjr2654 Well, if you have a bypass idea, then post it so other people can see. 👍
Necesitamos explicación pero en español
Actually it’s E06. Sorry posted wrong code
I have heard a Stack Flue sensor out of operating limits will throw E05 or E06 based on too high or too low electrical resistance reading on the sensor. Not necessarily a defective sensor. Could be the symptom, not the problem. If you are heating your spa, the spa button's light should be lit on the heater's display. Hold that button down for 5 seconds while the heater is running. The display will show the temp that the stack flue is detecting. If it is obviously incorrect, like 400 degrees F within a few seconds of running, clean the sensor, the contacts of the sensor, or replace the sensor and fire again.
Thank you for the information. I will certainly try that and hopefully will solve my problems. After some investigation I figured it may be a bad stack flue sensor, but wanted to get your opinion. Much appreciated!
Im sorry no write in ingles,im mexican ,but i need to now ,my pentair pump have this code on board LOW REFRIG
I don't know anything about codes on a pentair pump. I never disassembled a pool pump before. I have only disassembled a pentair Mastertemp 400 heater. Lo siento amigo
Can I talk to you on WhatsApp?
wa.me/qr/WCB5UN5ONTAJI1