Astralpool Halo Chlor High Performance Chlorinator Installation Guide

ASTRALPOOL HALO CHLOR High Performance Chlorinator

Important Safety Instructions

READ AND FOLLOW ALL INSTRUCTIONS

All electrical work must be performed by a qualified installer and conform to all national, state, and local codes. When installing and using this electrical equipment, basic safety precautions should always be followed, including the following:

• If the supply cord is damaged, it must only be replaced by AstralPool, its service agent or a similarly qualified person, in order to avoid a hazard.
• The transformer is not intended for series/parallel connection.
• Never connect more than one light to a single power supply outlet. Each outlet on the power supply must go to one – and one only – underwater light.

System Overview

Contents of this Kit

Before starting, check that you have the correct parts as shown in Figure 1. If any parts are missing or incorrect, please call your local distributor or technical support at 1300 186 875 for assistance.

View of the Base of the Unit

Installation

Mounting the Controller

The Halo Chlorinator must be mounted to a wall using the steel mounting bracket supplied (see Figure 1). The following diagram shows the position of the mounting bracket, relative to the top and base of the product, which will aid in setting out the equipment area and aligning with other Halo products. If the controller is mounted to a post, a 320 mm * 320 mm flat sheet must be used. The Halo Chlorinator can be used to communicate with other Halo devices using Bluetooth so the chlorinator needs to be located less than 5 m from pH and ORP sensors and from other devices that are paired to it, e.g., Halo LITE’s, Halo Xpand, or Halo Hub. The controller should be located 1 metre above the ground to prevent splash back or sprinkler spray to the underside of the controller and should preferably be mounted out of direct sunlight.

Pool Plumbing

The chlorinator cell must be plumbed in a position within 1.2 metres of the controller, where it is the last piece of equipment in the line, before the water returns to the pool. (Unless acid dosing is installed, in which case the acid dosing injection point is the last piece of equipment). The cell must be installed horizontally, with the barrel  unions underneath (as per the following image). The water flow through the cell must be as shown below (also shown on the cell label). The cell kit contains 40 mm and 50 mm fittings. Generally, 50 mm pipework provides better water flow through equipment and can ensure a more efficient system. The 4 wire cable from the chlorinator to the cell is colour coded. Unclip the endcap from the cell and plug the cell cable wires into the cell, ensuring that the colour codes are followed. If an acid dosing pump is being installed it should be separated from the other equipment to avoid the possibility of fumes damaging the other equipment. The acid injection point (where the acid goes into the pool water) must be mounted into the pipework, afte  the chlorine cell and all other equipment (see acid dosing pump instructions for further information). If pH or chlorine sensors are being installed, the sensor mounting chamber must be mounted after the filter, but before the chlorinator cell (see sensor probe instructions for more information).Power Connections

Halo Chlorinators are provided with a 1.75 m power cable for connection to a mains outlet. The maximum load that can be connected to the Halo Chlorinator pump outlet is 8.5 amps.

Other Connections
The following connectors are available on the Halo Chlorinator.

General Operation and Pool Chemistry

Cyanuric Acid

(Also referred to as stabiliser or sunscreen) If a chlorine sensor is connected, cyanuric acid will supress the ORP (chlorine) reading. Whilst many suppliers will recommend up to 50 ppm of cyanuric acid (CyA), AstralPool recommend a maximum of 20 ppm cyanuric acid on Halo Chlorinators.

Chlorine Level/ORP

The recommended free chlorine level is 1 – 3 ppm. If your Halo Chlorinator is not fitted with a chlorine (ORP) sensor, then the chlorine output is set in the settings menu and can be adjusted from 0 (OFF) to 8. It is recommended to run the chlorinator at level 8 for 6-8 hours per day. (4-5 hours in the off season). Generally, 2 timers are used to achieve the desired run time, e.g., 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon/evening. To obtain the free chlorine level of 1 – 3 ppm the chlorine output or timers can be adjusted. If your Halo Chlorinator is fitted with a chlorine (ORP) sensor then, as above 2 timers are used to achieve 8 hours of run time, 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon/evening and the ORP set point should be set to achieve the 1-3 ppm level. There are many factors that affect ORP readings such as pH, salt level and cyanuric acid. Generally, an ORP level of 700 is a good starting point. If the free chlorine level is too low increase the ORP set point (reduce the setpoint to reduce the free chlorine). When making adjustments it is advisable to make small changes (e.g. 700-715) and then wait 2 days before retesting the free chlorine.

pH Level

For fibreglass pools a pH level between 7.2 and 7.4 is recommended. For all other pools a pH level between 7.4 and 7.6 is recommended.

Total Alkalinity
Total Alkalinity between 80 and 120 ppm is recommended.

Salt Level
Never add salt to the pool skimmer box. Salt should be added gradually to the pool and brushed around until it dissolves. A salt level of 4000 ppm is recommended. (A 50,000 litre pool will require 200 kg of salt to achieve this level.)  If the salt level drops below 3000 ppm the chlorinator will display “Low Salt” and more salt should be added to the pool. NOTE: When the water is cold (below 16°), the chlorinator may show “Low Salt”. If the salt level is actually correct, then this warning can be ignored. Salt is not consumed by the chlorinator, however it is lost during backwashing and splashing, etc.

Ai Mode
Ai Mode is available on Halo Chlorinators that are fitted with pH and ORP sensors and a variable speed pump. In Ai mode, the Chlorinator automatically adjusts the pump speed to achieve correct filtration and sanitisation. At the start of the day the pump will run for a period at high speed and then as the ORP (chlorine) level rises it will automatically switch to medium speed. Once the ORP is within range the pump will slow to low speed and just sample the
water (No Chlorine production). If the ORP drops, the pump speed will increase again and the chlorinator will start to produce chlorine again. In Ai mode the pump speeds need to be set so that Low speed is only bringing in enough water to allow for the ORP measurement. (A Typical starting point is 1200 RPM). In this mode, no Chlorine is produced. It is just a sampling mode. Medium speed needs to be fast enough to keep the Chlorinator Cell full of water during Chlorine production. (A Typical starting point is 2000 RPM). To conserve energy, it is important to not run the pump too fast during this period. High speed is usually set to allow for correct skimming of the water surface and is typically close to the maximum speed of the pump (2850 RPM). Typically timers can be set for a longer period (covering the times when the pool may be used) when using Ai mode to ensure that the Chlorine level is always optimised . (In areas where leaf debris is high, it is also good practice to have a timer to run the pump at high speed and skim the pool at the end of the day.)

Introduction to the Chlorinator Touchscreen

Home Screen

The default screen of the Halo Chlorinator is the “Home” screen. The items on this screen will vary depending on the installation. This example assumes that a variable speed pump, pH & ORP probes and a temperature sensor are fitted The area of text at the top centre of the screen is used to describe the mode that the chlorinator is in. If ORP and/or pH probes are fitted the results will be shown in green if the results are close to the setpoint, orange if they are below and Red if they are above the setpoint

Any system faults will also be shown in red type in this area. Clicking on the “?” will give further info on the fault. See Figure 7.

Navigation Buttons

The “Settings” page is accessed via the settings icon on the home page. The settings page is primarily used to adjust the chlorine output. In this example the chlorine and acid levels can be adjusted using the + and – buttons (this assumes that an acid doser is fitted). If ORP and pH probes are fitted then the chlorine and pH settings can be adjusted.

The time and date can be adjusted by tapping the appropriate icon. The “Stats” icon in the top ribbon on the settings page gives you access to the statistics of your chlorinator. Information here may help service personnel diagnose problems. On this page is also an “Events” icon which, when pressed will display a log history of recent events such as when a software update was completed or when the chlorinator may have encountered a warning message such as no water flow etc., that the chlorinator may have encountered

The “Timers” screen is accessed via the top ribbon on the home page. NOTE: If a Halo Chlorinator is connected to a Viron Connect 10 system the timers are controlled by the Viron Connect, rather than by the Halo Chlorinator, so the timers page will not appear. The equipment timers are shown graphically in blue and the lighting timers are shown in red if lights are installed. If a timer is currently running it will flash on and off in this screen. The “Summer” and “Winter” buttons allow for different timers to be stored for different periods of the year and make it easy to swap between the two choices. To modify the time of operation of any of the timers, press the “Equipment Timers” or “Lighting Timers” button. There are 8 timers available for equipment. The timer numbers are also shown next to the line graph on the previous screen. To modify which equipment is intended to run in each timer, to change the timer’s start or finish times, or to activate/deactivate the timer, press the relevant timer number in this screen. Timer screens will vary depending on the installed equipment. Timers 2‑8 can be made active or inactive using the slider in the top right corner. Timer 1 is always active.The start and finish times can be adjusted on thisscreen, as well as filter pump operation. If other equipment such as a variable speed pump is fitted, the speed can be set here as well as pool/spa, heater state,and other equipment some instances, items will appear “greyed out”. This indicates that they cannot be adjusted on this screen,e.g., if a heater is enabled along with a variable speed pump, the pump speed may be greyed out due to the minimum required heater speed.

 If other equipment such as heaters, solar etc., are installed, the icons for these devices will appear in the top ribbon. Similarly, other devices such as cleaning pumps, water features, valves, etc., (if installed) can be found under the “OTHER” icon. Pressing on these icons brings up controls for thisequipment.

The Favourites page is accessed via the Favourites icon on the Home Page. Favorites let you manually control your pool in a simple manner, e.g., having a spa at night with the lights on. Once you have finished with your favorites you need to press “All Auto” to go back to automatic mode. see figure 14. To activate a favorite, press the relevant favorite button. To edit the function of the favorite button, press the edit icon next to it. This example below assumes that a pool and spa are installed Any equipment that is installed can be configured to come on when the favorite is pressed. Some functions may be “greyed out”, e.g., “CleaningPump” may be greyed out in spa mode if the cleaning ter lock is enabled during installation.To edit the name of the favorite, press the edit icon next to the name. (“Pool” and “Spa” favorite names can’t be edited.)The pool and spa favorites in this menu also relate to the pool and spa buttons on the home page, so if you edit the function of either of these favorites, the pool and spa buttons on the home page will also be affected.

Maintenance Screen

The “Maint” page is accessed via the settings icon on the Home page.The “Maint” page is used to perform simple maintenance operations on the pool. In this example the pool has acid dosing as well as chemical sensing probes. (Other installations will have less options.)

Sanitise

•  Sanitise until first timer tomorrow – If this is selected, the chlorinator will run the filter pump and chlorinate until after the first filter timer period the next day has finished. The chlorinator will then revert to “Auto” mode.
•  Filter for period
•  If this is selected you get the option to run the filter pump for a period of up to 24 hours. The chlorinator will NOT produce chlorine during this period. (This setting is often used to “start up” a pool, add salt etc and balance the water chemistry prior to starting to chlorinate.)

•  This button allows you to calibrate your pH or chlorine sensors. There is an option to “Run the pump during calibration”.
•  If the sensors are still in place in the pool pipework, then the pump should be run during calibration. To ensure that the pool water is thoroughly mixed, it is advisable to run the filter pump for at least an hour before performing a calibration.
•  If the sensors have been removed and placed into calibration fluid, then the pump should not be run during calibration.
•  For pH sensors, if you notice that your pH measurement is slightly different from your pool shop’s measurement, or a test strip, etc., then you can use the “Run the pump during calibration” option and adjust the sensor reading up or down to match the other reading. Alternatively, you can choose to not run the pump during calibration and use pH calibration fluid to calibrate the pH probe. (Calibration fluid is available from AstralPool® dealers.)
•  For ORP sensors, the differences in pool chemistry (salt level, pH, cyanuric acid “stabiliser”, hardness, etc.) makes comparisons between the ORP level and measured free chlorine (chlorine ppm) levels extremely difficult.
• Because of this, calibrating the ORP sensor using the pool water is of little value, so if you wish to calibrate (or check the performance) of the ORP sensor then the “Run the pump during calibration” option should not be used and the ORP sensor should be removed fro the pipework and calibrated using calibration fluid. (Calibration fluid is available from AstralPool®  dealers.)

Introduction to the Install Screen

• The “Install” page is accessed via the settings icon on the Home Page.
• The “Install” page is used to configure the chlorinator and allow app access.
• The “Mobile Access” area assists with setting up the Halo ChlorGo app.

1.  Pairing
   •  Start pairing
     • This will allow the phone application to pair with the chlorinator.
   •  Unpair
     • By pressing this button, all previously set up LAN and Bluetooth connections will no longer have access.
2. Users
   • Connection states
     • Above the “Users” button the current state of the mobile connection will be shown.
     •  A Bluetooth connection is starting
     • Blue = A Bluetooth connection established
     • Green = LAN connection established
     • Yellow = Remote connection established
   • Users
     • Within the “Users” menu a list of current remote users can be seen.
     • To stop a user from accessing the Chlorinator remotely, press the “Remove” button next to their name in the Users list. See Figure 20.
     • If a remote user is currently connected, a yellow dot will appear against their name

The remote user has currently connected The “Connect to the Internet” area allows you to connect the chlorinator to the internet. This allows you to update the chlorinator software if required and to control the chlorinator remotely using the HaloChlorGo app . The “Test” button allows you to test the current internet connection and will show a number of tests. See Section 9 for more information “Configure” button shows the existing internet connection details (if any) and allows you to configure/change the chlorinator to use either WiFi or ethernet. (WiFi uses the onboard antenna, ethernet uses the LAN connection.) If any Internet connection test fails, see Section 9 for more information about Troubleshooting. This example shows a WiFi Connection. If an ethernet cable is connected, the internet connection is automatic. Otherwise, when “Configure WiFi” is pressed a list of available WiFi networks is shown. At this point, you can either select a WiFi network to join or connect using WPS. If your home internet connection supports WPS,follow the router’s WPS instructions and then press the“Connect with WPS” button. Otherwise, select the WiFi network that you wish to join and enter the password for that network “System Updates” button allows you to update the software of the chlorinator. To use this feature the chlorinator must be connected to the internet above. The “Equipment Configuration” area is used by the installer to configure the chlorinatorSetup Required to Use the HaloChlorGo AppThe Halo ChlorGo app can connect to the HaloChlorinator using 2 different methods. Bluetooth connection, which allows short-range connection to the chlorinator is available on allHalo Chlorinators. Internet connection, which allows connection wherever the internet is available, through your local WiFi or mobile service. For this process, the HaloChlorinator needs to be connected to the internet as described previously. The Halo ChlorGo app automatically determines which connection method is appropriate. The app can be loaded onto multiple mobile devices, however, you can only connect one device at a time. To pair your mobile device to the Halo Chlorinator for the first time:

•  Download the Halo ChlorGo app from the appropriate app store
•  Enable Bluetooth and Location Services before connecting the Halo ChlorGo to your mobile device.
•  Open the Halo ChlorGo app.
•  Navigate to the install page.
•  Start pairing on the chlorinator.
•  Press the “+” button on the app to add your new device.
•  Follow pairing instructions on the app

The chlorinator comes configured to use a single-speed pump, no temperature sensor, and a “CellReversal Period” of 4 hours. If this setup is acceptable, then the only other setup that is required is to set the pool and/or spa volumes. To change the above settings, or to set up the HaloChlorinator to include multi-speed pumps, pH andORP sensors or a pH dosing pump follow the steps below. The “Install” page is accessed via the settings icon on the home page. The Halo Chlorinator can be set up to be pool only, spa only or pool and spa. To set this, and the water volumes, press “Configure” in the “EquipmentConfiguration” section above and then select “Pool/Spa”. On this page you can use the slider to select pool and/or spa and then use the “+” and “‑ “ buttons to set the water volume you need to adjust the “Cell reversal period” or wish to install a pH dosing pump (without a pH Probe)or have a temperature sensor attached to the HaloChlorinator, press “Configure” in the “EquipmentConfiguration” section above, select “Chlorinator”.The “+” and “‑ “ buttons can be used to set “CellReversal Period” and the sliders can be used to enable the other features. Installing an XT pump using an RJ12 cable or a Zodiac®VSP using RS485 is automatic. Just plug the pump and communications cables in and turn the pump on from the chlorinator. (You will still need to set each pump speed as per the section below though.)To install an XT‑BT pump, press “Add/Remove” in the“Equipment Configuration” section, then select “FilterPump” and then “Astral Variable Speed (WirelessTo configure the variable speed pump press“Configure” in the “Equipment Configuration” section and then select the type of variable speed pump that you have installed.(On AstralPool® Variable Speed pumps, priming speed can be set to max which drives the pump at a higher speed than normal to facilitate quicker priming. The priming time can also be adjusted on this page. The pump flow check feature can be disabled on this page if required (not advisable), and a “CleaningInterlock” can be turned on if an in-floor cleaning pump is installed. This interlock stops the cleaning pump from coming on whilst in spa mode and also enforces that the filter pump must be on with the cleaning pump. One pH sensor can be fitted and if a pH sensor is fitted, then a Gold Tip chlorine sensor can also befit. To add a sensor press “Add/Remove” in the“Equipment Configuration” section above and then select “pH Sensor”. To pair with the sensor, press and release the “pair” button on the top of the sensor. Connection is automatic. A Gold Tip chlorine sensor can then also be added in a similar manner. If Ai mode is required (pH and ORP probes and variable speed pump must already be installed), return to the “Equipment Configuration” section on the Install page, press “Configure”, and choose“Chlorinator” and slide the Ai enabled slider to the right. This will allow timers to select Ai mode for the pump speed. Enabling Ai in the timer will allow the chlorinator to decide the required pump speed automatically.

This connection is through traditional RJ12 cables. Installation of the chlorinator in this application is similar to the above installation instructions (including chemical sensing probes, pH doser and Halo LITE’s) however, as in other Viron Connect 10 systems, the timer functionality is controlled through the Connect 10. Halo Hubs and Xpands cannot be used in Viron Connect 10 systems. An AstralPool Connect LITE may also be connected to a Halo Chlorinator via RJ12 cables. Appendix 1 gives information on connecting heaters to Halo systems  Control Using the Halo Chlorinator It is recommended to run the chlorinator for 6-8 hours (or longer if using Ai mode) per day during summer (4-5 hours in the off season). To set the timers, press “Timers” in the top ribbon of the home page. Generally, 2 timers are used to achieve the desired run time e.g., 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the afternoon/evening. If a variable speed pump is installed however it is generally more efficient to run at medium speed for the majority of the timer period, so in this case you may have timer 1 for 1 hour on high speed (to skim leaves off the pool), timer 2 for 3 hours on medium speed, and timer 3 for 4 hours on medium speed. The home page also gives information on the state of the chlorinator. (In this example a variable speed pump is fitted, along with chlorine and pH sensors.) The first line of the display shows the state of the filter pump, e.g., in auto mode, “Sanitising” shows that the  filter pump is running, “Standby” indicates that the filter pump is not running, but the next timer will turn it on again.

The amount of chlorine produced is controlled by the “Chlorine Level” slider. In pool mode this can be adjusted from 0 to 8 and in spa mode the adjustment is 0 to 4. (Pool and spa settings are independent of each other.)

Standard chlorinator with pH dosing
As above the amount of chlorine produced is controlled by the “Chlorine Level” slider. The “Acid Level” slider is used to estimate how much acid needs to be added. Generally, level 5 is a good starting point, however it can be adjusted to increase or reduce the amount of acid dispensed. Acid dosing can be disabled for a period, if required, using the “Maint” icon (to add this feature order part number 20389).

Standard chlorinator with pH sensing
As in case 1 above, the amount of chlorine produced is controlled by the “Chlorine Level” slider. And the pH is controlled by setting the pH level on the settings page. The actual pH will be displayed on the home page. Previous pH setting will be displayed when the pump is off (to add this feature order part number 20390).

Standard chlorinator with chlorine and pH sensing
In this set up, the chlorine level is set by adjusting the ORP level (higher ORP => higher chlorine level). Remember that it can take several days for your adjustments to be seen in the pool. Using the “Stats” icon will show the % cell output yesterday. This is useful when determining the filter pump timers settings. Generally if this figure is above 80%, you should increase your filter pump time (to add this feature order part number 20391).

Troubleshooting

No internet connection is present. Check ethernet cable or enter WiFi credentials

Remote server connection
The remote connection server can be contacted by the chlorinator

Appendices

Appendix 2: Zodiac® RS485 connection

References

• Premium Pool & Spa Equipment | AstralPool Australia
• Warranty