Chiller Diagnostics & Theory Of Operation

Preface: This article contains a lot of Chiller related information about troubleshooting, replacing and acquiring parts. Be sure to use the table of contents to go to the pertinent area.

Identifying An Alarm Status

If the chiller control panel is showing normal but you have an alarm status (red light, audible buzzer, and the alarm output which indicates water protect warning on the laser control panel) it can be a few things. We will explore the basic operation of the chiller's electrical systems and some things to check, as well as information on maintaining and repairing the unit.

V1 Beeping Alarm Reasons (Flow only)	V2 Beeping Alarm Reasons

V1 Chiller Red Alarm Light ON Reasons

System Overview & Precursory Power Checks

Video Overview

Here is a video explaining the systems of the chiller and some thinks to look for when troubleshooting your 5000 series chiller

Wiring Diagram

Here is the wiring diagram for the V1-CW5000 series chiller 

Alarm Troubleshooting Videos:

Alarm Description	Troubleshooting Videos
E1 Alarm indicates a High Ambient Air temperature. This could be caused by: Room temperature being too high, higher that the value controlled by the F6 Parameter Air Temperature Sensor Failure, it is reading the air temperature incorrectly Dirty Filters
E2 Alarm indicates a High Water temperature. This could be caused by: Water temperature being too high, higher that the value controlled by the F4 Parameter Water Temperature Sensor Failure, it is reading the water temperature incorrectly Dirty Filters Dirty Water Low Water High Usage
E3 Alarm indicates a Low Water temperature. This could be caused by: Water temperature being too high, higher that the value controlled by the F5 Parameter Water Temperature Sensor Failure, it is reading the water temperature incorrectly Dirty Filters Dirty Water Low Water Super Low Ambient Temperature
E4 Alarm indicates a Room Temperature Sensor Failure. This could be caused by: Sensor has failed

Troubleshooting E6 Alarm

E6 alarm stands for water flow alarm. When the alarm is triggered, the alarm code and the water temperature will be displayed alternatively  with beeping. In this case, users can stop the beeping by pushing any button, but the alarm code can’t be removed until the alarm conditions are eliminated.

There are many causes for the water flow alarm. It could be the clogging inside the internal/external waterway. It could be that there are impurities inside the water pump. Or it might be wearing out of the pump rotor or wearing out of the pump itself. After the real cause is located, the alarm can be removed. 

Checking the coolant level

ALWAYS CHECK THE COOLANT LEVEL FIRST! Verifying that there is enough clean distilled water in the system is critical. The Preventative Maintenance Checklist advises that you drain the system and refill with fresh distilled water every month.

Water Flow Sensor Failure

Water circulation is normal, but chiller still alarms.
Please open the cover of the chiller to check the water flow switch.

Cut off the four wires, then connect red and red wire, connect black and yellow wire without water flow switch, then check if the alarm will stop after restart the chiller.

If the alarm stops, the switch is broken and needs replacement.

Flow Rate Check:

A good check to perform when getting an E6 Flow alarm is to actually see if the flow from the pump matches the documentation. To perform the test, you will need a gallon jug and a stopwatch (Smartphone app). Make sure the chiller is full, even beyond the green line so that there is a gallon of water to spare.

1. Turn the Chiller Off

2. Disconnect the Inlet Hose off the laser machine and place into an empty gallon jug

3. Prepare the stop watch. Turn the Chiller on

4. When water starts flowing into the Jug, start the timer

5. Stop the chiller and stopwatch when the jug is nearly full (1 Gallon of water in the jug)

6. Compare the stopwatch time to the values in the table below

Chiller Model	Peak Flow Rate L/Minute (gal/minute)	Fastest Time	Target Time
CW-5000	10L/min (2.65gal/min)	22.64 seconds	Under 35 Seconds
CW-5200	13L/min (3.43gal/min)	17.5 seconds	Under 30 Seconds

Checking for proper circulation

Please connect a water hose between water inlet and outlet on chiller to check the water circulation, like below: 

Does alarm stop？

If alarm stops, so maybe the water hose in the laser machine was blocked somewhere, please check like below:

If alarm continues, check if the water circulation is normal from the water hose between water inlet and outlet on chiller (Abnormal condition—intermittent water circulation or without water circulation). 

How To Check The Compressor For Operation

Touch the position shown in the picture with his hand, and see if there is regular vibration after the water chiller is powered on.

How To Check The Capacitor

According to the instructions in the video, use a multimeter capacitance mode to measure whether the capacitor of the water chiller is damaged. (If the measured value shows 0μF, it means the capacitor is damaged).

How To Check & Clean Hall Effect Flow Meter

How To Measure Hall Flow Switch

Alarm Output Continuity Check

Identifying The Components (and links to parts)

Water Pumps

CHILLER	PUMP	IMAGE	WATTAGE	CURRENT	MAX FLOW	MAX LIFT	SOURCE
S&A G SERIES	P2430		30	1.6A	10L/MIN	10M	LINK
S&A H SERIES	P2450		50	2A	13L/MIN	12M	LINK

24V Power Supplies

CHILLER	PSU MODEL	IMAGE	VOLTAGE	CURRENT	SOURCE
S&A G SERIES	GM42-240160-D		24	1.6A	LINK
S&A H SERIES	GM48-240200-D		24	2A
S&A I SERIES	GM120-2400500-D		24	5A

Water Flow Sensor

CHILLER	SENSOR	IMAGE	VOLTAGE	TYPE	SOURCE
S&A G, H, AND I SERIES	HL-30		24	HALL EFFECT	LINK

V1 Chiller Flow Sensor Wiring

Temp Controller

CHILLER	CONTROLLER	IMAGE	DEFAULT SETTING	SOURCE
CW 5000 SERIES	T-503		INTELLIGENT

Checking, Cleaning, & Replacing Components

Remove all power prior to performing repairs on the chiller.

Parts Replacement Videos	Parts Replacement Videos
	(Be sure to get the fuse from the current socket just in case the new one doesn't have a fuse in it. there is also usually a spare fuse in the toolbox, just in case)

Additional Resources

Here are some additional resources for the 5000 series chiller

• CW-5000AG Wiring Diagram
  
• S&W CW-5000 Series Chiller User Manual
  
• S&W CW-5000 Series Chiller Maintenance Manual
  
• CW-5xxx Series Chiller Alarm Connections
  
• Preventative Maintenance Checklist
  

You can find all of our chiller documentation HERE.

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