Environmental Express Soil-Cell - Manual (Page 14)

800.745.8218 / 843.576.1147 / www.environmentalexpress.com Environmental Express • 12
Soil-Cell: Operation and Instruction Manual Troubleshooting Your HotBlock TM
The audible alarm has sounded
immediately after powering on
and the HotBlock
TM will not heat.
There are two possible causes for your HotBlock TM to sound the alarm
immediately after the controller cycles through the self test. These are:
1. Your set point has been set to a value (≥) 15° less than ambient or current
set point temperature. Turn the set point to within 15° of the actual
temperature (blue numbers)
2. The controller is faulty. Call Environmental Express at 1-800-745-8218 for
more information.
The temperature has overshot
the set point and the audible
alarm has sounded. The function of the fail-safe system is to cease heating of the HotBlock TM in the
event of a set point overshoot of 15°C and to alert the technician of the incident.
The HotBlock
TM can be “fooled” into fail-safe mode if the set point is manually
changed to a value ≥15° below your current temperature. However, the primary
cause for the runaway temperature is a faulty relay that has exceeded its
useful life.
You may troubleshoot the relay by following these steps:
Caution: This procedure is a potential electrical hazard and should only
be performed by qualified personnel.
1. Power off your HotBlock TM .
2. Remove the bottom panel of the HotBlock TM by unscrewing the rubber feet.
3. Power the HotBlock TM on and allow it to overshoot your set point
temperature.
4. Locate the solid state relay mounted to the bottom panel.
5. Set your volt-meter to measure AC voltage.
6. Touch your red lead to terminal T1 (white wire) of the solid state relay and
touch your black lead to a ground source (e.g., the green/yellow wire from
the power module or an empty terminal on the terminal board).
7. If your volt-meter reads 110V-122V, then the relay is stuck in the “closed”
position and it must be replaced. (see parts list, page 11).
The temperature controller is
performing erratically or displays
an error message.
-OR-
The temperature controller is
flashing Er.L Attn- Thermocouple
Fault First reset default settings
1. Hold the up and down arrow buttons for six seconds until Ai Set appears
2. Hold the down arrow until glbl set is in the window
3. Press the green advance key to enter
4. Continue pressing the green advance key until none user appears.
5. Press the down arrow key until Set1 user appears.
6. Pressing the advance key will restore default settings.
To troubleshoot the thermocouple, follow these steps:
1. Power off your HotBlock
TM .
2. Remove the bottom panel of your HotBlock TM by unscrewing the rubber feet.
3. Locate the thermocouple wires at terminals R1 (yellow) and S1 (red) of the
controller and remove using a small screwdriver.
4. Cut the exposed ends of the two wires.
5. Strip 1/4" of insulation from each wire and reconnect them to the
appropriate controller terminal and tighten.
6. Power on your HotBlock TM .
7. If your display continues to flash Er.1 Attn- the thermocouple is faulty and
must be replaced. (see parts list, page 11).