Astrel

Astrel pool electrical parts and transformers

Astrel equipment is found in and around the pool shell, where mains voltage is never welcome and everything has to run on a safe low-voltage supply. The parts listed here support that side of the installation: the power supply components that sit between the 230 V mains and the 12 V equipment in the water. Here you will find the toroidal transformer specified for the Easy Mini and Easy Nova units, a part that is often replaced long before the equipment it feeds, simply because it carries the electrical load every hour the pool is lit.

What the range covers

At present the Astrel listing centres on one supply component, the 230V-12V 40VA toroidal transformer (PPS-10087), intended for the Easy Mini and Easy Nova. It converts the mains supply down to 12 V so that the connected unit can be operated at a safe extra-low voltage, as required for equipment installed in or immediately next to the pool.

• Primary side: 230 V, the standard single-phase mains supply across most of Europe.
• Secondary side: 12 V, the low-voltage supply used by the Easy Mini and Easy Nova.
• Rating: 40 VA, which sets the maximum load the transformer is built to carry continuously.
• Construction: toroidal, the ring-core type chosen for compact dimensions, low mechanical hum and a low stray magnetic field in a crowded technical cabinet.

Choosing and checking the right transformer

A transformer is only a correct replacement if three things match: the primary voltage, the secondary voltage and the VA rating. All three are normally printed on the label of the unit being replaced, so the quickest check is to read the old nameplate before ordering anything. If the label has faded, the documentation for the Easy Mini or Easy Nova will state the supply it expects.

• Load against rating: add up the wattage of everything the transformer feeds and keep it within the 40 VA figure. Running a transformer at its absolute limit shortens its life.
• Cable run: long or thin 12 V cable causes voltage drop, so equipment at the far end receives less than 12 V. Keep the low-voltage run as short as the layout allows and use an adequate conductor cross-section.
• Mounting: toroidal cores are fixed with a single central bolt and washer set. Measure the core diameter and height, and check the depth available in the enclosure before fitting.
• Wiring: note which leads go to the primary and which to the secondary before disconnecting the old unit, and photograph the terminal block if the colours are not obvious.
• Enclosure: the transformer belongs in a dry, ventilated housing, not in a damp pit or directly against the pool wall.

Why transformers fail and when to replace them

Low-voltage pool equipment rarely kills a transformer outright; heat, moisture and overload do. A cabinet that traps warm air, a cover left off through a wet winter, or extra equipment added to an existing circuit all push a 40 VA unit beyond what it was sized for. Typical symptoms are a unit that no longer powers up at all, one that works intermittently as a thermal cut-out opens and resets, a strong mechanical buzz, or discoloured varnish and a burnt smell around the windings.

Because the transformer sits upstream of everything else, it is worth testing before condemning the equipment it supplies. Measuring the secondary voltage with the circuit live and loaded shows quickly whether the fault lies in the supply or further down the line. Any work on the 230 V side should be carried out by a qualified electrician, in line with the local wiring rules for swimming pool zones, and with the circuit isolated.

Astrel at PoolParthub.com

Here we list Astrel supply components by their part reference, so a replacement can be matched to the unit already installed rather than guessed at. The 230V-12V 40VA toroidal transformer is referenced PPS-10087 and is described for use with the Easy Mini and Easy Nova, which makes identification straightforward when the original label is still readable.

Stocking the electrical parts alongside pumps, filters, seals and lighting means a repair does not have to be split between several suppliers. If the nameplate on an existing transformer is unreadable, send the voltage and VA figures you can still see, together with the model of the connected equipment, and the correct reference can be confirmed before you order.