Please help with Intellichlor IC40

[rhelmet1]

First time poster and first time pool owner, so please be gentle. We have a 13,000 gallon concrete (?) pool with a Pentair EasyTouch panel and Intellichlor IC40 SWG. The SWG produces entirely too much chlorine, often to the point where our local pool store has told us, in no uncertain terms, to not swim. The sanitizer is stuck at 80%. Literally. When I try to turn it down, the lights go off and come back on at 80%. We are seemingly left with no option but to turn the pump off. Everything else checks out perfectly fine.

I have cleaned the cell once and did not notice any significant bubbling.

I have tried researching on-line and calling every pool place in the immediate area, but cannot get a definitive answer. Some suggestions are that the cell is bad (obviously) or that the IC40 is too much cell for our size of pool. The latter suggestion does not explain the sanitizer issue, however.

So. I have a few questions.

First, can a bad cell produce too much chlorine? I would think if the cell were bad it would not produce enough chlorine, if any at all.

Can the sanitizer output be set with the EasyTouch panel, thereby overriding the buttons on the IC40?

Finally, is there any way to turn the cell off so we can run the pump and keep the water circulating. I was going to simply unplug the power cord from the panel, but didn't know if that was a bad idea or not.

Please help. I'm at my wit' send.

Thanks!

Damon

 

[JasonLion]

Welcome to TFP!

When an IC-40 is hooked up to an EasyTouch panel, the percentage setting can only be changed on the EasyTouch. The buttons directly on the IC-40 no longer work.

I doubt that anything is broken in this case.

If you need to temporarily disable the IC-40 you can unplug it from it's power supply.

 

[Divin Dave]

+1 what Jason said. You need to figure out how to change the % via the easy touch. I googled it realy quick

On the EasyTouch
Menu> Settings>Intellichlor

Right button: Enable/Disable IntelliChlor.

Up/Down buttons: Select Yes or No to enable or disable IntelliChlor.

Right button: POOL Mode “Desired %” setting.

Up/Down buttons: Set the chlorination output level for the pool water from 0 to 100%. EasyTouch will determine the chlorinator output level when the system is operating in “Spa” or “Pool” mode. The amount of chlorine introduced into the pool/spa is determined by the amount of salt in the water, water temperature, and the amount of time the pool/spa operates in these modes

Good Luck!

 

[rhelmet1]

You guys are awesome. I checked "Desired %" and it was set at 70%. I turned that down to 50% and *voila!* the buttons on the IC40 are now working, ostensibly giving me more control over the sanitizer output. I'll run the pump for a while and check the free chlorine again.

I'm got the name and number of an independent guy who works exclusively on Pentair systems. I'm going to have him out to give me an orientation session.

Thanks again. I was really going batty with this issue.

 

[Divin Dave]

Good deal. Glad to help.

 

[gatorbrit]

Even though I have an easy touch panel, it is much quicker to set the intellichlor using the buttons on the unit than to mess with programming the easytouch. I think that the easytouch is only really useful when set up as a remote control unit (i.e. so you don't have to hike over to the pool equipment). I also have my heat pump on manual mode because again it is easier to just push the button on the heat pump than dive into the easytouch menu.

 

[Divin Dave]

I understand completely. Personally I dont have any of the automation stuff just for that reason plust they cost a lot and are expensive to fix if they quit working.

Even though I have an easy touch panel, it is much quicker to set the intellichlor using the buttons on the unit than to mess with programming the easytouch. I think that the easytouch is only really useful when set up as a remote control unit (i.e. so you don't have to hike over to the pool equipment). I also have my heat pump on manual mode because again it is easier to just push the button on the heat pump than dive into the easytouch menu.