Intex SWG shutting down after cleaning titanium electrode

[crackertastic]

Hello everyone!

I'm having an issue with an Intex CS20110 SWG pump. Earlier today I was getting a low salt warning from the pump. I know the low salt warning is false because I've tested the salinity of the water, plus being in the pool a few times already, I can taste a little bit of salt in it. This has happened once before and the warning was triggered by buildup in the titanium electrode. I noticed some more building and decided to clean it.

So, per the manual, I doused it in vinegar and let it sit for about an hour or so and all the buildup disintegrated into nothing. I rinsed the electrode off, put everything back together, and fired the pump back up. About a minute of running the pump shuts down and the red service light on the pump comes on. I reset the breaker on the GFCI outlet and tried again....same thing. Next the pump was shut down for a while to cool off (not sure if it was overheating) and it just shut down all the same after restarting. I cleaned the titanium electrode again and also the copper electrode for good measure (it needed it anyway), but alas the pump shut down once again.

A kicker to this is that if I power up the pump and turn off the saltwater system it works with seemingly no problem at all, but now I am not generating any chlorine. A little while afterwards I realized that when I cleaned the titanium electrode I removed it from the casing. Not really sure why I did it this way since the last time I cleaned it I left it in the housing and filled that chamber up with vinegar. There also wasn't very much buildup to speak of on the electrode. There was probably only half of what was there since the last time I cleaned it, yet the low salt warning went off anyway. I'm wondering if the way I cleaned it might have damaged an already ailing unit. I didn't clean it with anything except vinegar and water. No scrubbing or anything like that.

So my question is - would it seem to be that my titanium electrode is bad? Is it possible I damaged it when I removed it from the housing even though I didn't physically clean it with anything?

The pool came with the home I bought last year and the previous home owner had the pool for about three or four years. I'm not sure if he ever replaced any of these parts. I know for certain the pump is the original pump that came with the pool.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read and/or answer my question.

 

[jeffchap]

The plates don't last forever. I have to replace mine every 2-3 years. I just put in a new set this year, and it's working good as new.

They were $68 plus shipping. But I don't have the same model as you. I have the standalone SWG unit.

Go to the intex website and search for your model number and you should be able to find them. Or you can call them. But try the website first. The last operator I spoke with barely spoke any English, and I wasn't confident that I was going to get what I needed.

 

[crackertastic]

Thanks Jeff.

I did actually already order a new set of plates. The electrolytic cell showed some cracking internally so I needed to get that replaced anyhow before it started leaking on me. I figured I'd get the electrode replaced at the same time. Now it is a waiting game since the last items I ordered from Intex took more than a week to show up.

 

[crackertastic]

Okay, so I received my new plates today, got everything hooked up and the pump did the exact same thing again. It runs for about a minute and then shuts down.

The pump runs with no problem when the saltwater system is shut off, but as soon as the SWG comes on the whole unit goes off a minute later.

Does anyone have any other ideas what else could be wrong? The unit is about 3-4 years old. Maybe it is time for a replacement? I found another SWG online for relatively cheap: Intex Krystal Clear Saltwater System, 15,000 Gallon - Walmart.com

Is there anything else I should try, or just get a new SWG?

 

[georgenamer]

How and where did you order the plate from? I called Intex on June 10, 2015 and was told that that unit was discontinued and I was basically out of luck and needed to buy a new SWG.

 

[crackertastic]

I ordered the plates directly from Intex. I used the part number for the plates and ordered them that way. I'm guessing they used the same plates in multiple models.

At any rate, I'm having a hard time replacing just the SWG portion that hooks up with the basket housing, unless I want to buy a brand new set for $300. I'm trying to avoid that since I just put fresh sand into my current filter and I just dropped the $70 on the plates. I'd like to find just the control unit because that is the part that is broken. Weird part is that it will pump water just fine, but as soon as I activate the SWG it kicks off after about a minute of operation.

 

[Jeanneful]

Is there a video on how to clean this cell? My book is hard to understand on how to take it apart

 

[traustic]

Service light means the board is bad in the swg - the fuse is popped at minimum. If you know someone handy with soldering guns you could replace the fuse and see if it will come on again. Sounds like too much voltage got shot to the board after you cleaned it. Replace the board inside will fix it, or replace the fuse and it might work. That's probably a few dollars to fix if you have the equipment and the knowledge. You could also bypass the system check valves and board to come on when the pump has power. You would have to use an external timer that goes to power the pump/swg combo.


To clean the cell I do the following:
1)Fill disposible solo cups with vinegar.
2)Turn off all power to the unit and unplug.
3)Unplug the eco and cell from the unit.
4)Unscrew the collars on both the cell and eco and place both sets of blades in the cup vinegar solution.
5)Wait 2 hours, rinse off the plates, go backwards step 4 to 2 - then plug it in and let it go to work.


I would also avoid the newly designed the Intex SWG. You can't use an external timer with that unit because the power button is on the pcb board and not a rocker switch. They are notoriously picky on the salinity of your pool. If you did buy the latest one then test your salt level with the taylor 1766 test and drop it down to 2600ppm. Otherwise "High Salt" all the time is the only thing the unit will be doing.