Hayward 3c SWG - too good to be true?

[Tagard]

This seems too good to be true, about $200 and a self install and I can have my 15K gal pool on saltwater. Am I missing something here?


Hayward Salt Swim 3C Salt Cell - 30K IG Pools


Thanks!

 

[jblizzle]

I think you end up having to replace the cells very often and I would be concerned about it being large enough for your pool.

Pretty sure there are threads talking about this system.

I would recommend you look closer at the AquaRite with a 25k or 40k cell.

 

[Tagard]

I found a few (including one with great thoughts from you on it!) but only found one person that had actually used it and they were quoting a price double this one. The fact very few people have used it pretty much tells me what I need to know. I was hoping to avoid a big install charge in case I got in over my head in a DIY.

Thanks

 

[jblizzle]

From the look of it, the install is the same. You have to cut the PVC and install the cell and you have to get power to the control box and plug a few things together.

Well now I am curious what I said about it

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, I see the S&S says no gluing ... well that is not hard after watching a couple YouTube videos.

 

[Chuckiechan]

Here are the specs:

Salt Swim 3C | Sanitizers | In Ground Pool Sanitizers - Hayward Pool Products

A single Salt & Swim 3C Cell produces the equivalent of:

200 lbs off 100% pure available chlorine
225 lbs Trichlor
208 gallons of liquid chlorine weighs 1 ton

Could we be entering a new era of cheaper SWG's?

 

[jorivesud]

This seems too good to be true, about $200 and a self install and I can have my 15K gal pool on saltwater. Am I missing something here?


Hayward Salt Swim 3C Salt Cell - 30K IG Pools


Thanks!

We have the 3C on our pool, for 2nd season.
Works well, no fency logic on it, very compact compare to others.
But, we only have a small barely 8K gal pool.
Not sure, how long will the cell last. But, I only run it at 20% for 10 hours a day, so should last a fair amount of time.
Time will tell...

 

[x2rider]

The reason it's only $200 is because it is only the salt cell, not the control unit. The picture is misleading.

Amazon has the cell for about the same price, but shows "commonly sold together"...

This item: Hayward SAS Salt and Swim 3C Pool Chlorine Alternative $372.82
Hayward SAS-CELL Salt and Swim 3C Pool Alternative $206.90

The total is $579.72 for both the control unit and the cell.

Here is the same website as above with the price of the "Kit" Hayward Salt Swim 3C Salt Water Chlorination System - DIY Model

The standard model has compression fittings, the "Pro" version glues in as shown in this video Salt Startup - YouTube

Since my pool is almost at the top of the operating range, I might be skeptical buying it without talking to someone first.

 

[x2rider]

Just got off the phone with Hayward. The lady there said the 3c is meant toward the DYI person, and says those cells are recommended to be replaced YEARLY (at $200 a pop), so compare that to the Aquarite... 3c @ $200/year vs Aquaright @ $400/3-5 years, the Aquarite is cheaper in the long run. She also said with mine being toward the top end of capacity, the Aquarite would be the better option, and easier to troubleshoot. They recommended professional installation on the Aquarite, however, installing it myself will not affect warranty.

 

[jorivesud]

Just got off the phone with Hayward. The lady there said the 3c is meant toward the DYI person, and says those cells are recommended to be replaced YEARLY (at $200 a pop), so compare that to the Aquarite... 3c @ $200/year vs Aquaright @ $400/3-5 years, the Aquarite is cheaper in the long run. She also said with mine being toward the top end of capacity, the Aquarite would be the better option, and easier to troubleshoot. They recommended professional installation on the Aquarite, however, installing it myself will not affect warranty.

I'm on my 2nd year on it and only at 20% with a CYA of only 35 (I have a fair amount of shade).
What I eared from other users was that it's good for 3 to 4 Canadian seasons(6 months), so probably 1.5 to 2 years of full time use.
But, since your pool is 27K gal, it would be pushing it's limit anyway and probably not good for you.

 

[Deemonseed]

I am on my 3rd season with my SAS 3C. I have a 28K Gallon pool and LOVE my SAS. I redid all of the plumbing though this year and it gave me an error regarding the flow switch. I called Hayward and they are sending me a new unit this week. Although they claim 1 year on the cell, mine is still good going into the third season. I think it was worth the money (I got it at a steal though $350 WITH the cell). If I were to spend the big $$$ though, I would go with the Autopilot.

 

[Trick]

2nd yr on my SAS. All good so far. It runs at 30-40% for 8hrs. Even used it last your for a small SLAM.