Another warning buying non-OEM cells

[cejones]

Back in May, my Hayward TCELL-15 stopped working. (At least 4 years since I last replaced it) I found that the replacement cells had jumped up to over $899 in price. (For reference, in 2013, I paid $429 for a new one)
I was on a cheap fit and decided to try a cheaper off-brand cell. (First mistake) I went with an interesting cell that was partially see through. The website said it has a 5 year warranty and it was only $369! Wow! (second mistake!)

Product arrived with no issues. Installed and we were running fine for 3 months. Last weekend, my Aquarite panel started showing a "Hot" error which is one I have never seen before. Turns out this seems to indicate the cell's on-board thermistor has gone bad. I used my multimeter and confirmed the resistance was only 2k ohms instead of the 8-10k ohms it should be. Naively thinking I am well within my 5 years, I contact the website via email. No replies. They have a live chat feature on the site, so I talk to the first person... and as soon as I mention I need a warranty replacement, the chat session is terminated on their end. (Not a good sign). I try again and get a different person (in name at least) and this time I simply ask about the warranty and what the process is. They point me to a dedicated web page on their site for warranty claims. It is a simple form. Put in my info, give them the order number, date of order, picture of the error, and copy of the latest pool report showing low chlorine level. I put all of that information in place and submitted. Seems to have gone through.

I am currently waiting for their feedback. I am not holding my breath. But in the meantime, I have purchased the OEM Hayward cell like I should have in the first place. PM me if you have any questions...

I also saw a Youtube video where you can cut into the cell's cable and simply cut the thermistor wires and connect a resistor that is set to 10K ohms to trick the panel into thinking the cell's thermistor is working... I know that is probably a bad idea since the panel does need to know the actual water temperature. I also saw another person who physically put a thermistor into a hole they cut in one of the PVC pipes and wired that to the control panel.

Here is my Aquarite panel diagnostics:
Temp: 154
Cell voltage: 32.7
Cell current: 0.00
Output% 8SP
Salinity 0
Product name: AL-3
Software rev: r1.59

 

[ajw22]

Thanks for sharing your experience

I also saw a Youtube video where you can cut into the cell's cable and simply cut the thermistor wires and connect a resistor that is set to 10K ohms to trick the panel into thinking the cell's thermistor is working... I know that is probably a bad idea since the panel does need to know the actual water temperature.

This hack can work if your water temperature is around 76F. It can damage your board if the water temp is different and it causes your cell to draw too many amps.

I also saw another person who physically put a thermistor into a hole they cut in one of the PVC pipes and wired that to the control panel.

That will work if you don't mind another hole in your plumbing.

 

[Homebrewale]

You could try replacing the thermistor. I did it myself and it was the first time I ever soldered a circuit board.

 

[C0d3Sp4c3]

Not recommended but if you cut either one of the thermistor wires inside the cell, the controller will auto-revert to the default 77°F regardless of the actual water temperature.
This approach will not harm the electronics. However, you're on your own on this if you want to get by producing chlorine while in limbo.

 

[Mdragger88]

If you have a genuine cell on the way I would not go through all that & risk damage to your other equipment. Just dose with liquid chlorine & wait on fedex
What generic cell did you purchase?

 

[cejones]

If you have a genuine cell on the way I would not go through all that & risk damage to your other equipment. Just dose with liquid chlorine & wait on fedex
What generic cell did you purchase?

I bought this model:

Platinum Edition Compatible Salt Cell for Hayward® T-CELL-15® | 40,000 Gallons | 5-Year Warranty

Hayward Aquarite Salt Water Chlorine Generator Replacement Cell. Hayward Aquarite T-15 40,000 Gallon with Cell Cord. Salt Cell Replacement. 5 YR Warranty Platinum Edition.

saltpoolstore.com

I liked the fact that you can see through it but truthfully, it didn't work long enough to be able to observe any calcification on the plates.

Update: My new OEM Hayward T-15 cell arrived today and after installation, I am glad to report that my SWG is happy and generating chlorine. It reports the correct salt level too.

As a service to everyone, I plan to update this thread with how the saltpoolstore.com handles my warranty request. I have all the data required to prove that their cell has failed within 3 months
of service.

 

[cejones]

You could try replacing the thermistor. I did it myself and it was the first time I ever soldered a circuit board.

The thermistor on my control board inside the Aquarite panel seems to be functioning fine. It is the on-board thermistor inside the salt cell that appears to be broken. I checked the leads on the plug that go to the salt cell and confirmed it is reading much lower resistance than it should be.
There is no way to open and access that thermistor inside the cell.

 

[johnnydot]

I bought the platinum edition of the what was supposed to be a T-5 from the same store a few years ago and right off the bat it would shut down due to false hi salt reading. I suspected it might be a T-15 cell and did the j-5 jumper on my AquaTrol and it has working perfectly for the past 2 years. (knock on wood) I guess that it is hit and miss with saltpool store products.

 

[Mdragger88]

There have been some not so great reports from several folks here who have went with that product & also that retailer. Some got a resolution others were not so lucky. When I was shopping for a cell I considered that one not only because of price but also because they are somewhat local to me but the bad reviews about corresponding with them scared me away.