IC40 says salt level is low while salt level reads 3800ppm. New flow switch added.

[troysup]

My IC40 is erratic.
Actual flow in the pool is excellent. Filter is clean.
New flow switch added. Fins in the IC40 are open.
Unit blinks on salt yet salt measures 3800 ppm.
Flow light will not turn green and no chlorine is being generated.
The unit is five years old. (Originally I had three years.)
Any further suggestions as what to do/try?
Troy

 

[Jimrahbe]

Troy,

If the flow light is off (red) then the cell will not do ANYTHING...

If the flow switch is actually good, then the cell itself must be bad.

Tell me about your new flow switch.. How many wires does it have?

How many wires were on the original flow switch?

Old cells had 4 wire flow switches.. Newer cells only have 3 wire flow switches.

A 4-wire cell can use a 4 wire flow switch or a 3 wire flow switch.

A 3 wire cell can only use a 3 wire flow switch. A 4-wire flow switch will not work.

OR.. You have the cell installed backwards.

Show us some pics..

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Dirk]

How are you measuring salt?

What is your water temperature?

Did you test the unit for hours used? From the owner manual:

IntelliChlor SCG Usage Hours Meter
The IntelliChlor® SCG provides a built-in cell “usage hours” meter that reports how many hours IntelliChlor has been operating. The IntelliChlor SCG is designed to operate for approximately 10,000 hours before replacement is needed or roughly five (5) years of average use.
To access the system status mode:

1. Press and hold the MORE button for three (3) seconds until the lights scroll across the unit.
2. One (1) of the five (5) Sanitizer Output LED indicators (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%) will be lit,
   indicating the hours of usage. The Output LEDs are as follows: • 2000 hours (20% LED on)
   • 4000 hours (40% LED on)
   • 6000 hours (60% LED on)
   • 8000 hours (80% LED on)
   • 10,000 hours (100% LED on)

 

[troysup]

Troy,

If the flow light is off (red) then the cell will not do ANYTHING...

If the flow switch is actually good, then the cell itself must be bad.

Tell me about your new flow switch.. How many wires does it have?

How many wires were on the original flow switch?

Old cells had 4 wire flow switches.. Newer cells only have 3 wire flow switches.

A 4-wire cell can use a 4 wire flow switch or a 3 wire flow switch.

A 3 wire cell can only use a 3 wire flow switch. A 4-wire flow switch will not work.

OR.. You have the cell installed backwards.

Show us some pics..

Thanks,

Jim R.

Hi, the wires coming from the unit has three wires.
The unit received has four wires white, red, blue and green.
I used the white, red and blue and not the green. It worked for awhile yesterday but not since.

 

[troysup]

Hi, the wires coming from the unit has three wires.
The unit received has four wires white, red, blue and green.
I used the white, red and blue and not the green. It worked for awhile yesterday but not since.

I see where suppliers are joining the green and blue to the original black and say that should work.

 

[troysup]

How are you measuring salt?

What is your water temperature?

Did you test the unit for hours used? From the owner manual:

Salt measurements by drop by drop Taylor chemicals.

 

[troysup]

Salt measurements by drop by drop Taylor chemicals.

Water temp is 70°.

 

[Dirk]

Using the Taylor salt test (assuming you are using it correctly), check, and
70° water, check. Nothing amiss with either.

The Taylor salt test is the easiest of all the Taylor tests, but is a little different than the others. You don't keep adding drops to further deepen the salmon/brick-red color, you stop counting drops as soon as that color develops (and stays that color). You use only a 10ml water sample, and you multiply the drops count by 200. I'm just double-checking that your 3800 result is good.

You might perform the Usage Hours test, just to rule that out (five LEDs would indicate the cell is used up and in need of replacing).

Back to Jim for more troubleshooting (I can't advise on the three-wire, four-wire stuff).

 

[troysup]

Troy,

If the flow light is off (red) then the cell will not do ANYTHING...

If the flow switch is actually good, then the cell itself must be bad.

Tell me about your new flow switch.. How many wires does it have?

How many wires were on the original flow switch?

Old cells had 4 wire flow switches.. Newer cells only have 3 wire flow switches.

A 4-wire cell can use a 4 wire flow switch or a 3 wire flow switch.

A 3 wire cell can only use a 3 wire flow switch. A 4-wire flow switch will not work.

OR.. You have the cell installed backwards.

Show us some pics..

Thanks,

Jim R.

I had my pool people out today and as far as they are concerned, the cell has run its life. It’s no longer under warranty so I am looking at about a $1500 bill for a new cell and service call.
Thank you all for your help.

 

[Tabbo]

I had my pool people out today and as far as they are concerned, the cell has run its life. It’s no longer under warranty so I am looking at about a $1500 bill for a new cell and service call.
Thank you all for your help.

We just replace our IC-40 ourselves. Bought it for $1095 plus tax on Amazon. Maybe save some money?

 

[Dirk]

Pentair considers the cell a user replaceable part. It is very easy to do, and Pentair will honor their warranty if you do the work. Otherwise, you're going to be paying your "pool people" about 500 bucks for 10 minutes of work. Service people today consider their drive time, and gas and auto insurance, etc all as billable hours, and rationalize outrageous profit margins by stating "guy's gotta make a living." (Sorry, got off on a rant there!)

If you feel more comfortable having a pro do the work, then perhaps the service fee is worth it to you. But of all the things that a pool needs to have done, replacing the SWG cell is just about the easiest thing to do. And, of course, you'll get an army of helpers from TFP if you get stuck. And we don't charge a thing!

With the money you'll save, you might consider a donation of a portion of it for TFP, to help us continue to be available to you and all the other folks that rely on us to help them with their pool questions.

 

[Dirk]

Ha, I just read that back and it sounded a bit like a payola scheme. To be clear, the money you donate to TFP goes to infrastructure: web and app development and internet expenses. Everyone helping others here are all volunteers, pool folks just like you, who came here for help with their pool and stuck around to pay it forward.