I have a salt water pool and an automated system that I control from a panel inside my house. This past summer I replaced the computer board on my main control panel outside. Until a few weeks ago everything was running fine. I started getting a check system light that came on and it was reading very low salt levels. I added a bag of salt like I normally would and the salt level didn’t go up. A week later it’s still reading low and saying I need more salt. I took a water sample to the local pool place and he said my salt level was fine as was everything else. My salt level is reading 1900 on the panel when it’s actually a little over 3000. Im getting the same warning light and salt level reading on my control panel inside and on the main board outside. Is this simply a case of my cell going bad? I cleaned my cell a few months back so it should be good but the cell is older. I don’t remember exactly how old it is though. What should I do at this point?
Salt level is reading very low
- Thread starter Golfingdawg
- Start date
Gd,
Salt cells do not work well in the winter.. Most of them shut off when the water temp get below 52 +/- 3 degrees. The water temp has a lot to do with the accuracy of the salt tests.
I never trust the salt level that the cell provides unless it makes sense based on past tests. When in doubt I use the Talylor K-1766 salt test kit. I compare the actual salt level with the reported salt level before I add any salt..
What is your water temp?
Thanks,
Jim R.
Salt cells do not work well in the winter.. Most of them shut off when the water temp get below 52 +/- 3 degrees. The water temp has a lot to do with the accuracy of the salt tests.
I never trust the salt level that the cell provides unless it makes sense based on past tests. When in doubt I use the Talylor K-1766 salt test kit. I compare the actual salt level with the reported salt level before I add any salt..
What is your water temp?
Thanks,
Jim R.
GD,
I have a Pentair cell, and as the water gets colder the salt tests gets less and less accurate. The manual says the cell has a 500 ppm tolerance..
In my case, when the actual salt level is more than 1000 ppm different than what the cell "thinks" the salt level is, then it means that I most likely have a bad thermistor inside the flow switch assembly.. If you don't have a Pentair IntelliChlor, then this would not apply to you.
Thanks,
Jim R.
I have a Pentair cell, and as the water gets colder the salt tests gets less and less accurate. The manual says the cell has a 500 ppm tolerance..
In my case, when the actual salt level is more than 1000 ppm different than what the cell "thinks" the salt level is, then it means that I most likely have a bad thermistor inside the flow switch assembly.. If you don't have a Pentair IntelliChlor, then this would not apply to you.
Thanks,
Jim R.
It's AquaLogic, which uses the Aquarite cell.
What is the cell size (T-Cell 15)?
What are the first 7 of the serial number?
Go to diagnostics and press + to see what happens and then press + again to reverse polarity.
Check the cell for scaling and clean if necessary.
What is the cell size (T-Cell 15)?
What are the first 7 of the serial number?
Go to diagnostics and press + to see what happens and then press + again to reverse polarity.
Check the cell for scaling and clean if necessary.
Local pool place says it’s a sensor in my cell and the whole cell will have to be replaced. Mine is a T-15 and they look to be around $500-$600. I just recently cleaned the cell so that shouldn’t be an issue.
- Oct 25, 2015
- 5,169
- Pool Size
- 25000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
G,
No idea if this is practical where you live but if you've already tried the expert's advice and you have a heater I'd raise pool temp a little as a last resort. See if your readings improve and if so maybe you can get another year or so on the cell. While the pool temp is low just supplement with liquid chlorine if needed. It would be nice to at least verify independently what the pool store says since they are incentivized to error on the side of selling you a new cell.
Hope this is helpful.
Chris
No idea if this is practical where you live but if you've already tried the expert's advice and you have a heater I'd raise pool temp a little as a last resort. See if your readings improve and if so maybe you can get another year or so on the cell. While the pool temp is low just supplement with liquid chlorine if needed. It would be nice to at least verify independently what the pool store says since they are incentivized to error on the side of selling you a new cell.
Hope this is helpful.
Chris
If I get a new cell because our is pretty old, is it best to go with the Heyward version like I have now or one of the generic brands? Is there a specific pool supply place that you get your cells from?
- Oct 25, 2015
- 5,169
- Pool Size
- 25000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
Do you have Hayward automation? If so there may be advantages to staying with their cell. If not, a lot of people seem to use 3rd party with great results. Inyopools.com and Discountsaltpool.com have a lot of good information to help you pick one. I decided based on $/lb chlorine, warranty, and reputation on here. That led me to Circupool but others have gone with different brands and they seem to work well too. Discountsaltpool.com has a great brand comparison page that has all the numbers in one place for most brands.
I hope this helps.
Chris
I hope this helps.
Chris
- Oct 25, 2015
- 5,169
- Pool Size
- 25000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- CircuPool RJ-60 Plus
G,
One other thing to consider is if you're going to DIY this look carefully at warranty. Some of the major equipment suppliers reduce warranty significantly for DIY. You have to read the fine print to be sure. Salt cell technology has improved dramatically so the cells are way more reliable now but there are still cases where a faulty cell needs to be replaced early due to manufacturing defect so I wouldn't want to buy without a full warranty. All the 3rd party suppliers I looked at offer a full OEM equivilent warranty to DIYers for their replacement cells and often much longer for their own brand of equipment. If you're using a pool service with an authorized technician for the replacement this issue doesn't matter.
Chris
One other thing to consider is if you're going to DIY this look carefully at warranty. Some of the major equipment suppliers reduce warranty significantly for DIY. You have to read the fine print to be sure. Salt cell technology has improved dramatically so the cells are way more reliable now but there are still cases where a faulty cell needs to be replaced early due to manufacturing defect so I wouldn't want to buy without a full warranty. All the 3rd party suppliers I looked at offer a full OEM equivilent warranty to DIYers for their replacement cells and often much longer for their own brand of equipment. If you're using a pool service with an authorized technician for the replacement this issue doesn't matter.
Chris
What are the first 4 of the serial number?
Go to diagnostics and check the readings and then press + to see what happens and then press + again to reverse polarity.
If you get a new cell, I would recommend the original Hayward.
Go to diagnostics and check the readings and then press + to see what happens and then press + again to reverse polarity.
If you get a new cell, I would recommend the original Hayward.
1E1107
1 = 1 year warranty.
E = Cell
11 = 2011
07 = July
So, more than 8 years old, which is well beyond the typical life of about 5 to 7 years.
What are the numbers from the diagnostic readings?
Note that the only sensor in the cell is the temperature sensor.
You can see the Temperature, Salinity, Volts and Amps in the diagnostic readings screen.
If the temperature sensor reading is accurate, the sensor is good.
Pressing the + button while in the diagnostic readings screen will restart the cell in reverse polarity.
Check the readings, then press + and see what the readings change to and then do it one more time.
1 = 1 year warranty.
E = Cell
11 = 2011
07 = July
So, more than 8 years old, which is well beyond the typical life of about 5 to 7 years.
What are the numbers from the diagnostic readings?
Note that the only sensor in the cell is the temperature sensor.
You can see the Temperature, Salinity, Volts and Amps in the diagnostic readings screen.
If the temperature sensor reading is accurate, the sensor is good.
Pressing the + button while in the diagnostic readings screen will restart the cell in reverse polarity.
Check the readings, then press + and see what the readings change to and then do it one more time.
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Ok, I think that it's just a worn out cell. I would recommend a regular Hayward T-15.
Make sure that the cell is a 3 year warranty model and not a 1 year model.
They should be the same cell other than the warranty.
Make sure that the cell is a 3 year warranty model and not a 1 year model.
They should be the same cell other than the warranty.
On discount salt pools they have a hayward version but it’s the one year warranty where as the generic brands have 3 year warranties
- May 3, 2014
- 58,459
- Pool Size
- 6000
- Surface
- Fiberglass
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hayward AquaRite Replacement T-CELL-15, 40,000 Gal Pool, TurboCell, Model W3T-CELL-15 - INYOPools.com
Looking for a replacement cell for your AquaRite salt pool chlorine generator? Consider the Hayward T-Cell-15 replacement cell! This reliable and durable cell is designed to provide long-lasting performance and efficient chlorine generation for your pool. With easy installation and low...
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I have a Pentair SWG but here is my current situation. My water is 57 degrees. My very low salt light is on even though my salt level is spot on at 3600. My cold water light is not on. When the hot water passes through my swg when heating my spa, the low salt light turns off. So I’m not concerned.
Maybe try heating your water like others have mentioned.
Maybe try heating your water like others have mentioned.