Salt cell prices gone through the roof

[AUSpool]

I had a look and found that is generic, while the genuine is 750 AU$. Will generic cells last as long as genuine?

I guess that’s hard to say. And what is what I was getting at before, is there a difference between an original fron 10 years ago and an original built yesterday. I have the Crystal Chlor, a retrofit of a Poolrite which has lasted just as long as the original. And having looked up the Crystal Chlor it is also a Crystal Clear which is sold by the Tropical pool store.

 

[jan verbeem]

The cell above from Tropical PS has a 6 year limited warranty. I don’t know what limited means.

That cell turns out to be a Platinum brand.
Did a google for reviews, and got nothing but negative ones, including some on this forum.
Strange enough all reviews mention Hayward and Saltpoolstore. So not a good idea to consider that brand IMO

Problems with PLATINUM EDITION REPLACEMENT SALT CELL FOR HAYWARD T-CELL-5

Hi, I have a Hayward Aquatrol using a T-5 cell. I purchased a Platinum edition replacement T-5 cell from the Saltpoolstore.com. They assured me that it a direct replacement for the Hayward T-5 cell that came with my Aquatrol unit. The original Hayward cell bit the dust after 6 years and I...

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[AUSpool]

There seams to be a few similarities on the product pages. Where did the original chlorinator come from?

 

[jan verbeem]

There seams to be a few similarities on the product pages. Where did the original chlorinator come from?

I bought the chlorinator from Epools, and the replacement cell from Allstar.

 

[jan verbeem]

Just been calculating my need for chlorine.
My pool is ~60,000 liters so to add 3ppm of free chlorine, I should daily add 180 gram of Chlorine gas.
Since I run my pumps for 7 hours a day, this tells me that a Tri medium (25gr/hr) cell should be sufficient, and it saves me some money.
Are my presumptions correct?

 

[AUSpool]

Just been calculating my need for chlorine.
My pool is ~60,000 liters so to add 3ppm of free chlorine, I should daily add 180 gram of Chlorine gas.
Since I run my pumps for 7 hours a day, this tells me that a Tri medium (25gr/hr) cell should be sufficient, and it saves me some money.
Are my presumptions correct?

I wouldn’t go smaller and I don’t think your current control box will run a smaller cell.

It’s always best to go bigger. I have a 25g/hr cell SWG on a ~20,000 liter pool. Over summer I’m running it at 4-4.5hrs@80%.

Just a thought. If you’re on your second cell with that SWG the control box may need repairs or replacing at some point.

 

[jan verbeem]

Just a thought. If you’re on your second cell with that SWG the control box may need repairs or replacing at some point.

On the back there is a slide switch with 3 settings, compact - medium - large
I have a functional spare box from which I can take parts, and that box has a potentiometer on the back.
Anyway, I will take your advice. What are your thoughts about the generic platinum brand cell?

 

[chlorinatorpro]

What are your thoughts about the generic platinum brand cell?

Don't buy it IMO....you will adding your name to list of buyers that got ripped off. The 6 year warranty and low price short be your first two red flags. It's actually a prorated warranty and it's based off a mythical MSRP of whatever they decide to quote you on the day it fails. Could be $650, could be $1000. But definitely not $409. Most of these cells last for less than a year. Buyers keep falling for "the great deal". Platinum Edition is a brand of CompuPool who quietly snuck out of the USA and returned to Australia years ago after ripping off as many customers as they could. A few people have lucked out with some cells but I'd estimate 80% (IMO) have some kind of problem that requires the warranty and only a small fraction of those people get some resolution. Nobody is traveling to Australia to hunt them down.

 

[AUSpool]

On the back there is a slide switch with 3 settings, compact - medium - large
I have a functional spare box from which I can take parts, and that box has a potentiometer on the back.
Anyway, I will take your advice. What are your thoughts about the generic platinum brand cell?

That is a neat trick, one control box for three different sizes. I wouldn’t mind betting that a lot of the other brands have something similar with the switch hidden inside the box. And the cynic in me thinks there’s a markup for each position.

All the online retailers I have bought from have shop fronts or a street address for a warehouse that you can visit in person. The tropical PS does not.

I think how hard can it be to make a cell. Titanium plates, a ruthenium coating, three wires and a sensor. How hard could that be to get right unless they are cutting corners on purpose.

The product pages look too similar to be a coincidence. The 6 year warranty is bogus, maybe replace it in the first year and then a discount on a replacement after that at their discretion. Yeh, no.

When buying from overseas the warrantee and return issues are exponentially more difficult. I would spend the extra for piece of mind for that purpose alone.

I would be happy to get one from Kawana spares but I notice there don’t seem the Zodiac generic direct, a licensing issue maybe.
But again I can easily drive to them, you can not.

 

[jan verbeem]

When buying from overseas the warrantee and return issues are exponentially more difficult. I would spend the extra for piece of mind for that purpose alone.

Warranty will always be an issue. I can get a genuine Zodiac Tri large from a Thailand seller, slightly cheaper than what I would pay for the cheapest genuine in Australia, but no warranty.
Anyway, warranties in Thailand are worth as much as the paper they are written on.

 

[jan verbeem]

Don't buy it IMO....you will adding your name to list of buyers that got ripped off. The 6 year warranty and low price short be your first two red flags. It's actually a prorated warranty and it's based off a mythical MSRP of whatever they decide to quote you on the day it fails. Could be $650, could be $1000. But definitely not $409. Most of these cells last for less than a year. Buyers keep falling for "the great deal". Platinum Edition is a brand of CompuPool who quietly snuck out of the USA and returned to Australia years ago after ripping off as many customers as they could. A few people have lucked out with some cells but I'd estimate 80% (IMO) have some kind of problem that requires the warranty and only a small fraction of those people get some resolution. Nobody is traveling to Australia to hunt them down.

Do you have a recommendation for another brand of generic cell, that is more reliable, or do you advise against generic cells in general?

 

[chlorinatorpro]

Do you have a recommendation for another brand of generic cell, that is more reliable, or do you advise against generic cells in general?

I actually sell generic cells, but only for Hayward systems. Being that you are in Thailand, it's probably easier for you to go to Alibaba and source directly from a Chinese manufacturer as several sell directly to consumer. Or buy from your Thai seller, however without warranty you are essentially rolling the dice. If you have bought enough product from them in the past you probably have a better leg to stand on when it comes to future business as they would be less likely to rip you off.

 

[wmarq]

My deep well water has very low calcium, and contains iron, is that a positive or negative for a salt cell?

I have this same problem as well

 

[AUSpool]

Low calcium wouldn’t be a problem, if anything it’s a benefit. I would rather add calcium as required than have to drain water to reduce it. I don’t believe iron would be a problem for the cell directly due to the high flow rates through the cell iron can cause staining to the pool surface.

Back to the generic cell. As I mentioned before I have a Retrochlor from Best Pool Supplies (BPS) which is a generic control box (old school) and cell designed to retrofit into an existing cell housing eliminating the need for replumbing. I’ve had this one goin since 2018 without any problems but I must be due for a new cell soon. A replacement cell will come from BPS. The RetroChlor looks the same as the CrystalChlor that is distributed by Crystal. I’m satisfied that either are not connected to the generic platinum brand. May be connected to the Kawana brand but that is just speculation. Bottom line here is that not all generic brands are equal.

When it comes to warranties I like to think that I’m not going to need them but I do use them to compare various brands. I would buy a more expensive brand with a good warranty rather then a cheeper brand with no or limited warranty.

Having said that I thing I would buy from the local supplier. There are no shipping fees from the local supplier and returns for repairs should be easier. But check that because sometimes items need to be sent to the manufacturer or distributors for repairs.

 

[jan verbeem]

I have ordered the salt cell from the local supplier, had a discount coupon and got it for AU$705 (15.900 Thb). Dealer is well known, and cell genuine, but no guarantee. Will inspect it thoroughly to see if it is a copy, but as far as I'm aware there are no counterfeit or refurbished cells on the market.
Thought I also share the issue with my cell, and this was also the issue with the one I replaced in 2016, and a spare compact cell I still have here (picture).
I believe the plates are still fine, but the middle plate (black connector) oxidizes at the end, as you can see from the pic.
With the one I replaced, it was broken, so cell didn't get power anymore, and with the one I have now it also starts to oxidize.
Is this how all cells reach their end of life, or indicates this something wrong with my set-up?

 

[jan verbeem]

Today I received the new salt cell from the Thai dealer, paid 15.900 baht (705AU$), and contrary with what the dealer earlier stated, it came with a 1 year warranty.
The strange thing though is that there is a serial number on the warranty card, but none on the cell itself, or even on the box.
Also, when I slightly shake the cell I can see the plates move, and can hear them rattling as well.
I emailed Fluidra Thailand, Fluidra is the owner of the Zodiac brand, and sent them as many pictures as possible, as I had my doubt because no serial on the cell, and the loose plates.
They replied that the cell is genuine, and the dealer from which I purchased is an official dealer, and that the serial number is on the side of the box, though it isn't.
So I emailed them back to ask how I ever prove a warranty, if needed, with no serial number on the cell. I also asked them again about the moving plates, since the 2 used cells I have here don't have that, and they also both have a sticker with serial on the back of the cell.
I hope to hear back from them on Monday.

 

[Mdragger88]

 

[AUSpool]

It sounds like they have changed manufacturers maybe. There maybe some kind of variation in the design that makes it stand out as an original but I’m only guessing. My retrochlor must be due for a new cell - I wonder if I can get a generic cell to replace the generic cell that came with the generic chlorinator…

 

[chlorinatorpro]

I can only speak for generic Hayward cells but I have noticed since the beginning of summer that a flood of really inexpensive Chinese cells have hit the USA market (some would call it dumping). Prices of $150 below normal for t-15 equivalent. Common denominator is that a dozen online auto parts sellers who also have set up some private swimming pool brands (thru eBay and Amazon) are the vendor. Quick research shows that one company owns all those "online stores". Most certainly all the cells are 3000 hour cells (under optimum conditions) designed to fail at 14-15 months. if you are ok with that. I think the overall strategy here is these new sellers all sell the same products and the owners try to sell the online stores as a FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) business because that is what is super hot right now. You may get covered under the one year warranty if the cell fails in first 60-90 days but chances rapidly decline the closer you get to one year. Folks are falling for the cheap prices just like they did for the saltpoolstore.com scam . There are only a few suppliers in China that manufacture salt cells. Many claim to but they are only distributors who lie about their mfg capabilities. They also supply the Australian market.

 

[Hal3]

You can expect that the retail cost of a salt cell will be determined by the retail cost of the chlorine it produces/replaces rather than the cost of manufacture. We all know that the cost of chlorine is much higher than four years ago.

Ordinarily, the price of salt cells would be determined by the cost of production and the influences of supply and demand. Unfortunately for us, when SWG manufacturers use proprietary salt cell designs they control the supply and the price. This does not apply to the copy cat cells but we are exposed to the risks of relying on copy cat quality.

TLDR - We are being exploited by the price gouging / profit maximizing practices of SWG manufactures. Just pay up!