I had a pool installed in 2014 with a Pentair IC40. Since then I had 2 cells replaced under warranty and, thanks to this site, I saved money after the warranty ended by only having to replace the Flow Switch. What keeps happening is that the cell is telling my Easy Touch that it has 0 PPM salt, but sometimes the salt light is green on the cell. Sometimes the cell light is red. I've replaced the switch twice with this same problem. I have a test kit and which shows the salt is coming out normal(pool store test the same), and it is producing chlorine. It doesn't need cleaning either. My switch was last replaced in July 2018. I don't think the cell is bad, but why does this keep happening?
Pentair IC40 issues
- Thread starter Jarker
- Start date
- May 23, 2015
- 24,493
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The flow switch is integrated with a thermistor so that the unit can correct the salinity readout for temperature compensation. It also tells the system when to go into "COLD WATER CUTOFF" state. The fact is, Pentair must have gotten a very bad batch of these flow switches as IC's installed around your time period and later have had these failures come up. I recently replaced my flow switch last year to correct that problem. It's a Pentair OEM replacement part so we'll see if it lasts any longer. There is a generic version on Amazon that's about half the price of what the OEM version sells for.
If you are a DIY type person, there is another fix - install an external water temperature probe (Pentair sells them for $15) and attach that to the thermistor leads of the flow switch. The flow switch sensor rarely fails so it doesn't need replacement. But the 10K thermistor does fail a lot. The water/air temperature probes are just the same 10K thermistors but they appear to be much more reliable. You'd have to drill a hole in your plumbing just in front of the IC unit and then attach the water/air temperature probe but that's not really hard to do.
I believe @Jimrahbe has some pictures of his setup where this was done....
If you are a DIY type person, there is another fix - install an external water temperature probe (Pentair sells them for $15) and attach that to the thermistor leads of the flow switch. The flow switch sensor rarely fails so it doesn't need replacement. But the 10K thermistor does fail a lot. The water/air temperature probes are just the same 10K thermistors but they appear to be much more reliable. You'd have to drill a hole in your plumbing just in front of the IC unit and then attach the water/air temperature probe but that's not really hard to do.
I believe @Jimrahbe has some pictures of his setup where this was done....
J,
The IC 40 has two types of problems... One is the the salt reading is not accurate, but you still get a salt reading on your EasyTouch... This problem is almost always the thermistor in the Flow Switch.
The other problem is the cell is working fine, it just does not update the EasyTouch and the EasyTouch reads zero salt. I don't believe that Pentair has a clue what the problem is for sure.. It has been fixed by replacing the main EasyTouch board, the EasyTouch SWCG power supply card, the entire cell itself, and sometimes even the flow switch. I suspect that the hardware has some kind of communication timing issue and just changing parts that are part of the circuit will, at least temporarily, "fix" the issue.
Please add your location to your profile.. We use it when we provide advice... this time a year most IC40 users have shut it down because their water temperature is below 55 degrees.. The IC40 does not work well once the water temp is in the 50's..
I would not do anything about the zero reading until the weather warms back up.. If you just can't wait, and the unit is no longer under warranty, then I would start by replacing parts, doing the cheaper ones first.. Flow Switch, then SWCG power supply, then Main EasyTouch Card..
I did do the modification that Matt talked about... I don't remember any pictures, but then I can't remember what I had for lunch..
Basically, instead of connecting the thermistor that is inside the flow switch to the the IC40, you connect a remote thermistor that gets mounted in the plumbing exactly like the ones that come with the EasyTouch..
Thanks,
Jim R.
The IC 40 has two types of problems... One is the the salt reading is not accurate, but you still get a salt reading on your EasyTouch... This problem is almost always the thermistor in the Flow Switch.
The other problem is the cell is working fine, it just does not update the EasyTouch and the EasyTouch reads zero salt. I don't believe that Pentair has a clue what the problem is for sure.. It has been fixed by replacing the main EasyTouch board, the EasyTouch SWCG power supply card, the entire cell itself, and sometimes even the flow switch. I suspect that the hardware has some kind of communication timing issue and just changing parts that are part of the circuit will, at least temporarily, "fix" the issue.
Please add your location to your profile.. We use it when we provide advice... this time a year most IC40 users have shut it down because their water temperature is below 55 degrees.. The IC40 does not work well once the water temp is in the 50's..
I would not do anything about the zero reading until the weather warms back up.. If you just can't wait, and the unit is no longer under warranty, then I would start by replacing parts, doing the cheaper ones first.. Flow Switch, then SWCG power supply, then Main EasyTouch Card..
I did do the modification that Matt talked about... I don't remember any pictures, but then I can't remember what I had for lunch..
Basically, instead of connecting the thermistor that is inside the flow switch to the the IC40, you connect a remote thermistor that gets mounted in the plumbing exactly like the ones that come with the EasyTouch..
Thanks,
Jim R.
Thanks for all the help, I'm in South East Texas, so it's warming up. Water is over 60 degrees already. I'm just ticked that this cell hasn't worked for even a full year since getting it. Pentair support isn't much of a help now that it's no longer under warranty.
I'll probably try replacing the switch again, since that fixed the problem before. Since it's ready flow and generating chlorine, can I just not replace it and test my salt myself more often? or will it not generate correctly and go into cold shutoff?
I'll probably try replacing the switch again, since that fixed the problem before. Since it's ready flow and generating chlorine, can I just not replace it and test my salt myself more often? or will it not generate correctly and go into cold shutoff?
J,
A reading of zero is just an annoyance and not an failure of the cell.. The cell should still be working. All you need to do is keep an eye on the low salt light and make sure it does not come on.. You can run it that way forever... I would want to test the actual salt level about once a month and ensure it stays where you want it.
Please tell me why they replaced the last two cells...
Thanks,
Jim R.
A reading of zero is just an annoyance and not an failure of the cell.. The cell should still be working. All you need to do is keep an eye on the low salt light and make sure it does not come on.. You can run it that way forever... I would want to test the actual salt level about once a month and ensure it stays where you want it.
Please tell me why they replaced the last two cells...
Thanks,
Jim R.
Thanks again Jimrahbe. Unfortunately, the low salt light was on, though a test said it was around 2900 PPM. It was green at one point.
J,
The IC40 has a salt test tolerance of +/- 500 ppm... So the cell could think the salt level is only 2400 which is way low... Anything below 2800 will turn on the low salt light.
Even the Taylor K-1766 salt test kit has a tolerance of +/- 200...
You should be running your salt at 3200 to 3600... The basic idea is to make the cell happy unless you have to increase the salt over 4000 ppm.
Did you miss my request asking why the two IC40's were replaced under warranty???
Thanks,
Jim R.
The IC40 has a salt test tolerance of +/- 500 ppm... So the cell could think the salt level is only 2400 which is way low... Anything below 2800 will turn on the low salt light.
Even the Taylor K-1766 salt test kit has a tolerance of +/- 200...
You should be running your salt at 3200 to 3600... The basic idea is to make the cell happy unless you have to increase the salt over 4000 ppm.
Did you miss my request asking why the two IC40's were replaced under warranty???
Thanks,
Jim R.
I'm sorry, yes I did miss that. One wasn't reading salt levels anywhere near what the tests were coming out. The second one was the flow switch I'm pretty sure.
It got cold again and raining today. I'm adding salt this week. I'll see if the light changes. I keep it around 3600 through out the year.
Edit: Just got word that Pentair is going to send me a new switch. Just wish I knew why it keeps going bad.
It got cold again and raining today. I'm adding salt this week. I'll see if the light changes. I keep it around 3600 through out the year.
Edit: Just got word that Pentair is going to send me a new switch. Just wish I knew why it keeps going bad.
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