Should I upgrade to a liquid chlorine feeder?

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Drew80

Drew80

0
Feb 26, 2013
346
Austin, TX
Pool Size
10000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Hayward Turbo Cell (T-CELL-5)
Might not be the right thread for this. Mods, feel free to move it.

I'm on my second failed Hayward salt cell in 5 years, and I'm beginning to seriously question whether salt water is worth it. It's cost-effective in theory, but having two cells fail in 5 years kinda kills that theory. Peristaltic pumps are about the same price as a salt cell, so I'm considering moving to liquid chlorine. Also not having to constantly add muriatic would be nice.

For those of you who use a liquid chlorine system, have you found the upgrade to be worth it?
 
Drew80 said:
Might not be the right thread for this. Mods, feel free to move it.

I'm on my second failed Hayward salt cell in 5 years, and I'm beginning to seriously question whether salt water is worth it. It's cost-effective in theory, but having two cells fail in 5 years kinda kills that theory. Peristaltic pumps are about the same price as a salt cell, so I'm considering moving to liquid chlorine. Also not having to constantly add muriatic would be nice.

For those of you who use a liquid chlorine system, have you found the upgrade to be worth it?
Click to expand...
Have you investigated why the cells are failing? They should last 5 years easily assuming the water quality is maintained. You might try switching to a circupool if Hayward quality isn’t great.

Side note, the pH rise is about the same for both liquid and salt chlorinators. If it’s rising fast, you probably have other items like high TA or water features contributing to the pH rise.
 
Drew80 said:
First 7 of serial is 1E20038
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This indicates that you bought a cell from an unauthorized dealer and there might have been a problem with the cell.

The serial number starting with 1 is a warranty replacement cell.

I suspect that you got a used cell from eBay or some sketchy seller.

A legitimate seller will sell a cell with a 3 at the beginning of the serial number.
 
Last edited:
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Drew,

Moving from a SWCG to a Chlorine Feeder is not an "upgrade" in my opinion. :mrgreen:

Most salt cells last 5 to 7 years. I've been through three of them. One lasted over 9 years, one over 7 years and one lasted over 5 years.

Worst case, at a $1,000 bucks for the replacement cell, that is $200 bucks a year..

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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@JamesW I got it from PoolSupplyUnlimited. I guess I don't know for sure, but they seem pretty legit. My invoice says it has a 3-year warranty.
 
Yeah, I just talked to them on the phone. They sent me the wrong cell. Not sure they're going to honor it, though
 
@JamesW I'm going to let them try to resolve it before I go nuclear. It's been over a year, so I don't think I can file a dispute with Visa. What else would you recommend?
 

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Drew80 said:
It's been over a year, so I don't think I can file a dispute with Visa
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Look into the details of your card plan. Many times they add a year after the factory warranty expires. Mine stopped offering it at some point, which I only found out when I thought about possibly using it in a similar situation. Keep the knowledge in your back pocket if Hayward doesn't do the right thing.

Sooooo many things went to crud the last few years. Companies were scrambling to get merch out, even if it was wrong or defective. My Sta-Right filter came with the wrong cartridges from the factory.

Another possibility is that someone purchased a 3 year warranty cell and returned their repacent cell. The stock clerk would have opened up the box to verify it was unused and never known the difference.
 
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Secretary of State

bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov bizfileonline.sos.ca.gov

Ontario Business Registry

The Ontario Business Registry allows businesses and not-for-profit corporations to complete over 90 transactions online, including registering, incorporating, and updating their information.
www.ontario.ca www.ontario.ca

It does not look like the business is registered with the city or state, which is suspicious.

Seems like they get a lot of bad reviews.

www.yelp.com

Pool Supply Unlimited - Ontario, CA

Specialties: Pool Supply Unlimited is an e-commerce company that loves water. We love to pump it, filter it, heat it, chlorinate it, light it up and stare at it while we're barbequing a fat, juicy steak. There are real pool professionals working here. Our guys have seen thousands of pools in...
www.yelp.com www.yelp.com
 
Also, in my opinion, if a business sees that you're a TFP supporter, they know that you are not just some regular person that they can cheat and get away with it....just sayin.

www.troublefreepool.com

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The economics are very different today with liquid chlorine now 300-400% higher than before the pandemic. with those prices, a salt system will likely pay for itself over it’s lifespan of the equipment. Also there are some aftermarket brands that do well and are way cheaper than those offered by the the OEM manufacturers.
 
Rossterman said:
with those prices, a salt system will likely pay for itself over it’s lifespan of the equipment.
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It already did before. My unit had a return on investment over 2X. Then chlorine spiked and now it's probably 4X. SWGs had gone up in price also, but 30% and not 300%
 
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