CircuPool RJ45+ Cell Connection Error

Update: PCB adapter arrived very quickly and is working fine. I mus say, Circupool was very responsive and obviously knows about this and took care of me without issue. Also, I never should have waited so long to convert to salt. It has made life way easier without having to worry about adding bleach every day or when we go away.

Monty812 said:

I recently purchased the RJ45+ package in May 2020 and just installed it in Late June. Since installing it, it has had an error of Cell Connection. I contacted CircuPool directly about this problem and they sent me an adaptor to install that "should" fix the problem. Got it installed and still said the same thing on the display "Cell Connection". I called them a second time to discuss the issue and they decided to ship me a NEW cell as a replacement. Got it last week and still didn't fix the problem. Called them back a third time and they sent a return label for the controller and the replacement cell. This problem occurs when plugging the unit in to Power it up. It shows "Cell Connection" whether the Cell is plugged in or disconnected. Also, The Power light is on but you cannot turn the unit off or scroll through any of the menu options. It just stays on and you have to unplug to Power it down. I received an email yesterday (July 22) and here's what they said. See below for their replay. Here are the things I've checked per installing and trying to troubleshoot.
Switched wiring to 110V
Made sure unit was completely dry per installing
Checked connection pins on the bottom of the control box to make sure they weren't pushed up
Double and triple checked direction of the Flow Switch and Cell
Has anyone had this issue and what did you end up doing to solve?

Email received

Order Notes​

Your equipment passed all tests and all readings were accurate. The equipment is 100% operational and NO parts have been found to need replacement. We could not recreate a cell connection issue.

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I'm having the exact same issue. However, I installed my CircuPool RJ 45+ back in June of 2020 and it was working fine until today (9/24/2022). Now when the system comes on the CircuPool is stuck on the message "Cell Connection" and the keypad is not functioning. I also purchased my CircuPool RJ45+ back in May of 2020. I can't believe CircuPool is trying to charge money (magic box) to repair a failed Chlorine Generator that is still covered by Warranty.

Thanks Jay

add me to the list, 18 months of it working great.

Called and they are sending me the board for free, great customer service.

14 months after installation, looks like mine is doing the same thing as of today. Guess I'll be giving them a call tomorrow...

smkz said:

14 months after installation, looks like mine is doing the same thing as of today. Guess I'll be giving them a call tomorrow...

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I have an old rj45+(2016). The screen mostly died, and they said they can't sell me a screen but can sell me a refurb unit for $400. I said yes and got it installed, only for it to give the cell connection error right away. I checked everything on their troubleshooting page, and still nothing. Frustrated I put my old unit back in and it fired right up and started producing. I looked at the connectors and the newer units have 2 extra pins. Not sure what they are doing, but my cell doesn't even have them. probably why I am getting the error. I have emailed support, and we will see. I will be pretty ****** if they want me to buy a new cell for my replacement unit. put me in the $1000 range.

I am already heard up for a fight but as I have had to replace the control panel on my unit every year for 8 years now at my cost, other than the first time. they said their was no way to convert to the fixed control panel and I just had to keep replacing them with the defective ones at my cost. I was ready to change venders and now they are gonna lock me in with another $1000 and only a 90 day warranty.......we will see. loks like most folks have had better success with support recently.

Guentha said:

I have an old rj45+(2016). The screen mostly died, and they said they can't sell me a screen but can sell me a refurb unit for $400. I said yes and got it installed, only for it to give the cell connection error right away. I checked everything on their troubleshooting page, and still nothing. Frustrated I put my old unit back in and it fired right up and started producing. I looked at the connectors and the newer units have 2 extra pins. Not sure what they are doing, but my cell doesn't even have them. probably why I am getting the error. I have emailed support, and we will see. I will be pretty ****** if they want me to buy a new cell for my replacement unit. put me in the $1000 range.

I am already heard up for a fight but as I have had to replace the control panel on my unit every year for 8 years now at my cost, other than the first time. they said their was no way to convert to the fixed control panel and I just had to keep replacing them with the defective ones at my cost. I was ready to change venders and now they are gonna lock me in with another $1000 and only a 90 day warranty.......we will see. loks like most folks have had better success with support recently.

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I'm curious where your control panel is mounted. Is it indoor, outdoor? Is it covered or just exposed to the elements?

Rancho Cost-a-Lotta said:

I'm curious where your control panel is mounted. Is it indoor, outdoor? Is it covered or just exposed to the elements?

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It is outside under a covered porch. The plastic cover is also always on it. It doesn't seem to be a sun issue, as the plastics under the cover look basically brand new, but the control panels would always start to fail about 9 months after installation. You would push a button and nothing would happen, or you would push a button and a different action would happen. These are super simple control systems. It's a sticker with metal contacts separated by an air bubble. You press down and make contact, and it sends a signal to the actual control board. It's just the faceplate sticker that fails. just got used to buying one every spring.

I asked if there was an updated version, and they said yes, around 2019, but you can't switch between them. They have a different wiring, so they are not interchangeable. Yupo can still buy the old, broken design for these units. I literally bought one 2 months ago.

The screen is also different. My new one seems to be very bright and has a blue background. My old one was dark green with neon green writing. The new one looks way easier to see in daylight; the old one, you had to cover to read it.

They were giving away free wire adapters during covid for this reason, I think. I guess they don't make them anymore. My box looks new even being in direct sunlight as well. Nothing happened to my screen, but the keypad has acted up on me. I think it was 50ish bucks for a new one and it was easy to install. I have also had to replace the spring that keeps the cover up.

I will say their support is a hair frustrating sometimes, but at least they deal with DIY customers. They are obviously not pool pros, just resellers of Chinese SWGs with a decent warranty. If I had one of the name brand SWGs, I would have paid a ton more and needed to call a pool guy every time something like this happened.

When my cell went out, they had me send everything in then sent it all back saying it was fine. This was right before the 4 year warranty mark. It still messed up on me and I sent it back again. This time they said the cell needed to be replaced and they sent me and invoice for prorated warranty after 4 years. I successfully argued with them that they should honor the lower pre 4 year price since that's when we started the back and forth. I am tempted to replace this with a Intellichlor when it dies since I have an Intelliflo3 VSP now, but the price is really hard to stomach when comparing it to a replacement RJ-30 cell.

They are frustrating. However, you are correct. I had forgotten about all the other equipment I have with no warranty at all. I bought a Hayward TriStar VS 950 4 years ago and have had the inverter go bad twice. Hayward didn't care, so I sent it in to an eBay repair shop, and they said it couldn't be saved but they could send me a refurb for $500. I did it, and within a year, it also died. That company then told me to kick rocks when I wanted to warranty it. they strung me along for 3 months. Finally said send it I,n and about 2 months later it showed back up on my doorstep with a note saying no warranty. I was so frustrated I pulled the Hayward and bought the Intelaflow and have never been happier. Being able to set the flow rate is awesome since I have a huge solar array. it takes a lot more head pressure to get water up to the roof and if its not pushing enough flow, the vent at the top doesn't close, and its working against gravity the whole time. With enough pressure, it closes the vent, and the falling water pulls new water in, basically taking gravity out of the equation. I previously had to just set schedules to run the pump hard during the day wich was loud. now I set 40gpm and it figures it out when my solar turns on. Its also so nice to know if my filter needs cleaned. My system runs at around 400 watts. When I see that go up, I now know how much restriction is in the filter.

We will see how they handle the adapter. They have not responded in a few days, and my ticket says invalid now, even though they asked for my old serial number. If they screw this all up I may just eat the cost and go intelichlore as well. I always kinda saw pentair as the lower end company playing catchup with everyone else, but after switching to their pump and a DE 100 filter, I am super happy.