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I'm in a similar situation as the OP, although it's a little bit more stable since I added borates. I am tempted to do as you suggest, but my area has relatively hard fill water so I also fight rising CH. Is 7.8 safe to use with CH around 300-500?

Most likely, the Pentair gaskets are stocked at Leslie's Pool. I don't know if there are any non-standard Pentair/Amerilite gaskets, but it is of course possible. Buying online/phone is probably a hair cheaper, but I think they're only 12 bucks at Leslie's, so it might be more convenient.

Just to add my two cents, the Pentair VS+ET4+IC40 automation system I specified in my pool 10 years ago was the best investment I've ever made. The VS has made electrical costs practically a non-factor, and the ET4+IC40 reduces maintenance to a once-per-week tweaking. Like others have said...

Re: SWG panel showed "check salt" light green, Check cell blinking red. Now normal. I think your theory about the water temp is correct. Last weekend I added two bags of salt. For the first few hours, my Pentair SWG was reading 2450 ppm and gave a low salt warning. This morning, after a...

I did the same thing. Managed to replace about 4-5 inches of water over the last couple of weeks. CH was in the 650+ range. Haven't had it tested since, but I'm hopeful that it will be in the low-mid 500's. Only bummer is that I need to add salt and CYA.

Yes, VF is variable flow. Pentair sells both types, with the VF being a higher cost. The difference is that the VF model somehow measures flowrate and adjusts the pump speed to maintain your flow setting as the backpressure builds up in the filter. I have the VS because it was ~$300 cheaper at...

Just throwing in my two cents. If you own or are building a pool in California, a VS/VF pump is a no brainer. It will likely pay for itself in a few years, and the flexibility it buys you is enormous. When I had my pool built in 2007, I put in the Pentair VS. Best decision I ever made. I also...

1% granularity may not be critical, but 20% is definitely inadequate, in my opinion. 5-10% steps would be perfect for most cases. Connecting the IC to the ET also gives an easy way to read diagnostics and approximate salt levels. Also, in my case, the newer generation IC's have the control...

It's also possible to just install the IC40/60 and not connect it to the ET. The only downside would be a possible need to occasionally clear debris from the inlet of the IC. I don't think there's a significant risk of scaling when the unit is not powered up. The dummy cell is fine, but it is...

Actually, for a 24-28K gallon pool, the IC60 may very well be the better choice. My comment about the IC40 versus IC60 was based on your initial post that your pool was going to be around 15K. You might also want to consider a bigger filter. If I recall, the 520 SF filter was only about $100...

Might also be the temperature sensor. It is embedded in the flow switch, and this can cause low-salt readings. I had this happen to me about a year ago. Replaced the switch (~80-100 dollars), and all has been well ever since. My IC40 continues to produce chlorine well into the low 60's or even...

Miles, The pool you are building is very much similar to what I got around 10 years ago. All the advice everyone else has offered has been spot-on. I just wanted to add my two cents. I've never used a robot cleaner, so I can't speak for it's superiority. I do know that my Hayward Navigator...

It might be that the newer installation manuals recommend wiring through the pump relay. My copy of the IC40 installation manual (circa 2007) does not discuss this wiring at all, other than to say that it is pre-wired for 220 VAC. It does not show a relay anywhere in the circuit. It is...

I presume you're setting it through the Easy Touch interface. I don't recall exactly, but I think the 20% light will come on, but I believe it blinks to indicate something less than 20% Similarly, if you set it to 30%, the 20% light will be steady, but the 40% light will blink. I don't think...

I have a very similar system as the OP and it is wired the same way. The IC40 stays ON 24/7, but is only actively producing CL when the flow switch is activated. It probably doesn't matter too much either way, but I'm not sure about running it through the pump/filter relay: 1) I'd be a...

I had a very similar problem earlier this year. It turned out to be a bad flow sensor. http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/88473-IC40-s-CAN-NOT-be-recalibrated?p=762742&viewfull=1#post762742 The sensor is not cheap, but it's a lot cheaper than replacing the whole cell. Unfortunately, it's...

If it's a new build, I would definitely go with the Intelliflo. That's what I put on my new pool build about 8 years ago, and I'm glad that I did. One thing to consider is that the Intelliflo is basically a 3 HP motor (with a 1.0 Service Factor). Most likely, you don't NEED 3 HP worth of flow...

Not really sure, but it sounds like a motor experiencing some type of internal short. Sometimes, a breakdown in the internal insulation can cause the winding wires to short to themselves. The current is shunted through just part of the winding, which can lead to excessive current, heating, and...

On my IC40, I think the flashing green and red LED's indicate that the cell is measuring the salt level. It takes a couple of minutes, and then it should turn a solid red or solid green. My IC40 reads about 4200 ppm, but it doesn't give a high salt warning. I think the threshold is at about...

^^^ Good advice. That's what I have, and I'm glad I did it. The automation is very helpful and controls the IC40 very nicely. If your pool is also going to have a spa, then you should seriously consider getting the 8 function version for ~500 more. It may not seem necessary, but tt will let...

This could probably be done without too much trouble (if you have sufficient programming skills), if you could get your hands on the protocol. A simple USB-to-RS485 converter and some code should be all you would need. I haven't looked into this for some time, so I did a search. Have you...

I'm also in So. California. The Lowe's and Home Depot in my neighborhood both stopped selling the 31% stuff a few years ago. I thought it was a regulatory thing. I buy my acid from a pool store, but it would be more convenient to get it at Lowe's.

Mostly, it's cheap insurance that the pool won't go green if I forget to add chlorine for a day or two. Tablets are a double edged sword, because you can put a weeks worth of tablets into a floater, but then you still need to remember to refill it at the appropriate time. Too soon and chlorine...

I think the biggest problem is that the pool automation systems don't have any reliable sensors. I tried to do some home-brewed automation 8 years ago when our pool was built, but the cost of getting the necessary measurements (pH, CL, hardness, etc) into the system made it an unattractive...

I had a similar problem with my previous IC40 cell about 5 years ago. Was working fine, then all of a sudden went dark. Don't want to alarm you unnecessarily, but it never worked again. I don't think it's an intentional EOL indicator. I think what's likely happening is that the onboard voltage...

Nothing wrong with the IC40 remaining powered on. There is a flow sensor built into the cell. When the pump is off, the IC40 is deactivated, even though the lights are still on.

Sorry, haven't checked in here for a few days. Yes, you're correct that there does seem to be a secondary board. I presume the 4-pin connector in your photo connects to that secondary board and to a black circular plastic connector at the bottom of the cabinet. I can't really tell from the...

This is from the current EasyTouch manual. Note that as many as 6 devices might connect tothe comm port in the lower left corner.f Sorry for the small size. You can download the manual at the link. http://www.pentairpool.com/pdfs/EasyTouchICPUG.pdfhttp://

Per the EasyTouch manual, the black wire is GND and the red wire is +15VDC. The other two wires are for an RS485/422 connection which is on the order of 5VDC or less. Typically, neither side of an RS-485 connection is grounded. I doubt that the cable is bad since the cell is still powering up...