IC40 - some advice?

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matj6876

matj6876

0
LifeTime Supporter
Jul 28, 2007
109
DFW, TX
Pool Size
27000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Hi TFP Gurus

I'm looking for advice on my IC40 - I've read some of the threads in this part of the forum and edumakated myself a bit, but have some specific "advice to me" questions that I'd love to get some opinions on from folks who've been there and done that!

Background:
Previous owner put in pool 12 years ago. We moved in 4 years ago and converted to salt. Installed this IC40 at that time. Cell is 4 years old.
Have just completed re plaster and pump replacement. about 5 weeks ago. IC40 was NOT replaced as part of this upgrade.
I'm 5 weeks in from that being finished and, with awesome support from Jim R, have worked through some initial VariSpeed/Automation/EasyTouch issues.
As part of that troubleshooting we identified that the IC40 seems to have some issues:
  • The flow light is ALWAYS on when IC40 is powered. Even when pump is not running.
  • IC40 salt level reading is constanly 4700 when I am sure my salt level is 2600 +/-

For full disclosure - I've done no maintenance on the cell. Ever. My bad. :ncool:
The IC40 is producing chlorine at levels I would expect based on past years operation.

My numbers are fine, I think:
Temp: 86F - love me some North TX summers :sunny:
pH: 7.6
FC: 2.5
CC: 0
TC: 2.5
CH: 250
CYA: 50
TA: 130
NACL: 2600​

Meh! Maybe TA is a little high but this is a new start and it will come down with the amount of acid I'll end up adding over the next few weeks.
I'm testing the salt level with the Taylor K1766 (Silver Nitrate) test kit. I'm backing that reading over the SWCG reading as it's been consistently more reliable over the years and, at this point, I started with a fresh fill (NACL ~100ppm - tested) and added 560lbs of salt to a 27,000 gal pool... 2600 makes way more sense than 4700!
All other tests are with the TF-100 kit (of course!)

Questions:
  • At 4 years old, how far through the cell's expected life am I? I get there are probably many variables in play here (including no user maintenance!) but I have no idea if this thing should last me for 2 years or 10 years.
  • I'm pretty sure the flow switch is broken. Is it worth taking the cell out of the system to see if it's just "stuck" mechanically or chemically (corroded) and can be fixed?
  • If the flow switch cannot be fixed and the cell has life in it... is it worth doing a replacement on the flow switch? It looks like you can get both Pentair and OEM replacements.
  • Jim R said that a faulty flow switch is a potential safety issue. I have no reason to doubt Jim at all - he helped my out a bunch - but how bad is it?
  • I read on another thread that local pool stores will test the cell. As I'm pretty sure my cell is generating chlorine and equally sure my flow switch is toast... would there be any additional info to be gained from getting it tested?
  • I read on another thread that a faulty flow switch can cause erroneous NACL readings. True? If that's the case then I'm going to tackle my "flow" issues first.
  • If I have this thing apart... is it worth actually doing some maintenance and acid washing it?

Thanks in advance all.

Cheers
MattJ
 
There is a lot to unpack here.

Issue #1....It is a problem to have your "no flow" light ON with the pump off for extended periods of time (that's not a flow switch issue, it's a wiring issue).

Issue #2 .....Press and hold the "more" button for 3 seconds. If it lights up to 40%, that means 4,000 hours of usage (they can go to 10,000 hours).

Issue #3....Clean the cell for sure. 50%MA + 50% water. Let it fizz away and rinse.
 
It depends on usage hours, not length of time since purchased.

I'm not sure the switch is broken........ but if it was and I had only 4,000-6,000 hours used on my SWG, I'd replace the flow switch. It's easy. When this SWG dies, I'd pull the new switch out and save it for a spare.
 
Matt,

If the flow light is "Red" when the pump is off, then your flow switch is not bad. Red indicates low or no flow..

If I remember correctly, your flow light is "Green" with the pump off, which is actually two issues..

First, if the flow light is green it means your flow switch is closed... When the pump is off, the light cannot be green unless the flow switch or cell is bad.

Second, with the pump off, the cell should have zero lights.. The cell should not have any power if the pump is off. If it does, the salt system is not wired correctly.

Jim R.
 
That's interesting that you say there should be no lights on the cell if the pump is off. Our cell was professionally installed so am pretty sure it's wired correctly. The lights stay lit when the pump shuts down for the night, the only difference is the low flow indicator light which changes from green to flashing red. The lights are always on though regardless of pump status. It's connected to our automation system, perhaps that's the difference?
 
Embers said:
That's interesting that you say there should be no lights on the cell if the pump is off. Our cell was professionally installed so am pretty sure it's wired correctly. The lights stay lit when the pump shuts down for the night, the only difference is the low flow indicator light which changes from green to flashing red. The lights are always on though regardless of pump status. It's connected to our automation system, perhaps that's the difference?
Click to expand...

Sorry, but professionally installed or not, it is wired wrong. If you have an automation system the AC power to the salt cell must be wired through the Pump/Filter relay. This relay is on only when the pump is on which means when the pump is off the cell gets zero AC power.

Assuming you have the Easytouch with built-in salt system, just read the warning label on the SWCG's transformer to see what I mean.

Removing the power from the SWCG's transformer is the Primary safety device to prevent the cell from exploding. The Secondary safety device is the Flow Switch inside the cell. Explosions are rare, but have happened.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
Hey Jim - I started another thread so you didn't feel obligated to come back for round 2! You know when I get this flow switch working again I'm going to have more questions for you about flow rates & pump speeds, right? :)

To confirm, because both Jim R & Philo picked up on this:
In normal (Auto) operation my IC40 powers up and down with the pump. It's wired to the pump rely in the EasyTouch load center. I'm good there.
Embers - I agree with Jim, My ET/IC40 combo does not work the same as yours and maybe it'd be worth getting a second opinion on wiring?
As such, my flow light only has 2 states:
  • OFF - When the pump relay is off. Yes, all the other lights are off too. It has no power.
  • GREEN - When the pump relay is on. Regardless of flow rate

My flow light never goes RED. The only way I know it stays GREEN with the pump not running is I can engineer that situation by putting ET to "Service mode". Turning filter relay ON (IC40 powers up). Manually stopping the Intelliflow VS Pump locally on the pump control panel. It's a situation I forced for testing... not something I plan on running as part of a schedule. No explosions here!

Philo - Thanks for the Usage Hours Check. This cell comes up as 4000-6000 hours (2 lights). My manual calculation from records I've kept has it closer to 6000, but I guess the third light doesn't come on until you go over 6000 hours.
Either way - this cell has some life in it, I hope.

Cleaning kit and replacement flow switch ordered. Will post results back here in a week or so in case anyone searches on this thread in future.

Thanks all.
 

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Jimrahbe said:
Sorry, but professionally installed or not, it is wired wrong. If you have an automation system the AC power to the salt cell must be wired through the Pump/Filter relay. This relay is on only when the pump is on which means when the pump is off the cell gets zero AC power.

Assuming you have the Easytouch with built-in salt system, just read the warning label on the SWCG's transformer to see what I mean.

Removing the power from the SWCG's transformer is the Primary safety device to prevent the cell from exploding. The Secondary safety device is the Flow Switch inside the cell. Explosions are rare, but have happened.

Thanks,

Jim R.
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, my pool was built around the same time as the OP's pool (2007). I have the Pentair Easytouch with the IC40 option. As far as I can tell, the power to the SWCG transformer is NOT run through a relay. And, as far as I know, it was prewired this way at the factory (but it's possible that the pool contractor installed the option in the field).

Accordingly, the LEDs on the IC40 are always ON. It relies on the flow switch and an "ENABLE" signal from the Easytouch (via serial communication protocol). I don't know if the ENABLE signal switches ON and OFF with the pump or if it always ON. This is also how the Intelliflo VS pump is controlled.

I agree that wiring the SWCG through the pump relay would make for a safer system, but that doesn't appear to be the way that earlier Easytouch systems were wired.

In the OP's case, the IC40 was installed as an upgrade, so it's likely that the power center is indeed mis-wired. Pentair's 2015 installation instructions clearly indicate that the pump and SWCG should be turned on via the same power source/relay.
 
All

Reporting back to close this thread out. In my case the flow switch was broken.

The cleaning kit arrived first, so I removed the cell and cleaned it thoroughly. The flow switch was visibly scaled but not stuck.
Reinstalled the cell and still no joy on the flow light - stuck on green. That said, my flow rate was noticeably improved. Man that cell must have been gunked up!

The replacement flow switch arrived today and, as a side note to anyone who may be concerned... it's super easy to replace!
Clear instructions and can be done without removing the cell from the system.

On removing the switch it was clear that the scale had done a bunch of damage. It was split top to bottom and obviously corroded enough to remain open (or closed) and register that the flow was good.
Cautionary tale to anyone not cleaning their cell on a regular basis that it's probably advisable to do so!

Now the switch is replaced, the flow light (and I assume safely cutoff) is working as expected and my salt reading has also corrected to something in an acceptable range. It's still reading a little high but not way over the top.

In response to Peterl1365's post, I do still have pump control issues. That's a topic for another thread.
Thanks for the advice on this one folks. Problem Solved!

Cheers
MattJ
 
FYI -- keeping your CSI between -0.3 and 0 will keep your SWCG calcium buildup at a minimum.

I have not cleaned my SWCG in over 3 years. With CH levels over 800 ppm at times.
 
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