Max salt level reading IC40?

[Killer95Stang]

We are coming to the conclusion of the 5th full season for my pool, with same Pentair IC40 from day one. Since I'm in Sunny Socal, my pool is open 365 days a year with only 1 month or so where the water is too cold for the SWG to produce chlorine.

After perfect operation of the IC40 for all these years and very minimal build up of scale on the plates (only had to clean once in 5 years), I finally got a low flow red warning light on the unit itself. Bumping the Intelliflo rpm up to 1800rpm from 1600rpm was good enough as a temporary fix while I figured out what to do next. Since I just cleaned the filter a couple weeks ago (only needs it twice a year), I figured the units flow sensor was going bad. At this time I also noticed that the IC40 was reading 4100ppm salt. Using the Taylor 1766 salt kit, I got a reading of 3200ppm. So, I purchased a replacement Optimum branded flow sensor replacement from Pool Guy Supply, which arrived in 2 days.

Today I replaced the Flow sensor which was easy enough and I cleaned IC40, using a 4:1 mixture of water and acid. I noticed a decent amount of Calcium buildup, which was greater than I had seen in the past. I figured that probably contributed to the lower than normal flow situation. After everything was buttoned back up, the IC40 started working good again and I was able to lower the RPM back down to 1600 rpm for normal pool filtering operation. .. But, now the high salt warning light was blinking. When I check diagnostics on the Easytouch, my IC40 is now reporting 5000ppm salt.

So what my question is.. will the the higher than normal salt reading from the IC40 cause it to stop working? Is their a ceiling where the IC40 stops producing salt? When I do a manual test, my IC40 is reporting about 4000 hours of use. I figured I was getting near end of life for the IC40, but wouldn't mind it if I could limp it through the winter months, so I can start with a fresh unit next season.

Since everyone loves test results...

FC 5.5
TC 5.5
CC 0.0
TA 60
CH 900+
CYA 80
Salt 3200
Borates 35-40
PH 7.5

 

[ajw22]

The IC40 manual does not say that the cell will shut down on high salt. It is just warning you that high salt may cause corrosion. If you know you don’t have high salt i would ignore it. Thats about all you can do and keep an eye on it.

 

[Jimrahbe]

ks,

I agree with Allen... You are much better off reading too high with the actual salt about right. For most, the problem is the opposite where they have to have 5K actual just to get the salt cell reading 2800.. Normally, a new Flow Switch fixes issue.

I too would just live with it. The cell will not shut off due to "thinking" it has a high salt level.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Sounds good to me... I figured as much. I've always run the salt cell at 50% for 8 hours a day.. and bump it up during the summer season. This summer I'm up to 10 hours and 80%, but we've also had a higher than normal summer with temps near 100 and reaching as high as 115 where I live. If I leave the cover off, I need to pour in about 2 cups of chlorine (12%) every other day to keep me at 5ppm and above. If I put the cover back on after we swim, then it has no problem maintaining chlorine levels at 7ppm with 85 - 89 degree water.

My plan all along was to get an IC60 as a replacement to hopefully keep me from supplementing with liquid chlorine during the summer. But.. If I can save a few bucks limping this IC40 along, I'll do that while I can.

 

[JamesW]

Did the new flow switch have 2 wires or 4?

 

[Jimrahbe]

Sounds good to me... I figured as much. I've always run the salt cell at 50% for 8 hours a day.. and bump it up during the summer season. This summer I'm up to 10 hours and 80%, but we've also had a higher than normal summer with temps near 100 and reaching as high as 115 where I live. If I leave the cover off, I need to pour in about 2 cups of chlorine (12%) every other day to keep me at 5ppm and above. If I put the cover back on after we swim, then it has no problem maintaining chlorine levels at 7ppm with 85 - 89 degree water.

My plan all along was to get an IC60 as a replacement to hopefully keep me from supplementing with liquid chlorine during the summer. But.. If I can save a few bucks limping this IC40 along, I'll do that while I can.

What is your pool volume? With a 20K pool your cell will provide .35 ppm per hour at 100% output.. So 10 hours is 3.5 ppm and 80% is 2.8 ppm, which is not out of reason for usage in sunny SoCal. but if you need to add another 2 cups of chlorine per day, then I'm not sure.

If it were my pool I would run an OCLT, just to make sure nothing it growing... Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Killer95Stang]

Did the new flow switch have 2 wires or 4?

New flow switch was of the 4 wire variety, which matched perfectly to my IC40 (2012 build date).

 

[Killer95Stang]

What is your pool volume? With a 20K pool your cell will provide .35 ppm per hour at 100% output.. So 10 hours is 3.5 ppm and 80% is 2.8 ppm, which is not out of reason for usage in sunny SoCal. but if you need to add another 2 cups of chlorine per day, then I'm not sure.

If it were my pool I would run an OCLT, just to make sure nothing it growing... Overnight Chlorine Loss Test

Thanks,

Jim R.

Pool volume is 20K, give or take a thousand gallons. I was only adding 16oz of 12% chlorine when my FC dipped below 4, about every other day when the weather was in the upper 90's to above 100 degrees. The addition of 16oz raises my pool about 1 to 1.5ppm. With the cover on, I imagine my chlorine will continue to rise above my target of 5-7ppm.

I'll do the OCLT tonight and see where I am at... My guess is my IC40 is getting old and reducing it's output based on wear of the plates. Right now the pool is pretty clear, at my normal being able to see the screw head type from my floor drains.

- - - Updated - - -

final question... what should I expect as far as longevity of my current IC40? I hear 3 to 5 years thrown around a lot, but others are saying 7 years. If I make it to the 6th season, I figured I got my monies worth?

 

[Jimrahbe]

ks,

Not all claims are the same... Just like the gas tank on your car, cell's hold a certain amount of ability to generate chlorine. So if you only drive your car to the store and back that tank could last a long time. The more you drive the faster you use up the tank of gas.

The harder you run the cell the more hours you use up. If I remember right an IC40 is supposed to contain about a 10,000 hours of operation

My guess is that most people use about 1500 to 2500 hours per year or 4 to 6 years. In theory a big cell on little pool will last longer.

Thanks,

Jim R.