3+ year old iChlor 30 leaking from where power cord meets the unit

[Skenn81]

It unit was installed in the fall of 2021 and has recently started leaking from the housing itself, not from the unions to the rest of the pool plumbing. Pentair website says 3 year warranty so this conveniently decided to break apart just out of that window.



The water appears to be starting under the housing there where the cord is attached and the dripping is happening every few seconds at this point. Not even sure where to start or if this can be repaired?

 

[Skenn81]

As an update I took off the cap for the flow sensor to see if thats where it was leaking from. It's not.

The actual housing itself is leaking for where the part the flow sensor sits in. Its leaking from under the black plastic part there that is attached to the body. Nothing is coming out from the top where the flow sensor is attached. I removed that anyway to check the seal and reapplied new plumbers tape just to rule that out.



Put it all back together and the sensor itself is working fine with no leaks, its the unit itself.

Is it shot after only 3 and bit years?

 

[Skenn81]

I just got off the phone with Pentair. They said that sure is a shame, sir, but the unit is over three years old and you need to replace the whole thing. The expected lifespan of these units is 3 to 4 years so we can only recommend buying a new one. It's out of warranty so nothing we can do to help.

I'll go back to tablets if they expect me to throw out a SWG every three years for a new one. I'm not talking about replacing just the cell, they said the whole unit is done and get a new one.

 

[ajw22]

30K cell in a 17K pool I would expect to least about 3 years in Florida.

Run the numbers and I think you will find the SWG costs less than 3 years of liquid chlorine. Using tablets and you will have to watch your CYA level and drain the water as needed.

The iChlor cells are a low quality budget product.

Consider the new IntelliChlor LT cell when it becomes available.

IntelliChlor® Plus & LT Salt Chlorine Generators

The IntelliChlor® Plus & LT Salt Chlorine Generators are new and improved designs that use ordinary table salt to help make pools cleaner, clearer, and silkier.

www.pentair.com

 

[TinFoilHat]

It sacrificed itself to save you tons of money on tablet or liquid chlorine.

 

[Newdude]

Did it freeze by you recently ? Its kinda rare for the housing to just break.

But then again, if the budget line had the production/quality of the flagship line, nobody would buy the flagship line.

Sorry it happened though.

 

[Skenn81]

30K cell in a 17K pool I would expect to least about 3 years in Florida.

Run the numbers and I think you will find the SWG costs less than 3 years of liquid chlorine. Using tablets and you will have to watch your CYA level and drain the water as needed.
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The cell itself I agree with, the internals can die out. In my situation the guts are working fine. The cell is happily making Cl for me, the flow sensor is doing it's thing, and the comms are working with my pump. What's leaking here is the housing itself in a place which appears to be completely sealed and there is nothing to repair. I'm fine with things breaking that can be replaced, I'm not happy about the unit itself leaking.

From the link you posted of the new LT line it sounds like they must have heard this before. "The updated designs allow the generators to have more serviceability". Any idea on pricing? I like how in the breakout diagram a lot more can be accessed.

It sacrificed itself to save you tons of money on tablet or liquid chlorine.

I should send Pentair an email thanking them instead of complaining!

Did it freeze by you recently ? Its kinda rare for the housing to just break.

No freeze this year here, it got cold but never did get to 32 or below. I'm really surprised at this because I even keep it covered with a UV fabric tent thing I've posted here in the past so it's never in direct sun and the rays are kept off it.

 

[ajw22]

No idea about pricing for the LT cells.

 

[Homebrewale]

How many gallons of water do you think is leaking out? If the cell is still working fine, I'd just let it leak until the cell fails.

 

[Skenn81]

So anyway this just showed up in the mail...





Supposed to be a drop in replacement for what I have so once I figure out all the details and get it up and running I'll make a full post on it. For now hopefully someone will enjoy these photos.

 

[ajw22]

So anyway this just showed up in the mail...

View attachment 631947

View attachment 631948

Supposed to be a drop in replacement for what I have so once I figure out all the details and get it up and running I'll make a full post on it. For now hopefully someone will enjoy these photos.

Nice. You are the first report of getting the new model cell. Let us know what you think about it.