replacing a Clormatic CM601

[steelman93]

I have an older clormatic CM601 with a cell that is a little over 4 years old, this is the end of the 5th season on it.

I am getting a service code of 121, low current in reverse direction to cell. I looked at the cell, and do not see any evidence of scaling. I had a service man come out for a few other issues I was having, and he said that this code was evidence that the circuit board in the controller is going bad. Most of what I read online indicates my cell is going bed.

I am thinking that regardless of whether the cell is good or bad I should look at replacing the entire system to something newer. I would like recommendations. I will be doing the installation myself so as close to drop in as possible is a positive for me. Could somebody give me a recommendation as to which unit I should purchase? I have a 19,000 gallon vinyl pool, in ground.

I realize that this question is open to all types of personal preference and I have read all the threads on SWG recommendations in the forum, would just like to update everybody’s two cents. It seems like the two I see recommended the most are Aquarite and Compupool. I use salt test strips so accuracy of the salt reading is not that important to me, but the accuracy of the water temperature is, because I have a solar heater tied in to that. Other than that ease of installation is the most critical factor to me.

TIA

 

[Pool Clown]

Typical life of the cell is about 10,000 hrs. or 5 years/seasons. 5 years and 120/121 codes on a clean cell usually means a new cell.

Chlormatic is now Jandy AquaPure. A/P changed the cell a few years ago, so any cell replacement will require a bit of re-plumbing. As far as the box goes, that is pretty much the same (hookup). Pentairs' Intellichlor IC-40 is also pretty easy to install. So if you can stomach the cost, installing shouldn't give you much of a problem.

 

[GuruOfPools]

Hi Pool Clown,

I know this is a little late but perhaps it will help others. We recommend the AquaRite SWG as a replacement. We have been using the AquaRite for the last 10 years and have been satisfied with the results. I do not have any experience with the Comupool units but I have had negative feed back from our customers who have purchased their replacement cells for the AquaRite SWG. Zodiac Aqua Pure is a good unit, however they are pricey and their replacement part warranty policy is not good; 1 year cell, 90 days parts. The Intelliclor unit seems pretty good,the only issue I have with this unit is that there are not any replaceable parts. If something fails you have to replace the whole cell/unit, not exactly cost effective.

Those are the big three players and of them the AquaRite will probably be the least difficult to find parts and trouble shooting assistance.

Best of Luck

The Guru of Pools

 

[steelman93]

Thanks for the replies. Based on the size of my pool (19,000 gallons) and the best pricing I could find could you tell me which one you would buy?

40k gallon aquarite for $886
40k gallon aquarite pro for $1018
25k gallon aquarite for $843
25k gallon aquarite for $939
35k gallon Aquapure EI for $649
40k gallon aquapure 1400 for $945

and an aquapure

 

[jblizzle]

We generally recommend sizing the cell 1.5 to 3 times the size off your pool ... Although each company rates theirs differently.

So, the 25k might be a bit in the small side.

What is the difference between the regular Aquarite and the pro?

Posted from my Droid with Tapatalk ... sorry if my response is short

 

[steelman93]

the aquarite pro can be used with the automatic chemical dispenser. I probably would not ever use that so I guess the question is do I go with the Aquarite or one of the Jandy systems?

Thanks

 

[Pool Clown]

I would recommend that you get the largest available 35-40K.

Remember when i said that the cell lasts for 10K hrs or 5 years? Well, with a larger system the cell puts out more Cl. That means you wouldn't need to run it as long as the smaller cell. Translation, less time the cell is on, which means the cell will last longer. Example: The 40 can run at say 25%, while the 20 may need to run as high as 50% to achieve the same Cl production.

Keep in mind that these are estimates, your results may vary bla bla bla...

 

[steelman93]

thanks pool clown. So is the 40k aquarite worth the $225 more than the $35k Aquapure?

 

[RobbieH]

Keep in mind that your EDIT: SALT reading WILL matter. It needs to match what's in the pool or you'll have issues. I just recalibrated mine to resolve that exact issue. The salt in the pool was over 5000ppm but the SWG thought it was 3000. It caused the SWG to overheat and shut down. Being able to recalibrate the system is a good feature.

 

[Pool Clown]

Jandy and Pentair units should not need calibrating other than the button you push one time on the Jandy tri sensor adaptor board.