Cost Comparisons to Chlorinate Pool Water

[IceShadow]

Didn't see this mentioned either, but the SWCG is also a lot more inflation-proof, at least until the cell needs replacing.

For all we know, liquid chlorine is going to be $50/gallon in two years. Who knows these days...

 

[Rossterman]

I don’t know about where you love but 10% CL is over $8/gal here now so there’s an even bigger cost savings than stated back in 2020.

 

[ShallowWater]

In the summer (May to September) it is likely your pool will consume about 4 ppm FC per day. Pretty typical for a pool in the desert (Riverside is close to the desert) in our southern area. The rest of the time October to April, you will average about 1 ppm FC loss per day. So 5 months at 4 ppm and 5 months at 1 ppm averages a shade over 2 ppm per day, year around. Your SWCG will not operate for 6-8 weeks in the winter when the water drops below about 55F.

Newdude did the math on how much each will generate.

I do recommend you replace the iChlor with an IC40 when the iChlor dies. The IC cells are far more robust and will have a longer life.

 

[ShallowWater]

I don’t know about where you love but 10% CL is over $8/gal here now so there’s an even bigger cost savings than stated back in 2020.

12.5% sodium hypochlorite is $8.50 a gallon at my local pool store. That puts it close to seven dollars a gallon at 10% sodium hypochlorite. Even with the cost of salt it’s obviously much cheaper! The use of softener water should help extend the life of the cell.

 

[Newdude]

I needed 6 bags to make up for the winter rain that went unchecked. I bought a 7th bag to have a spare for mid season. At $8 each the salt costs are negligible, even on the heavier precipitation years. 20 lbs of CYA and CH were $75 each by comparison.

 

[IceShadow]

And here it's $6.22 + tax per 50 lbs bag from Menards.

 

[hwy17]

I bought a new in box one off Craigslist because retail price wasn't a sure payoff.

Comes with risk of course, probably no manufacturer warranty. But I just checked my area and there is a clean looking NIB IC40 for $650 here.

 

[ShallowWater]

So now I'm thinking I'll be putting aside about $30/month to cover the eventual replacement.

It seems such a waste though to not just have the exchanger plates replaceable rather than tossing the whole unit in the trash.

Does anyone do refurbishments on these?

 

[mknauss]

Does anyone do refurbishments on these?

No.
See Inside a Pentair Intellichlor IC40 - Entertainment ONLY!

 

[ShallowWater]

No.
See Inside a Pentair Intellichlor IC40 - Entertainment ONLY!

Yes I saw that. I had a Hayward SWCG for my previous pool which are available rebuilt. All that should need replacing is the plates but not the electronics.

 

[reggiehammond]

ShallowWater - How long did your cell last? In the photos it looks reasonably new.
Are you sure it's dead? Or could it just be scaled over and reporting maintenance needed?

 

[ShallowWater]

My cell is fine. It was installed in November 2022 after the initial fill.

The Hayward unit in my previous pool was over 6 years old and going strong when that house was sold.

 

[reggiehammond]

Ah - I misread. You mentioned your friend had a dead cell, not your own.