Hayward T 15 Cell Replacement - Feedback on Generic/Compatibles?

[bobandsherry]

I've been looking at Hayward OEM and best price I've found is $475 (for T-15 cell), so perhaps there are better prices to be found on the cell (anyone find it for less?). I've seen some lower prices on the generic/compatible. Anyone have feedback (good or bad) with using a generic/compatible replacement for Hayward AquaRite cell? If so, what brand and how long have you had the replacement cell?

 

[Arizonarob]

I can’t speak for them personally, but a friend of mine swears by These replacements. And it comes with a 5 year warranty.

 

[setsailsoon]

Bob,

I just installed a Circupool SWG and I did a fair amount of research on them. They seem to be lower price for the chlorine output and they have better warranty. Reviews here and other sites are very good. I would try their replacement, looks like they have a direct replace at over $100 less. I'm just now doing final adjustments so I'm an SWG newbie but I already wish I had doen this a long time ago.

Out of curiosity, how long did you T Cell-9 last?

Hope this helps

Chris

 

[BasicTek]

here's another option to think about Goldline/Hayward Salt Chlorinator Cell *Repair Service* T-CELL-15 GLX-T-CELL-15 700161441826 | eBay

 

[bobandsherry]

I can’t speak for them personally, but a friend of mine swears by These replacements. And it comes with a 5 year warranty.

I had found that product, but quickly decided to take a hard pass when I saw this and read the comments:

Saltpoolstore.com | Better Business Bureau® Profile

Further research (using their phone #) shows yet another BBB profile, this one in IL with equally bad comments about warranty replacement of the cells.

Salt Pool Store | Better Business Bureau® Profile

And then I found that their phone # was also tied to another company "4saltspool.com" which has equally as bad of comments/complaints.

 

[bobandsherry]

Bob,

I just installed a Circupool SWG and I did a fair amount of research on them. They seem to be lower price for the chlorine output and they have better warranty. Reviews here and other sites are very good. I would try their replacement, looks like they have a direct replace at over $100 less. I'm just now doing final adjustments so I'm an SWG newbie but I already wish I had doen this a long time ago.

Out of curiosity, how long did you T Cell-9 last?

Hope this helps

Chris

I had read some good things on Cirupool, but site I checked was only $35 difference in price vs. the OEM. Where are you seeing it for $100 less than the $475 for Hayward OEM?

I had my Cell-9 replaced last year, it was only 2 years old. Hayward replacement was only a 1 yr cell. For those who take their cell to the pool store to be tested, it passed many tests by local pool store, yet was not working right. So don't trust the pool store testers to really validate if a cell is or isn't working right. The replacement is running fine, but being it is only 1 year warranty and that I just would like to replace with a larger cell (reduce the amount of pump run time) I thought I'd look "pre-season" to see if any deals and be ready for another summer here in FL.

 

[bobandsherry]

here's another option to think about Goldline/Hayward Salt Chlorinator Cell *Repair Service* T-CELL-15 GLX-T-CELL-15 700161441826 | eBay

That's interesting, but the rebuilt only comes with 1 yr warranty vs 3 yr (which would now be 5 yr by using my credit card to extend the manufacturer warranty by 2 years) for the OEM. I'd be curious how he's rebuilding these, do these even have option to come apart to be serviced?

 

[setsailsoon]

I had read some good things on Cirupool, but site I checked was only $35 difference in price vs. the OEM. Where are you seeing it for $100 less than the $475 for Hayward OEM?

I had my Cell-9 replaced last year, it was only 2 years old. Hayward replacement was only a 1 yr cell. For those who take their cell to the pool store to be tested, it passed many tests by local pool store, yet was not working right. So don't trust the pool store testers to really validate if a cell is or isn't working right. The replacement is running fine, but being it is only 1 year warranty and that I just would like to replace with a larger cell (reduce the amount of pump run time) I thought I'd look "pre-season" to see if any deals and be ready for another summer here in FL.

Bob,

I may have missed the point that you are going with a larger cell, I just checked the T-9 cell replacement. The Circupool replacement cells only carry the original OEM warranty. Their new units use a different cell that has 5-7 years pro-rated depending on the model you buy. I bought mine from the Discount Salt Pool Store. I had never done any business with them prior to this but their ratings were high and I was very satisfied with their performance. Click here to go to the sale page on their website. Here's a clip from the page:





1-2 years seems very short life and may be explained by the lower salt capacity and/or lack of proper maintenance. How often did you clean the cell and what % capacity/ run-time? Just curious why you're buying the new unit while you have the replacement still running? You can always use liquid chlorine for a week or so while you wait for the new unit after your existing unit fails.

Another thing I like is that Circupool gives DIY'ers the same warranty as a professional installer. Most other brands limit DIY warranties. Jandy reduces it to zero except for valves and valve parts.

I've found pool stores to be very unreliable. Sometimes they have a person in the store that really knows what he's doing and most of the time they don't. You never know which one you're dealing with.

I hope this helps.

Chris

 

[setsailsoon]

I had found that product, but quickly decided to take a hard pass when I saw this and read the comments:

Saltpoolstore.com | Better Business Bureau® Profile

Further research (using their phone #) shows yet another BBB profile, this one in IL with equally bad comments about warranty replacement of the cells.

Salt Pool Store | Better Business Bureau® Profile

And then I found that their phone # was also tied to another company "4saltspool.com" which has equally as bad of comments/complaints.

Bob,

I found the same info, that's why I went to Circupool and Discount Salt Pool. I'm very new to this SWG stuff but I can tell you I sure do love cutting the chlorine jug cord! I also found that automating the Circupool is very easy with any control system if you have a spare control relay. Just connect the unit to the spare relay and then time it to come on about 10 min after your pump. Once you get your % power set you can make minor run time adjustments remotely to tweak the FC output to your desired level. And you can turn it off if you are in the spa and your install is before the pool/spa split.

Chris

 

[Arizonarob]

I had found that product, but quickly decided to take a hard pass when I saw this and read the comments:

Saltpoolstore.com | Better Business Bureau® Profile

Further research (using their phone #) shows yet another BBB profile, this one in IL with equally bad comments about warranty replacement of the cells.

Salt Pool Store | Better Business Bureau® Profile

And then I found that their phone # was also tied to another company "4saltspool.com" which has equally as bad of comments/complaints.

Thanks for the heads up. Going to shoot this info over to my friend. Looks like he may have dodged a bullet so far. But at least he’ll know this going forward.

 

[bobandsherry]

Bob,

I may have missed the point that you are going with a larger cell, I just checked the T-9 cell replacement. The Circupool replacement cells only carry the original OEM warranty. Their new units use a different cell that has 5-7 years pro-rated depending on the model you buy. I bought mine from the Discount Salt Pool Store. I had never done any business with them prior to this but their ratings were high and I was very satisfied with their performance. Click here to go to the sale page on their website. Here's a clip from the page:



View attachment 94589

1-2 years seems very short life and may be explained by the lower salt capacity and/or lack of proper maintenance. How often did you clean the cell and what % capacity/ run-time? Just curious why you're buying the new unit while you have the replacement still running? You can always use liquid chlorine for a week or so while you wait for the new unit after your existing unit fails.

Another thing I like is that Circupool gives DIY'ers the same warranty as a professional installer. Most other brands limit DIY warranties. Jandy reduces it to zero except for valves and valve parts.

I've found pool stores to be very unreliable. Sometimes they have a person in the store that really knows what he's doing and most of the time they don't. You never know which one you're dealing with.

I hope this helps.

Chris

Heh - my bad, I thought I had mentioned the cell size in my original post, but obviously not. Heck, I knew what I meant . Updated my original post to mention that.

I maintain my pool pretty religiously. testing twice a week (I also have the test kit for salt, so I keep an eye on that as well). My pool builder thinks I do too much testing... but rather prevent a problem than spend time to clean up an issue later. So that said, I always keep my pool within the TFP recommended levels. I check the cell regularly and rarely see any build up (rarely find anything). Even when I brought the cell in to be tested the guy at the pool store originally thought my problem was due to build up in the cell, but as he looked the cell was basically spotless.

No idea why my last cell died an early death, but with pool running year round I'm going to guess that my 2 years equates to 4+ years for those in the northern states. The guy who replaced it said it's pretty common for those cells to go belly up and wasn't surprised.

As for why I'm looking when my current cell is working. Seems that things always go wrong at the most inconvenient time. Since my last "3 year" cell died in 2 years I'm not expecting this "1 year" cell to hold up more than two seasons. So looking now if there's any pre-season pricing. And then looking to get a bigger cell to give me more headroom on the chlorine production as the heat and endless sun here in the summer, pool is also southern facing so that's great to warm the water but harder on the FC. Larger cell will also let me run the SWG less often (lower %) and then hoping that I'll get a longer life from it.

 

[bobandsherry]

Thanks for the heads up. Going to shoot this info over to my friend. Looks like he may have dodged a bullet so far. But at least he’ll know this going forward.

I guess as long as his cell is working then it's all good. Just seems that once there is a problem your friend will probably just need to look to buy another cell than to expect any warranty.

 

[BasicTek]

That's interesting, but the rebuilt only comes with 1 yr warranty vs 3 yr (which would now be 5 yr by using my credit card to extend the manufacturer warranty by 2 years) for the OEM. I'd be curious how he's rebuilding these, do these even have option to come apart to be serviced?

No idea, I was just checking ebay sellers as I recalled they were low cost replacements with good reviews and ran across this. Watch the wording on the warranties I've never seen anyone get a longer than hayward warranty that offered actual replacement for more than 2 years. On that link after thinking about it the price is just too high no matter how they do it.

 

[ping]

Hayward cells come with a 3 year full replacement warranty and if it fails they will replace it with a cell that is rated with a one year warranty. You will always retain the 3 year warranty but if the cell fails at 2.8 years then the replacement cell warranty will kick in for a full year which would give you 3.8 years full replacement warranty. Don't expect too much more than a years worth of use out of the one year cells if you're in a warmer climate.

For what it's worth, only OEM cells will be used in my system.

 

[Fuldo]

Some of my thoughts:

1) The T-9 is relatively low capacity and only generates 0,.7# per day. I suspect it must be run hard and long to keep-up, especially in the summer. I'd guess it's running at least 10 hours per day at 100% in July and August. The harder cells are run the shorter their lifetime.
2) The T-15 has a capacity of 1.4# per day, twice that of the T-9. From what I've seen the Aqua Rite controller is capable of running many cell sizes including the T-15 and the two cells are physically interchangeable. If so, probably the most cost effective solution is to simply upgrade to a Hayward T-15 cell.
3) The chlorine demand in summer in central Florida is abut 3X that of the winter demand, at least that's my experience with a very similar pool. Some people tend to run with their summer settings year-round or at least run them harder in the off season than needed. I suspect that's not the case with Bob but monitoring FC level year-round and adjusting SWG output to keep it in the suggested range helps to maximize cell life.
4) If it was my pool I'd try to guesstimate the total SWG run hours and chlorine production as time passes. This will help to indicate premature cell failure and will also help to predict end-of-life in advance. It will also show how well sized the cell is.

 

[bobandsherry]

Some of my thoughts:

1) The T-9 is relatively low capacity and only generates 0,.7# per day. I suspect it must be run hard and long to keep-up, especially in the summer. I'd guess it's running at least 10 hours per day at 100% in July and August. The harder cells are run the shorter their lifetime.
2) The T-15 has a capacity of 1.4# per day, twice that of the T-9. From what I've seen the Aqua Rite controller is capable of running many cell sizes including the T-15 and the two cells are physically interchangeable. If so, probably the most cost effective solution is to simply upgrade to a Hayward T-15 cell.
3) The chlorine demand in summer in central Florida is abut 3X that of the winter demand, at least that's my experience with a very similar pool. Some people tend to run with their summer settings year-round or at least run them harder in the off season than needed. I suspect that's not the case with Bob but monitoring FC level year-round and adjusting SWG output to keep it in the suggested range helps to maximize cell life.
4) If it was my pool I'd try to guesstimate the total SWG run hours and chlorine production as time passes. This will help to indicate premature cell failure and will also help to predict end-of-life in advance. It will also show how well sized the cell is.

Agree with your points. And def the Florida summer drives up the demand. Even our winter has been very mild, have been around 80 for weeks, so even winter has been similar to summer with exception of the hours of sunlight - and that's now increasing.

With a VSP I just keep my pump running 24 hours, rev up for a few hours in the morning for cleaning and then throttle it back to 1500 RPM for the rest of the day, doesn't cost much per month. I currently have my SWG at 20%, but come summer that pushes up to 60-80%. I def keep an eye on my SWG output, that's how I was able to see that the cell was failing before it just completed crapped out. I was running at 100% and still not producing enough FC. I did OCLT and passed, water crystal clear, so it wasn't algae.

I don't know how much I trust the replacement cell. Its salt reading is much higher than actual testing shows. My tests reads 3000 but the cell is reporting 3400. My last cell was pretty much spot on. So my confidence in the 1 yr replacement isn't high, but it's doing the job for now. So I'm keeping my eyes open for a deal so I can swap out with a "better" cell.

 

[ping]

You have to worry about a failing cell when the reported salinity is lower than expected. Usually one side of the cell wears out sooner than the other and you can check this by checking the diagnostic readings while the cell is on and producing and note what the instant salinity reads. You then switch the cell off and and then back on and check the instant salinity again to see how close they match each other. If both readings match or read above the actual salinity the cell is in very good shape.

 

[Fuldo]

Bob,
We have similar pools and situations but you are using about 50% more chlorine than I am both now and summer. Maybe it's an east-west coast difference or perhaps exposure differences. I'm only running about CYA 50 as well, what do you run your CYA at? That system of yours appears to be the bare minimum, upgrading in size would certainly extend life and also give you more flexibility.

 

[bobandsherry]

Bob,
We have similar pools and situations but you are using about 50% more chlorine than I am both now and summer. Maybe it's an east-west coast difference or perhaps exposure differences. I'm only running about CYA 50 as well, what do you run your CYA at? That system of yours appears to be the bare minimum, upgrading in size would certainly extend life and also give you more flexibility.

Not sure how much sunshine your pool gets, but I have a direct southern exposure and other than a couple of palms (and the screen itself) there's nothing that blocks the sun. Similar to your pool? I'd only think that East/West coast would have some minor differences, you are just slightly further north though.

I'm not sure that my replacement cell is producing at the expected level. I know that the salt reading is off (has been since it was installed) so gives me some pause if the output is as expected. I know last year I had throttled my original cell back to 5-10% during the same period (when I'm now running at 20%), but it was also much colder last year with water temps dropping into the 50's. This year my water temp hasn't dropped below 65 and has mostly averaged in low 70's.

Here's my last test results (two days ago):
FC: 5.0
pH: 8.0
TA: 70
CH: 370
CYA: 60
Salt: 3000
Temp: 72

 

[Fuldo]

Something is different! My low was 57 this year and my water temps were high 50s to very low 60s from mid December through the first week of February. It's finally made it to 72-73. That probably explains some of the difference in calculated chlorine use. Maybe your present cell output is less but the numbers you mentioned from last year show both water temps and generation about the same as mine this year. Unfortunately it all points to the fact you have barely enough SWG capacity and cell life will be compromised.