Hayward TC-15 replacement options

[suttonlr]

Hey y’all,
I have a Hayward TC-15 Salt system. Original cell lasted 3-4 years. The $350 Amazon replacement has now lasted a year and is giving “hot” error messages. The on screen display has never worked with the knock off but the tiny bubbles come out of the return and my pool always looks great. Now I have the error messages and I need a replacement. Is anyone having luck with a cheaper alternative? The Hayward now costs $900. My pool is actually 10k gallons but I was told on here to go with the tc-15 and just don’t run the pump as long. Can I go with a TC-3 or TC-9 to save some money? Will those work with my system or do I need to stay with the TC-15? I don’t have fancy control system just the basic Hayward Aquarite SCG

 

[Grubby]

Hello!

Sizing your T-Cell is a function of how long you run your pump each day in concert with the cell's percentage use for it's capacity. If you ran your pump 24/7 at a speed at least fast enough to satisfy the flow switch and had the cell producing at 100%, you could maybe get away with using a T-3, which is rated for 15,000gal. Since you have a 10kgal pool, you could theoretically run your pump for 16 hours a day with the cell set to 100%, or 24 hours a day with the cell set to 66%.

These are theoretical numbers. The amount of FC generation will also absolutely depend on the chemistry of your water.

The problem with using a smaller cell is that your power bill will be much higher. So! Most of the folks around here recommend sizing your cell at 3x your pool size so that you can run your pump for about 8hrs a day (as I understand it). Given that these cells last for several years, I imagine the power savings could be worth it to plus-up to the T-15.

If you go with the T-9, you'd need to run between 40% capacity for 24 hrs to 100% capacity for about 10 hours a day. Again, these duty-cycles will depend on your chemistry.

If I understand what I've read correctly, your usage should look like this:

(Pool size / Cell Capacity) = (cell production percentage) x (hrs run per day / 24)

I'd love it if someone like @mknauss could chime in on these assumptions.

 

[mknauss]

Downsizing the cell can be economical if your electric cost is minimal, primarily if you have a VS pump, and if your pool season each year is short.

You live in Austin. Do you have a VS pump?