I apologize for the length, but I'm not sure if there is a clue in the history that I'm overlooking....
So I have a client, this is my fourth season with them. I started maintaining the pool at the request of the builder, who was "friends" with the client. He said just handle the maintenance and I'll take care of the equipment. Sounded good to me! I took over the pool in July of 2015. Once I got the chemistry fixed, everything was fine the rest of the season. After that, it's been nothing but one problem after the other. And while he says he'll take care of the equipment, he's too busy with other things to respond to the issues in a timely manner.
I spent much of the first season battling the typical pH/ALK issues due to the water source.
For the past 2 summers, the IC40 was not operating properly, mostly due to a leak in the pool, and constantly having to adjust the salt and CYA levels. So I continued to manually chlorinate all of this time. (They reimburse for the chemicals thankfully!)
I use drop kits for everything, including salt. I trust my readings. My salt tests jive with other salt systems panel readings. I'm 100% confident in my results.
So 2 summers ago, I snuck my sub-contractor in (he works for a competing builder) to do a leak detection and it was the return by the steps. Problem solved.
So once the leak was fixed, pool balanced, the IC40 is not generating chlorine, even though everything is as it should be chemistry wise/temp, etc. So now I'm wondering if the cell is shot due to unchecked pH prior to my service? I explain this to the original builder/friend who said it probably needs to be replaced (without checking anything). In frustration, the client decides to close the pool for the season, as it is now September and kids are back in school and no one is swimming anyway. So I stop servicing.
(At some point, the builder/friend supposedly replaced the cell with a new one. I cannot confirm if this is fact (and I have my doubts), and if it is new, then it was defective from day one.)
Pool is opened last spring and I'm called in to make it swimmable. Due to the early closure, there was a heavy-sticky-layer of algae on the liner that beat my tush, it was the toughest I've ever faced on a liner pool for sure. But anyway.... pool is sparkling and balanced and ready for swimming and the IC40 appeared to be generating at first, even though the high salt light is flashing green.
Now, fast forward 7-10 days and can you believe the leak is back?! I tell him, listen, my sub found a leak at the return by the stairs last summer and it stopped the water loss. "That's not possible" he says. I'm telling him, that's where the leak is. He refuses to believe me and does nothing to stop the leak. "He needs a new liner" he says. Um, ok. Not.
The allegedly "new" unit isn't generating chlorine either. Salt on the panel concurs with my drop test from the prior week. So I take new tests and all the levels have dropped due to the leak. So I re-balance. Salt on panel is higher, but not extreme. Not generating, flashing green high salt. Leak continues. Spend all last summer manually chlorinating with tablets and liquid.
Noteworthy - The cell is in a horrible place in terms of accessing the cell and removing it from the line to clean, examine, you name it. The unions are literally resting on the cement (apparently the plumbing for the equipment was put in place prior to the deck being poured? and the pool is 3 inches out of level). So for me to take the cell out is a pain in the YOU KNOW where and last summer I physically could not do it (major back issues at the time.
Pool closed up.
So this spring they contact me directly and ask me to bring my sub-contractor back to open the pool and fix the leak again. They don't want to deal with builder/friend. So my sub does as requested. Same spot, no more leak. He said he inspected the cell during opening and said it looked good (Now I'm skeptical of everyone/everything).
Everything goes smoothly and the water is balanced quickly, since it was mostly rainwater/snow melt cuz of leak all winter. No more leak, no high ALK, pH drift. Now the panel salt readings go from 4500 to 5500 to 6500 in the span of 2 weeks. My salt tests read 3200, 3400 and 3400, consistently. Cell won't generate. Back to tablets!
Client claims that he (builder/friend) charged her approximately $5000 for a new cell when he said he replaced it. She said she has the receipt. I cannot imagine this could be true...I told her the cell costs a fraction of that... but anyway....
What do I do? I feel so horrible for this family, the dad is so awesome and has been so great to me... I have a spare cell that my sub let me borrow to swap out the unit, see if the spare will work? And if I'm able to get the cell off (dreading even attempting it) I'm not sure if there is a part that needs replacing or is it just perhaps needing a cleaning? Would scale (which I highly doubt there is) cause the salt reading to do that?
Mainly I'm just dreading the cell removal, to swap, to fix, to replace, whatever. I could ask the sub but then would have to pay him. LOL
So all you IC40 experts, I already know what you are going to say but guess I need a not-so-gentile push in the correct direction.
Thanks!
So I have a client, this is my fourth season with them. I started maintaining the pool at the request of the builder, who was "friends" with the client. He said just handle the maintenance and I'll take care of the equipment. Sounded good to me! I took over the pool in July of 2015. Once I got the chemistry fixed, everything was fine the rest of the season. After that, it's been nothing but one problem after the other. And while he says he'll take care of the equipment, he's too busy with other things to respond to the issues in a timely manner.
I spent much of the first season battling the typical pH/ALK issues due to the water source.
For the past 2 summers, the IC40 was not operating properly, mostly due to a leak in the pool, and constantly having to adjust the salt and CYA levels. So I continued to manually chlorinate all of this time. (They reimburse for the chemicals thankfully!)
I use drop kits for everything, including salt. I trust my readings. My salt tests jive with other salt systems panel readings. I'm 100% confident in my results.
So 2 summers ago, I snuck my sub-contractor in (he works for a competing builder) to do a leak detection and it was the return by the steps. Problem solved.
So once the leak was fixed, pool balanced, the IC40 is not generating chlorine, even though everything is as it should be chemistry wise/temp, etc. So now I'm wondering if the cell is shot due to unchecked pH prior to my service? I explain this to the original builder/friend who said it probably needs to be replaced (without checking anything). In frustration, the client decides to close the pool for the season, as it is now September and kids are back in school and no one is swimming anyway. So I stop servicing.
(At some point, the builder/friend supposedly replaced the cell with a new one. I cannot confirm if this is fact (and I have my doubts), and if it is new, then it was defective from day one.)
Pool is opened last spring and I'm called in to make it swimmable. Due to the early closure, there was a heavy-sticky-layer of algae on the liner that beat my tush, it was the toughest I've ever faced on a liner pool for sure. But anyway.... pool is sparkling and balanced and ready for swimming and the IC40 appeared to be generating at first, even though the high salt light is flashing green.
Now, fast forward 7-10 days and can you believe the leak is back?! I tell him, listen, my sub found a leak at the return by the stairs last summer and it stopped the water loss. "That's not possible" he says. I'm telling him, that's where the leak is. He refuses to believe me and does nothing to stop the leak. "He needs a new liner" he says. Um, ok. Not.
The allegedly "new" unit isn't generating chlorine either. Salt on the panel concurs with my drop test from the prior week. So I take new tests and all the levels have dropped due to the leak. So I re-balance. Salt on panel is higher, but not extreme. Not generating, flashing green high salt. Leak continues. Spend all last summer manually chlorinating with tablets and liquid.
Noteworthy - The cell is in a horrible place in terms of accessing the cell and removing it from the line to clean, examine, you name it. The unions are literally resting on the cement (apparently the plumbing for the equipment was put in place prior to the deck being poured? and the pool is 3 inches out of level). So for me to take the cell out is a pain in the YOU KNOW where and last summer I physically could not do it (major back issues at the time.
Pool closed up.
So this spring they contact me directly and ask me to bring my sub-contractor back to open the pool and fix the leak again. They don't want to deal with builder/friend. So my sub does as requested. Same spot, no more leak. He said he inspected the cell during opening and said it looked good (Now I'm skeptical of everyone/everything).
Everything goes smoothly and the water is balanced quickly, since it was mostly rainwater/snow melt cuz of leak all winter. No more leak, no high ALK, pH drift. Now the panel salt readings go from 4500 to 5500 to 6500 in the span of 2 weeks. My salt tests read 3200, 3400 and 3400, consistently. Cell won't generate. Back to tablets!
Client claims that he (builder/friend) charged her approximately $5000 for a new cell when he said he replaced it. She said she has the receipt. I cannot imagine this could be true...I told her the cell costs a fraction of that... but anyway....
What do I do? I feel so horrible for this family, the dad is so awesome and has been so great to me... I have a spare cell that my sub let me borrow to swap out the unit, see if the spare will work? And if I'm able to get the cell off (dreading even attempting it) I'm not sure if there is a part that needs replacing or is it just perhaps needing a cleaning? Would scale (which I highly doubt there is) cause the salt reading to do that?
Mainly I'm just dreading the cell removal, to swap, to fix, to replace, whatever. I could ask the sub but then would have to pay him. LOL
So all you IC40 experts, I already know what you are going to say but guess I need a not-so-gentile push in the correct direction.
Thanks!
