Pentair IC 40 problem

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S

Slowride

0
Jun 27, 2011
90
Pool Size
22000
Surface
Vinyl
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
OK, I have recently had some electrical problems and replaced a GFCI outlet and my Intermatic timer. It turned out to be some grounding issues. Probably could’ve reuse the old equipment, but figured I would swap it out while I was working on it.

my Pentair is less than a year old and is not generating chlorine even though the “cell” light is on while in 24 hour shock mode. I have used a test strip in front of the outlet to check on the chlorine generation and it does not register any. Oddly, the salt light is flashing green as if there is too much salt in the water, but I have not put any in in a couple of weeks. Any thoughts would be appreciated I would be happy to provide any additional information.
 
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No, unless the salinity is too high. Then the cell will not generate. Is the Cell light green?
 
Slowride said:
even though the “cell” light is on while in 24 hour shock mode.
Click to expand...
That is exactly why we ask for test results. There is no definitive answers, unless you only want to hear that the cell is bad and not working. Most of the time is a chemistry problem, but up to you if you want help.
 
mknauss said:
No, unless the salinity is too high. Then the cell will not generate. Is the Cell light green?
Click to expand...
yes sir, it is. I've got in the 24 hour shock mode and the "cell" light is green. Oddly, the salt content light is flashing, too much salt as you stated, but I havent added salt in weeks and the last working date was Friday and the light was solid. If anything, the salt should have been diluted with rain in the last 36 hours.
 
Knowing current test results and what equipment you have would assist us in providing help. Without those, it's all just a guess.
 
Slowride, look above this message. Gene has TF-100 and K-1766 test kits. You need them too. "Haven't added salt in a while" tells us nothing. Light is blinking tells us little. You need a full set of test results--not from a pool store--for the very knowledgeable people to be able to help you with your problem.
 
Slow,

If the cell light is solid green, the cell is making chlorine.

I am not sure the cell makes enough chlorine that you can detect it with a test strip.

If your pool is green, the cell will never be able to make more chlorine than the pool can consume.

As a test, pour in a gallon of Liquid Chlorine wait about an hour and test with your strips and what your FC reading is about 5 ppm. Test again in two hours and see if it is all gone.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 

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On the advice of Pentair, I replaced the flow switch and i have the same problem of the Salt content light flashing green and the unit not making chlorine with proper salt levels. This seems to be another "common problem", at least on here. Now they advise replacing the unit, after 1 year, and they have no units to provide via warranty. This is my second full replacement in 3 years and i've had it with Pentair. My first Pentair lasted 10 years. Can anyone recommend a replacement cell to use with the existing power source? Or, if i need to start over, which system is the most reliable. Don't want to get in the weeds on all the particulars, just if you're impressed with the reliability of your setup, sound off. thx, SR
 
Slowride, for what it's worth, I had to replace mine back in June of 2021 under warranty...it took over 7 months to get a replacement from them. The new SWG was installed and ever since, it told me that my salt level was too high. The old cell worked fine with the salt level, I didn't add any salt in over a year. I ran a few salt tests and sure as heck, my salt level was like 4,800 or something.
The only thing I can think of is that maybe the old SWG had such a clog of salt/calcium or something that when the new one got installed, it released a ton of salt. I really stopped trying to figure out how my salt raised 1,100+ ppm seemingly overnight and just decided to do a partial drain/refill.
Since the drain/refill my salt is back to "normal", my SWG's high salt light is no longer flashing. Anyhow, I am about to disassemble the new SWG to clean it with MA/water mixture in the next few weeks after my pool season ends. Hoping that if I clean it every couple of years that it helps prolong the life.
 
At my volume, 1 gallon of 12.5% LC raises salt by 8.2. I bet I put in way less than 130 gallons in the months I waited on the new cell. I bet it's closer to <30. Anyhow, that is a good call out. It was good to go back into "Effects of Adding" in PoolMath to check the impacts so your comment is a good reminder that exists!
 
Can you see bubbles coming out of the return closest to your equipment pad? At least in my case, when SWG is generating chlorine, I get bubbles coming out of one pool return which is closest to my equipment pad. I know it sounds like dumb, but it is an easy validation for me. I usually followup with a water test.
 
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