Pentair IC40 started smoking, luckily it was caught in time.

[Rokihunter]

The IC40 was turned off for the winter using the remote as it will not generate when the water is below a certain temperature. Did not install the dummy bypass this year. I live in SC. Turned it on yesterday using the remote and the lights did not come on. My huband said there has been a brown spot on top of the display for awhile. It was working at the end of September. Since the lights were not working I turned it off using the remote. My husband went back out by the pool equipment about 30 minutes later and it was smoking. We quickly turned off the breakers in the easy touch box and unhooked it from the box. What should be my first step?

 

[Texas Splash]

Can you confirm if the pump was on and actively moving water through the SWG when the SWG was on?

 

[Rokihunter]

Can you confirm if the pump was on and actively moving water through the SWG when the SWG was on?

Yes it was. After I remotely turned off the ic40 I turned off the pool pump. With in 15 to 30 minutes after my husband went back out by the pool pump and noticed the IC40 smoking.

 

[Texas Splash]

Weird. Seems like the cell somehow still had power applied.

 

[mknauss]

How are you remotely turning off just the Intellichlor?

 

[ajw22]

It is a 6 year old cell but I would still notify Pentair of what happened and see if they want to do anything for you.

Just replace the cell and move on. After 6 years you probably needed a new cell soon anyway.

 

[Rokihunter]

How are you remotely turning off just the Intellichlor?

With the easy touch remote

 

[mknauss]

You can reduce the % generation to zero, but turning it off completely means you shut off the pump. Were all the IC lights out when the pump was off?

 

[Rokihunter]

It is a 6 year old cell but I would still notify Pentair of what happened and see if they want to do anything for you.

Just replace the cell and move on. After 6 years you probably needed a new cell soon anyway.

It was installed in April of 2017. My pool is 15,000 gal. I have contacted Pentair and they have opened a case. I do have to make sure that the voltage coming out of my easy touch is between 24-36 DC. Do not want to get a new one and fry that one too. Thinking of replacing it with the ichlor30. I know they go bad but do not want it start on fire every time it does.

 

[ajw22]

Thinking of replacing it with the ichlor30. I know they go bad but do not want it start on fire every time it does.

The iChlor 30 is a lower quality SWG then the Intellichlor cell.

As much as you had a bad experience with your IC40, it is an outlier. I would get another IC40.