Replaced IC40 salt cell and red flow light still on!

[Klsunnyd]

The red flow light is on and there are blinking red and green salt lights. We’ve had the water tested several times. All is good except chlorine level and we are adding shock. Our pool people came out and replaced the flow switch. Went from a 4 wire to a 3 wire. Didn’t fix it. We bought a brand new cell IC40 because 2 different pool companies said it was the cell. We plugged it in this morning and the problem is still there! Flow is good and strong into the pool. When I did the test in the old cell the green cell light came on and showed 40%. When we put the new cell in and did the test the green cell light came on but no percentage lights lit up? Please help. We have lots of money invested and no fix.

 

[Jimrahbe]

When we put the new cell in and did the test the green cell light came on but no percentage lights lit up?

K,

Pics of everything would be great.

Just to make sure that I understand.. When you replaced the IC40, the green flow light came on, but the cell's output lights did not. Is that correct?

Is your cell connected to an automation system like an EasyTouch??

How do you normally adjust your cell's output?

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[jgofnj]

When I did the test in the old cell the green cell light came on and showed 40%. When we put the new cell in and did the test the green cell light came on but no percentage lights lit up? Please help. We have lots of money invested and no fix.

If you are talking about the test to see how much life is left. The 40% indicated you still had about 6,000 more hours of life left (40% was used). With the new one, showing no lights indicates the cell is brand new and has 100% life left. It's possible you still have a lot of life left in the first cell, keep it on the side.

 

[Klsunnyd]

K,

Pics of everything would be great.

Just to make sure that I understand.. When you replaced the IC40, the green flow light came on, but the cell's output lights did not. Is that correct?

Is your cell connected to an automation system like an EasyTouch??

How do you normally adjust your cell's output?

Thanks,

Jim R.

Sorry for the confusion in my original post. With both the new and old cells the flow light is red. And the salt lights blink back and forth red to green. Can’t get a pic of back and forth so I attached one of each. The green light was the cell light that was on when I tested the cells. The pics here are of the old cell. We reconnected it once the new cell was doing the same thing. I just don’t know what else it could be if the brand new cell is doing the same thing. We do t have easy touch. It just plugs
Into a power box

 

[Jimrahbe]

K,

The flashing "railroad crossing" lights are normal at start up as the cell is trying to calibrate the salt reading. Unfortunately it can't complete the test when the red flow light on.

I need to see all the plumbing around the cell. It would be very odd to have two cells with no-flow failures, unless something else is going on.

Either you really do have low or no flow, or the original cell was installed backwards and then the original flow switch was installed backwards to make it work. When you installed the new cell you'd just have the same problem. Not sure that is it, but something is not right.

Please show several pics of your entire equipment pad.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Klsunnyd]

Hope these pics help. We have only been at the residence for 1 summer. This will be our second. We haven’t had any problems until now.

 

[Jimrahbe]

K,

Your cell is installed upside down from the way Pentair designed it. Notice the little arrow pointing up???

The IC40 is designed to have water flowing UP though the cell. The problem is that water is flowing down through the cell.

You have two choices.. Flip the cell 180 degrees or flip the flow switch itself 180 degrees.

For safety purposes, you should replumb so that water is flowing up through the cell.

But if you do not want to do it right, then you can just flip the cell 180 degrees.

Thanks,

Jim R.

 

[Klsunnyd]

So I can just disconnect the cell and flip it upside down? How would I flip the switch 180 degrees?

 

[Klsunnyd]

I flipped the flow switch 180 degrees. Reinstalled and now there are no lights in. Maybe I blew the fuse?

 

[Klsunnyd]

Can’t thank you enough.

 

[Jimrahbe]

K,

Glad you got it working...

You might want to rethink the people that you use to maintain your equipment. They obviously have no clue what they are doing.

I suspect your original IC40 is just fine, it just has the flow switch installed backwards (for your set up)...

Thanks,

Jim R.